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Piece of Cake Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 1988 - 1988
Episode 1
September 1939
As Britain declares war on Germany in September 1939, the RAF's Hornet squadron is in good shape for their upcoming transfer to France. They have been together for a year and are, all in all, good pilots. The squadron has come under the command of Squadron Leader Rex whose predecessor died in a bizarre accident on the ground. One of the pilots, 'Fanny' Barton, come face to face with the reality of war when he learns that the JU-88 he shot down was actually an RAF plane. Once in France, the men settle into their new billet, a French château. They get a warm welcome from the locals and one of the pilots, 'Moggy" Cattermole, even flies his plane under a bridge. The squadron also welcomes a new pilot, American Christopher Hart.
Episode 2
October 1939
Hornet Squadron has been in France for seven weeks. It's the time of the 'phony war' and they have yet to see action against the enemy. Squadron Leader Rex keeps them all on a fairly tight training schedule. Having successfully flown under the bridge, Moggy Cattermole begins to goad others into trying it leading to tragic results. Fitz and 'Flash' Gordon are deputized to meet some local school children and make the acquaintance of two lovely teachers. The American Chris Hart invites his aircraft mechanic to play a game of squash, something the more class conscious officers in the squadron frown upon. Everyone is amazed when a German Me-109 flies over their airfield and leaves them a souvenir.
Episode 3
December 1939
By December 1939, Hornet Squadron finally see some action when they spot a lone German bomber trying to get home. They shoot it down and subsequently visit the crash site and see firsthand the deaths they have caused. Chris Hart thinks they were just lucky and that their guns need to be re-sighted but Rex has taken a dislike to him and wants him out. They get their first real test however when they come across three bombers with a fighter escort. Not all of them survive the encounter. Flash develops his relationships with his new girlfriend Nicole. Fitz is having some problems with Mary and while he goes on leave to London, Moggy makes his move on her.
Episode 4
March 1940
It's March 1940 and the squadron loses another pilot, Treveylian, who has just arrived. Hart challenges Rex's tactics of flying tight formations and feels its what brought Treveylian down. Flash and Nicole decide to get married and Fitz asks Mary to marry him and they have a double wedding. The reception is interrupted when the château is bombed. The Nazi invasion of France has started in earnest and Rex is wounded. Despite being on pain killers, Rex insists on leading his men on patrol, with deadly results. Mary and Nicole are on their way to the British Embassy in Paris as a first step in relocating to England. They are strafed by a German fighter.
Episode 5
May 1940
With the German invasion in full swing, Hornet squadron is down to four aircraft. After one of several sorties, they lose two of them. Air Commodore Bletchley tells them there are no new aircraft available and what's left of the the squadron is to be relocated to England. It's left to 'Uncle' Kellaway to tell Flash what's happened to Nicole. Once in England, the men get a bit of leave. For his part, Flash has stayed at the airfield, drinking too much and generally giving up on life. The German air offensive continues through the summer with new recruits being killed almost as fast as they arrive.
Episode 6
August 1940
Now relocated to England, Hornet Squadron is involved in defending England from what are now daily Luftwaffe bombing raids. Only a few of the original pilots are still alive. When Fitz is listed as missing in action, his wife Mary takes to parking her car near the airfield in the hopes he will return. Seeing her there is starting to affect the men's morale. On September 7, 1940 the Germans launched their largest ever attack. The men of Hornet Squadron perform brilliantly on what is now considered to be the turning point in the Battle of Britain. The cost is high however and few have survived.
