Black Sheep Squadron (1976) s01e05 Episode Script
High Jinx
We're not going to need a wingman, Doug, 'cause you're not going to be flying.
I love these guys around here.
I don't want to see them get blown out of the sky Iike a bunch of birds at a turkey shoot.
Foxhole Leader, we've got bogies at 4:00.
We're like one big, happy family, and you're our newest member.
My guns are jammed.
Jim, get that Zero off of Deke.
We are poor, little lambs Who have lost our way Baa, baa, baa Baa Baa Black Sheep S01E05 - High Jinx S01E05 - High Jinx A mighty task force presses towards the Philippines.
With the Japanese aggressors on the offensive, Allied warships push deep into enemy-held waters, meeting fierce resistance from the air.
With fanatical devotion to their Emperor, the Japanese suffer heavy losses in unsuccessful attempts to halt the Allied thrust.
The fighting son of a fighting father heads back to war! Marine Lieutenant Douglas Rafferty, son of Admiral Daniel Rafferty, enjoys a brief reunion with his father on Pearl Harbor, before shipping out for reassignment in the Solomons.
An ace since the Battle of the Coral Sea, young Rafferty carries all the pride and heritage of a distinguished name, back into action.
There's your $10, and I'll raise you $15.
Lieutenant? Bye me.
Now, looks like I might have to find this pot a home Stop it right there! 1,000 rounds of 50 caliber and that Zeke still flies! Gentlemen, you can see the problem.
Lights.
Now, we recovered these films and the pilot, thank heavens, from the ocean, And these are no ordinary pilots.
How do we recognize them? Colonel? All right, these planes are different.
They're Zeros, but they're specially modified, with heavy armor protecting all their vulnerable points.
You'll notice the tail and wing sections have their leading edges buttressed.
The profile of the wing is fatter and rounder.
For once, it looked like the desk jockeys were right.
We were flying against carrier pilots in the hottest sticks this side of the Ginza.
It was a sobering thought.
Gentlemen.
I'd like to make this clear.
When your units engage these modified Zekes, no suicidal heroics.
Disengage from combat and get your aircraft home safely.
Do you understand that? Yes, Boyington.
Excuse me, General, but I'd like to get this straight.
Are you telling us not to engage the enemy, to turn and run? Is that what you're telling us, sir? That's exactly what I'm telling you.
The fact is, gentlemen, that our supplies are limited.
We can't continue to waste fuel and ammunition fighting these planes with negative results.
We also lost good pilots because we weren't prepared.
Excuse me, sir.
When will we be prepared, sir? You will be informed, Major.
That's all.
Maj.
Thompson, Maj.
Thompson.
Fleet Operations, please.
Seven of diamonds no help.
How're you doing, Pappy? Now, gentlemen, before I turn over this next card, would anybody care to call for a misdeal? C'mon, c'mon.
There she is.
Tough war, isn't it? $20.
Well, I guess I'm just going to have to see your $20, and bump you $20.
You're right, Major.
It isn't easy when you've got queens up and this fine gentlemen raises.
Call.
Take it away.
Well, I hate to leave you, gentlemen, but duty calls.
Yeah, duty always calls the winners.
Oh, uh, Major? Doug Rafferty's the name.
Hi, Greg Boyington.
That's what you get for playing without me.
You should've bumped him again.
No kidding? Admiral Rafferty's son? Yeah, he's here for reassignment.
Can you imagine what it'd be like? An admiral's son in the 214? He's an ace, isn't he? 5 kills.
Just think.
"Dad, we need a couple of airplanes.
" "Will 50 be enough, son?" "Why sure, Dad.
" You know, we could use another sharpshooter in this outfit.
Especially after what I heard in the briefing session.
Trouble? - Trouble.
Let's go to Pilot Rotations.
Boyington's rules of warfare: Don't pass up an opportunity.
You can never tell when it may come in handy.
Having an admiral's son in the Black Sheep seemed like an opportunity.
I pulled some strings and got Rafferty assigned to 214.
And then I had another problem.
Those are the orders! Now, if you spot any of these carrier planes, you do not, you do not engage them.
Why? Greg, we've flown 19 missions without a casualty.
We're supposed to quit winners? Jim, we're outclassed.
Outclassed? Why don't we just wave a white flag from the cockpit? How 'bout yellow flags? Did you say "yellow," mister? Don't you ever say "yellow" to me again.
D'you understand that? Yes, sir.
Now, look, you heroes.
I've been hearing about a new ammo that the Navy's been developing.
It's a high-velocity, armor-piercing incendiary.
They've been using it to knock down dive-bombers.
Now, I figure it it just may work on these new Zeros.
That's grand, but we never get anything from the Navy! Anderson, I have been working on that Well, tell us something.
Trust me.
Do you know this new kid's an ace? How 'bout that? Another ace in the outfit.
Pappy.
Did you order 50 cases of Australian infantry helmets? Yeah.
What're we gonna do with Australian infantry helmets? Who says they have to be Australian helmets? We just scratch out the English, write in a little Japanese, and what do we have? Japanese infantry helmets! We sell 'em to the desk jockeys, they send 'em back home as souvenirs.
Hey, Jim.
D'you see who got off that plane over there? Was it a nurse? I'll shower.
It was no nurse.
But it looks like we got ourselves a new pilot.
So what? So what? It's Doug.
Rafferty? You gotta be kidding.
When it comes to that guy, I don't kid.
And I'll tell you something, Jim.
Either he goes, or I go.
I ain't gonna go living through that again.
Hey, Pappy, I'll get on those Japanese helmets right away.
Good, good.
Do it.
Hey, you meatheads.
This is Doug Rafferty.
He's going to be flying with us.
And he already has five kills.
Put her there, boy.
What'll you have, Doug? Uh, beer.
Yeah.
Sorry, it's warm.
Hope you like it like that.
Anyway you can get it, huh? Hey, Boyle, d'you lose your razor? No, Pappy.
Good.
Then shave it.
Welcome aboard, Rafferty.
Look, uh, Major.
I don't want you to take this the wrong way, But I was wondering just how I got assigned to, uh, 214.
You had a streak of good luck.
I got a feeling there was something going on over at ComSoPac, Iike a payoff of some sort.
That operations officer, Wilner, got a case of Scotch, and then there was the Captain at Pilot Rotations who ended up with leave in Sydney.
You don't want to fly with this unit? No, sir, that's not it.
This squadron's one of the best in the South Pacific, but I was sort of hoping for carrier duty.
Carrier duty? You want carrier duty? Well, I can set that up for you, but there's certain things you should consider.
Around here we brush our teeth with Scotch and your breakfast doesn't jump on your lap and you fly with brains.
