The Dawn Patrol

During World War I, the pilots of an RFC squadron deal with the stress of combat primarily through bouts of heavy drinking. The two aces of the squadron's "A Flight", Courtney (Richard Barthelmess) and Scott (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) have come to hate the commanding officer, Brand (Neil Hamilton), blaming him for sending new recruits directly into combat. The tension grows worse when an elite German squadron led by "von Richter" takes up position just across the front lines from them.