A straggling B-17 joins the formation and it turns out to be a captured plane flown by Germans. It strafes the lead plane flown by General Savage which is shot down. Later it is reported that Brigadier General Frank Savage the Group Commander has been killed and will be buried with full military honours by the Germans. Brigadier General Ed Britt from SHAEF HQ must decide who should take command of the 918. His candidates are the Deputy Group Commander Lieutenant Colonel Joe Gallagher, and the other two Squadron Commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Bailey & Lieutenant Colonel Chick Heindorf. Gallagher is the temporary Group Commander. On the next mission Gallagher's crew shoots down a B-17 who does not acknowledge a signal thinking it is an infiltrator. It turns out to be a legitimate straggler with radio trouble and a wounded crew. When asked by General Britt, Gallagher says he would do the same thing again if the same situation occurred. Because he can make tough decisions, Gallagher

Maintenance problems plague the 918th. General Creighton from G-2 orders the 918th on a mission to drop a spy (Ilka Zradna) into occupied Poland. Aircraft Army 262 has to abort the mission, (Langaard & Hetz are killed) and only 3 crew (Komansky, Rodman, Booker) survive along with Ilka. Back at Group a furious Komansky slugs Podesta and both are busted to Private by Gallagher. General. Creighton informs Gallagher that 20 German saboteurs are known to be in England impersonating Allied airmen and they will be closing in once they can identify the entire Group and the leader. Podesta is later found murdered beside some sabotaged ammunition and it is learned that the saboteurs are on base. It turns out that Podesta was a CIC agent (as is T/4 Thibideaux). General. Creighton orders CIC Major Adams on base disguised as Master Sergeant Young. Gallagher orders a plane on the mission to drop Ilka. He then switches to the Piccadilly Lilly. Just before they take off, T/4 Hansen delivers coffee to

The 511th Fighter Group arrives at Archbury to escort the 918 on the home leg of the shuttle mission. On the way Troper attacks a train making him 10 minutes late for the rendezvous. The 511th does not give the proper recognition codes and one pilot is shot down. On the ground an angry Lieutenant Col. Troper slugs Gallagher. Gallagher tells Troper to forget about it. They are ordered to train together. In London Troper gets drunk, insults Gallagher, and takes off with Gallagher's date Fay. Gallagher orders a brief at 0400, only 12 of the 511th pilots show up. Gallagher has Troper put under house arrest. Merritt leads the fighters and not one bomber is lost.

On a mission 9 out of the 10 crew of the Piccadilly Lily are wounded save one - Komansky. Komansky fly's and lands the plane, becoming a press celebrity. A wounded Gallagher puts him in for the Silver Star. Kirby Wyatt, the 918th press liaison calls Susan Nesbitt, an American correspondent working for the BBC. She takes advantage of Komansky realizing this story could make her (he rescued General Gallagher's son). Kirby Wyatt goes along with Susan. Sandy is very uncomfortable with the celebrity. He is kidded about being a jinx by Technical Sergeant Chapman, Major Benson's Flight Engineer. Sandy replaces him on a mission, and has to kick a bomb loose. Sandy is awarded the Silver Star.