Something for the weekend. The score from the movie Twelve O’clock High (1949). A film shorn of any Hollywood glamor or heroics, it tells the story of the fictional 918th bomb group as it pioneers daylight precision bombing in the early days of the Eighth Air Force in England and suffers harrowing losses as a result. Veterans of the Eighth Air Force applauded the film for its stark realism and its demonstration of the impact of war on the men called upon to fight it. Anyone who has not seen this masterpiece should do so as quickly as possible.
Here is the opening of the film:
This speech by Brigadier General Savage, stunningly played by Gregory Peck, lays it on the line to his men.
War is always a horrible experience, leavened with heroism and self-sacrifice, even in a just cause, and Twelve O’clock High does not sugar coat it.
Thanks for this post. 12 O’Clock High really is one of the great WW2 films.
Thanks for reminding me of a great movie, I re-watched it on Netflix.
Off-topic — does anyone know if the song “Throw a Nickel on the Grass, Save a Fighter Pilot” dates from WW2 or Korea? I know I’ve heard it in WW2 movies but the only version I’ve found refers to “I’ve got six MiGs on my a–” .
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