Command Decision Now in eBook

By: Apr. 24, 2014
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

NEW YORK, NY - William Wister Haines memorialized his experience as a U.S. Air Force officer in his telling of Command Decision, now in eBook, published by RosettaBooks. Originally written for the stage, producers feared the play came too soon after the close of the war and would not be welcomed by a war-weary public. However, after serializing the story in 1947 with much success, the play had a long run on Broadway with 409 performances.

The film rights were almost immediately sold to MGM at the behest of Clark Gable, who identified with the story through his own military experience. The story is told from the perspective of Air Force officers who must weigh the importance of their mission to destroy German factories with the risk of their soldiers' lives.

"Haines' experience as an intelligence officer during WWII lends a legitimacy and immediacy to his prose that captures the experience of many troops at that time," said Arthur Klebanoff, CEO of RosettaBooks.

Haines saw war as an extension of politics, and it becomes clear that lives are lost when policy has too great an impact on strategy. The protagonist, General Casey Dennis, is pressured to focus on less important targets at the peril of his men, including his own brother-in-law.

"Command Decision is about integrity in war and politics. Today's politicians and military leaders would do well to follow the precepts set out in the book," said the family of William Wister Haines.

Haines served in Great Britain and worked on evaluating the strength of the German Air Force and planning bombing raids.

He also collaborated on missions to decode German ciphers, and declassified information from 30 years later revealed his part in cracking some of the first war codes at the time. Haines wrote several novels before and after the war, and he also collaborated on several film projects throughout his career.

About RosettaBooks: RosettaBooks is the leading independent digital publisher. Its prominent author collections include 52 works of Winston Churchill, 35 titles by renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, 20 works by Kurt Vonnegut, 12 titles from international bestselling business author Stephen R. Covey and 18 works by Robert Graves, celebrated 20th century English poet, critic, and author of I, Claudius and Claudius, the God. RosettaBooks also publishes eBook lines in collaboration with AARP, Harvard Health Publications and Mayo Clinic. Publisher of ten Kindle Singles, including Ray Bradbury's The Playground, RosettaBooks has launched nine of them to bestseller status. RosettaBooks is an Inc. 500 company, on the exclusive list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. For more information, please visit RosettaBooks.com and follow the e-publisher on Facebook and Twitter.



Comments

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Vote Sponsor


Videos