This black & white military film shows top secret efforts to use aircraft as flying bombs. Entitled “Flying Destruction by Remote Control / The Caster Method of Remote Control Flying Bombs” it dates to 1944. The Caster Method was in fact only one of several remote control schemes put forth by the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII. A better known and related effort was Operation Aphrodite / Operation Anvil which involved using war weary B-17s and B-24s (and/or the naval version of the aircraft) that were stuffed with high explosives, to fly into German targets. These programs used sophisticaed early television systems known as “Block” for remote guidance.

Opening titles: Eighth Air Force presents Flying Destruction by Remote Control, The Caster Method of remote Control Flying Bombs (:06-:27). A B-17 plane lands. A teletype types out a message. A B-17 sits stationary. A man paints on the tail wing. The plan is to fill the plane with explosives, get it into the air, have the men bail out, and fly the plane via remote control into a target (:28-1:56). To do this, first the turrets are removed or sealed on the B-17. Bombing equipment is removed from the nose section. Interior of the B-17. Bomb bay doors are closed and sealed shut. The inside of the plane is gutted. Radio department is stripped clean. Guns are removed from the entire plane. Tail guns and ammo boxes removed and sealed. By dismantling some of it, the plane weighs less (1:57-4:09). One exit will be left opened for the men to bail out. Nose section, a control receiver is installed for the remote operations. The equipment that is necessary to turn the plane into a remote control flying bomb is shown on a table inside the plane and explained in detail (4:10-5:51). Television conversion unit, known as the camera. On top of this is a compass. Magnetic compass. Wiring is added. Instrument panel. Radio Altimeter. Altitude selector switch (5:52-7:36). Lights on the instrument panel. C-1 automatic control panel. A hand turns a transfer switch. Throttle position. The equipment to be used is shown and explained in detail. An antenna is on the plane’s nose. On the tail is another antenna. A smoke tank is loaded onto the undercarriage of the plane (7:37-10:37). B-17 carries no bomb load. The control box inside the plane. Interior of the plane shows the placement of equipment and antennas, this is explained in detail (10:38-12:43). A finger touches a button. TV monitor. Loading of the plane begins. A truck backs up the cargo to the plane. Cord is put up inside the B-17, the cord unspools (12:44-14:28). Explosives are placed inside certain sections of the plane. The Bomb bay has explosives placed in it. The load is secured with cables. In the radio room, more explosives are placed. Cables are used to hold the load in place (14:29-16:37). Fuse box is set up. TV Monitor and equipment is wrapped with a cord and connected to the other cord thus ensuring the destruction of this equipment. Planes in the air. B-38 flies. Planes on the tarmac (16:38-18:25). Troops sit in a briefing room and listen to the plan. Airmen get ready. The B-17 takes off. Other planes go with it to act as cover (18:26-20:03). A hand turns on the transfer control to make it operated by remote control. Audio tone is relayed. B-17 flies in the sky. The plane starts to act under remote control. The equipment and what it is doing is explained in detail (20:04-22:12). Switches are turned on. Fingers push buttons. Levers move, the throttle moves. What switches are touched, equipment used, is explained in detail

(22:13-24:12). Plane is seen in the air. All of the proper set-up is being done and checked. B-17 crew decides it’s time to bail out. The two pilots parachute out. The B-17 is on its way remotely (24:13-25:43). Using the TV monitor onboard the B-17 the plane is flown remotely, and where it’s headed is seen on the monitor it’s relaying the signal to. The plane flies and crashes into it’s target, a huge explosion follows (25:44-26:38). End credits (26:39-27:00).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com