First Motion Picture Unit

First Motion Picture Unit
Credit screen
Active1942–1945
Country United States
Branch U.S. Army Air Forces
TypeMotion Picture
RolePropaganda and training
Size1,110 officers and airmen
HeadquartersHal Roach Studios,
Culver City, California
Nickname(s)"Celluloid Commandos" or "Hollywood Commandos"
Motto(s)We kill 'em with fil’m
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Insignia
18th AAF Base Unit emblem

The 18th AAF Base Unit (Motion Picture Unit), originally known as the First Motion Picture Unit, Army Air Forces, was the primary film production unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) 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 films, which were notable for being informative as well as entertaining.[1][2] Films for which the unit is known include Resisting Enemy Interrogation, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and The Last Bomb—all of which were released in theatres. Veteran actors such as Clark Gable, William Holden, Clayton Moore, Ronald Reagan, Craig Stevens and DeForest Kelley, and directors such as John Sturges served with the 18th AAF Base Unit. The unit also produced training films and trained combat cameramen.

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.[3]

  1. ^ George J. Siegel. "Hollywood's Army". The California State Military Museum. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  2. ^ "Oral History with Owen Crump". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 29 July 1944. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Movie Room Schedule". Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2012.