This is a hot unit.
Good pilots.
And the fact that I'm Admiral Rafferty's son has nothing to do with it.
Hey, around here, you're Doug Rafferty.
No one cares that your father's an admiral.
It doesn't even have to come up.
But it always does.
Okay, Rafferty.
Let's lay down the ground rules right now.
The Navy has some things that we never hear about.
Like that jacket that you're wearing.
I got this at Pearl.
Okay.
And the new L-4 ammo that the Navy's using that's something that we should be using.
Look, Major.
Greg.
Greg.
I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't pull strings with my father.
It's sort of a personal thing.
All right, Rafferty.
You're here 'cause you're a good pilot and that's it, unless you want to transfer out of this outfit.
No, sir.
I think I'll give it a try.
Thanks, Greg.
Don't mention it.
When you get to know us, I think you'll like it here.
We're like one big, happy family, and you're our newest member.
Let's get out of here, huh? Oh, no.
I left my bag in there.
Be careful.
Hey, Greg! Yeah.
Pappy, we've got a problem.
What now? The deal I made for the engine oil fell through.
How? Wasn't that the deal set by the Clanton? Yeah, we sent 20 cases of beer to the Army Signal Company.
They sent that Aussie bomber group on Tamarora a dozen field telephones.
The Aussies then sent the destroyer two bushels of fresh oysters for the officers' mess, and they pays us with the engine oil.
That sounds simple enough.
But the Aussies' oysters weren't fresh the Clanton stood down because half the officers got sick eating 'em.
That's not our fault! Hutch is on the phone with some guy on the Clanton now.
Don't think I won't.
Hello, Jim.
You guys know each other? Uh-huh.
From 905.
Hey, great.
Give him a check ride in one of the birds, and then sign him in and find him a place to bunk.
No, no.
Put him with Stubbins.
You'll like Stubbins.
He's a good guy.
I hear you were at Pearl on leave.
Yeah.
See Harry Roth? I think I met Stubbins at the club.
Harry's at Pearl.
In the hospital.
They have to feed him through a tube.
Is Stubbins the easy-going Did you see Harry, or didn't you? I tried.
He wouldn't see me.
Will Stubbins be my wingman? You're not gonna need a wingman, Doug.
'Cause you're not going to be 'flying'.
Now, wait a minute.
Not with 214.
Look, what happened in 905 wasn't my fault.
It didn't have anything to do with me! I don't care if you think it had anything to do with you.
I love these guys around here.
I'm not going to see 'em get blown out Iike a bunch of birds at a turkey shoot.
Take my advice.
Get back on that plane.
Go back to where you came from.
Oh, I'm not going through this again.
I didn't ask to come You're leaving, Doug.
I'd like it if you'd leave under your own power, but if they carry you out of here under a Red Cross blanket Don't push me, Gutterman.
This has got nothin' to do with you, personally.
It has to do with men getting killed.
You were supposed to give me a check ride.
I'm not gonna give you a check ride.
Look, Jim, please! What happened at 905 was not my fault.
Now, maybe being Admiral Rafferty's son makes me a good target, I don't know.
But I can't take that kind of hatred again.
Please, Jim, gimme a break.
I need it more than you can begin to guess.
Take T.
J.
's.
It's the one on the end.
50 cases.
50 cases.
That's enough liquor to cure every bellyache in the Third Fleet! Tell 'em they can take their engine oil and heave it! Hold it.
Look, Pappy.
In case it's slipped your mind, those birds out there don't fly without oil.
And right now we are scraping the bottom of the barrel You gotta give 'em their price.
It's not the price, Hutch.
It is the principle.
He's talking to us about principle.
I don't believe this.
Now I've heard everything.
Hey, wait a minute.
Maybe those guys have the new L-4 ammo.
What do I tell 'em? You tell them to throw in 40,000 rounds of the new L-4 ammo by 3.
00 tomorrow afternoon on the beach, and we've got a deal.
No wonder they're in the Navy.
They're pirates.
How do we pay 'em? We don't have 50 cases of Scotch.
No, we don't.
But we have 40 cases of Scotch.
So, we have a bottle drive.
We collect the empties, and then we water it down.
We mix in 10 cases of watered-down Scotch with 40 cases of good Scotch, and We hope that they don't spot-check.
They're not gonna check.
If they do, we lay 'em out and bury 'em on the beach.
Ah, principles.
897, this is X-ray 3-0.
Come in, please.
How 'bout bringing our wings a little closer.
I'm only supposed to be checking you out.
This isn't war, Rafferty, this is sport.
Hey, well, war's just been declared.
1 1:00.
Let's tuck it in.
I'm gonna be moving out.
What happened up there? I got chewed up, that's what happened.
Look, we weren't tucked in! We were tucked in.
I could've covered you if we'd been in tight! I want to talk to you right now.
I saw you come in.
What happened? That's what I want to talk to you about.
Not here, let's go take a walk.
Hey, wingman.
What's doing? Oh, hey.
I'm writing a letter to my mother.
Phew! Hey, look, Deke.
I know you guys wheel and deal.
You don't have to hide it from me.
What do you think I'm going to do? Tell my old man? Well, you see, I was just helping Casey with some inventory.
And, anyway, we've got to wheel and deal.
Want a candy bar? I mean, you've got a name, Doug.
I mean, I'm not faulting you for it, or anything.
You've got it made.
You think so? Well, my old man's a druggist back in Pierre, SD, and that gets me nothing.
I'll trade with you right now.
What do you think of that? All right, the grass is always greener.
But, the way I figure it, you've got nothing to complain about.
Except, uh Except not being somebody.
You know, there is no Doug Rafferty.
There's only Admiral Rafferty's kid.
Get him on your side and the war's a county fair.
Wait a minute.
Pappy didn't grab you because you were anybody's kid.
Oh, didn't he? All right, look.
Maybe he figured on using you for a shortcut every now and then.
I mean, I I don't see what's wrong with that.
But, you know, we we wait for channels, and we wait forever.
But when the mission starts, I mean, you're no silver spoon anymore.
I mean you're somebody, otherwise you wouldn't be here.
You guys really believe that? Hey, all of us.
I mean, really.
Hey, thanks.
You gotta send Rafferty to where you found him.
Why? You're gonna think I've gone tapioca when I say this, but Just say it.
I flew with Rafferty in the 905.
The man's a jinx.
I'm telling you.
Soon as he showed up, things started falling out of place.
We had a hot unit.
We had six aces, no real casualties.
Old Doug shows up, we started nailing coffin lids on half the guys in the outfit.
Are you saying he's a saboteur? No, I'm not.
I'm saying he's bad luck Like you never saw before in your life.
