Political Correctness alert!! This film was made for pilots to see during WWII and it is very colorful in its derogatory language about the enemy, the Japanese. This was the way of things and the US was at war...do if you cannot hear this without becoming enraged, watch something else.
The film begins showing Lt. Cummings (William Holden) returning home from the war. Then the picture digresses, showing him in flight school. During this time, he learns that his father was killed in action and this gives him a strong incentive to be the best in his class. He says "I wanna kill Japs...that's what my father would want me to do"...and is upset when he learns that he was TOO good in his class. Instead of being assigned to a fighter squadron, he's being assigned to fly a hot P-38 fighter....on photo reconnaissance missions. This means he'll be flying high, flying fast AND without guns!!
Overall, this is a well made educational film. However, I am not going to rate it, as it's not intended for consumption by the general public and I also have nothing conventional to which to compare it. Worth seeing for airplane and history buffs....or someone wanting to see all of William Holden's films.