"The Hollywood Reporter" on 17 February 1949 announced that this movie's premiere in Washington D.C. was attended by the US Secretary of State Dean Acheson; the Air Force Chief of Staff; various officials and dignitaries as well as Vice President Alben Barkley.
"The New York Times" in May 1947 reported details of the deal between source novelist William Wister Haines and MGM. The studio paid Haines US $100,000 upfront for the filming rights to the novel. However, if this novel was produced as a play by the end of October 1947, Haines would be paid 15% of the play's weekly gross on the stage. This would amount to US $300,000. Indeed, a play of the novel did open on Broadway on 1 October 1947.
"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 3, 1949 with Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, John Hodiak, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy and Edward Arnold reprising their film roles.
Clark Gable joined the Army Air Forces after his wife Carole Lombard died in a plane crash on a war bonds selling trip assisting the war effort. Gable entered as a lieutenant, but was promoted to major. He was a bomber pilot and was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for five aerial bombing missions over Germany from England. Adolf Hitler personally offered a reward to the pilot or gun crew who shot down Gable's plane.
Cameron Mitchell, who plays bombardier Lt. Ansel Goldberg, actually was a bombardier during WWII.
Robert Taylor was originally going to star alongside Clark Gable, according to an April 1947 edition of "The Los Angeles Times".
Twelve O'Clock High was delayed in its release because this film beat it to the punch. The similarity in content between the two films forced 20th Century-Fox to hold back on "Twelve O'Clock High" for a few months.
In April 1948 "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that the MGM was encouraged by Clark Gable to acquire the film rights to the William Wister Haines's novel "Command Decision" as a vehicle for Gable.
In April 1948 MGM announced that Tom Drake would be cast in this movie playing the part of Capt. Tom Jenks. Drake in the end did not appear in this film. A May 1948 MGM press release reported that Michael Steele would be cast to play the role of the pilot Capt. Lucius Malcolm Jenks and Steele does appear in this film in this part.
In August 1949 "The Los Angeles Times" reported that a Reynolds News Service British film critic had written that this film was an "insult to British audiences", maintaining that it gave the impression that the US won the Second World War by its precision bombing operations.
The "Lantze-Wolf 1" referred to in the movie is actually a Messerschmitt ME-262 "Schwalbe" turbojet fighter, introduced in combat in 1944.
The movie received terrible reviews and flopped at the box office. This was largely blamed on it being too talky and seeming more like a filmed play.
The original Broadway production ran for virtually a year - from Oct. 1 1947 through Sept. 18, 1948, a total of 409 performances, and starred Paul Kelly, Jay Fassett, James Whitmore, Paul McGrath, Edmon Ryan, Stephen Elliot, Paul Ford, Arthur Franz, and John Randolph in the roles played respectively by: Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Charles Bickford, John Hodiak, Edward Arnold, Michael Steele, and Cameron Mitchell.
The play of the novel by William Wister Haines that this film was based on opened at the Fulton Theatre on Broadway on 1 October 1947 and played until 18 September 1948, amassing a total of 409 performances.
This film utilized original black-and-white archive footage from World War II. However, no actual combat footage is seen except for the opening sequence set around the opening credits. Predominantly, the archival footage used was of air base mission planning and aerial landings and take-offs.
This film was named in the Top Ten list of the 1948 year by both "Film Daily" and "The New York Times".
This movie is often compared to Twelve O'Clock High, as both black-and-white movies were released within a year of one another and examined World War II American Air Forces operations predominantly at the ground level (i.e. on an American air base) and with a limited amount of aerial combat action in both films.
This movie's lead cast of Clark Gable, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Brian Donlevy, John Hodiak, Richard Quine and Edward Arnold reprised their roles from this movie in a Screen Guild Theater program radio broadcast on 3 March 1949 for NBC Network. Apparently, according to "Daily Variety" in February 1949, this was the first ever pre-recorded commercial show to be broadcast from Hollywood over the radio network.