Jim, are we out here talking about black cats and rabbits' feet? I know it's crazy, Greg.
But I lived through it.
I saw guys lose power and crash into the mountains.
We had three Roman Candles in one week.
Now I take this man up on a check ride, and I end up getting strafed by a couple of them carrier pilots.
You start talkin' jinx, and you're gonna make everything turn sour.
I'm telling you, Rafferty's gonna get a chance with this unit.
Just because a couple of guys in the 905 get a little edgy, they make Rafferty the fall guy.
Greg, you weren't there.
That's right.
I wasn't there.
I'm here, and Jim, I'm telling ya, this boy is gonna get a fair chance with this unit.
And I got nothin' to say about it? I hope you don't have anything to say about it.
We're friends, Jim.
But if you keep spreadin' this malarkey around, I'm gonna put you on a C-47 and fly you back to Colonel Laird with a ticket with a ticket home.
Okay, Major.
I'll give it a try.
It's your squadron.
You got to write the letter, and you got to say the words.
I got to write the letters.
Now who else knows about this voodoo? Squim knows about it.
You blow him clean, because I don't want to hear one word about this, ever.
Well, I hope to hell you don't.
How many pairs, all together? Two of 'em.
Where'd those planes come from? How could they get this far down to slot? Carrier.
That's the only way.
Why go to that trouble to hit us? Why not the bomber wing at Pelatau? I don't know.
Doesn't make sense.
Crazy.
Knock it off! Let's quit asking questions we can't answer, and start puttin' this place back together.
Come on, let's go.
Pappy! Pappy.
What's this? They got our booze supply.
All 40 cases? This is the sole survivor.
Which raises the question, how we gonna pay the Clanton? Meatball.
You're not Look what you've done to my shirt.
Get off of there.
Look at that! You're sheddin', too.
Hey, Jim.
I want to talk to you.
Can't it wait? We've got orders to do this photo recon mission right now.
I know what the orders are.
Rafferty's flying it.
I don't want that guy flying my plane.
I said Rafferty's flying your plane.
He's gotta be briefed! I briefed him.
What did you pull me for? I want Rafferty to fly some missions, and I don't want him to fly with you.
I want him to fly with someone who isn't afraid to tuck in tight.
Rafferty told you that? Rafferty didn't have to tell me anything.
I read the radio report.
You know, you might not have been shot up if you'd stayed in a tight two.
But then you know that, don't you? If T.
J.
goes down, I'm gonna take you up on that ticket home.
Fair enough.
They're home.
Let's see how it went.
Hey, Anderson.
he's not in this outfit because he plays cards, Casey.
All that guy says is, "all new blades.
" "Hey, listen to this engine.
" Anyway, he said that the first day out, oil line breaks.
Hey, Doug, boy! We sure showed those Zekes, didn't we? We sure did.
Hey, Pappy, you were right about this guy.
He's a killer.
What happened? He just saved my butt, that's what happened.
We're over Choiseul.
I'm flying along, minding my own business, gunning film, when, all of a sudden, I got two Zekes on my tail.
I'm startin' to sweat like a steam bath when ol' Doug here comes chargin' in, flames one and chases the other halfway back to Tokyo.
Yeah! Ace! You really sound happy about that, T.
J.
I sure am, Pappy.
Good, 'cause you're buying the drinks.
Casey, what's the news? How did it go? We could've sold 1,000 helmets.
Every desk jockey on Espritos is a big war hero now.
That's what I like to hear! I'm buying! What happened? Well, we pushed 'em some helmets.
Oh, beautiful.
Should we tell him what we heard? I don't know, maybe not.
What? What d'you guys hear? Well, we met a guy in a bar at Espritos, and we got to talkin'.
Told him we were with the 214.
Gets this funny look on his face and he said he hears Doug Rafferty's flying with us.
So? So, what about it? Uh, he says he flew with him in 905, and, uh, watch out for him, he's trouble.
What do you mean "trouble?" Yeah, what kinda trouble? Uh, he said he's brought bad luck to every outfit he's been with, clear back to flight school.
Yeah, he's supposed to be some sort of jinx, or somethin'.
Hey, come on! What are you talkin' about? I'm just telling you what the guy said.
Hey, Casey.
Trade goods are on the beach.
Get two trucks and some volunteers and come on! Let's go.
Come on.
We're outta here.
Let's move it.
No, Rafferty.
Guess who volunteered.
I got him.
We're volunteering.
Volunteering for what? I don't know.
What's up? Going to the beach.
No, wait a minute.
There's something you ought to know about your new wingman.
That's our stuff.
Hey, don't we owe these guys 50 cases of booze that we don't have? You're about to experience the first demonstration of Boyington's Law.
how to survive in a military bureaucracy.
Now if you can't out-talk 'em, you out-guess 'em, and if you out-guess 'em Then out-rank 'em.
Yeah, all right.
What rank is that man down there? Uh, Lt.
Commander.
Take another look.
You're sure he's not a railroad bar lieutenant? No, Lieutenant, a Lt.
Commander.
This is going to call for more muscle than I thought.
What're you doing? I'm promoting myself to a rank I feel I deserve.
Anybody got a cigar? - Sir.
Thank you, Squim.
Oh, Lt.
Casey, a Brigadier general never goes anywhere without his aide.
Yes, sir.
Where are they? - I don't know, sir.
Where are they? Sir, attention! Lieutenant, make a note.
I want to talk to MacArthur.
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way, he called this morning.
Loved your suggestions for the new Philippine campaign.
Good, good.
I didn't hear an "at ease.
" At ease.
Now what the hell is goin' on around here? We're from the Clanton, sir.
I can see that.
I mean, this oil.
What about this ammo? The new L-4 ammunition.
Did I release any L-4 ammo? No, sir, uh, but, uh, Admiral Halsey did ask you for some.
I'm glad you mentioned Admiral Halsey.
Now we get back, you remind me I wanna write the Secretary about those new carriers.
I'm waiting for an explanation.
Well, General, uh Excuse me, sir, but I I don't know the General's name.
This here is General Bull Taylor! Mister, I like straight talk.
Is this a black-market operation? No, sir.
Then what the devil is goin' on around here? Well, sir, it's, uh See, uh, it's--it's, uh, sort of a Well Mmm-hmm, I see, I see.
Casey, confiscate all this material.
Sir, you can't do that.
Did you say I can't do that? Oh, sir, this this is from the Clanton.
Now, uh uh, you should talk to our skipper.
Don't you ever tell me whom I am to talk to! Sir, if if if you talk to our skipper, he could straighten it all out.
No, I'll straighten it out.
And when I'm finished, there are going to be a lot of scalps hanging from the mast.
