Command Decision Page #7

- From what?

- From Lantze-Wolf 1. Tomorrow's air power.

They're just our acknowledged enemies.

They fight us in the open.

Do you remember the fight we had

to get the first experimental Fortress?

Do you realize how much the Navy

wants our planes for sub patrol...

...and to protect the repairing of those

battleships that air power couldn't hurt?

Do you know how much the Army wants

our pilots for company commanders?

Don't you know the British want us

to switch to night area bombardment?

And do you know there's a plan to fly

infantry supplies into China with bombers?

Don't you realize the fight it's taken for Cliff

and the others to get us any planes at all?

- He's right, Ted.

- And every one...

...every one of those factions

is at that meeting right now...

...with its own pet plan for winning

this war. By naval blockade...

...or attrition by defensive,

or a good, sound saber charge.

And you want me to send

the chief back with nothing...

...but three days of prohibitive losses?

- We demolished Posenleben.

And with time and planes and support,

we'll do the same to every factory in Europe.

But the basic decision is at stake now.

You can worry about Germany,

and you should.

But I'm fighting the ground forces,

and the Navy...

...and the Congress, and White House,

and the people in the press, and our allies.

Where did I ever get the idea

that this war was against the Axis?

You think I don't know

the names the boys call me?

Do you think I've enjoyed

spreading this mug of mine...

...around the press

like an eloping heiress?

Do you think I don't know what they can

do to me for the statistics I've juggled...

...the strike photos I've doctored,

the reports I've gilded and suppressed?

I know, and I'd do it all again.

Oh, sit down.

Jack Forbes, Pete Baker...

...burned up in those DH coffins

they made us fly.

Gene Devlin, trying to prove

we could fly bombs into Alaska.

Judby, Glenson, Torrieli,

in that air-mail mess.

Remember how they

got rid of Hugh Enley...

...because he had the guts to stand up

before Congress and tell the truth?

I've spent 20 years, 20 years

watching my friends killed and broken...

...and disgraced and discarded

for one single idea.

To get our country air power.

General Dennis.

Hello, Davis.

Never mind the genealogy.

Day after tomorrow, huh?

Okay, call me as you get it.

There goes our season's weather, sir.

We make it these two days

or bite our nails off to the elbows.

Casey, I appreciate toughness and

independence in my subordinates. I like it.

But I'm not thinking about the weather.

I'm thinking about

our whole future, yours too.

And I can't have you

fighting me along with the others.

Woody, if I have to fight you

in order to fight the Germans...

...you don't leave me any choice.

- That's preposterous.

Is it? Doesn't Washington understand

what's going on here?

You think the Germans would fight

if they weren't scared of our bombardment?

The RAF at night,

and we in the daytime...

...are the only force able to hit

the Germans in Germany.

We're doing what no one in this war

has done so far, Cliff.

We're making the German air force

fight on our initiative...

...and we're tearing it up over Germany.

Make a note of that.

German air force has been

the balance of power since Munich.

It took the German army

everywhere it's been.

It beat the Polish air force in three days,

and the Norwegian in three hours.

It forced the Maginot Line,

beat the French in three weeks.

Homer, get this.

The RAF did win a brilliant battle

from it over England.

But it was a defensive battle, the kind

we're making the Germans fight now.

After that, the Germans

were good enough...

...to knock off Yugoslavia

and Greece for practice.

To capture Crete

and dominate the Mediterranean.

To chase the Russians

back to Moscow and Stalingrad.

To blockade the North Cape and very nearly

cut the Atlantic lifeline to England.

They would have done it too...

...if their high command

backed them up with more planes.

We've made them switch from bomber

production to manufacturing fighters.

We've made them pull whole groups

off the Russians and away from Rommel.

And put them across the channel,

facing us.

Our people in the Mediterranean

are advancing under aerial supremacy.

Get every word of this.

Well, get this too, Homer.

The Germans know this better than we do.

But they're retreating

from their costliest conquests...

...and they've broken the balance

of their whole air force for just one thing:

They're developing jets to make Europe as

impregnable as the Spitfire's made England.

They're going to do it too...

...just as sure as we sit here

with our fingers in our mouths and let them.

- Do you want that in too, sir?

- No, not exactly.

Casey, I agree with you entirely,

but we've got to wait.

Sir, wars are lost by waiting.

The Allies waited at Munich.

The French and British

waited behind the Maginot Line.

The Germans waited

to invade England.

The Russians waited until they

had to fight without an Allied army.

We waited for a little more strength

to face Japan.

Now we're forcing the fighting.

But if we wait for the cycle

to swing again...

...we'll wait for the Germans

to put a roof on the continent...

...to neutralize the Russians...

...then to face our armies

on D-Day at the Channel...

...with an air force

that's already whipped us.

I'm not saying Operation Stitch

will win the war...

...but no battle anywhere in this war

has been won without aerial supremacy.

You say you're thinking of our future?

Operation Stitch is the price of that.

Will you gentlemen

wait in the dining room, please?

You mean me too, sir?

Yes, I want to talk

to General Dennis alone.

General, I wish I'd known about this

the day before yesterday.

I'd like to have helped you all I could.

That's all right, Mr. Brockhurst.

Casey, you must think me

incapable of decision.

Sir, I know that you have many things...

...on your level to cope with

that I don't have here.

But if Washington screams for blood,

I'll have to throw you to the wolves.

I understand, sir.

And if I have to jettison you,

we lose our best brigadier.

Thank you, sir,

but we're all expendable.

And if they have to jettison me,

we'll probably lose daylight bombardment.

When they sent us here to command,

they expected us to command.

I hope so, Casey...

...because I'm releasing the division

to your discretion with immediate effect.

Thank you, sir.

You're fully aware

of what may happen?

Perfectly, sir.

Well, I hope it doesn't.

Good luck, my boy.

- Green light?

- Yeah.

- George, get me Major Rockton.

- How did it happen?

There's been some slip-up.

The sergeant of the guard just called.

They'll be here.

Find out who disobeyed my orders. This is

one slip-up that's not going to get by.

Just a minute, George.

This really upsets the applecart.

You heard me order that committee

be kept away until day after tomorrow?

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