Back at the church hall, Mainwaring and Wilson discuss how complacency is setting in amongst the townsfolk, and how people are seeing them as "Geriatric Fusiliers".
As they discuss it, they are interrupted by ARP Warden Hodges, who is in tears after Mr Bluett verbally attacked him for trying to do his job, and how people do not seem to be taking the war seriously.
Remembering the national reaction after the platoon were recently mistaken for enemy agents during a training exercise, Mainwaring decides to get his men to masquerade as fifth columnists in "very sinister clothes" to scare the townsfolk and become appreciated again, and to prevent a repeat of last time he informs the Colonel at GHQ of the plan, called "Operation Wake-Up".
The platoon (with the exception of Godfrey, who remains at the church hall to act as their contact man) meet up at their "secret base", although things get out of hand with disguises: Mainwaring wears an eyepatch over his glasses, Pike is dressed as an American gangster, Frazer is in his undertaker attire, and Jones is dressed as a nun.
However, the platoon finally manages to cause some concern with their talk of "blowing up an aerodrome", but the frightened locals send out for the Home Guard.