Command Decision (film)

Command Decision is a 1948 war film released by MetroGoldwynMayer starring Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson and Brian Donlevy and directed by Sam Wood, based on a stage play of the same name written by William Wister Haines, which he based on his bestselling novel. The screenplay for the film was written by George Froeschel and William R. Laidlaw. N Haines play ran on Broadway for almost a year beginning in October 1947.

In 1943, at the Ministry of Information in London, war correspondents Elmer Brockie Brockhurst Charles Bickford and James Carwood John Ridgely of United News attend the daily briefing on bombing missions. While the RAF representative announces light losses, the PRO of the Eighth Air Force causes grumbling when his report reveals a record 48 bombers shot down bombing an undisclosed industrial target. Carwood questions whether any target could be worth such losses, but Brockhurst retorts that the U.S. 5th Bomb Division commander, Brig. Gen. Casey Dennis Clark Gable, loves the war. Brockhurst travels to the base of the 32nd Bomb Group, where Dennis has his headquarters, and observes B17s taking off on another major strike. He tries to milk information about the arrest of a decorated and highly publicized pilot, Captain Jenks, from TSgt. Evans Van Johnson, an assistant in Denniss office, but Evans cordially rebuffs him.Dennis has an unexpected public relations crisis on his hands as his superior, N Maj. Gen. Kane Walter Pidgeon, visits at the same time, bringing Brig. Gen. Clifton Garnet Brian Donlevy with him. Garnet, a West Point classmate of Dennis and brotherinlaw to bomb group commander Col. Ted Martin John Hodiak, has stirred speculation that he has been sent by the Pentagon to replace either Kane or Dennis in command. Kanes headquarters also reports that a visiting congressional committee is due, while Garnet pleads for low loss missions because a Global Allocation conference at the Pentagon in three days might curtail more bombers. ........

Source: Wikipedia