https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/d89e4aba-f132-4a94-9bcf-c84c36f47ec1 Created by Douglas Aircraft, A REPORT ON ANTARCTICA was presented (with accompanying sound, not available here) to show aircraft used in support of the 18th Air Force in 1957-58. Specifically it presents footage of the Air Force Task Unit of the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing’s mission in support of the International Geophysical Year (1 July 1957-31 December 1958). This mission (most likely occurring in 1957), which is part of Operation Deep Freeze, features Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs being used to install and supply bases or stations in Antarctica. Rear Admiral George Dufek oversees the operation with the help of Major General Chester E. McCarty (the first pilot to fly over the south pole, which he did on 26 October 1956 as part of Operation Deep Freeze), Colonel Wade Hampton, Colonel Horace A. Croswell, and Lieutenant Colonel C.J. Ellen. The film begins with a soldier showing the mission’s presumed route to Antarctica. Footage then cuts to a Globemaster II landing at an airstrip (02:10), mission officers reviewing plans, and then the flight to Antarctica. Aerial footage of Antarctica provides sweeping views of the continent (04:22), including views of ice shelfs and mountains (06:18; 06:40). An icy runway comes into view (06:55) and the Globemaster II lands safely. Once on ground, footage reveals a ship stuck in ice (08:10), men—presumably officers of the mission—walking around base and standing at the foot of a mountain (08:27), panoramic views of the base (09:12), the American flag blowing in the wind with an ice field and mountains in the background (10:05), and a tractor pulling a sled loaded with supplies (10:23), which are then loaded onto a Globemaster II. The film then shows a Globemaster II taxiing in the snowy conditions (14:20), members of the mission (15:46), and, finally, takeoff (16:13). The final scenes of the silent film include more aerial shots of Antarctica, supplies being airdropped to a base (21:48), and the return of the Globemaster II to the original airfield (25:30). The 63d Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed. Notable operations for the wing included airlifts and airdrops in the North American Arctic during construction and subsequent operation of the Distant Early Warning Line between 1954 and 1956. In the same region it supported scientific stations on floating ice islands in the Arctic Ocean from 1957 until 1966. On the other end of the world, it flew airlift and airdrop missions supporting the United States Navy's Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica from 1956 until 1966. The wing maintained a complete tactical squadron on rotation to Europe between August 1956 and January 1967. The International Geophysical Year (IGY; French: Année géophysique internationale) was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West had been seriously interrupted. Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 opened the way for this new era of collaboration. Sixty-seven countries participated in IGY projects, although one notable exception was the mainland People's Republic of China, which was protesting against the participation of the Republic of China (Taiwan). East and West agreed to nominate the Belgian Marcel Nicolet as secretary general of the associated international organization. The IGY encompassed eleven Earth sciences: aurora and airglow, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, gravity, ionospheric physics, longitude and latitude determinations (precision mapping), meteorology, oceanography, seismology, and solar activity. The timing of IGY was particularly suited to some of these phenomena, since it covered the peak of solar cycle 19. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_hFOXtmkl0 Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:32:27 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/d89e4aba-f132-4a94-9bcf-c84c36f47ec1 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.