Veterans of the heavy bomber campaign frequently cite "Twelve O'Clock High" as the only Hollywood film that accurately captured their combat experiences. Along with the 1948 film "Command Decision", it marked a turning away from the optimistic, morale-boosting style of wartime films and toward a grittier realism that deals more directly with the human costs of war. Both films deal with the realities of daylight precision bombing without fighter escort, the basic Army Air Forces doctrine at the start of World War II (prior to the arrival of long range Allied fighter aircraft like the P-51 Mustang). As producers, writers Lay and Bartlett re-used major plot elements of "Twelve O'Clock High" in later films featuring the U.S. Air Force, the 1950s-era "Toward the Unknown" and the early 1960s Cold War-era "A Gathering of Eagles", respectively.