History Awesome / DadsArmy

** And ''how'' does Mainwaring find out about Godfrey [being a stretcher bearer? By visiting Godfrey when the latter is in bed from smoke inhalation - which he received after rescuing Mainwaring from a smoke-filled building. Even though Mainwaring has been a {{Jerkass}} to him throughout the episode, he doesn't even hesitate before he makes his decision. Now THAT'S awesome.

* The ease with which Fraser, Jones and Mainwaring go to what they perceive as their certain death to slow down what they think is a German invasion force to give the regular army time to mobilize in "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage" is as awesome as it is touching.

* In "If the Cap Fits...", Mainwaring's attempt to get Frazer to stop criticising his leadership by offering to swap ranks with him for a week backfires when Frazer accepts and gets DrunkWithPower. As well as demoting Wilson to Private and bullying Jones into resigning his (non-)commission (and promoting Walker and Pike, respectively, to replace them), Frazer impresses the visiting Major-General Menzies, each expressing delight to find a fellow Scot in a position of responsibility. However, [[MistakenIdentity Menzies thinks Frazer is Mainwaring]], and invites "Captain Mainwaring" to play the bagpipes to lead in the haggis at a regimental dinner. When Mainwaring resumes his command, he assumes the written invitation is for him and ignores Frazer's attempts to set him straight until he arrives at the dinner and is given the bagpipes by the sergeant. Frazer tries to get Mainwaring to give him the bagpipes so he can lead "his" platoon into the dinner, but Mainwaring simply orders him to get back in ranks. Frazer, Wilson, and the TV audience are sure Mainwaring is about to make a complete fool of himself yet again... until he confides in Wilson that he spent his honeymoon in the same remote Scottish village that Frazer grew up in and had to find a way to pass the long nights, then [[HiddenDepths shoulders the bagpipes and plays them with competence and confidence]] as he leads the Home Guard into the dinner. Even Frazer is impressed.

--->'''Mainwaring:''' What do you mean, good heavens? ''{{{Beat}})'' ''(realising he's actually hit it)'': ...good heavens!

** And ''how'' does Mainwaring find out about Godfrey [being a stretcher bearer? By visiting Godfrey when the latter is in bed from smoke inhalation - which he received after rescuing Mainwaring from a smoke-filled building. Even though Mainwaring has been a JerkAss to him throughout the episode, he doesn't even hesitate before he makes his decision. Now THAT'S awesome.

* A retroactive example, of sorts. After discovering that Godfrey had been a conscientious objector during the First World War, Mainwaring is somewhat mean to him. He is then highly embarrassed, as [[spoiler:it later turns out that Godfrey, despite his refusal to bear arms during the conflict, still insisted he be allowed to serve as a stretcher-bearer. ''And then went on to earn the Military Medal rescuing injured comrades from no-man's land'']].

** And ''how'' does Mainwaring find out about Godfrey [[spoiler: being a stretcher bearer]]? By visiting Godfrey when the latter is in bed from smoke inhalation - which he received after rescuing Mainwaring from a smoke-filled building. Even though Mainwaring has been a JerkAss to him throughout the episode, he doesn't even hesitate before he makes his decision. Now THAT'S awesome.

* Another Mainwaring moment in "Asleep in the Deep". [[spoiler:The Platoon have to get to a sick Godfrey but the way in is blocked by rubble and the ceiling could come down at any second. They draw lots to see who will have to take the dangerous task... and Mainwaring rigs it so he "wins". He's egotistical and frequently incompetent but he's brave as hell.]]
* The end of TheMovie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither. It ends with Mainwaring facing down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first. And Mainwaring had seven men to back him up.]]

* After spending most of "Absent Friends" being pushed around, Wilson [[spoiler:taking out three Irish men, who managed to beat up a good portion of the squad - and coming out (mostly) unscathed! Hell, it looked like the only thing the Irishmen did to him was bruise his knuckles with their faces!]]
* The flashback with Jones in the Sudan, [[spoiler:in which he saves his cowardly teammate, fights off two bandits and then drags him to the relief column]]. Hands down one of his finest moments.
* Wilson got another moment after [[spoiler:Warden Hodges began harassing Mrs. Pike. Wilson goes up to him and punches him in the face, much to the approval of most people present]].
* A fairly corny one happens in "Knights of Madness", when the ARP Wardens and Home Guard have accidentally gotten into a clash because [[PoorCommunicationKills they've both chosen to re-eneact Saint George and the Dragon]]. Both sides have their own dragon, with Mainwaring and Hodges both on horseback and dressed as Saint George. [[spoiler:After a scuffle, the ARP wardens, plus Yeatman and the Vicar, are knocked flat by the Home Guard's dragon. It initially appears that the fight has turned in Hodges' favour after he breaks the captain's sword, but then Pike of all people improvises a pea-shooter and knocks him off his horse]]. The entire thing results in the town cheering wildly.