Now, you, you'll be given the benefit of the doubt.
Now, you and your men, get back to your ship! But, sir, uh, uh You'd better shove off.
They don't call him Bull for nothin'.
Uh, sir sir, I think it's best we get back to the ship, sir.
Lieutenant.
- Sir.
I want you to cancel my luncheon with Mrs.
Roosevelt next Tuesday in Melbourne.
Yes, sir.
Back to the ship.
Bull Taylor? We'd better get some strong backs up here.
What kind of life is this? You go to flight school, become a pilot, and you find yourself lifting barrels.
Quit complaining.
Do your share and I always do my share.
Give him some air! Give him some air! You're gonna be all right.
We'll get you to the hospital, you'll be all right.
Casey, take the truck! Bring back a Corman and a jeep.
Pappy.
Hey, I think you just won the Purple Heart, pal.
Gimme a beer, French.
Right-o.
French, we're getting low over here, too.
Squim's being flown to the Base hospital.
The doc here thinks he might lose his right leg.
Rafferty.
He's been bad luck ever since he got here.
Hey, look, I flew with the guy.
And I'm telling you he can fly the wings off most of the guys in this squadron.
Huh, Jim? Straighten these guys out.
You don't believe this jinx stuff.
Well I think you all talk too much.
That's right.
Bunch of hens! Why don't you shut up and go back to doing your job.
I mean, do you wanna fly with him, Gutterman? All I said was, let's stop talkin' about it.
Hey, hey, hey! I ought to turn you inside out and stuff your feet down that big mouth of yours! What for? You told me you'd keep your mouth shut about Rafferty! I did! Like hell, you did! T.
J.
told me that the jinx story is all over the outfit.
Everyone's talkin' about it.
It ain't me.
We told 'em.
We heard it from a guy over on Espritos Marcos who flew with him in the 905.
We thought it was malarkey first, but when we started thinkin' about things that have happened since he's been here, you just don't know.
You're crazy, Bragg.
Jim flew with him.
Look what happened.
Yeah, ship him out, Pappy.
Drop him, Pappy.
I don't want to fly with him.
Don't take a chance, Pappy.
Okay, meatheads.
Come down here, I want to talk to you.
Now you guys, listen.
And listen good.
A fighter pilot only has two things going for him: his hot hands, and his cold nerve.
And when you start losing your nerve, it doesn't make any difference how good you are.
This doesn't have anything to do with Rafferty.
Rabbit's foot.
Four-leaf clover.
Why do you tote that around? For good luck.
You believe that, Larry? Yeah, sure.
Well, if you believe in good luck, then, you must believe in bad luck, too, huh? I suppose.
Well, if you start thinking about bad luck, that's what you're going to get.
Bad luck.
Then you'll have to find someone like Rafferty to blame.
Okay, I ship Rafferty out.
Then what happens when we have more trouble? Who are we going to burn at the stake? Who's fault will it be then? Yours? Maybe you'll be the jinx.
No guys, you start that kind of a thing, and then you're gonna have to have a fall guy for every rotten thing that happens.
Now tomorrow we're going on a mission.
And if we run into those carrier pilots, all of us better be the best ever, or none of us are coming back! We're flying, and we're flying with Rafferty.
You missed the briefing.
We got a mission tomorrow.
You know, I've been lying here, trying to figure out if it really could be my fault.
Like maybe I should just put a bullet in my brain and solve everybody's problems.
Doug.
Darn, it's not my fault! It can't be! Doug, I've been thinking about this thing and You guys just want a scapegoat.
Just like in 905.
Not this time.
This time, I'm gettin' out.
One way or another, I am getting out.
Okay, Gutterman, satisfied? I've been thinking about this.
I know I could've flown that check ride tighter.
And I was watching Squim today.
I know what happened to him was his fault, not yours.
I figure maybe you've been gettin' a bum deal around here.
It has taken a long time to realize it, but maybe I've been wrong about you.
Maybe? Now what's that supposed to mean? This isn't easy for me.
You know, I mean, uh, I'm not a big man on making apologies.
What I'm trying to say is I'm gonna do all I can to straighten things out for you around here.
I'm gonna fly with you.
And if you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend.
I mean that.
This is Black sheep Leader to Foxhole Red Leader.
I hear you guys want some company this morning.
Kind of counting on it, Black Sheep One.
Just relax! We're gonna take good care of you.
We're on our final approach, Black Sheep One.
Roger.
Foxhole Leader, we've got bogies at 4:00.
Roger.
Okay, you guys, let's go to work.
Thanks for your help, Black Sheep One, Iooks like we've done what we came to do.
It's getting pretty thick up here, Black Sheep One, maybe we better head home.
Get going, Red Leader.
All right, you guys.
Let's keep 'em busy.
Watch out, Deke! You've got one on your tail.
Deke, watch it! My guns are jammed! Jim, Get that Zero off Deke! Where's Rafferty? He's squared off.
He's got two of 'em on him right now! Hang in there, Deke.
I'm comin' down.
You'll never make it.
Oh, my God, they got him! He's goin' in.
The bombers are out of range.
Let's go home.
Keep it tight, fellas.
Why couldn't it have been you, Rafferty? Who said that? What guy in the squadron make that remark? Now, listen to me, you guys, knock off that kind of talk! Prepare for 9:00 low.
Carrier pilots.
We're gonna pass this one.
We're out of fuel, and we're out of ammunition.
We're in the sun.
So they can't see us.
If they do spot us, we're gonna keep goin' and outrun 'em.
Doug, what are you doing? Rafferty, get back here! Do you hear me? Get back in formation! He's going after all of them.
Break off, Rafferty.
Get back upstairs with the rest of us.
That's an order, Doug.
No, I'm all right.
I can handle it.
I'm going down there with him.
I'm gonna fly with 'em, T.
J.
You wanna smoke out the tail, Doug.
Pull out of there, while you still can.
Nobody had much to say on the flight home.
We'd lost two of our own that morning.
And we all shared in that loss.
We'd never had much of a chance to get to know Rafferty.
We'd never given him much of a chance to know us.
On our way back, Jim Gutterman broke formation and flew on ahead of us.
I should've chewed him up and down for that, but I didn't have the heart for it.
I knew what he was feeling.
Hey, Major.
Got somethin' for ya.
Flight jackets you ordered from Pearl.
I didn't order any jackets from Pearl.
Well, somebody did.
Thy came straight from Admiral Rafferty's headquarters.
And are they beauts.
Look at this.
Here' s yours.
Look, you guys don't want 'em, I've got an Air Corps that would take them.
Cut off the name and the emblem, I can get you maybe $45 a piece.
Maybe even more, $50.
$55? Maybe even a few cases of booze thrown in.
