On Aug. 17, Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) Aviation Museum received a unique donation – a WWII drone with ties to Marilyn Monroe.
In 1985, Charles Trojahn of Somerset, N.J. took a ride to upstate New York to visit his daughter. Being a helicopter pilot with a strong interest in anything relating to aviation and World War II, he ended up stopping at a surplus warehouse and picking up this Radioplane. Trojahn explains, “I knew nothing about it other than the fact it was used during the war.” He ended up traveling to the Cape May Airport this past summer to donate the item.
As it turned out, the Radioplane was the United States’ first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or “drone.” The compact aircraft appeared just prior to World War II and was used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and United States Navy. Manufactured by the Radioplane Company, it was the first mass-produced drone in the United States. The aircraft were used as target drones with a maximum speed of 85 miles per hour. The use of these drones was key to training anti-aircraft gunners who needed to hit a target several miles up.
There are several fascinating anecdotes to the donation. The company Radioplane was started by Reginald Denny who was a World War I British airman and aspiring actor. Denny immigrated to the United States in search of acting jobs in Hollywood. He eventually opened the Reginald Denny Hobby Shop in Hollywood which would become Radioplane, now known as Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The drone has another Hollywood connection. It was at the Radioplane plant at the Van Nuys Aiport in Los Angeles that Army photographer David Conover saw a young assembler whom he believed had potential as a model. The girl was photographed in the factory, which led to a screen test for Norma Jeane Dougherty, who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
For more information on NASW Aviation Museum, visit www.usnasw.org or call (609) 886-8787.
