Cry 'Havoc'
The film tells the story of a mixed group of Army nurses stationed in Bataan during World War II. At the beginning of the film, the head nurse, Lt. Mary Smith (Margaret Sullavan) begs her superior, Capt. Alice Marsh (Fay Bainter), for more nurses to help deal with the excessive workload, but instead of professional nurses, she is assigned a group of civilians from various backgrounds. They lack experience and require training and find it difficult to settle in. Pat Conlin (Ann Sothern) rebels against Lt. Smith's strict nature, but the group begin to reveal stories from their past and become better acquainted. They also meet a male officer, Lt. Holt (Allan Byron). Pat becomes infatuated with him, leading to jealousy between her and Lt. Smith who refuses to explain why she is offended by Pat's attention to him. During an air-raid one of the volunteers, Sue West (Dorothy Morris), is separated from the group, and some of the women, including her sister Andra (Heather Angel) search for her. After three days, she is found alive, having spent the time trapped in a hut with the corpses of several soldiers who were killed during the attack.
The hardships bring the women closer, and they discuss their hopes for the future. Grace (Joan Blondell), a former burlesque performer, dances for the group to break the tension. Sue remains in a state of shock following her ordeal, and this is compounded when the hospital is attacked again. Grace is injured, and in a later attack, Connie (Ella Raines) is killed. An opportunity arises for all of the women to leave Bataan to Corregidor, but after some discussion, they all decide to remain and help as best they can. Lt. Smith becomes ill with malaria, and in her delirium reveals to Flo that she was married to Lt. Holt and that they were keeping their marriage a secret due to a military regulation that prevented married couples from serving together. When the group learns that Lt. Holt has been killed, both Pat and Lt. Smith are grief-stricken. The hospital is surrounded by Japanese forces and the nurses forced to surrender.
romantic