Here's yours, Jim.
Where is he? I'll take it to him.
I love these guys around here.
I don't want to see them get blown out of the sky Iike a bunch of birds at a turkey shoot.
Foxhole Leader, we've got bogies at 4:00.
We're like one big, happy family, and you're our newest member.
My guns are jammed.
Jim, get that Zero off of Deke.
We are poor, little lambs Who have lost our way Baa, baa, baa Baa Baa Black Sheep S01E05 - High Jinx S01E05 - High Jinx A mighty task force presses towards the Philippines.
With the Japanese aggressors on the offensive, Allied warships push deep into enemy-held waters, meeting fierce resistance from the air.
With fanatical devotion to their Emperor, the Japanese suffer heavy losses in unsuccessful attempts to halt the Allied thrust.
The fighting son of a fighting father heads back to war! Marine Lieutenant Douglas Rafferty, son of Admiral Daniel Rafferty, enjoys a brief reunion with his father on Pearl Harbor, before shipping out for reassignment in the Solomons.
An ace since the Battle of the Coral Sea, young Rafferty carries all the pride and heritage of a distinguished name, back into action.
There's your $10, and I'll raise you $15.
Lieutenant? Bye me.
Now, looks like I might have to find this pot a home Stop it right there! 1,000 rounds of 50 caliber and that Zeke still flies! Gentlemen, you can see the problem.
Lights.
Now, we recovered these films and the pilot, thank heavens, from the ocean, And these are no ordinary pilots.
How do we recognize them? Colonel? All right, these planes are different.
They're Zeros, but they're specially modified, with heavy armor protecting all their vulnerable points.
You'll notice the tail and wing sections have their leading edges buttressed.
The profile of the wing is fatter and rounder.
For once, it looked like the desk jockeys were right.
We were flying against carrier pilots in the hottest sticks this side of the Ginza.
It was a sobering thought.
Gentlemen.
I'd like to make this clear.
When your units engage these modified Zekes, no suicidal heroics.
Disengage from combat and get your aircraft home safely.
Do you understand that? Yes, Boyington.
Excuse me, General, but I'd like to get this straight.
Are you telling us not to engage the enemy, to turn and run? Is that what you're telling us, sir? That's exactly what I'm telling you.
The fact is, gentlemen, that our supplies are limited.
We can't continue to waste fuel and ammunition fighting these planes with negative results.
We also lost good pilots because we weren't prepared.
Excuse me, sir.
When will we be prepared, sir? You will be informed, Major.
That's all.
Maj.
Thompson, Maj.
Thompson.
Fleet Operations, please.
Seven of diamonds no help.
How're you doing, Pappy? Now, gentlemen, before I turn over this next card, would anybody care to call for a misdeal? C'mon, c'mon.
There she is.
Tough war, isn't it? $20.
Well, I guess I'm just going to have to see your $20, and bump you $20.
You're right, Major.
It isn't easy when you've got queens up and this fine gentlemen raises.
Call.
Take it away.
Well, I hate to leave you, gentlemen, but duty calls.
Yeah, duty always calls the winners.
Oh, uh, Major? Doug Rafferty's the name.
Hi, Greg Boyington.
That's what you get for playing without me.
You should've bumped him again.
No kidding? Admiral Rafferty's son? Yeah, he's here for reassignment.
Can you imagine what it'd be like? An admiral's son in the 214? He's an ace, isn't he? 5 kills.
Just think.
"Dad, we need a couple of airplanes.
" "Will 50 be enough, son?" "Why sure, Dad.
" You know, we could use another sharpshooter in this outfit.
Especially after what I heard in the briefing session.
Trouble? - Trouble.
Let's go to Pilot Rotations.
Boyington's rules of warfare: Don't pass up an opportunity.
You can never tell when it may come in handy.
Having an admiral's son in the Black Sheep seemed like an opportunity.
I pulled some strings and got Rafferty assigned to 214.
And then I had another problem.
Those are the orders! Now, if you spot any of these carrier planes, you do not, you do not engage them.
Why? Greg, we've flown 19 missions without a casualty.
We're supposed to quit winners? Jim, we're outclassed.
Outclassed? Why don't we just wave a white flag from the cockpit? How 'bout yellow flags? Did you say "yellow," mister? Don't you ever say "yellow" to me again.
D'you understand that? Yes, sir.
Now, look, you heroes.
I've been hearing about a new ammo that the Navy's been developing.
It's a high-velocity, armor-piercing incendiary.
They've been using it to knock down dive-bombers.
Now, I figure it it just may work on these new Zeros.
That's grand, but we never get anything from the Navy! Anderson, I have been working on that Well, tell us something.
Trust me.
Do you know this new kid's an ace? How 'bout that? Another ace in the outfit.
Pappy.
Did you order 50 cases of Australian infantry helmets? Yeah.
What're we gonna do with Australian infantry helmets? Who says they have to be Australian helmets? We just scratch out the English, write in a little Japanese, and what do we have? Japanese infantry helmets! We sell 'em to the desk jockeys, they send 'em back home as souvenirs.
Hey, Jim.
D'you see who got off that plane over there? Was it a nurse? I'll shower.
It was no nurse.
But it looks like we got ourselves a new pilot.
So what? So what? It's Doug.
Rafferty? You gotta be kidding.
When it comes to that guy, I don't kid.
And I'll tell you something, Jim.
Either he goes, or I go.
I ain't gonna go living through that again.
Hey, Pappy, I'll get on those Japanese helmets right away.
Good, good.
Do it.
Hey, you meatheads.
This is Doug Rafferty.
He's going to be flying with us.
And he already has five kills.
Put her there, boy.
What'll you have, Doug? Uh, beer.
Yeah.
Sorry, it's warm.
Hope you like it like that.
Anyway you can get it, huh? Hey, Boyle, d'you lose your razor? No, Pappy.
Good.
Then shave it.
Welcome aboard, Rafferty.
Look, uh, Major.
I don't want you to take this the wrong way, But I was wondering just how I got assigned to, uh, 214.
You had a streak of good luck.
I got a feeling there was something going on over at ComSoPac, Iike a payoff of some sort.
That operations officer, Wilner, got a case of Scotch, and then there was the Captain at Pilot Rotations who ended up with leave in Sydney.
You don't want to fly with this unit? No, sir, that's not it.
This squadron's one of the best in the South Pacific, but I was sort of hoping for carrier duty.
Carrier duty? You want carrier duty? Well, I can set that up for you, but there's certain things you should consider.
Around here we brush our teeth with Scotch and your breakfast doesn't jump on your lap and you fly with brains.
This is a hot unit.
Good pilots.
