American Cinematographer - January 1993 - 77

Objective Kobe: Reflections of War

Documentaris

by Dr. Ralph Herold

Prior to World War II, the Army
Signal Corps created what was
eventually to be known as the
Army Pictorial Service. Organiza¬
tionally, it was divided into two
major functional areas consisting of
production (motion pictures and
photo lab) and distribution (film
libraries containing training and

informational films). Both the

photo labs and film libraries were
located at camps, posts and stations
throughout the continental USA,
and eventually overseas. Training
film production was handled at ei¬
ther the Signal Corps Photographic
Center on Long Island, New York,
or contracted out to a
Hollywood
studio in California.

Military personnel were
trained as combat cinematogra¬
phers in Hollywood with the sup¬
port and expertise of the ASC and
Local 659. Training commenced in
June of 1942, lasting six weeks.
Prominent among the instructors
were

John Arnold, head of the

MGM Camera Department, and
Alvin Wyckoff, ASC, who was

shooting at Universal Studios.

in

Many of us who enlisted
early 1941 functioned in both

areas

until the end of the war. In late

1944,1 was sent to the South Pacific
Pictorial Officer with

permis¬
Department to
film whatever I desired on my offduty time, the only provision being
that if film of military value was
shot, it would be retained by the
Army until the end the war. I
brought with me a 16mm Bell &
Howell 70 DA camera equipped
as a

sion from the War

with 15mm, 25mm and 50mm

photographed the destruction
Baguio prior to
moving north to Linguyen Gulf
and into Southern Japan as part of
the occupying army.
At this juncture, some
thought was given to the prepara¬
tion of a documentary film which
might pictorially reflect the condi¬
tions which prevailed in Japan fol¬
lowing the cessation of hostilities.
The footage shot might differ from
the usual photographic coverage
by showing the American soldier in
we

of both Manila and

non-combat role. Once in Kobe,
filmed the area's former busi¬

lenses, and approximately 3000 feet

a

of Kodachrome film.

we

Following assignment to
the South Pacific Base Command,
I began shooting scenic areas on the
island of New Caledonia. In July of

1945, Guadalcanal

was designated
staging area for consolidating
pictorial personnel in preparation
for movement to the Philippines.
On Guadalcanal, only the remnants
of what had been a thriving island
as a

and residential areas, which
had been destroyed by B-29 air
raids from March through June of
1945. Since there was a food short¬
ness

age in Kobe, vendors set up shop
under the elevated tracks of the

Shima in

one

of

thrived until the

directly from the

summer

sonnel, the Black Market
a

January 1993

the island of le

Japanese national railway, which
passed through the city's metro¬
politan area. This Black Market area

sure.

Philippines,

Japanese peace
envoy lands on

Japan's largest

command could be filmed, since
the facility was in the process of clo¬
While in the

Above: A

Off limits to

of 1946.

military
was

per¬

also

gathering place for the Japanese

to socialize and meet friends who

American

Cinematographer

land-based
aircraft. This
shot

was

video

taken

(photo

courtesy of U.S.
Air Force and
Smithsonian

Institute).

75
American Cinematographer - January 1993

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