1955 US ARMY FILM

[Music] hello you are about to see a brief film report on the corporal guided missile one of the three world's most powerful weapons against the forces of aggression our company is proud as a member of american industry to have been associated with army ordinance in the production and development of the corporal missile i am also sure that every member of the ordnance contractors team shares this pride for the history of the corporal is a fine example of cooperation between the government and american industry and now to our story the corporal story began in 1944 in washington dc when the headquarters of army ordinance known as the office chief of ordinance authorized experimental work in the application of rocket propulsion to artillery range missiles [Music] guidance of the army's missile development and production activities comes from the assistant chiefs of ordinance for research and development industrial and field service divisions with the entire program under the command of lieutenant general e l cummings the army's chief of ordnance at redstone arsenal in huntsville alabama ordnance has established a control and coordination point for missile projects here government scientists technicians and engineers are engaged in many classified weapons development activities redstone arsenal is under the command of general h n tough toy a veteran ordinance officer and a pioneer in the guided missile program the early success of the army's rocket experiments led to the establishment of the jet propulsion laboratory at the california institute of technology which served as the research and development agency for the corporal missile scientific activities at the jet propulsion laboratory are headed by dr w h pickering internationally known rocket scientist at the laboratory operated by the california institute of technology under contract with army ordnance research and development functions connected with the corporal weapons system were carried out over a period of several years in the meantime extensive field testing was underway at white sands proving ground in new mexico major general w e laidlaw commands the proving grounds facility at white sands the army has the largest overland missile testing range in the western hemisphere the white sands installation is equipped with millions of dollars worth of scientific equipment and is staffed with engineering and technical personnel of high caliber it was at white sands proving ground that many evaluation and testing programs were conducted in the development and improvement of the corporal missile system these ground and flight engineering test programs are continuing and are providing constant improvement throughout all portions of the corporal system the corporal went into production in 1951 with gilfill and brothers incorporated manufacturing guidance equipment and the firestone guided missile division producing the missile in this modern new factory in los angeles firestone also manufactures the ground handling equipment for the corporal missile system [Music] hundreds of engineers and scientists both in industry and government provide the hands and minds for a development and production team which has made the corporal missile one of america's mightiest weapons for use in ground combat operations the work of the engineering department is completed production specialists transform the engineering drawings into the sleek and deadly corporal missile [Music] physical production of the weapon begins with the fabrication of missile sub-assemblies from raw metal stock in fire filters metal workers and other skilled craftsmen use the finest of modern precision machine tools as they transform steel plastic and aluminum into the intricate components which make up the corporal missile these components manufactured under rigid production controls include the missile nose which can carry either a conventional or a nuclear explosive airframe sections gyroscopes servo mechanisms and many other items some of which cannot be shown due to security classifications in other factory departments workers fabricate electronic and electrical components [Music] actual assembly of the missile begins when the fuel and oxidizer tanks are joined to provide a basic airframe structure [Music] then is installed the corporal's powerful rocket engine one of the most efficient ever designed with structural assembly completed and guidance equipment installed the missiles are prepared for a rigid final inspection by veteran firestone and ordnance inspectors [Music] upon completion of the tests and factory inspections the missiles are painted in field covers and are identified as material of the ordnance core u s army accepted by ordinance representatives the missiles are ready for shipment to the field [Music] during packaging for shipment the missile noses and stabilizers are disassembled and placed in separate containers reusable metal containers for transportation and storage of the missile itself are designed to maintain the weapon in a dry dust free atmosphere the completed missiles leave the factory by rail their next destination the army field forces this is the anti-aircraft artillery and guided missile center at fort bliss texas covering more than three million acres in texas and new mexico this vast military area is one of the oldest army posts in the united states and one of the largest in the world at fort bliss thousands of officers and men are undergoing training in the tactical operation of guided missile systems activities at this great army base located near el paso texas are under the command of major general robert j wood on arrival in the field the missiles are routed to the base ordinance depot for preliminary inspection and checkout technicians remove the missile from its container test the weapon and attach the stabilizers depot activities are completed and the corporal is on its way to a missile battalion in the field we are about to witness troops of an artillery missile