Plot
In 1949, American attorney and former U.S. Army Air Forces officer Harvey Stovall (Dean Jagger) is vacationing in Great Britain when he spies a familiar Toby Jug in an English antique shop. He buys it and bicycles out to an abandoned airfield, the former USAAF station, RAF Archbury, where he served with the 918th Bomb Group during World War II. The scene then flashes back to RAF Archbury, c. 1942.
Colonel Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) is the commander of the 918th Heavy Bombardment Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress unit based at (the fictional) RAF Archbury. Having recently arrived and being thrown into action, the 918th has suffered heavy losses, gaining the reputation as a "hard luck group" suffering from poor morale. One reason is the US strategy of daylight precision bombing and the corresponding high loss rate it causes to the American bombers to enemy antiaircraft fire and enemy fighters, the latter being aggravated by the fact that there are not yet any US or Allied fighters with sufficient range to escort the bombers to and from their targets.
Davenport has become too close to his men and is troubled by his losses. When he is ordered to fly one mission at low altitude to increase accuracy, Davenport rushes to headquarters and confronts his friend, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck), the A-3 (Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations) of VIII Bomber Command. His visit prompts Major General Patrick Pritchard (Millard Mitchell), commanding general of VIII Bomber Command, Eighth Air Force, to visit the 918th. After interviewing Davenport and others, Pritchard recognizes that Davenport is the problem. He relieves Davenport of command and reassigns him. The 918th is given to Savage.
Savage finds his new command in disarray and begins to address the discipline problems, dealing with everyone so harshly that the men begin to detest him. Savage is particularly hard on Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately (Hugh Marlowe), the Group Air Executive Officer, placing him under arrest for being Absent Without Leave during the command change. Major Joe Cobb (John Kellogg), one of Savage's squadron commanders, takes Gately's place as Air Exec. Gately, a graduate of West Point, grandson of a general officer and son of General Tom Gately, is assigned as the commander of a bomber named the "Leper Colony", to which Savage assigns those he considers substandard.
Upset by Savage's stern leadership, all of the 918th's pilots apply for transfers. Savage asks the Group Adjutant, Major Stovall (Dean Jagger), to delay processing their applications to buy some time. Stovall knows how to use "red tape", telling Savage he is a veteran of World War I. Stovall goes along, giving Savage more than a week. The 918th, after hasty refresher training, resumes combat flying. The 918th's increased skill and discipline become obvious to the enemy, who attack other groups and leave the 918th alone.
The men begin to change their minds about Savage after he leads them on a mission in which the 918th is the only group to bomb the target and all of the aircraft return safely. The word gets around that Pritchard personally chewed Savage out for his claim of "radio malfunction" as an excuse to ignore the recall order.
When the pilots continue to ask about their transfer applications, Savage tries to enlist a young pilot, Medal of Honor-nominee Lieutenant Jesse Bishop (Robert Patten) to help him change their attitudes. Bishop eventually comes to believe in the general, and when the Inspector General arrives to check out the unrest, Bishop convinces the others to withdraw their requests. Later, Savage learns that Gately has been hospitalized, having flown three missions with a chipped vertebra that caused him acute pain. This brings about a "rapprochement" between him and Savage.
As the air war advances deeper into Germany, missions become longer and riskier, with enemy resistance intensifying. Many of Savage's best men, including Bishop, are shot down or killed. Pritchard tries to get Savage to return to a staff job at VIII Bomber Command. Savage refuses because he feels that the 918th is not quite ready to do without him yet. Reluctantly, Pritchard leaves Savage in command.
The first of these missions, aimed at destroying Germany's ball bearing industry, has the Luftwaffe throwing everything available at the bomber force. Although the target is hit, the 918th takes a beating, losing six of 21 B-17s. Savage is shaken when he witnesses Cobb's airplane being blown up by a direct flak hit. Savage concludes that a second strike on the same target is necessary. With the death of Cobb, Savage reinstates Gately as Air Exec. The next day, Savage becomes disoriented and erratic and is unable to haul himself up into his B-17. Gately takes over.
Savage becomes nearly catatonic. Only when the bombers return after destroying the target, does he regain his composure. He says a few words, and falls asleep.
The story then returns to 1949 and Stovall. Stovall returns to his bicycle and pedals away with the Toby Jug.
Read more about this topic: Twelve O'Clock High
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