The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell Page #3

has fallen apart.

My boys came to me tonight.

They want to quit.

All of them.

I'm not surprised.

We all get a little discouraged

at one time or another.

I've been thinking

maybe I've been wrong

about everything.

Maybe men

weren't meant to fly.

That doesn't sound

like you, Billy.

When I got

to be a general,

I thought,

Now I'll be able

to do things,

change the whole works.

But they're

out to stop me.

There's always

a bigger general.

[ Scoffs ]

General Yesterday.

No, thank you, Margaret.

I really don't care

for anything.

You go back to bed,

and I'll go where I belong.

Now, Billy,

drink this

and relax.

You can't

possibly sleep

the way you are.

Sleep?

[ Chuckles ]

There's a little job

I have to figure out

for tomorrow--

how to sink

a great, big, steel-covered,

unsinkable battleship...

when my commanding officer

has made it impossible.

You can't blame Guthrie

for that, Billy.

He's just going

according to rules.

That's the way we all

have to work-- by the book.

You know that.

Sure.

We go by the book.

Suppose some other country

throws away the book.

Then where are we?

I've got to open their eyes

to what can happen.

I've got to

sink that battleship.

You can't do

the impossible.

I can try.

Zach, will you

call Langley Field,

ask for Russ Peters,

tell him to get the boys up

and say I'm on my way

back there now.

Now? Oh, can't you

wait till morning?

No, there's--

there's something

I've got to do tonight.

And you know what?

I'm scared to death.

But Zach'll tell you

that's normal

for a flyer.

Billy, what are you

going to do?

You'll hear about it.

Don't forget that call,

will you, Zach?

Good night, kids.

Good night, Billy.

Night, Billy.

What is this

all about?

I don't know.

Call came

from Washington.

What's up,

General?

There's been a change

in orders, boys.

We go in at low level today

with 2,000-pound bombs.

Hey, now you're talkin'!

That's more like it!

When do we start?

How did you work it,

General?

Never mind.

Get the ordnance men out

and start loading.

General.

Is this really

on the level, sir?

Did new orders

really come through?

You heard what I said,

didn't you?

Yes, sir.

General.

This is a strange

time of night for orders

to come out, sir.

Are you sure

you're not just

doing this on your own?

Don't you worry

about that, Russ.

You just get out there

on the field

and get those planes ready.

Okay?

Yes, sir.

What are they doing?

They're dropping down

for a low-level attack.

But that's

against the rules!

Did you

authorize this?

Absolutely not.

[ Shouting ]

[ Explosions ]

[ Bombs Whistling ]

[ Explosions ]

How was that for

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