Editing Clark Gable (section)

=== 1942–1944: World War II ===
{{for|details of Gable's combat missions|RAF Polebrook#Hollywood at Polebrook}}

[[File:Clark Gable 8th-AF-Britain1943.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Gable with an [[8th Air Force]] [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] in England, 1943]]
On August 12, 1942, following Lombard's death and his completion of the film ''Somewhere I'll Find You'', Gable joined the [[United States Army]], under the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-clark-gable-joins-the-army-20190102-htmlstory.html|title=From the Archives: Clark Gable joins the Army|date=January 2, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref> Lombard had suggested that Gable enlist as part of the war effort, but MGM was reluctant to let him go. Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces [[Henry H. "Hap" Arnold]] offered Gable a "special assignment" with the [[First Motion Picture Unit]] following basic training.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0P04JuMSM8C&q=gable+joins+first+motion+picture+unit+wwii&pg=PA594|title=The Home Front Encyclopedia: United States, Britain, and Canada in World Wars I and II|last=Ciment|first=James|date=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-849-5|language=en}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Star]]'' reported that Gable took a physical examination at [[Bolling Field]] on June 19, preliminary to joining the service.

<blockquote>"Mr. Gable, it was learned from a source outside the war department, conferred with Lieutenant General H. H. Arnold, head of the air forces yesterday." ''The Star'' continued, "It was understood that Mr. Gable, if he is commissioned, will make movies for the air forces. Lieutenant [[James Stewart|Jimmy Stewart]], another actor in uniform, has been doing this."<ref>Associated Press, "Gable Tested For Air Corps", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, June 20, 1942, Vol. 60, No. 37, p. 5.</ref></blockquote>

Gable had expressed an earlier interest in [[officer candidate school]], with the intention of becoming an aerial gunner upon enlisting in [[bomber]] training school. MGM arranged for his studio friend, the [[cinematographer]] Andrew McIntyre, to enlist with him and accompany him through training.<ref name="aaf" />

On August 17, 1942, shortly after his enlistment, he and McIntyre were sent to [[Miami Beach, Florida]], where they entered USAAF OCS Class 42-E. Both completed training on October 28, 1942, and were commissioned as [[US Second Lieutenant|second lieutenant]]s. His class of about 2,600 students (of which he ranked about 700th) selected Gable as its graduation speaker. General Arnold presented the cadets with their commissions. Arnold then informed Gable of his special assignment: to make a recruiting film in combat with the [[Eighth Air Force]] to recruit aerial gunners. Gable and McIntyre were immediately sent to Flexible Gunnery School at [[Tyndall Air Force Base|Tyndall Field, Florida]],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G3ft--QdYd4C&q=clark+gable+wins+aerial+gunner+wings&pg=RA34-PA4|title=Yank|date=1942|publisher=Headquarters Detachment, Special Service, War Department|language=en}}</ref> followed by a photography course at [[Fort George Wright]], [[Washington State University|Washington State]] and promoted to [[US First Lieutenant|first lieutenants]] upon its completion.<ref name="aaf" />

On January 27, 1943, Gable reported to [[Biggs Army Airfield]], Texas to train with and accompany the [[351st Operations Group|351st Bomb Group]] to England as head of a six-man motion picture unit. In addition to McIntyre, he recruited the screenwriter [[John Lee Mahin]], camera operators Sgts. Mario Toti and Robert Boles, and the sound man Lt. Howard Voss, to complete his crew. Gable was promoted to [[captain (US Army)|captain]] while he was with the 351st Bomb Group at [[Pueblo Memorial Airport|Pueblo Army Air Base]], Colorado, a rank commensurate with his position as a unit commander. (Prior to this, he and McIntyre were both first lieutenants.)<ref name="aaf" />

Gable spent most of 1943 in England at [[RAF Polebrook]] with the 351st Bomb Group. Gable flew five combat missions, including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in [[B-17 Flying Fortress]]es between May 4 and September 23, 1943, earning the [[Air Medal]] and the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his efforts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/32919|title=Clark Gable {{!}} American Air Museum in Britain|website=www.americanairmuseum.com|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> During one of the missions, Gable's aircraft was damaged by flak and attacked by fighters, which knocked out one of the engines and shot up the stabilizer. In the raid on Germany, one crewman was killed and two others were wounded, and flak went through Gable's boot and narrowly missed his head. When word of this reached MGM, studio executives began to badger the Army Air Forces to reassign its most valuable screen actor to noncombat duty. Many of the men he served with, such as former Tech. Sgt. Ralph Cowley, said Gable actually unofficially joined other missions and the above five were only a fraction of the total.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/clark-gable-served-in-uniform-flew-combat-missions-in-world-war-ii/ | title=Actor Clark Gable Served in Uniform, Flew Combat Missions in World War II }}</ref> [[Adolf Hitler]] favored Gable above all other actors. During World War II, Hitler offered a sizable reward to anyone who could capture and bring Gable to him unscathed.<ref name="harris" />{{Rp|268}}

In November 1943, Gable returned to the United States to edit his film, on an old [[Warner Bros.|Warner's]] lot donated to the war effort, assigned to the [[First Motion Picture Unit|18th AAF Base Unit]] (Motion Picture Unit) at [[Culver City, California]], where other stars contributed with any film equipment they had as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/world-war-ii-the-movie-21103597/|title=World War II: The Movie|last=Betancourt|first=Mark|website=Air & Space Magazine|language=en|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref> In June 1944, Gable was promoted to [[major (United States)|major]]. While he hoped for another combat assignment, he had been placed on inactive duty and on June 12, 1944, his discharge papers were signed by [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]] (later U.S. president) [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spicer|first=Chrystopher J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csMDnRXe4vMC&q=air+raid+wounds+clark+gable+kills+two+others&pg=PA222|title=Clark Gable: Biography, Filmography, Bibliography|date=January 15, 2002|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1124-5|language=en}}</ref> Gable completed editing of the film ''[[Combat America]]'' in September 1944, giving the narration himself and making use of numerous interviews with enlisted gunners as focus of the film.<ref name="aaf" />

Because his motion picture production schedule made it impossible for him to fulfill reserve officer duties, he resigned his commission on September 26, 1947, a week after the Air Force became an independent service branch.<ref name="afmuseum">[https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196680/maj-clark-gable/ Maj. Clark Gable] [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]. Retrieved October 5, 2019.</ref> Gable was awarded military honors for service: the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]], [[Air Medal]], [[American Campaign Medal]], [[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]], and [[World War II Victory Medal]]. He was a qualified [[Air gunner|aerial gunner]] having received his [[Gunner Badge|wings]] upon completion of flexible gunnery school at Tyndall field.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26700959/sioux_city_journal/|title=Clipped From Sioux City Journal|date=January 7, 1943|work=Sioux City Journal|access-date=October 9, 2019|pages=11}}</ref>