12 O'Clock High - Season 1

Savage works to transform an awkward youth (Peter Fonda) with surprising talents into an able serviceman.

Savage acts on his own initiative when he iscaught betwen his own convictions and a senator's contrary recommendations.

After losing his memory, Savage is found wandering around Berkley Square, South Grosvenor Street by Lieutenant Ryan. After being examined by Kaiser, he reads in the paper that Barbara Talbot was murdered in London. Later, Inspector Thorne and Sergeant Padget from the CID come to see Savage, after finding a lighter with a 918th crest in Barbara's flat. Savage is missing his lighter and has no memory. He starts retracing his steps to Redgraves Club, then Barbara's flat. It turns out that Redgraves is a blackmailer and spy; he uses women like Barbara to lure important people into compromising situations. Frank realizes that Redgraves killed Barbara and that Padgett works for Redgraves. Frank confronts Regraves, and as Regraves is about to kill Frank, he is shot and wounded by Inspector Thorne. Next mission will be to Saarbrücken.

The 918th draws a particularly tough mission, an aircraft plant in Rhone Valley, 120 miles beyond fighter support range, surrounded by 500 anti-aircraft batteries and at the bombers maximum fuel range. At least 3 squadrons of fighters will be waiting for the bombers and they will not have a lot of fuel for evasive action. Fog rolls in and they stand down for 3 days, the tension of waiting is driving the men crazy. Tom Lockridge has flown 24 missions and has been hospitalized with hepatitis. He and Sergeant Rutherford are the only members of the original crew, all the others completed there tours or were killed. Major Kaiser wants to keep Lockridge is hospital a little while longer but Lockridge wants to get his tour over with.

Kane completed his 25 missions and is going back to the States on a Public Relations Tour. He will be performing in Winged Victory and wants to resume his career as an actor after the War. Savage asks Kane to volunteer for one last mission as his co-pilot and when the Flight Engineer & Bombardier are killed on the mission, Kane goes to check the oxygen tanks and is badly burned in the face. Back at base Doc Kaiser asks the General if Kane was a good actor before the War, Savage says he was, Doc says "Well he can be retrained of course". When we next see Kane he is bandaged about the right size of his, face, feeling sorry for himself he refuses to see anyone or eat. After refusing to see his buddies, then being rejected by his fiancée he steals an airplane and goes on a suicide mission. Savage talks him down and later Kane (sans bandages) offers Savage his Lighter, a signal he is no longer afraid.

Gen. Savage is shot down over the North Sea between England and Nazi-occupied Norway. He manages to make it to a life raft only to find he's sharing it with a downed German fighter pilot, Col Dieter. Savage has an emergency radio and Dieter is wounded, but he has the only gun in the raft, the current is pushing them toward Norway, and Allied search-and-rescue operations are seriously hampered by foul weather. For a few long hours, the war is reduced to its most basic equation, man versus man.

The Brauberg Dam needs to be bombed. Savage thinks that a specially equipped P-51 with two 500 lb bombs can take it out. He asks Lieutenant Paul Stiger, a Kentucky farm boy who takes risks and volunteers for all special missions. Stiger volunteers, then wins the football pool for £ 20,000. He begins to realize that there is much more to life than he had thought. Lieutenant Crain becomes his friend and tries to help him. Stiger falls in love with his girlfriend, Myra, and wants to get married. Savage denies his request. He goes on the mission and survives. He then marries Myra with Savage's permission.

While working on a plan to bomb Strassbourg, Savage gets trapped in a cellar/shelter during a London air raid. A delayed-action bomb blocks the sole exit. Trapped with him are Lady Constance, Dr. Lewis Glenway, Miner Bert Higgs, and a pregnant woman, Eleanor Nicholls. We learn more about each of the people as they try to free themselves. Dr. Glenway turns out to be Archie Lewis, a lower-class con man who redeems himself. After they are freed, Lady Constance decides to open her home, Penrose Hall, as a home for young women like Eleanor.

After returning from a rough mission, Gen. Savage reacts harshly (possibly on purpose) to a pilot that has cracked under the pressure. Lt. Kerr, a conniving opportunist looking for a way out of the fighting, sees his chance and concocts a scheme to methodically convince his fellow crew members that Savage is also cracking up. As co-pilot, that would leave Kerr free to take control of the Picadilly Lily and fly her to neutral territory, effectively taking them out of the war.