* In "Battle of the Giants" the platoon has to compete against the Eastgate platoon in a series of war games - judged by their ArchEnemy Hodges. The first test sees the platoon have to eliminate a mass of balloons. They do, but ObstructiveBureaucrat Hodges puts his foot down and claims they haven't finished, as one balloon is drifiting away. Realising they're falling behind, Mainwaring steps up - and promptly nails it from a good 30 feet. In one shot. [[ImprobableAimingSkills With a pistol]]. Wilson's reaction says it all.
-->'''Wilson''' (genuinely stunned): Good heavens!
-->'''Mainwaring:''' What do you mean, good heavens?
--> {{Beat}}
-->'''Mainwaring''' (realising he's actually hit it): ...good heavens!
** Fraser shutting down Hodges immediately after this is also great.

---> '''Fraser:''' One more word out of you and I'll do you with a bayonet!

* The ease with which Fraser, Jones and Mainwaring go to what they perceive as their certain death to slow down what they think is a German invasion force to give the regular army time to mobilize in ''The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage'' is as awesome as it is touching.

* The end of the ''Dad's Army'' movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither. It ends with Mainwaring facing down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first. And Mainwaring had seven men to back him up.]]

* After spending most of an episode being pushed around, Wilson [[spoiler:taking out three Irish men, who managed to beat up a good portion of the squad - and coming out (mostly) unscathed! Hell, it looked like the only thing the Irishmen did to him was bruise his knuckles with their faces!]]

* In "If the Cap Fits...", Mainwaring's attempt to get Frazer to stop criticising his leadership by offering to swap ranks with him for a week backfires when Frazer accepts and gets DrunkWithPower. As well as demoting Wilson to Private and bullying Jones into resigning his (non-)commission (and promoting Walker and Pike, respectively, to replace them), Frazer impresses the visiting Major-General Menzies, each expressing delight to find a fellow Scot in a position of responsibility. However, [[MistakenIdentity Menzies thinks Frazer is Mainwaring]], and invites "Captain Mainwaring" to play the bagpipes to lead in the haggis at a regimental dinner. When Mainwaring resumes his command, he assumes the written invitation is for him and ignores Frazer's attempts to set him straight until he arrives at the dinner and is given the bagpipes by the sergeant. Frazer tries to get Mainwaring to give him the bagpipes so he can lead "his" platoon into the dinner, but Mainwaring simply orders him to get back in ranks. Frazer, Wilson, and the TV audience are sure Mainwaring is about to make a complete fool of himself yet again... until he confides in Wilson that he spent his honeymoon in a remote Scottish village and had to find a way to pass the long nights, then [[HiddenDepths shoulders the bagpipes and plays them with competence and confidence]] as he leads the Home Guard into the dinner. Even Frazer is impressed.

-->'''Mainwaring''' (realising how unbelievable that shot was): Good heavens!

* The ShutUpHannibal reveal of Mainwaring's talent at playing the bagpipes that comes after a blistering TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from eternal complainer Fraser.

* In "If the Cap Fits...", Mainwaring's attempt to get Frazer to stop criticising his leadership by offering to temporarily swap ranks with him backfires when Frazer accepts. As well as demoting Wilson to Private and bullying Jones into resigning his (non-)commission (and giving field promotions to Walker and Pike, respectively, to replace them), Frazer impresses the visiting Major-General Menzies, each expressing delight to find a fellow Scot in a position of responsibility. However, [[MistakenIdentity Menzies thinks Frazer is Mainwaring]], and invites "Captain Mainwaring" to play the bagpipes to lead in the haggis at a regimental dinner. When Mainwaring resumes his command, he assumes the written invitation is for him and ignores Frazer's attempts to set him straight until he arrives at the dinner and is given the bagpipes by the sergeant. Frazer tries to get Mainwaring to give him the bagpipes so he can lead "his" platoon into the dinner, but Mainwaring simply orders him to get back in ranks. Frazer, Wilson, and the TV audience are sure Mainwaring is about to make a complete fool of himself yet again... until he confides in Wilson that he spent his honeymoon in a remote Scottish village and had to find a way to pass the long nights, then shoulders the bagpipes and plays them with competence and confidence as he leads the Home Guard into the dinner. Even Frazer is impressed.

