Command Decision

"Command Decision" is an adaptation of a stage play of the same name, with the story unfolding across several rooms like a play. The film serves as a character study of a commander grappling with the difficult decision of whether to continue bombing German factories producing new jet fighters despite the high casualties involved. While the writing and acting are commendable, the film is purely dramatic, lacking the action scenes typical of war films.

More than anything Command Decision (1948) has heavyweight acting by top Hollywood actors that can deliver that kind of commanding dialogue. And especially Clark Gable did those no-nonsense lines in a excellent manner. The film focuses more on the strategic and moral aspect of war, so there's not much action going on. Not visually, anyway. So be aware of it being a command room drama, and not a battle film. But it's respectably good.

A rare look at Air Force combat from the commander's perspective. A unique viewpoint topped only by the Gregory Peck film: 12 O'clock High

An interesting movie. The film chooses to stay at the base and never leaves the perspective of the commander, which ultimately make the proceedings far more tense and ultimately a great deal more horrifying than if the story had been told from the bombing teams perspective. You come to appreciate the Ahab-like sense of determination and sympathize with the helpless sense of self hatred that the commander feels for sending his men to die as gives everything to halt a German technological advance.