American Cinematographer - September 1968 - 29

ed, Air Force cameramen moved from

necessary electronic gear.

base to base. Because there was no
overall, unified concept of what they

Consequently,
mission

with

the

documentation

need

for

demonstrated

should be doing, the men often found

by the Korean conflict, men of what

themselves burdened with such menial

was

chores as making passport photos and

Charting

portraits,

ways

photographing

vehicle

and

plant accidents, etc.

then

the

Air

Service

to hang

Photographic

and

concentrated

on

cameras on

available

pylons.

Today, however, their job has been

"At one point," a veteran Air Force

clearly defined. The Air Force sums it

photographic technician recalled, "the

up

with

a

typical

military

abbrevia¬

boys

were

tion: "ComDoc." Translated into sim¬

tanks

and

ple English, that means combat docu¬

that would hold a camera."

mentation.

carving
just

up

auxiliary

about

Colonel Warndorf described

To illustrate his mission's value, not

gas

anything

else
some

of the first crude efforts as resembling

only in assessing the achievement of

50-gallon oil drums. An improvement

military aims but also in saving Ameri¬

was

can lives, Warndorf cited the follow¬

called the "Blue Bomb," which made

ing incident:
an

unknown

air missile)

stubby,

cigar-shaped

pod

its appearance in 1957. The name de¬

"One of our pilots went out and
found

the

site.

SAM (surface-to-

He strafed

its com¬

rived not only from its sky-blue paint
but from the fact that the pod was
affixed to the aircraft with bomb lugs.

munication trailers with his guns and

In its early form, however, the pod

his wingman came right in behind him

-just like bombs and extra fuel tanks

and dropped bombs.

-was rigged so the pilot could jetti¬

"When they got back to base, both

son it if he ran into trouble.

pilots reported they had knocked out
the site. They had

seen

"This was necessary to ensure max¬

M/Sgt Barney O. White, documentation cam¬
eraman with the 600;h Photo Squadron, re¬
cords action at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base.

their arma¬

imum aircraft performance against at¬

ment go in and they were rather sure

tacking MIGs," Warndorf said, "but

of the hit.

every time one of our boys punched

Col. Robin Olds (now General), who is

One

of his

strong

supporters was

"But, the two had landed at a base

the 'pickle button' to dump his cam¬

commandant of the Air Force Acade¬

where we had one of our trailer proc¬

era pod, we lost something like $12,-

my at Colorado Springs, Colo.

essing units. Before they had finished

000 worth of equipment."

During 107 missions in World War
II, Colonel Olds downed 24 Vi

enemy

debriefing, our men had the film which

Consequently, what are now Aero¬

showed the pilots were mistaken.
"It showed
the tracers tearing

space Audiovisual Service technicians
began studying operational aircraft

planes. In Vietnam, where he wound

for

sions,

through the site,

but it also showed

there was no damaging hit. The wingman's bombs missed the target alto¬

nooks

and

crannies

where

they

as with early ver¬

gether. This illustrates a case where a

sions of the F-4 Phantom, they were

wing

able to use the nose. When they were

commander is

provided

photo¬

graphic evidence to recommend to the

preempted from that location by addi¬

appropriate HQ that more planes be

tional

ordered

recess in which the Navy installs an

up

immediately,

and

within

radar gear, they adapted the

two hours that SAM site could again

arresting

be struck since it takes the Reds seven

of the plane.

to eight hours to dismantle one and
get it moving. Often they don't have
the chance."

The

hook

on

technicians

its

carrier version

call

the

housings

which cover such camera installations
blisters. Depending on the plane, this

Although such highly valuable evi¬

may be just a small hump which pro¬

dence of air strike performance is now

jects only a few inches, or it may be a

routine

whole, compact housing affixed on the

in

Vietnam,

was far from
essence,

its

achievement

easy. The problem,

was to convince

in

exterior of the craft's skin.

pilots that

Flight tests have shown that the blis¬

the drag created by affixing camera

ters create negligible drag compared

gear to their planes was worth it in

to the pods. But when Warndorf first

view of the photography obtained.

went to the Vietnam theater, develop¬

The N-6 gun cameras of World War

ment of the blisters was so embryonic

II were mounted in the wings of fighter

that men of the 600th Photo Squadron

planes.

still had to rely primarily on the pod

But with the advent of thin¬

winged

jets,

there

room

for

craft

designers,

were too
for

the

such

was

no

gear there.
Warndorf

hard-pressed
ever-growing

longer

The

air¬

related,

finding

room

complexity

of

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, SEPTEMBER 1968

housing.
Consequently,
convince
the

photographic

while.

the

individual

colonel

had

commanders
effort

the

pilot was

could tuck their cameras.
In some cases,

up with four MIG kills after 152 mis¬

was

to
that

worth¬

45-year-old
commander

F-4
of

Phantom

the

Eighth

Tactical Fighter Wing based at Ubon
in Thailand.

Colonel James P. Warndorf, who was respon¬
sible for perfecting the present Air Force film¬
ing capability in Vietnam. A dedicated officer,
he takes great pride in accomplishments of
the 600th Photo Squadron.
American Cinematographer - September 1968

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