Command Decisionby Anonymous

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November 26, 2003: An excellent portrayal of the pressures of command in wartime and the impact of politics on the conduct of military operations. The film accurately contrasts the attempt by the operational commander (Clark Gable) to agressively prosecute the aerial bombing war against Germany in WWII while his superior (Walter Pidgeon) fights the higher level political war of placating Congress and the War Department while pursuing the objectives of proving strategic bombing and, ultimately, Air Force independence. Gable's character persists in pursuing a bloody, costly series of raids against German industrial sites involved in the production of German jet fighters, believing that they will ultimately save lives and shorten the war by denying the Germans a formidable aerial weapon, unmatched by anything in the Allied arsenal. Pidgeon, operating at a higher level, must balance his support for Gable with the need to achieve broader, less immediate objectives. Adapted from a stage play, most of the story takes place in the offices and living quarters of an American bomber bse in England.

This review was written about the VHS edition.