* The end of the ''Dad's Army'' movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither. It ends with Mainwaring facing down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first.]]
** [[spoiler:And Mainwaring had seven men to back him up]]
* And another in "Fallen Idol". While on a training exercise, Mainwaring accidentally alienates the rest of the platoon by following some bad advice from Captain Square (to the point several members intend to quit the Home Guard rather than serve under him). The next day, during the exercises, a mishap occurs and a live mortar is accidentally fired into Jones' van (which is filled with explosives). Jones mistakes the crash it makes for his signal to drive off. While still suffering from a hangover (brought on by Square encouraging him into a drinking game the night before), Mainwaring chases and manages to catch Jones on a bicycle and gets him to abandon the van before the explosion goes off. However, Jones accidentally crashes into a telegraph pole. And the commander warns it's a central pole, and the explosion will destroy it, wrecking communications across the entire country. Hearing this, Mainwaring runs back in the van, and starts searching for the live mortar with his bare hands among the grenades, knowing the whole thing could explode at any moment. His display of heroism manages to win back the platoon.

** Partly TruthInTelevision as Arnold Ridley, who played Godfrey, was a decorated war hero in WWI; furthermore, when he got legitimately injured and sent home, people mistakenly thought he ''was'' a conchie because he refused to wear anything that would identify him as such.

** Partly TruthInTelevision as Arnold Ridley, who played Godfrey, was a decorated war hero in WWI.

[[spoiler:** And Mainwaring had seven men to back him up]]

* The end of the ''Dad's Army'' movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither. It ends with Mainwaring facing down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first.
** And Mainwaring had seven men to back him up]]

* The end of the ''Dad's Army'' movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither. It ends with Mainwaring facing down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first.]]

* Yet another in the motion picture, in which Mainwaring faces down a Luftwaffe officer while armed only with an unloaded pistol. [[spoiler:The German's gun was unloaded too, but neither of them knew the other's gun was harmless, and the German blinked first.]]

* The end of the ''Dad's Army'' movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither.

** Partly TruthInTelevision as the actor who played Godfrey was a decorated war hero in WWI.
*** And ''how'' does Mainwaring find out about Godfrey [[spoiler: being a stretcher bearer]]? By visiting Godfrey when the latter is in bed from smoke inhalation - which he received after rescuing Mainwaring from a smoke-filled building! I repeat, he rescues the guy who has been a JerkAss to him throughout the episode from smoke, and doesn't even hesitate before he makes his decision! Now THAT'S awesome.

* And another in "Fallen Idol" while on training exercise Mainwaring accidentally alienates the rest of the platoon by following some bad advice from Captain Square (to the point several members intend to quit the home guard rather than serve under him) the next day while on the exercises a mishap occurs and a live mortar is accidentally fired into Jones Van (which is filled with explosives). Jones mistakes the crash it makes for his signal to drive off. While still suffering from a hang over (brought on by Square encouraging him into a drinking game the night before) Mainwaring cases and manages to catch Jones on Bicycle and get him to abandon the van before the explosion goes off. However Jones accidentally crashes into a telegraph pole. And the commander warns its a central pole, and the explosion will destroy it, wrecking communications across the entire country. Hearing this, Mainwaring runs back in the van, and starts searching for the live mortar with his bare hands among the grenades, knowing the whole thing could explode at any moment. Managing to win back the platoon.
* After spending most of an episode being pushed around, Wilson [[spoiler:taking out three Irish men, who managed to beat up a good portion of the squad - and coming out (mostly) unscathed]]!
** [[spoiler:Hell, it looked like the only thing the Irishmen did to him was bruise his knuckles with their faces!]]
* The end of the Dad's Army movie where the platoon manage to defeat three German pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither.

* The end of the Dad's Army movie where the platoon manage to defeat three german pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither.

[[redirect:{{Awesome/ptitle7f0v9gwz}}]]

* A retroactive example, of sorts. After discovering that Godfrey had been a conscientious objector during the First World War, Mainwaring is somewhat mean to him. He is then highly embarrassed, as [[spoiler:it later turns out that Godfrey, despite his refusal to bear arms during the conflict, still insisted he be allowed to serve as a stretcher-bearer. ''And then went on to earn the Military Medal rescuing injured comrades from no-man's land'']].
**Partly TruthInTelevison as the actor who played Godfrey was a decorated war hero in WWI.
* The ease with which Fraser, Jones and Mainwaring go to what they perceive as their certain death to slow down what they think is a German invasion force to give the regular army time to mobilize in ''The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage'' is as awesome as it is touching.
* The ShutUpHannibal reveal of Mainwaring's talent at playing the bagpipes that comes after a blistering TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from eternal complainer Fraser.
* The end of the Dad's Army movie where the platoon manage to defeat three german pilots holding a church congregation hostage while the 'regular' forces merely dither.
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