European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 24, 1959, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Examining an Atlas re entry nose Cone at Cape canaveral missile Center. A America s missiles. Checking a powerful rocket engine. Cont. From Page 11 suitable guidance system and no apparent solution to the re entry problem. There were no missile Sites no launch ing facilities no ground support equip ment no tracking stations or practical test programs and facilities. In fact artificial satellites and space exploration were confined to science fiction not the front pages of the nation s news papers. In 1954, the air research and develop ment come Cut orders for some 25 officers to report to its newly created ballistic Amis Sile division. The Headquarters of the organization was then in an old school build ing in Inglewood near los Angeles. The converted class rooms where Chil Dren had once Learned the three is waste beginning for an organization that within five years produced the Thor a Lasand Titan ballistic missiles and brought closer by decades the Day when Man can travel through space. Mission of the division was to Speed Theair Force s Long Range missile program which began in 1951 when a contract assigned with con Vair for development of an  for the big Bird was project Atlas the name by which the missile Isnow known. Inglewood had been chosen As the division s Headquarters because twas close to aircraft plants making or developing missiles. First to command the ballistic missile division was Schriever who began to col Lect the Best scientific minds available tothe air Force. A year later the president and the National Security Council gave the icbms the highest National research and development priority. As the division went into High gear theold school became1 too Small even As a file room. It moved to Large  of an intermediate Range ballistic missile Irby to go Shorter Dis Tances was authorized. This was the Thor called the Lucky Bird by Many because in less than three years after contracts had been signed an operational Thor was launched by missile Crews of the strategic air come. In the fall of 1958, the Thor was deployed to the United kingdom. Raf operational Crews now train and fire the Irby a Vandenberg fab. The air Force Thor acted As the Booster the first stage rocket which sen Pioneer i Moon probe 71,300 Miles into space. It has been selected As the Booster for the discoverer series of Earth satellites now being launched. Authority was Given the division to develop another icbms As an alternate to the Atlas. This known As the Titan is no undergoing tests at Cape canaveral. While the big Birds were still in the blueprint stage the ballistic missile division began building launching Sites for them. First was at Vandenberg fab which became Headquarters for the newly activated 704th strategic missile  other icbms bases have been announced by the air Force. Some of these will have underground launching Sites to protect the missiles against nuclear attacks. In december 1957, the soviet sputnik suddenly jolted the nation into becoming conscious of America s ballistic missile pro Gram. That month on dec. 17, the 54thanniversary of the Wright Brothers historic flight the first fully successful Atla test flight was made. The following december it was the Atlas that guided the largest satellite yet orbited around the Earth. Called the talking Moon the satellite broadcast a tap recorded Mes Sage by the. President. Calling for peace and understanding on Earth with the Atlas about to become. Joper a tonal and the testing of the Titan to reworked out the ballast c missile division has turned to other projects. First is the development of a solid fuel com rocket called the minuteman. This missile can be brought into action instantly without the Long count Down of the liquid fuel rockets other projects include providing missile that will boost a Man carrying capsule into space hurl satellites carrying to cameras to Monitor the weather on Earth and other satellites to detect aggressor missiles As they leave their launching pads to mention  present commander of the air Force ballistic missile division maj Gen Osmond j. Ritland explained that there Are Man reasons for the Success of the past five years in particular there were the efforts of the air research and development com Mand the scientific capabilities of the col Leges and universities of individual re search centers the talents of countless scientists and the resources of american Industrial strength he pointed out. The combined contributions of every Neon this team he added have not Only made Pur present accomplishments possible but have made our future in space extremely promising As  a div Gosk tarring in Presley won t Start work e movie until  men get instructions from Hollywood Moy Ieman Mickey Moore. Capt Mavah stands behind the script girl by Ralph Kennan staff writer the 3d army div is co starring with-sp4 Elvis Presley in a Hollywood movie but Presley himself won t work