First Motion Picture Unit The First Motion Picture Unit ( FMPU ) , officially designated the 18th Army Air Force Base Unit , was the primary film production unit of the US Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) during World War II and was the first military unit made up entirely of professionals from the film industry . It produced more than 400 propaganda and training film s , which were notable for being informative as well as entertaining . Films for which the unit is known include " Resisting Enemy Interrogation " , " " and " The Last Bomb " — all of which were released in theatres . Veteran actors such as Clark Gable and William Holden and directors such as John Sturges served with the FMPU . The unit also produced training films and trained combat cameramen . FMPU personnel served with distinction during World War II . " First Motion Picture Unit " is also the eponymous title of a 1943 self - produced documentary about the unit narrated by radio and television announcer Ken Carpenter . Background . When the United States entered World War II in December 1941 , the USAAF was a part of the army , and motion picture production was the responsibility of the Army Signal Corps . USAAF Commanding General " Hap " Arnold believed that the formation of an independent film entity would help lead to the air service gaining its independence . At a meeting in March 1942 , General Arnold commissioned Warner Bros . head Jack Warner , producer Hal Wallis and scripwriter Owen Crump to create the unit . Warner was made lieutenant colonel and Crump a captain but Wallis , who was then in production with " Casablanca " , did not accept the offer . Of immediate concern was a critical shortage of pilots and recruits . Arnold told Warner he needed 100 , 000 pilots , and contracted with Warner Bros . to produce and release a recruitment film , which would come to be known as " Winning Your Wings . " " Winning Your Wings " was directed by Owen Crump , and featured James Stewart as a dashing pilot . Stewart ' s virile , masculine portrayal changed the public perception of military aviators . The film , which was completed in only two weeks , was a great success and according to General Arnold was pivotal in recruiting 100 , 000 pilots . Warner Bros . would produce several films prior to the activation of the FMPU , most notably " Men of the Sky " , " Beyond the Line of Duty " and " The Rear Gunner " . Formation . The success of " Winning Your Wings " created a demand for training and recruitment films which proved difficult for Warner Bros . to fulfill . Jack Warner began the process of developing the organizational structure for an independent motion picture unit . The dual mission of the unit was to produce training and morale films , and to train combat cameramen . The ranks were to be filled with film industry professionals , the first time in history such a unit would be raised . On July 1 , 1942 , the FMPU became an active unit of the USAAF . Key personnel that formed the initial roster included Lt . Col . Warner as commanding officer , Capt . Crump , Capt . Knox Manning , 2nd Lt . Edwin Gilbert , 2nd Lt . Ronald Reagan and Cpl . Oren Haglund . At first the unit operated out of offices at Warner Bros . in Burbank , California , and then moved to Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood . Vitagraph , however , had not been maintained and proved to be inadequate for movie production on a scale required by the FMPU . By sheer happenstance Crump came upon the Hal Roach Studios in Culver City . According to writer Mark Betancourt , the facility was perfect : In October the unit moved into Hal Roach Studios , which the men nicknamed " Fort Roach . " Warner returned to running his company , and Lt . Col . Paul Mantz took over as commanding officer . Life at Fort Roach . Personnel assigned to the FMPU included some of the most well known film professionals of the day , as well as filmmakers who would have great success after the war . Actors such as Clark Gable , William Holden and Alan Ladd , and directors including Richard Bare and John Sturges served with the unit . Future president Ronald Reagan , who transferred from the cavalry reserve , was a captain in the unit . He was the personnel officer and was responsible for maintaining personnel files and orienting new recruits to the operational aspects of Fort Roach . Later he was appointed adjutant . Like the other notable actors Reagan appeared in the films produced by the unit , but to avoid distracting the audience they were eventually relegated to narrating the films . The FMPU was unique in comparison to other military units in the methods employed to obtain recruits . Many members were well into middle age and unsuitable for combat duty . Few of the men in the FMPU were ever sent to a war zone . Due to its special mission , the unit was able to bypass the normal recruiting channels and was empowered to draft directly . Basic Training was not as rigorous as that experienced by most servicemen . According to former unit member Howard Landres , Basic Training was mandatory , " but it wasn ’ t the basic - basic . " Military decorum at Fort Roach was less formal than in most units . Saluting was optional , and unit members called each other by their first names . Hal Roach Studios did not have barracks , so commuting from home was commonplace . Men from out of the area were billet ed at nearby Page Military Academy . Film production . The first film project undertaken was a flight training aid titled , " Learn and Live . " Set in " Pilot ' s Heaven " , the feature - length film stars Guy Kibbee as Saint Peter . In order to demonstrate correct aviation techniques , twelve common flying mistakes are addressed . The film was highly regarded and led to a series of films including " Learn and Live in the Desert , " " Ditch and Live " and " Learn and Live in the Jungle . " " Resisting Enemy Interrogation " was lauded by the military and according to documentarian Gregory Orr is considered to be the " best educational film " produced during the war . It tells the story of two captured flyers in dramatic and suspenseful fashion . They are interrogated at a German chateau . The layout of the chateau , the interrogation strategy and the overall experience of the film was extremely realistic . Airmen captured after viewing the film reported that they were able to successfully resist German efforts to extract information . The feature - length film was of the highest quality and in