Al Ludlow

It is 1940, prior to the American entry into World War II. After a simulated air raid against Los Angeles involving eighteen U.S. Army Air Corps Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, one of them goes down in the desert on its way back to base. Mysteriously, the dead body of a woman is found in the wreck. The pilot, Second Lieutenant Jefferson Young III, is accused of having an unauthorized civilian passenger on board and charged accordingly for disobeying orders. Before the court martial renders a verdict, they review Jeff's military background and history.

The son of a wealthy Long Island businessman, Jeff joins the United States Army Air Corps. At basic training in Texas, he meets former football standout Tom Cassidy and **Al Ludlow**, a mechanic. Jeff and Al become close friends and support each other through training.

Jeff meets singer Sally Vaughn, unaware that she used to be Al's sweetheart. Jeff, however, is already in love with photographer Carolyn Bartlett. When Tom crashes while avoiding another airplane, Jeff and Al are first responders to the burning airplane, but Jeff does nothing while Al rescues Tom. Afterward, Jeff is so ashamed of himself, he goes AWOL, gets drunk and goes to see Sally. He offers to take her to Mexico, but Al threatens to expose her past in order to make her persuade Jeff to go back to the base. Afterward, Jeff proposes to Carolyn; she accepts.

During training at another airfield, the three friends fly dangerously low for fun, but Tom crashes again, fatally this time. Al, the senior cadet, is discharged from the Air Corps.

Sally tells Al and Carolyn that she is pregnant with Jeff's child. Jeff admits to Carolyn that he secretly continued to see Sally because she threatened to destroy his reputation. Carolyn breaks up with Jeff. Al marries Sally, partly because he loves her and partly to protect Jeff. After a while, Sally tells Al that she lied about being pregnant, and he tells her he knew all along. Upset and believing that he never loved her, Sally leaves him.

After graduating, Jeff is about to go up in the air to participate in war game training. He meets Al, who is now an enlisted crew chief on his B-17 bomber. When their old mentor and the unit's commander, Captain Mercer, finds out about Al, he starts working to get him reinstated as an officer candidate and pilot.

Then Sally shows up, begging Al for help, saying she is wanted for the murder of her gangster friend, a crime she admits she committed. Al gives her some money and reluctantly promises to meet her later. Before she can leave the hangar, Air Corps officers enter the building. Sally hides inside a bomber. She is still there when the aircraft takes off, with Jeff as pilot. When the games are completed, Mercer asks Jeff to ready an emergency flare. Al goes to fetch them and discovers Sally. As they argue, a flare is ignited by accident. Before they can drop it out the bomb bay, Mercer is burned and falls out of the aircraft. Using a parachute, Al jumps after him and rescues him. Jeff manages to land the bomber in the dark to pick up his crew members. After learning that Mercer needs to get to a hospital immediately, he tries to take off again, disregarding Mercer's order to stay put. He crashes and Sally is killed.

Al takes the witness stand and tells the full story. Jeff is cleared of all charges and reunites with Carolyn. Al is reinstated as a pilot trainee and Mercer eventually recovers.

## Gallery

Al Ludlow and Sally Vaughn.Al Ludlow, Sally Vaughn and Jeff Young.Jeff Young, Sally Vaughn and Al Ludlow.Sally Vaughn and Al Ludlow.Sally Vaughn and Al Ludlow.Young, Ludlow, Clarkton and Cassidy.