Based on the acclaimed movie of the same name, 12 O'Clock High tells the story of the brave men in the 918th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force during World War II. Stationed in England, the team is led by General Frank Savage and later Colonel Joe Gallagher as they depart on long-range bombing runs across Nazi-occupied Europe.

The series was action-packed, with scenes of the 918th's B-17 Flying Fortress taking on numerous German fighters at once. The action scenes in the show were often stock footage of real bombers and dogfights from WWII. The use of actual war footage caused the show to receive high praise for its wartime realism, although not from everyone.

When the series was first taking flight, the producers of 12 O'Clock High sought sponsorship from the executives of Volkswagen. In their pitch, they showcased the pilot episode, 'Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep,' which featured actual war footage, adding a layer of historical significance to the series.

During one of the bombing sequences, one of the Volkswagen executives recognized that a building being bombarded was none other than a Volkswagen factory producing cars in Germany during the war.

"There goes our plant," they said. And the deal was off.