And the fact that I'm Admiral Rafferty's son has nothing to do with it.
Hey, around here, you're Doug Rafferty.
No one cares that your father's an admiral.
It doesn't even have to come up.
But it always does.
Okay, Rafferty.
Let's lay down the ground rules right now.
The Navy has some things that we never hear about.
Like that jacket that you're wearing.
I got this at Pearl.
Okay.
And the new L-4 ammo that the Navy's using that's something that we should be using.
Look, Major.
Greg.
Greg.
I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't pull strings with my father.
It's sort of a personal thing.
All right, Rafferty.
You're here 'cause you're a good pilot and that's it, unless you want to transfer out of this outfit.
No, sir.
I think I'll give it a try.
Thanks, Greg.
Don't mention it.
When you get to know us, I think you'll like it here.
We're like one big, happy family, and you're our newest member.
Let's get out of here, huh? Oh, no.
I left my bag in there.
Be careful.
Hey, Greg! Yeah.
Pappy, we've got a problem.
What now? The deal I made for the engine oil fell through.
How? Wasn't that the deal set by the Clanton? Yeah, we sent 20 cases of beer to the Army Signal Company.
They sent that Aussie bomber group on Tamarora a dozen field telephones.
The Aussies then sent the destroyer two bushels of fresh oysters for the officers' mess, and they pays us with the engine oil.
That sounds simple enough.
But the Aussies' oysters weren't fresh the Clanton stood down because half the officers got sick eating 'em.
That's not our fault! Hutch is on the phone with some guy on the Clanton now.
Don't think I won't.
Hello, Jim.
You guys know each other? Uh-huh.
From 905.
Hey, great.
Give him a check ride in one of the birds, and then sign him in and find him a place to bunk.
No, no.
Put him with Stubbins.
You'll like Stubbins.
He's a good guy.
I hear you were at Pearl on leave.
Yeah.
See Harry Roth? I think I met Stubbins at the club.
Harry's at Pearl.
In the hospital.
They have to feed him through a tube.
Is Stubbins the easy-going Did you see Harry, or didn't you? I tried.
He wouldn't see me.
Will Stubbins be my wingman? You're not gonna need a wingman, Doug.
'Cause you're not going to be 'flying'.
Now, wait a minute.
Not with 214.
Look, what happened in 905 wasn't my fault.
It didn't have anything to do with me! I don't care if you think it had anything to do with you.
I love these guys around here.
I'm not going to see 'em get blown out Iike a bunch of birds at a turkey shoot.
Take my advice.
Get back on that plane.
Go back to where you came from.
Oh, I'm not going through this again.
I didn't ask to come You're leaving, Doug.
I'd like it if you'd leave under your own power, but if they carry you out of here under a Red Cross blanket Don't push me, Gutterman.
This has got nothin' to do with you, personally.
It has to do with men getting killed.
You were supposed to give me a check ride.
I'm not gonna give you a check ride.
Look, Jim, please! What happened at 905 was not my fault.
Now, maybe being Admiral Rafferty's son makes me a good target, I don't know.
But I can't take that kind of hatred again.
Please, Jim, gimme a break.
I need it more than you can begin to guess.
Take T.
J.
's.
It's the one on the end.
50 cases.
50 cases.
That's enough liquor to cure every bellyache in the Third Fleet! Tell 'em they can take their engine oil and heave it! Hold it.
Look, Pappy.
In case it's slipped your mind, those birds out there don't fly without oil.
And right now we are scraping the bottom of the barrel You gotta give 'em their price.
It's not the price, Hutch.
It is the principle.
He's talking to us about principle.
I don't believe this.
Now I've heard everything.
Hey, wait a minute.
Maybe those guys have the new L-4 ammo.
What do I tell 'em? You tell them to throw in 40,000 rounds of the new L-4 ammo by 3.
00 tomorrow afternoon on the beach, and we've got a deal.
No wonder they're in the Navy.
They're pirates.
How do we pay 'em? We don't have 50 cases of Scotch.
No, we don't.
But we have 40 cases of Scotch.
So, we have a bottle drive.
We collect the empties, and then we water it down.
We mix in 10 cases of watered-down Scotch with 40 cases of good Scotch, and We hope that they don't spot-check.
They're not gonna check.
If they do, we lay 'em out and bury 'em on the beach.
Ah, principles.
897, this is X-ray 3-0.
Come in, please.
How 'bout bringing our wings a little closer.
I'm only supposed to be checking you out.
This isn't war, Rafferty, this is sport.
Hey, well, war's just been declared.
1 1:00.
Let's tuck it in.
I'm gonna be moving out.
What happened up there? I got chewed up, that's what happened.
Look, we weren't tucked in! We were tucked in.
I could've covered you if we'd been in tight! I want to talk to you right now.
I saw you come in.
What happened? That's what I want to talk to you about.
Not here, let's go take a walk.
Hey, wingman.
What's doing? Oh, hey.
I'm writing a letter to my mother.
Phew! Hey, look, Deke.
I know you guys wheel and deal.
You don't have to hide it from me.
What do you think I'm going to do? Tell my old man? Well, you see, I was just helping Casey with some inventory.
And, anyway, we've got to wheel and deal.
Want a candy bar? I mean, you've got a name, Doug.
I mean, I'm not faulting you for it, or anything.
You've got it made.
You think so? Well, my old man's a druggist back in Pierre, SD, and that gets me nothing.
I'll trade with you right now.
What do you think of that? All right, the grass is always greener.
But, the way I figure it, you've got nothing to complain about.
Except, uh Except not being somebody.
You know, there is no Doug Rafferty.
There's only Admiral Rafferty's kid.
Get him on your side and the war's a county fair.
Wait a minute.
Pappy didn't grab you because you were anybody's kid.
Oh, didn't he? All right, look.
Maybe he figured on using you for a shortcut every now and then.
I mean, I I don't see what's wrong with that.
But, you know, we we wait for channels, and we wait forever.
But when the mission starts, I mean, you're no silver spoon anymore.
I mean you're somebody, otherwise you wouldn't be here.
You guys really believe that? Hey, all of us.
I mean, really.
Hey, thanks.
You gotta send Rafferty to where you found him.
Why? You're gonna think I've gone tapioca when I say this, but Just say it.
I flew with Rafferty in the 905.
The man's a jinx.
I'm telling you.
Soon as he showed up, things started falling out of place.
We had a hot unit.
We had six aces, no real casualties.
Old Doug shows up, we started nailing coffin lids on half the guys in the outfit.
Are you saying he's a saboteur? No, I'm not.
I'm saying he's bad luck Like you never saw before in your life.
Jim, are we out here talking about black cats and rabbits' feet? I know it's crazy, Greg.
