Operation moosehorn...

[SEATJERKER]

...was jawing with this guy at the mall, and He started to discribe what he called "operation moosehorn"/// back in March of 55/// where 800 parachutists were dropped into the great northwest from ???Ladd AFB, now w- something ///out of Montana/// where they were dropped in Alaska and over ???650 men persished under the command of a Gerenal Ruggles( something like that)...

...a little "sumthin' in his eye" at the time, and he was claiming cover up, that it was never reported, etc, and that the "General" had some "hoop to do" congratulating him on the success of the operation...

...just wondering if anyone would know of such an event....

[latitude29]

I was in Operation Moosehorn. It was an all army maneuver with, at the time, the longest convoy ever in the history of the service. It stretched, we were told, from Ft. Lewis Washington to Big Delta, in what was then the territory of Alaska. The maneuver lasted 40 days and was fully tactical--which to us meant no heat at night because the illumination and heat from the 5 gallon gasoline stoves would disclose our positions. The temperature sat at a steady 70 degrees below zero for the entire time. All who participated were given certificates attesting to their part in the exercise. We were supplied by air drop from elements of the 82nd airborne and the 101st also, as I recall. General Collins was in charge of this. Soldiers did die. I heard of a truck falling off a bridge and breaking through the ice. Others froze, I heard. I recall the number being under 100. Moosehorn was held during the months of March and April, 1956.

YouTube - Operation Moosehorn; Billy Graham to...

If you want more information contact me at latitude29@cfl.rr.com

[David]

Thank you for the updated information latitude29. Do you still have your certificate? It would be nice to see it posted here if you still have it.

[latitude29]

For those of us that were drafted into the army, you might recall that when you were finally discharged the only topic about which you could speak was the unbelievable events that occurred to you during your tour of duty. That fixation went of for years. It was said you did two years in the army and spent the rest of your life talking about it. Actually, it only lasts for four or five years and then it fades. Eventually you never mention what you did except in passing. I don't recall ever speaking to my children about my army duty. But a few weeks back I Googled "274th AFA Bn" which was my unit for two years. I was linked to "Operation Moosehorn" which was a 40 day long vicious maneuver in which I participated. I haven't talked about for years. I'd like to now.

I volunteered to be stationed on the DEW Line on the Arctic Circle. My judgement was not matured when I made that decision. I could have gone to many posts in Europe or stayed in the US. As a result of my decision, however, I spend two truly brutal winters near Fairbanks providing ground defence to nearby Ladd AFB and trained to spring west should the territory of Alaska be invaded by Russians on the ground. Alaska was not a State at that time. Thinking back, I deeply believe the army spent margionally on what was needed for Arctic survival clothing. Certainly not for temperatures beyond 30 below. And frequently enough it was way below that. I further believe they experimented with us, to some degree, to probe the limits for Arcic survival. Too frequently in the winter it seemed we were past limits that the body would permit. It was too cold to see beyond the fur edged parka hood. Too cold to talk. Too cold to breathe. Too cold to move. You tried to remain shrunken and motionless inside your parka, but uncontrolled shivering would disperse the air pockets that provided some of the insulation. When you became completely numb there was still the stinging and burning that came from nerve endings freezing.

I recall walking many times with no feeling to my feet. The numbness would eventually spread up to my hips, with no feeling whatsoever to my legs. In order to walk I had to use my eyes to see where my feet were stepping and rely on my sense of balance and feeling in my hips to move forward, slowly. This, with bearclaw snowshoes, a carbine and a fifty pound rucksack on my back. Sometimes we moved on skis. You learn how to move under these conditions

A sharp blow to metal, like a truck fender, would fracture and shatter it like ice. The trucks and jeeps and especially the M-7 tanks could not be shut down for more than thirty minutes or the battery fluid would freeze. If we were in garrison the batteries were unloaded and stored inside the barracks. It was odd that when we returned from the field and stripped off our frozen clothes, the cement floors in the barracks were seemingly too hot to walk on. Cold water showers were also too hot until our bodies returned to normal temperature.

