Near the end of the movie, Errol Flynn (Lt. Terrance Forbes) cautions his two fellow crew members that they should wait before they try to recapture the stolen RAF (Royal Air Force) plane. Ronald Reagan (Johnny Hammond) says to his two buddies (who want to wait until the odds are more favorable): "Why wait? There's only twelve of them?" This Reagan comment pretty much captures the ideas of the young men from Australia (Flynn) the US (Reagan) but is somewhat in contrast to the former bookkeeper-accountant from Canada (Kennedy). Yet, mainly these young fighting men see themselves as invincible and uncapturable. This is the attitude that the Armed Services of the England, Canada and the US were each trying to instill in the minds and hearts of their soldiers, as these nations were reeling from defeats at the hands of the axis nations (Germany, Japan and Italy).
The plane, that this crew is a part of, is shot down on its mission to disrupt German production by bombing a certain railroad switching yard, deep in German territory. The crew of the bomber, loses three men in the raid and the crash landing. And just after the captain of the plane dies, the crew is captured and taken to be interrogated by Major Otto Baumeister (Raymong Massey). However, they escape from their captures led by Raymond Massey's character. The major is humiliated. This movie centers on their attempt to escape back to England from deep inside the German held Europe. Raymond Massey is seen pursuing them all the way.
By the time of the movie, France had fallen (as had the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and almost all of Western Europe). The British had been driven into the sea at Dunkirk. With all of Western Europe held by the Germans, the escape across the Western European continent would not be easy. There is loss of life, a sympathetic doctor with a pretty daughter, several escapes from custody or capture, allied sabotage of German installations, a car chase and finally they arrive at the site of the stolen RAF aircraft. The idea that the Germans might bomb the London water supply with this plane and leave millions without water and helpless, prompts the selfless, patriotic fervor that leads young Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan's character) to say to his two companions, "Why wait? There's only 12 of them!" Will our heroes escape back to England? Or is this just too much to ask of any men in occupied Western Europe? Do they die a heroes death or live to fight one more day? Watch this patriotic, drama with its lighter moments and you will see. Either way you will be encouraged as were the audiences that viewed this movie in 1942, the armed forces as well as movie audiences in thousands of small towns in Canada, England and the USA.
The plane, that this crew is a part of, is shot down on its mission to disrupt German production by bombing a certain railroad switching yard, deep in German territory. The crew of the bomber, loses three men in the raid and the crash landing. And just after the captain of the plane dies, the crew is captured and taken to be interrogated by Major Otto Baumeister (Raymong Massey). However, they escape from their captures led by Raymond Massey's character. The major is humiliated. This movie centers on their attempt to escape back to England from deep inside the German held Europe. Raymond Massey is seen pursuing them all the way.
By the time of the movie, France had fallen (as had the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and almost all of Western Europe). The British had been driven into the sea at Dunkirk. With all of Western Europe held by the Germans, the escape across the Western European continent would not be easy. There is loss of life, a sympathetic doctor with a pretty daughter, several escapes from custody or capture, allied sabotage of German installations, a car chase and finally they arrive at the site of the stolen RAF aircraft. The idea that the Germans might bomb the London water supply with this plane and leave millions without water and helpless, prompts the selfless, patriotic fervor that leads young Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan's character) to say to his two companions, "Why wait? There's only 12 of them!" Will our heroes escape back to England? Or is this just too much to ask of any men in occupied Western Europe? Do they die a heroes death or live to fight one more day? Watch this patriotic, drama with its lighter moments and you will see. Either way you will be encouraged as were the audiences that viewed this movie in 1942, the armed forces as well as movie audiences in thousands of small towns in Canada, England and the USA.