[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.

[4][5] Winning Your Wings was directed by John Huston and Owen Crump, and featured James Stewart as a dashing pilot.

[1][7] Warner Bros. would produce several films prior to the activation of the First Motion Picture Unit, most notably Men of the Sky, Beyond the Line of Duty and The Rear Gunner.

[4] The success of Winning Your Wings created a demand for training and recruitment films which proved difficult for Warner Bros. to fulfill.

[6] Jack Warner began the process of developing the organizational structure for an independent motion picture unit.

According to writer Mark Betancourt, the facility was perfect:[6]The studio had everything the motion picture unit needed: six warehouse-size sound stages, prop rooms, editing bays, costume and makeup departments, even an outdoor set made to look like a city street ...

[8]Personnel assigned to the 18th AAF Base Unit 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 L. Bare and John Sturges served with the unit.

[11] 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.

Animation provided 18th AAF Base Unit 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.

[citation needed] One of the most important assignments of the unit was to develop navigational and topographic materials to support the bombing campaign against Japan.

The 20th Air Force, tasked with carrying out the bombing campaign, lacked necessary information regarding flight routes and targeting data.

The objects had to appear not only as seen on a clear day by the naked eye, but also as viewed by a radar screen through an overcast.After conducting extensive research on the topography of Japan, an 80-by-60-foot (24 m × 18 m) scale model (1 foot: 1 mile) of target areas was fabricated complete with mountains, buildings, railroads and the rice paddies.

"[15] 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.

"[15] After Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945, General Arnold ordered Crump to document the extent of the damage caused by aerial bombardment.

In addition, Crump recorded the debriefings of Nazi civilian and military personnel in Allied custody such as Hermann Göring, as well as the capture of the Ohrdruf and Buchenwald concentration camps by American soldiers.

Most of the aerial motion picture photography shot during World War II was filmed by Fort Roach alumni.

[citation needed] Unlike regular personnel at the 18th AAF Base Unit, combat cameramen suffered a number of casualties.

"[8] Lt. James Bray, a cameraman trained at Fort Roach was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in Cairo, Egypt.

Although most 18th AAF Base Unit personnel were never assigned to combat duty, they made a significant contribution to the war effort.

Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, commander in chief of Germany's armed forces, noted the decisive role played by film production units:[6][13]We had everything calculated perfectly except the speed with which the Allies were able to train their people for war.

Men of the First Motion Picture Unit probably represent a higher civilian income bracket than would be found in any other military organization.