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1950 16-MM ARMY PROJECTORS 527
tined to play in one of the greatest photographic assignments the world has ever known.
During the period 1942-1945 the Signal Corps procured more than 16,000 16-mm projectors from several commercial manufacturers. This equipment offered the advantages of portability, ease of operation, low cost and availability. Naturally the maintenance and operation of several different types of projectors posed many problems in the field, yet these were due to the unusual requirements of the Army rather than any shortcomings of the commercial models. Cumulative utilization data show that during some of the most intensive thirty-day training periods more than 200,000 prints of 16-mm training films, almost a quarter of a million shows, were projected to military personnel; in addition, thousands of 16-mm entertainment films were being shown during this same period in overseas areas. Such usage is a lasting testimonial to the performance of the civilian model 16-mm projectors which were suddenly mustered into the Army and handed a seemingly impossible assignment. Equipment which had been designed for civilian use was often employed to project under conditions equal to and sometimes surpassing those recommended for 35-mm projection equipment. Performances at extreme temperatures and under other conditions of global warfare made the operation of each 16-mm projector of the Signal Corps an individual problem, with such factors as overuse, fluctuating electrical supply, fungus growth, corrosion and iniproper lubrication facilities contributing to the complexities. In spite of the climatic conditions, wear and frequent lack of parts for a particular type of projector, no difficulties arose which could not be overcome by improvization, local fabrication or substitution. For example, if exciter lamps were not available, jeep and motorcycle tail lamps were modified and used instead of the regular exciter. This and many other ingenious methods were responsible, time and again, for "keeping the show going."
The importance of properly trained operating and maintenance personnel was recognized from the outset and resulted in establishment of projectionist schools in all film libraries and exchanges and projector repair shops in centrally located spots in the Zone of the Interior and theaters of operations. Pickup and return of equipment and films were restricted to duly accredited graduates from the projectionist schools. These licensed operators were also authorized to replace lamps, belts, fuses and tubes, and to clean and lubricate the projectors. Equipment requiring higher echelons of maintenance was sent to the projector repair shops. These preventive