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For the BBC Radio 2 show often referred to as the "Dawn Patrol", see Sarah Kennedy

The Dawn Patrol
Directed by	Howard Hawks
Produced by	Robert North
Written by	Dan Totheroh Seton I. Miller Howard Hawks
Starring	Richard Barthelmess Douglas Fairbanks Jr
Music by	Rex Dunn
Cinematography	Ernest Haller
Editing by	Ray Curtiss
Distributed by	First National Pictures: A Subsidiary of Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	July 10, 1930 (New York City, New York) August 20 (wide) October 13 February 13, 1931 April 16, 1933
Running time	108 min.
Country	U.S.A.
Language	English/German/French
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The Dawn Patrol is a 1930 World War I film starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. It was directed by Howard Hawks and won the Academy Award for Best Story.

The story revolves around the pilots and crew of an RFC airbase, who deal with the stress of combat primarily through nightly bouts of heavy drinking.

The two aces of the group, Courtney (Richard Barthelmess) and Scott (Douglas Fairbanks Jr), have come to hate the commanding officer, Brand (Neil Hamilton), blaming him for sending fresh pilots directly into combat. Unknown to them, Brand has been arguing continually with his commanders to allow him practice time with the new pilots, but command is desperate to maintain air superiority and orders them into combat as soon as they arrive. Brand is so disliked by the two he can't even easily join the men for the nightly partying, drinking alone and clearly breaking under the strain.

The tension grows worse when an elite German squadron, implied to be the Red Baron's, takes up position on the line across from them. After losing several of the squadron's long-timers the ranks become increasingly made up of new recruits, who have absolutely no chance against the Germans. In the midst of this Brand is recalled to headquarters and Courtney is promoted to commander.

It is not long before he also learns of the impossibility of the job, and his relationship with Scott quickly sours. Things grow considerably worse when his brother appears as one of the fresh recruits. He then goes through his own pleading with headquarters, only to be refused, and his brother is killed on his first mission.

The film ends when Courtney eventually discovers the only way out: after learning of what amounts to a suicide mission far behind enemy lines, he "steals" the loaded plane out from under Scott who had volunteered to take it.

Due to the Pre-Code content, the film became illegal to view or exhibit after 1935. Consequently, Warner Bros. had to remake the film in 1938. The same script was used for this cheap remake as well as much of the air footage used in the previous film. It was directed by Edmund Golding with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in the leading roles. It also featured David Niven. The film is one of the first in which Rathbone and Flynn had to act "out of character", and both rise to the occasion with aplomb. Rathbone's portrail of the stressed-out Major Brand is particularly convincing.

The film was retitled "Flight Commander" for television when it finally became legal for it to be viewed once again. The original titles seemed to have become lost and these redrawn titles are on all known prints of the film.