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Command Decision

1948, Movie, NR, 111 mins

Command Decision: Review

In one of his best postwar roles, Gable is a rugged brigadier general given a tough Air Force command. He must send his bomber squadrons deep into Germany to knock out secret airplane plants where the Nazis are frantically assembling jet fighters. It's a race against time; if Gable's bombers don't destroy the jet factories, the jets will destroy the Allied air forces. There is a break in the weather for several days, and Gable orders his entire command to attack Schweinhafen. After a staggering 48 Flying Fortresses are shot down, Pidgeon, Gable's superior, is shocked and asks Gable if the sacrifice is worth it. He insists that it is and struggles with his own conscience, arguing that daylight precision bombing must be abandoned if the jet factories are not obliterated. When the second mission to the German city returns, the losses are equally devastating. One damaged plane comes in for a landing with the navigator at the controls and Gable talking him down in one of the film's most suspenseful sequences. Hodiak, leader of the group, reports that the second mission was a complete failure, that the squadrons bombed a city that appeared identical to the target and that the real target was completely missed. Gable agonizes over his command decision to lose even more men, but orders the group to make another attack. The target is hit and half-destroyed, but the cost is again enormous. Pidgeon is pressured by visiting U.S. congressmen to replace Gable; they label him a butcher, but Pidgeon knows Gable is taking the responsibility for the entire high command. He replaces Gable with another tough commander, Donlevy. Before Gable leaves the airfield, he watches Donlevy address the pilots, announcing that the target for the day is Schweinhafen; Donlevy is convinced that Gable has made the right decision and intends to carry out the operation to save future lives. Based on a successful stage drama, COMMAND DECISION offers powerful performances from Gable, Pidgeon, Hodiak, and Donlevy. Mitchell is superb as the navigator attempting to land the Flying Fortress, as is Bickford, the sympathetic but hardnosed newsman. Johnson is also great as the cynical, conniving sergeant. Director Wood kept the drama taut and the pace fast. The Rozsa score is stirring and poignant. leave a comment