Fighter Squadron (1948)

This movie gets better with time. Some of the best flying shots of the P-47 Thunderbolt. Most of the action segments must have used available planes (P-47); it was only 3 years after the end of the war, and there were plenty of Thunderbolts in top flying condition. To the credit of the film's producers, some of the air combat scenes used actual footage shot with "gun cameras' on Thunderbolts. This is clearly seen where ground targets , such as trains, are being strafed.Although the German fighters are clearly P-51's (with Luftwaffe markings), and not ME 109's, there were probably very few flyable Nazi combat aircraft of any type in 1948. This was decades before CGI!

If what you want is a thoughtful, authentic war drama, look elsewhere. This one's hilariously typecast, predictable, rigidly rah-rah, and ... gorgeous in Technicolor. The side story about the conniving sergeant is amusing, but distracting. The dialog is delivered with rapid-fire precision by the accomplished cast, so don't sneeze or you'll miss something.The star of the picture is the combat footage. Lots and lots of great color footage of planes, some of them making emergency landings and airborne kills.Oh, and look for a mighty young Rock Hudson in the squadron.

This movie was on TCM recently; I'd missed it in 1948. The action shots were superb in using actual footage from the cameras mounted on fighter planes. There were lots of technical goofs in using P-51's adorned with swastikas to portray the German Airforce and most importantly, there were NO invasion stripes painted on the P-47's during the sequences supposedly over France on June 6, 1944. As a WWII Air Force Veteran, in spite of these omissions -- probably only noticeable to one who was there -- I admired the editing and it was interesting to see some of today's movie & TV stars in minor roles. For movies of that era, "Twelve O'Clock High" was far more technically accurate.

I have seen this movie two times on late night TV and have enjoyed as much as 12 O'clock High. Although some critics may say it's superficial and more action oriented than 12 O'clock, I think it represents a needed aspect of the WWII air-war. Some parts are taken from actual incidents, like the rescue of a downed fellow pilot by another pilot by landing in a field and picking him up in enemy held territory. P-47 Thunderbolts with drop tanks were used to escort allied bombers until the long range P-51 became available. It is ironic that after the war the air force got rid of the P-47 in favor of the P-51 and that during the Korean war the P-51 suffered high casualties because they were used in a ground attack role in which the P-47 were much more suited. I do hope they come out with it on DVD soon.