12 O'Clock High (1964)
S02E22 Twenty-Fifth Mission
Episode Overview
After finishing his 25th mission, Major Tom Parsons is set to return home. At Wing HQ, General Britt is reprimanding Group Commander Gallagher and his team for their unsuccessful bombing attempts on Sveringen, the site where the new ME-262 rocket fighter is produced. Gallagher proposes a nighttime precision bombing, but Britt reminds him that the RAF has already tried and failed. Gallagher then suggests using a pathfinder to mark the target with incendiaries, choosing Parsons for the mission. However, Parsons declines, having completed his tour. Later, at the officers' club, Parsons runs into his former co-pilot, Captain Cowley, who just got out of the hospital. Cowley inquires about Parsons’ girlfriend, Naomi, but he remains vague. Britt decides to have Cowley take on the pathfinder mission, with Parsons training him, while reviewing Parsons' rotation orders and realizing he hasn't faced any real challenges.
