Sky Commando

Sky Commando is a 1953 American adventure film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Dan Duryea, Frances Gifford and Mike Connors credited as Touch Conners. The Cold War period provides the background, although the plot concerns a flashback to World War II aerial action.

During the Korean War, while American Air Force pilots Lt. John Willard William Bryant and his brother Frank Dick Paxton are flying a routine reconnaissance mission, their commanding officer, Col. Ed Wyatt Dan Duryea orders them to bomb an enemy position. Franks aircraft is shot down, and John returns to confront his commander over the reason for the dangerous mission. Wyatts executive officer, Maj. Scott Michael Fox stops him and relates a story about Wyatts career during World War II.In the 8th Air Force, Wyatt commanded a bomber group whose reconnaissance missions provided valuable information for future bombing raids. War correspondent Jo McWethy Frances Gifford who was assigned to cover Wyatts group, wanted to know the truth about his reputation for being a harddriving and unsympathetic commanding officer. His pilots held Wyatt responsible for the death of his copilot during a dangerous mission and new copilot, Lt. Hobson Hobbie Lee Mike Connors, becomes the replacement. During a milkrun, Wyatt changed the mission to photograph heavilydefended Bremen. German antiaircraft batteries shot down several fighter escorts and badly damaged Wyatts aircraft, killing three of his crew. Nursing the stricken bomber back home, Wyatt made the decision to dump everything to save the aircraft and its important film. Hobbie and waistgunner Danny Nelson Freeman Morse had to ditch the bodies of the dead crew and parachute out. Wyatt then flew back with the injured navigator aboard. ........

Source: Wikipedia