This episode of "12 O'Clock High" must have been inspired by the assault on Monte Casino, an ancient monastery, in Italy. In both cases, Germans dug in at these sites...and the Allied advance was stalled because the buildings stand in their way. In the case of "The Duel at Mont Sainte Marie" is a bit different. With Monte Casino the Allies resisted bombing the place as long as possible because of all the treasures within...in Mont Sainte Marie in France, the treasures are a group of nuns! Not surprisingly, Gallagher is loathe to order his planes to level the place...at least until he can go on a mission there to warn the nuns.
Once again, Colonel Gallagher does something no bomber commander would have done...going off on commando or peace missions. That would have been left to people more trained for that an not so important. But, it's TV...and I guess you'll need to suspend disbelief.
Despite the improbability of the Colonel's mission, this is actually a very good episode...unusual and compelling...and with some fine acting.