During Operation Moosehorn, as I remember, the warmest it got was about 63 degrees below. Mostly it was closer to 70 below. Moosehorn was an all army maneuver with man and materiel supplied by airdrop from the lower forty-eights. It was the largest maneuver ever held by the army up to that time. We were in six-man tents without heat at night. That was part of the arctic experiment this operation was designed to test. About twenty-six men died as I recall. Moosehorn was held around Big Delta, Alaska, reputedly the coldest spot on the North American continent.

Our tents were pitched on the snow, of course. By the end of Moosehorn, the warmth from the daytime gasoline stoves melted the snow down 10 feet or 12 feet, the height of the tents, down to the permafrost. We had to dig a new entrance daily down into the tent in order to get in. At night, our uniforms were hung up on clotheslines that circled the interior of the tent. That was to keep them off the ground, where they would quickly freeze and adhere. They froze on the clothesline also, but, hanging down, did not adhere to anything. We would slap them onto the ground in the morning in order to break off surface ice and to make them supple enough so that we could put them on. We dressed in clothes whose temperature was well below zero Fahrenheit. When we woke up, we were allowed to turn on the stove. A number of nights we discussed turning on the stove against orders and setting up a stove watch. We never did. The fire and the smoke would have all been easily detected and we would have all been court martialed. We were told that this maneuver was tactical under combat conditions, which meant no fires that could disclose our positions.

We slept on an air mattress on the ground and encased ourselves inside a mummified shaped arctic bag made of waterproof canvas. Inside of that were two down sleeping bags, one inside the other, each with protrusions for your feet, like a sarcophagus. They didn't begin to protect you from the torturing cold. We were instructed to sleep naked inside the bags. Evidence, we were told, was that clothes, even t-shirts, would twist and possibly curtail blood circulation. Then we'd freeze. We froze anyway. Literally. I showed the after effects from several frozen blood vessels for decades. It was primarily impossible to put your feet all the way down into the sleeping bag. The cold from the bottom of bag bit into your feet like nails. It was so cold it sometimes felt like a searing fire. But if you did not get your feet down into the bag, the biting cold from down there would keep you from sleeping. The shivering was uncontrollable and at times violent. Finally, when you were able to inch your feet down to the bottom of the bag—it took about five to ten minutes--the warmth that your feet introduced, little that it was, allowed you to fall asleep. It would only last ten or twenty minutes. Then you'd awake in a fetal position with your feet drawn up from the bottom of the bag and your knees would be tightly against your chest. You'd be shivering again. After Moosehorn was over all the members of our Division were given a personal certificate from General Collins acknowledging our participation. It was put in with my records. I don't have a copy, although I did at one time. This occurred only a few weeks short of my discharge.

[David]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_q9nUoPJ9s[/media]

[David]

[media]http://www.patriotfiles.com/media/moose.flv[/media]

[Boats]

Brought back some good old days for sure. Dad was in the Alutians during WWII and was blow out of a Jeep by a land mine. Damn near took his shoulder off. All he said it was damn cold there.

[MORTARDUDE]

Thank you for sharing your experiences !

Larry

[Packo]

I want to thank you for that amazing piece of little know military history. David, as always, thank you for the leg work and the wonderful video/newsreel.

Lat 29,

People have always asked me if I'd have rather fought in the sub-freezing Korea or the Steamy Hell of Vietnam. I always say....the Steamy Hell of Vietnam. I have heard from many that...."in cold you can always get warm, but in heat you can't always get cool." Most of that is not from military people who don't understand that they never send you with the proper clothing. Men at the Buldge in WWII and Korea will tell you that they didn't have the right clothing. I'm sure y'all didn't have exactly what you needed. Thanks....but I'll take the heat.

Your story was "chilling" to say the least, thank you so much for your service. Also, you can get your certificate by sending an SF180 to St. Louis to obtain your records and all awards earned.

Pack