Gregory Peck personally chose Lewis Milestone to direct because Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) had made a deep impression on him.
According to director Lewis Milestone, the film was cut by nearly 20 minutes because Gregory Peck's wife felt that her husband made his first entrance too late into the picture. True or not, the film does show signs of post-production tampering, with flashes of several excised scenes showing up under the main title credits.
Gregory Peck, as Lt. Joe Clemons, is never seen firing his weapons (an M2 .30-cal. carbine and a 1911A1 .45-cal. pistol) at any time during the film. Peck was a lifelong pacifist and a major supporter of gun control. He was, however, shown throwing hand grenades. Gregory Peck's character, Lt Joe Clemons, is shown firing his weapon a few times during the final assault, just before Lt. Ohashi arrives back at the bunker. Edit: Lt. Clemons rifle is a M1 .30 caliber carbine.