detachment as they handle and fire the mighty corporal these convoy vehicles are headed for a location somewhere in the new mexican desert there they will be divided into three tactical groups and routed to the guidance area the launching and fueling sites and the pre-flight testing area mobility of the entire guided missile battalion makes the corporal system an efficient major combat weapon the missiles are removed from the transport trailers in the area chosen for inspection and pre-flight testing to be carried out under a portable work tent here being assembled in this initial tactical area operated by the assembly test and repair platoon various pre-flight and servicing operations are conducted important among these is the preliminary missile inspection results of which are noted in a special log book a mobile test station is used to perform pre-flight tests of the missile in the service area the test station is equipped to monitor the interaction and the function of the missile mechanical and electronic components in much the same manner as they were tested at the factory other technicians will install carbon vanes at the aft end of the missile the veins will stabilize the missile during its takeoff and initial acceleration before the weapon attains a speed sufficient to provide aerodynamic stability during systems testing the missile rudders and servo loops are checked both by visual observation and by instruments in the mobile test station in the event repair parts are needed in the field for any unit in the corporal system troops from ordinance direct support companies work closely with battalion personnel to provide facilities for quick repair and replacement of needed items this service contributes greatly to the tactical mobility of the missile battalion with missile checkout in progress another crew selects a site for location of the ground guidance equipment and for placement of the radar antenna in flight the missile is guided by radar commands from the ground a number of specialized vehicles provide this guidance in addition to radar equipment these vehicles include a doppler van which receives signals from the missile and this computer trailer which will analyze flight data from the missile to provide corrective commands to the speeding weapon in another part of the guidance area troops erect a collimation pole use of this equipment will enable technicians to establish precise alignment between the radar set and the radar target line now the missile is ready to receive its warhead and to be filled with rocket propellant attachment of the warhead is accomplished first the warhead shown here is a dummy but if this were a firing made under actual combat conditions the warhead would be filled with a conventional high explosive or with a powerful nuclear device in fueling the missile personnel who will perform the actual filling operations where clothing which prevents bodily contact with the missile propellants filling operations are carried out in two steps oxidizer is loaded into the missile before fuel filling is begun although the steps are done separately procedures are identical for both the oxidizer and the fuel fillings therefore steps required for fueling the missile are not shown here with missile fueling completed members of the propellant crew are sprayed with water as a decontaminant warhead and fueling operations are finished and the missile is prepared for travel to the launching site the erector boom will be rotated over an arc of 180 degrees with motion of the boom controlled remotely by the erector operator when the missile is lowered into traveling position on the erector it will be secured for travel to the selected launching site where the erector will be utilized to place the missile on the launcher preparatory to firing the weapon nerve center of firing operations is the battalion command post where a communications network provides contact between the battalion commander and the service launching and guidance areas here also operational readiness of the various groups is noted on a master check sheet the missile fire mission is prepared at this center programming of the missile must include such factors as the firing site altitude geographical characteristics of the target range and elevation of the target and various important codes and frequencies while fire mission planning has been in progress final pre-firing tests have been made on the missile this mobile servicing platform permits troops to work on the missile after it has been erected on the launcher final compatibility tests are completed and the corporal is ready for firing with the fire mission established troops at the launching and guidance platoons receive their instructions firing data is set up on electronic equipment in the computer van and final checks are underway in the ground guidance area this vehicle will provide remote control connections between the missile and the firing pit missile air tanks are pressurized from a mobile air supply the firing panel is given a final check to ensure tightness of all cable connections all pre-firing tests have been completed at the radar van the firing panel operator makes communications tests with the guidance area the collimation crew makes a last-minute adjustment of the alignment between the radar set and the radar target line in the computer van technicians keep a close watch on oscilloscope patterns that depict signals from the missile time is now running at x minus 30 seconds x minus 10 9 eight seven six five four three two one fire a b c d [Music] so screaming into space at several times the speed of sound the corporal is headed toward its target guided unerringly by radar you have seen a practice firing of the corporal missile but if this were actual combat a cargo of nuclear destruction would be on its way to a far-off target in one of the guidance vans a meter would dip to indicate that the warhead had been armed and to the enemy this would be the end of the corporal story you