But I lived through it.
I saw guys lose power and crash into the mountains.
We had three Roman Candles in one week.
Now I take this man up on a check ride, and I end up getting strafed by a couple of them carrier pilots.
You start talkin' jinx, and you're gonna make everything turn sour.
I'm telling you, Rafferty's gonna get a chance with this unit.
Just because a couple of guys in the 905 get a little edgy, they make Rafferty the fall guy.
Greg, you weren't there.
That's right.
I wasn't there.
I'm here, and Jim, I'm telling ya, this boy is gonna get a fair chance with this unit.
And I got nothin' to say about it? I hope you don't have anything to say about it.
We're friends, Jim.
But if you keep spreadin' this malarkey around, I'm gonna put you on a C-47 and fly you back to Colonel Laird with a ticket with a ticket home.
Okay, Major.
I'll give it a try.
It's your squadron.
You got to write the letter, and you got to say the words.
I got to write the letters.
Now who else knows about this voodoo? Squim knows about it.
You blow him clean, because I don't want to hear one word about this, ever.
Well, I hope to hell you don't.
How many pairs, all together? Two of 'em.
Where'd those planes come from? How could they get this far down to slot? Carrier.
That's the only way.
Why go to that trouble to hit us? Why not the bomber wing at Pelatau? I don't know.
Doesn't make sense.
Crazy.
Knock it off! Let's quit asking questions we can't answer, and start puttin' this place back together.
Come on, let's go.
Pappy! Pappy.
What's this? They got our booze supply.
All 40 cases? This is the sole survivor.
Which raises the question, how we gonna pay the Clanton? Meatball.
You're not Look what you've done to my shirt.
Get off of there.
Look at that! You're sheddin', too.
Hey, Jim.
I want to talk to you.
Can't it wait? We've got orders to do this photo recon mission right now.
I know what the orders are.
Rafferty's flying it.
I don't want that guy flying my plane.
I said Rafferty's flying your plane.
He's gotta be briefed! I briefed him.
What did you pull me for? I want Rafferty to fly some missions, and I don't want him to fly with you.
I want him to fly with someone who isn't afraid to tuck in tight.
Rafferty told you that? Rafferty didn't have to tell me anything.
I read the radio report.
You know, you might not have been shot up if you'd stayed in a tight two.
But then you know that, don't you? If T.
J.
goes down, I'm gonna take you up on that ticket home.
Fair enough.
They're home.
Let's see how it went.
Hey, Anderson.
he's not in this outfit because he plays cards, Casey.
All that guy says is, "all new blades.
" "Hey, listen to this engine.
" Anyway, he said that the first day out, oil line breaks.
Hey, Doug, boy! We sure showed those Zekes, didn't we? We sure did.
Hey, Pappy, you were right about this guy.
He's a killer.
What happened? He just saved my butt, that's what happened.
We're over Choiseul.
I'm flying along, minding my own business, gunning film, when, all of a sudden, I got two Zekes on my tail.
I'm startin' to sweat like a steam bath when ol' Doug here comes chargin' in, flames one and chases the other halfway back to Tokyo.
Yeah! Ace! You really sound happy about that, T.
J.
I sure am, Pappy.
Good, 'cause you're buying the drinks.
Casey, what's the news? How did it go? We could've sold 1,000 helmets.
Every desk jockey on Espritos is a big war hero now.
That's what I like to hear! I'm buying! What happened? Well, we pushed 'em some helmets.
Oh, beautiful.
Should we tell him what we heard? I don't know, maybe not.
What? What d'you guys hear? Well, we met a guy in a bar at Espritos, and we got to talkin'.
Told him we were with the 214.
Gets this funny look on his face and he said he hears Doug Rafferty's flying with us.
So? So, what about it? Uh, he says he flew with him in 905, and, uh, watch out for him, he's trouble.
What do you mean "trouble?" Yeah, what kinda trouble? Uh, he said he's brought bad luck to every outfit he's been with, clear back to flight school.
Yeah, he's supposed to be some sort of jinx, or somethin'.
Hey, come on! What are you talkin' about? I'm just telling you what the guy said.
Hey, Casey.
Trade goods are on the beach.
Get two trucks and some volunteers and come on! Let's go.
Come on.
We're outta here.
Let's move it.
No, Rafferty.
Guess who volunteered.
I got him.
We're volunteering.
Volunteering for what? I don't know.
What's up? Going to the beach.
No, wait a minute.
There's something you ought to know about your new wingman.
That's our stuff.
Hey, don't we owe these guys 50 cases of booze that we don't have? You're about to experience the first demonstration of Boyington's Law.
how to survive in a military bureaucracy.
Now if you can't out-talk 'em, you out-guess 'em, and if you out-guess 'em Then out-rank 'em.
Yeah, all right.
What rank is that man down there? Uh, Lt.
Commander.
Take another look.
You're sure he's not a railroad bar lieutenant? No, Lieutenant, a Lt.
Commander.
This is going to call for more muscle than I thought.
What're you doing? I'm promoting myself to a rank I feel I deserve.
Anybody got a cigar? - Sir.
Thank you, Squim.
Oh, Lt.
Casey, a Brigadier general never goes anywhere without his aide.
Yes, sir.
Where are they? - I don't know, sir.
Where are they? Sir, attention! Lieutenant, make a note.
I want to talk to MacArthur.
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way, he called this morning.
Loved your suggestions for the new Philippine campaign.
Good, good.
I didn't hear an "at ease.
" At ease.
Now what the hell is goin' on around here? We're from the Clanton, sir.
I can see that.
I mean, this oil.
What about this ammo? The new L-4 ammunition.
Did I release any L-4 ammo? No, sir, uh, but, uh, Admiral Halsey did ask you for some.
I'm glad you mentioned Admiral Halsey.
Now we get back, you remind me I wanna write the Secretary about those new carriers.
I'm waiting for an explanation.
Well, General, uh Excuse me, sir, but I I don't know the General's name.
This here is General Bull Taylor! Mister, I like straight talk.
Is this a black-market operation? No, sir.
Then what the devil is goin' on around here? Well, sir, it's, uh See, uh, it's--it's, uh, sort of a Well Mmm-hmm, I see, I see.
Casey, confiscate all this material.
Sir, you can't do that.
Did you say I can't do that? Oh, sir, this this is from the Clanton.
Now, uh uh, you should talk to our skipper.
Don't you ever tell me whom I am to talk to! Sir, if if if you talk to our skipper, he could straighten it all out.
No, I'll straighten it out.
And when I'm finished, there are going to be a lot of scalps hanging from the mast.
Now, you, you'll be given the benefit of the doubt.
Now, you and your men, get back to your ship! But, sir, uh, uh You'd better shove off.
