Taking the train

Er, Easy, I see something.
It's a train! 11 o'clock.

0002 00:00:06:14 00:00:07:20

Let's go get it.

0003 00:00:10:23 00:00:15:14

Wait. Easy, we got to take it head on,
low, so their guns can't hit us.

0004 00:00:15:16 00:00:19:18

It's my decision, Lightning.
Stay in formation.

0005 00:00:25:15 00:00:27:14

Stay in front of it!

0006 00:00:28:18 00:00:30:04

Die, you Nazi dogs!

0007 00:00:38:04 00:00:39:07

Where's Lightning?

0008 00:00:39:09 00:00:40:17

Where are you, Lightning?

0009 00:00:40:19 00:00:43:18

Taking the train from the front,
like you should have done.

0010 00:00:48:08 00:00:49:12

Come on. Come on.

0011 00:00:52:11 00:00:53:17

Gotcha!

0012 00:00:59:20 00:01:00:20

Whoa!

0013 00:01:03:16 00:01:05:10

Whoo! (laughs)

0014 00:01:05:12 00:01:07:20

Nothing like a good ol'
Georgia ass-whupping.

 

Fighter pilots

(cheering)

That old Lightning
don't never have his brakes on.

0003 00:00:05:13 00:00:09:23

- Questions, gentlemen.
- Does it really matter, sir?

0004 00:00:10:19 00:00:12:06

- Lights up.
- Here we go.

0005 00:00:13:23 00:00:15:15

What was your question?

0006 00:00:16:13 00:00:19:16

What we do, how well we do it,
does it matter?

0007 00:00:19:18 00:00:21:01

(man) Oh, man!

0008 00:00:21:03 00:00:23:01

And you all thought what?

0009 00:00:23:19 00:00:25:03

You'd sign up.

0010 00:00:25:05 00:00:27:09

You'd get shiny boots, a uniform,

0011 00:00:27:11 00:00:29:14

and that'd be the end
of 100 years of bigotry?

0012 00:00:29:16 00:00:31:23

You're coloured men
in a white man's army.

0013 00:00:32:00 00:00:35:05

It's a miracle
you're flying fighters in Italy,

0014 00:00:35:07 00:00:38:00

and not mopping latrines in Milwaukee!

0015 00:00:38:13 00:00:43:12

Any of you feel otherwise,
any of you want to wash yourselves out,

0016 00:00:44:06 00:00:48:02

well, Negro, please do so, and I'll have
you on the next thing smoking back home

0017 00:00:48:04 00:00:51:00

to make room for the men
who want to stand and fight.

0018 00:00:54:07 00:00:56:05

Get your head up, son.

0019 00:00:58:02 00:00:59:20

You're fighter pilots.

0020 00:01:03:18 00:01:05:17

Watch the rest of the film.

0021 00:01:06:06 00:01:08:00

Learn something.

 

Keep your eyes peeled

Keep your eyes peeled for the Jerries.

0002 00:00:18:24 00:00:20:10

Bogeys inbound, 12 o'clock.

0003 00:00:20:12 00:00:22:02

They're closing in mighty fast!

0004 00:00:25:16 00:00:26:19

Whoa!

0005 00:00:28:06 00:00:31:23

- I'm shaking them! There's two more!
- Yes. They're cutting left!

0006 00:00:32:16 00:00:35:00

It's looking good.

0007 00:00:35:02 00:00:37:16

- I'm feeling good now!
- Keep the beachhead clear.

0008 00:00:37:18 00:00:39:09

It's clear.

0009 00:00:39:11 00:00:41:10

Straighten up over there, Junior.

0010 00:00:42:14 00:00:45:20

- Let's go, Lightning. I'm on one.
- I'm behind you. Break right!

0011 00:00:50:17 00:00:52:05

Come on, slip just a little.

0012 00:00:59:15 00:01:01:03

(laughs)

0013 00:01:01:05 00:01:02:18

Congratulations, Captain.

0014 00:01:02:20 00:01:07:08

You are the first Negro
to shoot down a Jerry! Whoo! (laughs)

 

Let us fly

When we came
under your command, Colonel,

0002 00:00:06:04 00:00:09:12

you stated very clearly
that we would never find Negroes

0003 00:00:09:14 00:00:11:24

who could pass a pilot's exam,

0004 00:00:12:01 00:00:14:19

make it through flight school,
survive basic combat.

0005 00:00:14:21 00:00:17:16

A combat record which, to this point...

0006 00:00:17:18 00:00:19:07

We've done all of that.

0007 00:00:19:09 00:00:23:21

To this point, I don't believe your boys
have scored a single aerial kill.

0008 00:00:23:23 00:00:27:13

Because you have not assigned us
a single forward mission.

0009 00:00:27:15 00:00:31:09

It's damn hard to shoot down the enemy
100 miles behind the front lines.

0010 00:00:32:01 00:00:34:18

We're given hand-me-down planes.

0011 00:00:34:20 00:00:38:03

Ordered to attack targets
that have already been bypassed.

0012 00:00:38:05 00:00:41:23

Fly patrols where the enemy
hasn't been seen for months.

0013 00:00:42:00 00:00:45:22

Now we've done every lowdown, dirty job
you've handed us,

0014 00:00:45:24 00:00:49:09

hoping that we would just limp along
and go away.

0015 00:00:49:11 00:00:51:17

We will not go away.

0016 00:00:52:14 00:00:55:01

We have a right
to fight for our country,

0017 00:00:55:03 00:00:57:02

the same as every other American.

0018 00:00:57:04 00:01:01:12

So you shut us down or you let us fly.

 

Change up the strategy

The American pilots flying escort now
go for every kill they can score.

0002 00:00:06:09 00:00:09:24

That's how they were trained.
That's how they fight.

0003 00:00:11:03 00:00:14:01

Here's how we change up the strategy.
Lights up.

0004 00:00:15:11 00:00:20:02

At all costs, under every circumstance,
you protect the heavies.

0005 00:00:20:04 00:00:21:19

Colonel.

0006 00:00:22:21 00:00:26:03

We signed up to shoot Germans,
not baby-sit planes.

0007 00:00:26:05 00:00:29:02

You signed up to follow orders.

0008 00:00:29:18 00:00:32:03

One bomber, that's ten men.

0009 00:00:32:05 00:00:36:22

You getting one Jerry
so you can put a cross on your plane,

0010 00:00:36:24 00:00:39:11

that doesn't balance that.

0011 00:00:39:13 00:00:41:12

We count our victories

0012 00:00:41:14 00:00:44:24

by the bombers we get to their targets.

0013 00:00:45:01 00:00:49:00

By the husbands
we return to their wives.

0014 00:00:49:02 00:00:52:07

By the fathers
we get back to their children.

0015 00:00:52:09 00:00:56:16

What has not changed,
what will never change,

0016 00:00:56:18 00:01:00:16

from the last plane, to the last bullet,
to the last minute,

0017 00:01:00:18 00:01:03:13

to the last man, we fight.

0018 00:01:03:15 00:01:04:23

We fight!

0019 00:01:05:00 00:01:06:05

Yes, sir!