Part of the Army/Navy Screen Magazine series, this film newsreel consists of several segments. The first, “Meet a Gyrene from Guadalcanal” features American Marine Albert A. Schmidt who helped defend his fellow soldiers while being attacked by Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, and apparently killed over 200 of the enemy. “They Fly the Aleutians” shows the activities of the air crews based in the Andreanofs Islands within striking range of Japanese held Kiska.
Next, a short and funny “Confidential Report to Adolph” introduces a segment about Radioplane drones. The OQ-2 Radioplane shown was the first mass-produced UAV or drone in the United States. A follow-on version, the OQ-3, became the most widely used target aircraft in US service, with over 9,400 being built during World War II.
The OQ-2 was originally a small radio controlled aircraft model designed by Walter Righter. The design, along with its engine design, was purchased by actor Reginald Denny, who had demonstrated another model to the US Army in 1940. Calling the new design the RP-2, he demonstrated several updated versions to the Army as the RP-2, RP-3 and RP-4 in 1939.
In 1940, the Army placed an order for 53 RP-4s, designating them the OQ-1, the OQ meaning a “subscale target”. This small order led to a much bigger 1941 order for the similar RP-5, which became the US Army OQ-2. The US Navy also bought the drone, designating it TDD-1, for Target Drone, Denny, 1. Thousands were built, manufactured in a plant at the Van Nuys Airport in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
It was at this factory on June 26, 1945 that Army photographer David Conover saw a young woman assembler named Norma Jeane Dougherty, whom he thought had potential as a model. She was photographed in the plant, which led to a screen test for Norma Jeane, who soon changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
During WWII, Radioplane conducted field tests at the Muroc Dry Lake from a private airport owned by famed aviatrix Florence “Pancho” Barnes.
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