Angels One Five (1953)
Directed by George More O'Ferrall

Plot Summary: 'Septic' Baird has just joined a front line RAF squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain.

A newly trained fighter pilot joins his unit. Group Captain "Tiger" Small (Jack Hawkins) is the commander who hopes the newcomer will manage to stay alive .... the first few flights are something of a death sentence, since the experienced Luftwaffe pilots are always on the lookout for the hastily-trained British fledglings. The Battle of Britain, seen from the viewpoint of a hard-working squadron and from the less romantic cockpit of a Hawker Hurricane - less fast and manoeuvrable than the Supermarine Spitfire but more capable of withstanding enemy cannonfire and itself a remarkably steady gun platform. What Angels One Five does rather better than other tales of RAF derring-do is to tell the whole terrifying story from the viewpoint of a single squadron.

Any film that contains such immortal lines as "They've really caught us with both pairs of trousers at the cleaners this time!" definitely deserves a 10.

Typical fare for post-war British cinema-goers from Ealing Studios- stiff upper lips versus the might of the Nazi war machine.

Told over a few short weeks in 1940, the plot follows Pilot Officer 'Septic' Baird (John Gregson) as a fledgling Hurricane pilot posted to an operational squadron during the Battle of Britain. 'Septic' struggles stoically in the face of his boisterous comrades, an earnest would-be girlfriend and impossible numbers of enemy raiders. The Station Commander (Jack Hawkins) puts a human face on the RAF hierarchy, burdened by the knowledge that the fate of the nation really does depend on the skill of his young pilots. 'The few' eventually grasp victory but it doesn't come cheap.

Admittedly wooden by today's standards but, through films like this, a whole generation built up their Saturday afternoon understanding of the RAF's 'finest hour'.

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