recognition the documentary was nominated for an Academy Award in 1944 . Animation was an essential and integral component of films produced at Fort Roach . Animation provided FMPU filmmakers with scenarios not possible with live action photography due to technical or secrecy constraints . In an introductory training film , pilots learn how to fly airplanes with the help of colorful cartoon characters named Thrust , Gravity and Drag , representative of the forces which act on airframes . Another character , Mr . Chameleon was created to teach the fine points of military camouflage . " Trigger Joe " ' s appearance in " Position Firing " was an immediate hit amongst gunners . Animators used humor to illustrate common pitfalls when loading and firing and techniques to maximize their efficiency and accuracy . Gunnery personnel clamored for more : " We want more films like " Position Firing " that make the theory simple and clear and yet keep us interested . And Trigger Joe ! He ' s great ! " Joe became the central character in an entire series of films developed to further gunnery training . The animation department was staffed with a stellar assortment of animators , including department head Rudolf Ising , one of the creators of " Looney Tunes " and " Merrie Melodies " , and one of Disney ' s Nine Old Men , Frank Thomas . Bombing of Japan . One of the most important assignments of the unit was to develop navigational and topographic materials to support the bombing campaign against Japan . This top secret series of films , code - named " Special Film Project 152 " was , according to Gregory Orr , " perhaps the most important and challenging effort to come from the First Motion Picture Unit . " The unit was given forty days to produce the films which would be used by B - 29 Superfortress crews . In 1944 the United States readied its forces in the Pacific Theatre for the final assault on the Japanese mainland . The 20th Air Force , tasked with carrying out the bombing campaign , lacked necessary information regarding flight routes and targeting data . Orr explains what the unit was expected to deliver : After conducting extensive research on the topography of Japan , an scale model ( 1 foot : 1 mile ) of target areas was fabricated complete with mountains , buildings , railroads and the rice paddies . It also depicted clouds and fog . The films were produced using a specially mounted overhead camera . The camera was motorized and could be moved to simulate an airplane ' s flight over the model . According to the " New York Sun " , " the camera recorded what the crew of a B - 29 would see from 30 , 000 feet . " Using the films , pilots of the 20th Air Force easily found their targets and were amazed at the level of detail and the accuracy that the unit was able to produce . General Arnold said the following of the units accomplishment : " there never has been anything quite so good as this for briefing men on dangerous missions . " Bomb damage in Europe . After Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945 , General Arnold ordered Crump to document the extent of the damage caused by aerial bombardment . This project was code - named " Special Film Project 186 . " Crump and his crew , using color film , surveyed bomb damage inflicted on the major European cities . In addition , Crump recorded the debriefings of Nazi civilian and military personnel in Allied custody such as Herman Goering , as well as the capture of the Ohrdruf and Buchenwald concentration camps by American soldiers . Upon viewing the film of the camps for the first time , Malvin Wald recollected , " Even though it was a summer day , Reagan came out shivering — we all did . We ’ d never seen anything like that . " Crump and his crew shot hundreds of hours of film — most of which has never been seen . The Army Air Force declined to fund the production and editing of the footage at an estimated cost of $ 1 million . The documentary " The Story of Special Film Project 186 " points out that the effort was " the biggest color film project of World War II — and the biggest unseen film of all time . " Combat cameraman training . A primary function of the FMPU was the training of combat cameramen . The units were based at nearby Page Military Academy . There were approximately 16 combat units , each made up of seven officers and between 20 and 30 enlisted men . They were trained to use a variety of photographic equipment and cameras and also received combat and weapons training . The cameramen were sent to every army air force base to document all aspects of the base ' s operations as well as aerial battle tactics and enemy airplane performance . Every cameraman was trained to load film into their camera under adverse conditions , and if need be , to develop it on location . Most of the aerial motion picture photography shot during World War II was filmed by Fort Roach alumni . Unlike regular personnel at the FMPU , combat cameramen suffered a number of casualties . Alumni of the program were " highly praised and much decorated . " Lt . James Bray , a cameraman trained at Fort Roach was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in Cairo , Egypt . While photographing a combat mission he shot down two Luftwaffe Messerschmitt s when the gunner was wounded . For his heroism he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . He then returned to Fort Roach as an instructor . Impact . Although most FMPU personnel were never assigned to combat duty , they made a significant contribution to the war effort . " Air & Space / Smithsonian " reported that the air superiority enjoyed by the USAAF in Europe was partly due to the training films delivered by the FMPU . Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel , commander in chief of Germany ' s armed forces , noted the decisive role played by film production units : The unit ' s efforts did not go unnoticed by the American military . The Inspector General ' s office of the Department of Intelligence in an investigative report wrote : Noting the sheer volume of footage shot under the auspices of the unit , historian John Langellier said : Filmography . This is a list of selected USAAF films produced by Warner Bros . prior to the formation of the FMPU : The growing demand for training films overwhelmed Warner Bros . and the USAAF established an inhouse film production unit . The FMPU released over 400 films between 1942 and 1945 , many of which have been lost or destroyed . This list is representative of that output :