They don't call him Bull for nothin'.
Uh, sir sir, I think it's best we get back to the ship, sir.
Lieutenant.
- Sir.
I want you to cancel my luncheon with Mrs.
Roosevelt next Tuesday in Melbourne.
Yes, sir.
Back to the ship.
Bull Taylor? We'd better get some strong backs up here.
What kind of life is this? You go to flight school, become a pilot, and you find yourself lifting barrels.
Quit complaining.
Do your share and I always do my share.
Give him some air! Give him some air! You're gonna be all right.
We'll get you to the hospital, you'll be all right.
Casey, take the truck! Bring back a Corman and a jeep.
Pappy.
Hey, I think you just won the Purple Heart, pal.
Gimme a beer, French.
Right-o.
French, we're getting low over here, too.
Squim's being flown to the Base hospital.
The doc here thinks he might lose his right leg.
Rafferty.
He's been bad luck ever since he got here.
Hey, look, I flew with the guy.
And I'm telling you he can fly the wings off most of the guys in this squadron.
Huh, Jim? Straighten these guys out.
You don't believe this jinx stuff.
Well I think you all talk too much.
That's right.
Bunch of hens! Why don't you shut up and go back to doing your job.
I mean, do you wanna fly with him, Gutterman? All I said was, let's stop talkin' about it.
Hey, hey, hey! I ought to turn you inside out and stuff your feet down that big mouth of yours! What for? You told me you'd keep your mouth shut about Rafferty! I did! Like hell, you did! T.
J.
told me that the jinx story is all over the outfit.
Everyone's talkin' about it.
It ain't me.
We told 'em.
We heard it from a guy over on Espritos Marcos who flew with him in the 905.
We thought it was malarkey first, but when we started thinkin' about things that have happened since he's been here, you just don't know.
You're crazy, Bragg.
Jim flew with him.
Look what happened.
Yeah, ship him out, Pappy.
Drop him, Pappy.
I don't want to fly with him.
Don't take a chance, Pappy.
Okay, meatheads.
Come down here, I want to talk to you.
Now you guys, listen.
And listen good.
A fighter pilot only has two things going for him: his hot hands, and his cold nerve.
And when you start losing your nerve, it doesn't make any difference how good you are.
This doesn't have anything to do with Rafferty.
Rabbit's foot.
Four-leaf clover.
Why do you tote that around? For good luck.
You believe that, Larry? Yeah, sure.
Well, if you believe in good luck, then, you must believe in bad luck, too, huh? I suppose.
Well, if you start thinking about bad luck, that's what you're going to get.
Bad luck.
Then you'll have to find someone like Rafferty to blame.
Okay, I ship Rafferty out.
Then what happens when we have more trouble? Who are we going to burn at the stake? Who's fault will it be then? Yours? Maybe you'll be the jinx.
No guys, you start that kind of a thing, and then you're gonna have to have a fall guy for every rotten thing that happens.
Now tomorrow we're going on a mission.
And if we run into those carrier pilots, all of us better be the best ever, or none of us are coming back! We're flying, and we're flying with Rafferty.
You missed the briefing.
We got a mission tomorrow.
You know, I've been lying here, trying to figure out if it really could be my fault.
Like maybe I should just put a bullet in my brain and solve everybody's problems.
Doug.
Darn, it's not my fault! It can't be! Doug, I've been thinking about this thing and You guys just want a scapegoat.
Just like in 905.
Not this time.
This time, I'm gettin' out.
One way or another, I am getting out.
Okay, Gutterman, satisfied? I've been thinking about this.
I know I could've flown that check ride tighter.
And I was watching Squim today.
I know what happened to him was his fault, not yours.
I figure maybe you've been gettin' a bum deal around here.
It has taken a long time to realize it, but maybe I've been wrong about you.
Maybe? Now what's that supposed to mean? This isn't easy for me.
You know, I mean, uh, I'm not a big man on making apologies.
What I'm trying to say is I'm gonna do all I can to straighten things out for you around here.
I'm gonna fly with you.
And if you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend.
I mean that.
This is Black sheep Leader to Foxhole Red Leader.
I hear you guys want some company this morning.
Kind of counting on it, Black Sheep One.
Just relax! We're gonna take good care of you.
We're on our final approach, Black Sheep One.
Roger.
Foxhole Leader, we've got bogies at 4:00.
Roger.
Okay, you guys, let's go to work.
Thanks for your help, Black Sheep One, Iooks like we've done what we came to do.
It's getting pretty thick up here, Black Sheep One, maybe we better head home.
Get going, Red Leader.
All right, you guys.
Let's keep 'em busy.
Watch out, Deke! You've got one on your tail.
Deke, watch it! My guns are jammed! Jim, Get that Zero off Deke! Where's Rafferty? He's squared off.
He's got two of 'em on him right now! Hang in there, Deke.
I'm comin' down.
You'll never make it.
Oh, my God, they got him! He's goin' in.
The bombers are out of range.
Let's go home.
Keep it tight, fellas.
Why couldn't it have been you, Rafferty? Who said that? What guy in the squadron make that remark? Now, listen to me, you guys, knock off that kind of talk! Prepare for 9:00 low.
Carrier pilots.
We're gonna pass this one.
We're out of fuel, and we're out of ammunition.
We're in the sun.
So they can't see us.
If they do spot us, we're gonna keep goin' and outrun 'em.
Doug, what are you doing? Rafferty, get back here! Do you hear me? Get back in formation! He's going after all of them.
Break off, Rafferty.
Get back upstairs with the rest of us.
That's an order, Doug.
No, I'm all right.
I can handle it.
I'm going down there with him.
I'm gonna fly with 'em, T.
J.
You wanna smoke out the tail, Doug.
Pull out of there, while you still can.
Nobody had much to say on the flight home.
We'd lost two of our own that morning.
And we all shared in that loss.
We'd never had much of a chance to get to know Rafferty.
We'd never given him much of a chance to know us.
On our way back, Jim Gutterman broke formation and flew on ahead of us.
I should've chewed him up and down for that, but I didn't have the heart for it.
I knew what he was feeling.
Hey, Major.
Got somethin' for ya.
Flight jackets you ordered from Pearl.
I didn't order any jackets from Pearl.
Well, somebody did.
Thy came straight from Admiral Rafferty's headquarters.
And are they beauts.
Look at this.
Here' s yours.
Look, you guys don't want 'em, I've got an Air Corps that would take them.
Cut off the name and the emblem, I can get you maybe $45 a piece.
Maybe even more, $50.
$55? Maybe even a few cases of booze thrown in.
Here's yours, Jim.
Where is he? I'll take it to him.