User:X201/temp
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I September 1939" | 2 October 1988 | |
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The series begins in September 1939 on the day that war is declared. Squadron-Leader Ramsey is working furiously to whip Hornet Squadron into shape. Having just landed after a practice flight, Ramsey accidentally taxis his Spitfire into a slit-trench and his angry impatience causes him to fall from the aircraft and fatally fracture his neck. His temporary replacement is Australian pilot Fanny Barton who is uncertain about his capabilities for such a role (in the book, Barton is from New Zealand). A tragic mistake is made when Barton leads a patrol to intercept what they are led to believe is a German attack and he shoots down a bomber, which is later identified to be a British Blenheim, killing the pilot in the process. New Squadron Leader Rex arrives and Barton is sent away to face a court of inquiry. Rex is immediately popular as he provides his pilots with many luxuries whilst demanding strict discipline and adherence to textbook tactics in return. | |||
| 2 | "October 1939" | 9 October 1988 | |
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Hornet squadron is despatched to France to await a possible German invasion. Billeted in a luxury manor, the pilots live well although one, Moggy Cattermole, shows himself to be a vicious bully, singling out vulnerable characters Pip Patterson and Dicky Starr. In a dangerous stunt, Moggy flies his Spitfire under a low bridge, goading Patterson and Starr to do the same. Starr is killed whilst attempting to do so and Moggy shows not the slightest remorse. A new pilot arrives, an American named Chris Hart who has fought in the Spanish Civil War and is unimpressed with the gentlemanly tactics favoured by Rex. Two of the pilots, Fitz and 'Flash' Gordon start romances with two local schoolteachers, a young French woman named Nicole and an expat Englishwoman named Mary. An exonerated Barton returns to the squadron. | |||
| 3 | "December 1939" | 16 October 1988 | |
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As the 'Phoney War' draws to a close, Hornet Squadron begins to see more action. Hart is unimpressed by the tactics and skills of his fellow pilots when it takes six of them to destroy a single German bomber. In its first encounter with German fighters, one pilot, Miller, is killed and three Spitfires lost without any successes to show for it. In another sortie, Cox is badly wounded and an inexperienced pilot, flying at the rear of the tight formation that Rex demands, is picked off by a German fighter without anyone else in Hornet squadron noticing. | |||
| 4 | "May 1940" | 23 October 1988 | |
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The German Blitzkrieg has begun with the invasion of France and Belgium. The squadron celebrates a double wedding as Fitz and Gordon marry their respective partners. The happy reception is brutally interrupted by a German air-raid that causes considerable damage. Rex is badly wounded by shrapnel but conceals his injuries from the other pilots but the painkillers he takes render him euphoric and overconfident. Recklessly ordering his men to attack a much larger German formation, Rex dives down to his death whilst Barton orders the others not to follow. Now squadron leader, Barton leads what remains of the squadron against the overwhelming German invaders. Sticky is killed and Patterson is nearly undone by fear and abandons his still-intact aircraft by parachute. Gordon's wife Nicole is killed by German air-attack whilst fleeing as a refugee but Fitz's wife Mary reaches England. The surviving pilots are likewise evacuated. | |||
| 5 | "May 1940" | 30 October 1988 | |
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August 1940 - Hornet squadron is reinforced in readiness to take part in the Battle of Britain. Gordon has been rendered eccentric and mentally unstable by grief, but he continues to fly combat missions. Amongst the new pilots are a Czech pilot named 'Haddy' Haducek, a Pole named 'Zab' Zabarnowski and a nervous Englishman Steele-Stebbing who Moggy chooses as his next victim for bullying. Hornet squadron are soon in the thick of the action as the German air-force repeatedly attack South-East Britain. To his horror, Steele-Stebbing is ordered by Moggy to destroy an un-armed German rescue plane. | |||
| 6 | "August 1940" | 6 November 1988 | |
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Flip Moran has been killed, horribly burning to death and there is an awkward moment when his family arrive at the aerodrome and ask to see the body. The squadron's generally poor standard of marksmanship becomes apparent and Intelligence Officer Skelton is sceptical about the numbers of enemy planes it is claiming to shoot down. Skelton is appalled when Moggy refuses to show any remorse when a Spitfire he has bailed out of crashes into a town, killing four civilians. Fitz is killed in action and, in her grief, his pregnant widow Mary begins lurking around the edge of the aerodrome, which the other pilots find disturbing. Zabarnowski is killed, followed by Gordon. On 7 September, the German airforce stages a massive raid on London and every available RAF fighter squadron is flown into action. Hornet squadron has only five Spitfires left intact and Barton, Patterson, Moggy, Haddy and Hart fly into battle. They inflict heavy damage on the enemy but suffer in return. Haddy is the first to be killed. Hart pursues a crippled German fighter but decides to spare it, only to be shot down by another from behind. Hart's parachute catches fire and he plummets to his death. Moggy shoots down three German planes, getting the third right over his own aerodrome, but is surprised and killed from behind by another. Barton and Patterson are the only two survivors. A postscript describes how the battle on 7 September marked a turning-point in the Battle of Britain and the aerial campaign soon ended in defeat for the Germans. | |||