The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. in DeKalb Goes to War-- Part 3: Today's Taylor Municipal Airport

The assault drone had a camera in its nose behind the glass shield.    The operator of the drone would use a telephone to navigate it.  This made the drone capable of flying pilotless.    The drone would be controlled by a mother plane almost seven miles away.

The drones were described as looking something like a German Stuka Dive Bomber.  During test flights in DeKalb, authorities would sometimes receive calls of a German bomber in the skies over Illinois.

The TRD-1s were sent to the Pacific Theater and used to attack Japanese bases.

The U.S. public did not learn about DeKalb's Wurlitzer Company's involvement in the drone experiment until 1960 when it was declassified.  During the two-year span they were made in DeKalb, some 200 were produced.

Wurlitzer had had the needed space to build, store and test these new weapons.  Surrounding land and buildings were bought to make a hangar and airfield.  This airfield would eventually become  the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport of today.

--GreGen