John Ford and the beginning of the
Field Photographic Branch

The creation of the Field Photographic Branch

En la década de 1930, John Ford, a reservist in the Navy creates a unit of cameramen able to intervene "in case of emergency". En 1939, la Sección de Fotografía de Campo del 11o Distrito Naval entra en funcionamiento. Unas semanas antes de Pearl Harbor, Ford anuncia que ha entrenado a unos sesenta técnicos.

General Donovan, Coordinator of Information and later director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), calls for Ford: that is the beginning of the Field Photographic Branch (FPB).

John Ford and his crew at Midway 1942
Biblioteca Lilly, Universidad de Indiana,
Bloomington, Indiana

De Pearl Harbor a la batalla de Midway

Among the films produced by the FPB and personally supervised by John Ford are December 7th, which deals with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and The Battle of Midway, a decisive American victory on Admiral Yamamoto on June 5th, 1942. Ford ganó dos premios de la Academia para el mejor documental en 1943 y 1944.

John Ford next to his chief-cameraman
in the pacific, s.d.
Biblioteca Lilly, Universidad de Indiana,
Bloomington, Indiana