Manthast Absolutely amazing

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

bkoganbing Fighter Squadron combines the best elements of Dawn Patrol plus a little bit of Command Decision which came out the same year at MGM having previously been on Broadway. Edmond O'Brien and Robert Stack both get two of their most memorable screen roles in this film. The film makes good use of integrating actual color combat films with the body of the story.O'Brien plays a former Flying Tiger pilot from China who is now joined with the Army Air Corps and is flying in the European theater. He's a pretty undisciplined guy and not real big on the chain of command which bedevils General Sheppard Strudwick. But the big general Henry Hull rather likes him and so do the men in his group.But he's got to adjust his attitude when he gets put in command of the whole squadron. The job calls for a whole new level of thinking on O'Brien's behalf. Fighter Squadron is an aviation buff's dream. not only the vintage planes seen in glorious color, but the debate of various uses of the airplane as a weapon of war. The arguments over the air tactics of the second World War are still debated among military historians.If it weren't for Tom D'Andrea's role in The Life Of Riley as neighbor Jim Gillis, his role as conniving Sergeant Dolan would have been the career role of his life. D'Andrea supplies the comic relief in Fighter Squadron with an absolutely dead on, deadpan droll performance as Dolan who does get a lovely comeuppance in the end. Fighter Squadron is worth watching just for D'Andrea.Two actors who later came out as gay made their screen debuts in Fighter Squadron. Jack Larson has a small part as the baby faced new pilot who joins the squadron and becomes O'Brien's wing man. Rock Hudson is also here and he has a line or two, but he's readily recognizable as one of the pilots in the officer's club. Hudson originally signed with Warner Brothers. but was cut loose from his contract after his debut and was immediately snapped up by Universal. Jack Warner must have kicked himself for years after that one.Robert Stack plays O'Brien's best friend and fellow former Flying Tiger. He's getting married and violating an order that Sheppard Strudwick does not like married pilots flying in his command. Strudwick himself comes off as a stuffed shirt and a by the book martinet. Still his ideas are not totally without merit.Fighter Squadron holds up very well over 60 years after the film was made. O'Brien, Stack, and D'Andrea do some of their best work in this film.

j-boulet This movie gets better with time. Some of the best flying shots of the P-47 Thunderbolt. Most of the action segments must have used available planes (P-47); it was only 3 years after the end of the war, and there were plenty of Thunderbolts in top flying condition. To the credit of the film's producers, some of the air combat scenes used actual footage shot with "gun cameras' on Thunderbolts. This is clearly seen where ground targets , such as trains, are being strafed.Although the German fighters are clearly P-51's (with Luftwaffe markings), and not ME 109's, there were probably very few flyable Nazi combat aircraft of any type in 1948. This was decades before CGI!

Steve I enjoyed this movie as an AF veteran and a nephew of a fighter pilot who flew in an England based squadron. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed the movie as much without that personal investment. The production is not that impressive. The story of the maverick fighter pilot having to accept responsibility after being thrust into a leadership role was fairly predictable, in 2006. Maybe it was new and refreshing in 1948, but this is not a classic, must have, multifaceted war classic. However, it is a good viewing, once every few years, if you are a WWII buff. The inaccuracies and location problems are lost when I view the actual combat footage. The personal stories are consistent with reality, even though not told well.

bill1518 I have seen this movie two times on late night TV and have enjoyed as much as 12 O'clock High. Although some critics may say it's superficial and more action oriented than 12 O'clock, I think it represents a needed aspect of the WWII air-war. Some parts are taken from actual incidents, like the rescue of a downed fellow pilot by another pilot by landing in a field and picking him up in enemy held territory. P-47 Thunderbolts with drop tanks were used to escort allied bombers until the long range P-51 became available. It is ironic that after the war the air force got rid of the P-47 in favor of the P-51 and that during the Korean war the P-51 suffered high casualties because they were used in a ground attack role in which the P-47 were much more suited. I do hope they come out with it on DVD soon.