- The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.
- This documentary, filmed entirely by military photographers, recounts the U.S. Navy's 1946-47 expedition to Antarctica, known as Operation Highjump. The expedition was under the overall command of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, no stranger to the Antarctic. This was a large undertaking involving thirteen ships and over four thousand men. The fleet departed from Norfolk, Virginia traveling through the Panama Canal and then southward to their final destination. The trip through the ice pack was fraught with danger and forced the submarine that was part of the fleet to withdraw. The trip was a success meeting all of its scientific goals. The film is narrated by three Hollywood stars, all of whom served in the US Navy: Robert Taylor, Robert Montgomery and Van Heflin.—garykmcd
- Arguably chosen for a combination of their Hollywood cachet and their military service, Commander Robert Montgomery U.S.N.R., Lieutenant Robert Taylor U.S.N.R., and Lieutenant Van Heflin A.A.F. (Ret.) provide the narration in chronicling Operation Highjump, an Antarctic expedition. While it is a joint venture of several arms of the American military, it is led by the US Navy with Admiral Richard E. Byrd in charge of the expedition and Admiral Richard Cruzen as task force commander. Approved by US Congress, it has the goals of training the Navy in polar operations, and discovering the unknowns of the largely unexplored continent, including what natural resources it possesses. The four thousand strong men on the expedition will transport everything required by sea from the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia including modes of transport for land, sea and air, the former which further includes Huskies for dog sleds. With three different exploration teams covering different regions of the continent and with different functions, it is a perilous expedition where some will probably not make it home alive, with one of the potentially most dangerous aspects being the regular hulled naval ships being destroyed by icebergs or being encompassed by ice with the water freezing around them.—Huggo
- This film documents the largest expedition ever undertaken to explore Antarctica. The expedition, code named "Operation Highjump," was made by the U.S. Navy and involved 13 ships (including one submarine), 23 aircraft, and about 4700 men. The film was shot by photographers from all branches of the U.S. military. One purpose of the expedition was to explore and photograph several thousand square miles of inland and coastal areas that had not been previously mapped. Additionally, military planners wanted to evaluate whether military troops could successfully perform against an adversary in such an environment.—David Glagovsky <dglagovsky@verizon.net>
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