inthe film until he s just Plain old Elvis again. Shooting of a Hal b. Wallis production called i blues began aug. 17 at the division s training area near Friedberg Germany kicking off a scheduled three weeks of filming around the 3d army div area. About 100 of the division s soldiers reworking As extras in the film being made by Paramount and a company of tanks from Presley s outfit is in the show but Presley won t Start work in the movie until he gets out of the army in March. Then Paramount and Wallis will resume where they leave off on this Side of the Atlantic and what s been filmed Over Here will be worked into the finished picture Wallis explained. The shooting schedule Calls for work at the framing area scenes of 3d army caverns some in downtown Frankfurt others in Wiesbaden and some along the Rhine on a River boat. None of the filming Over Here has around track and the extras All on leave status for the duration of their part inthe shooting Are used to make Back ground footage for what will be completed at Hollywood starting probably in april. The finished product should be released in the fall of 1960, Wallis  first Day of shooting found two tank platoons from the 32d Armor s co charging up and Down hillsides near Friedberg As Paramount camera Crew captured the rumbling monsters in Vista vision. Subsequent footage will include a pair of m52 howitzers from Btry c of the 27th arty a demolition Crew from the 23d engr in s co a and some armoured personnel carriers from co c of the 52d , meanwhile continues his regu Lar duties As a jeep Driver with a scout platoon of the 32d Armor and won t even be around to watch any of the shooting Over Here. Weather held up part of the first Day shooting As 1st it Andrew Bednar co of the tank company put his men through their paces for the  platoons of the clanking roaring monsters charged up a Hill and almost frito the cameras for one scene and later rumbled Down a Steep Road wham med into a rain filled ditch at the Bottom an roared by the cameras for another. The majority of the Soldier extras who la appear in the film will be just parts of the background worked into the finished picture but for More specific footage Wallis is using Soldier stand ins one for  and others for regular actors who la get into the film when it gets into production at Hollywood. Pfc t. W. Creel of Laurel miss., is Presley s double. A member of co d of the 13th Cav he was selected because Wallis says hell look like Elvis from a  has the same characteristic walk and mannerisms As Presley Wallis pointed  other respects he s a dead ringer for  John j. Mawn 3d army div information officer who s been assigned a technical adviser for the film said locating Creel was a real stroke of  remembered going through Basic training with Creel at it. Hood tex.," Mawn recalled. And he remembered How much Creel looks like  so the 24-year-old Creel was picked. I met Elvis Only once Creel says Andi figure him for a pretty Nice  Creel who worked on an Oil drilling Rig in the Gulf of Mexico before being drafted into the army is a tank Driver and can t play the guitar but As for Rock n Roll he says is photos by Ted Rohde cat i really dig that  other stand ins who like Creel have no speaking parts and won t be seen close up in the finished product include Only on Soldier with professional acting experience. He s pfc Roland d Auguste of the 3darmd div s Honor guard and a Veteran of to productions Back in his Hometown of los Angeles. I had Lead parts in a number of to programs he recalled including Navy log Annapolis West Point and Walter Winchell file that was before he entered the  s also done summer Stock acting and plans to return to the stage when he gets out of the army. Sp4 Sheridan Jouett of White Hall 111.,and a member of the 143d Sig in is a stand in for a loader in a tank Crew. Aside from High school dramatics he s Neverdone any acting he said. His chief claim to Fame he noted is that the other five stand ins get promoted in the picture while he appears As his own rank. Pfc Frank p. Steele of 3d army div he plays stand in for a platoon sergeant and pfc Norman fair of co a 143d Sig by stands in for a tank Driver. Steele is from Tuscaloosa ala., and fair comes from Bastrop la. The movie started out As cafe Europa Wallis said but later was changed to  it s a comedy on the Light Side dealing with 3d army div soldiers. There will be three or four girls one French one italian and one or two  finished film will be about three gis or possible four Wallis  show will include eight or nine songs mostly ballads and some Rock n  whole thing is being done at no Cost to the army Mawn pointed out explain ing that Gas for the tanks and other As sorted expenses come out of the film budget. A camera Crew shoots tanks of the 3d army div As they charge up a Hill in the training area near Friedberg. The stars and stripes i i -. Monday aug St 24, 1959 Wallis chats with three of the Soldier actors. Pfc to w. Creel Center it Presley s stand in. The stars and stwpe8 Page 13