First Motion Picture Unit

The First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU), later 18th Army Air Forces Base Unit, was the movie production unit of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II and was the first military unit made up of actors. It made more than 400 propaganda movies which were known for being informative as well as entertaining. These movies 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, and Ronald Reagan 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.

First Motion Picture Unit Media

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  Screen shot of the credit screen from Camouflage

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  1st Motion Picture Unit - Emblem

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  Capt. Ronald Reagan at Fort Roach

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  18th AAF Base Unit camera crew

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  Preparation of Special Briefing Films (1945)

• James Stewart in Winning Your Wings (1942)

• Burgess Meredith is The Rear Gunner (1943)

• Ronald Reagan looking for bogeys in Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter (1943)

• Wings Up (1943) was filmed at the Officer Candidate School in FL

• Yehudi the Chameleon, the star of Camouflage (1944)

• Animation from The Earthquakers (1944)

• The Fight for the Sky (1945)

• Tuskegee Airmen were featured in Wings for this Man (1945)