Irby, Janiece
November 1, 2012
Summary: Twelve O’clock High
Twelve O’clock High, released in 1949, is an American war film about aircrews that flew daylight
bombing missions against Nazi Germany during World War II. The film begins in 1949 with former U.S.
Army Air Forces officer Harvey Stovall vacationing in Great Britain. While there, Stovall recognizes a
Toby Jug in an antique shop and later purchases the jug and bicycles it out to an abandoned airfield
where he served with the 918th Bomb Group during World War II. The film then flashes back to 1942 to
RAF Archbury. It is at this time that the viewers become familiar with the other characters in the film.
One of which being Colonel Keith Davenport who is the commander of the 918th Heavy Bombardment
Group. However, the group has suffered heavy losses while under Davenport’s command, gaining
reputation as the “hard luck group”. After refusing to fly one mission to increase accuracy, Davenport is
reassigned and the 918th is given to Savage.
Savage has a no-nonsense leadership style and the men do not appreciate his harsh approach.
Savage reassigns the executive offices in an attempt to address the disarray and discipline problems that
he first encountered. In response to Savage’s new leadership, all of the pilots of the 918th apply for
transfers. Thankfully, Savage is able to buy himself some time by internally delaying the transfer process
while he attempts to bring the men to an acceptable performance standard. After refresher training, the
918th are able to increase their skill and discipline. Soon after, Savage leads the 918th on a mission where
they are the only group to successfully bomb the target and have all of the aircraft returned safely to
base. The men find encouragement in their success and, with the help of group leader Jesse Bishop, are
convinced to withdraw their transfers. As the air war advances, missions become of greater risk with
enemy resistance intensifying. Many of Savage’s best men are shot down or killed and after witnessing a
colleague’s airplane take a direct hit, Savage becomes disorientated and erratic. Savage remains in this
state of shock until the bombers return after destroying the target. The film ends as the plot returns to
1949 with Stovall pedaling away with the Toby Jug.
Gagne and Deci (2005) explain that intrinsically motivated behavior, which is propelled by
people’s interest in the activity itself, is prototypically autonomous. However, an important aspect of
Self-Determination Theory is the proposition that extrinsic motivation can vary in the degree to which it
is autonomous versus controlled. Autonomy involves acting with a sense of volition and having the
experience of choice. In contrast, being controlled involves acting with a sense of pressure, a sense of
having to engage in the actions (Gagne & Deci, 2005). Using the characters as an example, I believe that
Savage is more motivated by autonomous factors rather than controlled factors. Savage has a genuine
interest in the job and enjoys fully committing himself to improving the performance of the bomb
Irby, Janiece
November 1, 2012
squad. Savage displays these characteristics by flying numerous missions with the pilots and allowing
them to take credit for their own successes, never once demanding recognition for his success as a
leader. On the other hand, the 918th former commander Keith Davenport seemed to be purely
motivated by controlled factors. Although the men favored Davenport as a person, he failed as a leader
for the group. Davenport lead the group on many failed missions and never took advantage of the
opportunity to fly with his men to help increase accuracy and decrease fatalities. Between amotivation
and intrinsic motivation, along the self-determination continuum, are the four types of extrinsic
motivation, with external being the most controlled (and thus the least self-determined) type of
extrinsic motivation, and interjected, identified, and integrated being progressively more selfdetermined (Gagne & Deci, 2005).
Gagne, M. & Deci E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 26, 331-362. doi: 10.1002/job.322
Zanuck, D. F. (producer), & King, H. (director). (1949). Twelve O’clock High [motion picture]. United
States: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.