OPERATION HIGHJUMP 1946 U.S. NAVY ANTARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION ADMIRAL RICHARD E. BYRD 83274

In this issue of the Army-Navy Screen Magazine series (No. 85), viewers are treated to a short documentary on the U.S. Navy’s Antarctic expedition Operation Highjump, a 1946-1947 mission to Antarctica to establish the Antarctic research base Little America IV, assess the feasibility of maintaining a permanent base, and further American understanding of the continent. The film begins with aerial footage of Antarctica, a map of the continent, and footage of men framing buildings and carving ice blocks during construction of the first Little America exploration bases (1929-1941). Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and men gather in a tent during one of the early expeditions (00:48). A plane taxis on a snowy runway (01:30); a dogsled moves across the snow. Admiral Byrd, heading the Navy’s Task Force 68, and Real Admiral Richard H. Cruzen prepare to leave on Operation Highjump in 1946 (02:05). Viewers see the expedition’s ships, planes (including the amphibious Martin PBM Mariner), and helicopters (what appears to be a