Post by Catsmate on Nov 20, 2019 12:21:34 GMT
Anyone for Ice Station Zebra or The Thing? Another idea for weirdness in the high north.
Project COLDFEET was a CIA operation in 1961 to examine an abandoned Soviet Arctic research station.
While the stated reason for the project was to determine information of Soviet cold-weather capabilities and equipment, and look for any evidence that the Soviet Union was constructing a sensor system for tracking submarines under the ice, probably the most important aspect was to test a newly developed system, called STARS, for picking up people and equipment from the ground without landing an aircraft (often rather tricky).
STARS, also referred to as the Fulton system, was Surface-To-Air Recovery System and involved a person wearing a full body harness attached by a rope (the 'lift line') to a small balloon that would, in theory, be caught by an attachment on a low flying aircraft. Then the person, or cargo pod, would be reeled on-board the plane.
The target for the mission was initially a Soviet research base called NP9 but this was altered to the more recently constructed NP8, when it was discovered that the latter was being abandoned due to ice movement making the runway unusable.
On 28MAY1962 the mission began. It has been planned for April but the CIA and USAR were unable to locate the elusive NP8 base due to the movements of the ice.
A CIA operated converted B-17 (escorted by a USAF P2 Neptune patrol aircraft) flew from the USAF airfield at Point Barrow in Alaska carrying two agents:
It was planned that they'd have three days to explore the abandoned Soviet base.
Naturally things went wrong...
On 31MAY the B-17 returned to retrieve the men but was unable to find the base or establish radio contact (not uncommon in those days, especially in the Arctic). The weather had deteriorated, warmth had heated the ice causing dense fog to form.
On 01JUN the search was repeated, but despite over twelve hours in the air, still without success. Assistance was required and, reluctantly,m the USAF was asked to help.
On 02JUN1961 a Neptune patrol aircraft joined the operation and its more capable search and navigational equipment located NP8 and guided the B-17 to the location.
However conditions were poor for an attempt to extracting the agents and their booty; high winds, low visibility, fog and grey ice that made differentiating between ground and sky difficult. However the aircraft crew made the attempt.
The first pickup, of a canister containing about seventy kilos of materials gathered from the abandoned base and film taken by the agents, went smoothly.
The second, of Lieutenant LeSchack did not. Even with Major Smith holding him the wind made standing on the ice nearly impossible. When the line-carrying balloon was caught in a sudden gust LeSchack was torn away and dragged nearly a hundred metres across the ice, until an ice mound stopped him. Then the B-17 grabbed the balloon and he was pulled aloft, successfully being winched aboard.
from being blown away. As the rising balloon caught the wind, LeSchack tore away from Smith's grasp, pitched forward on his stomach, and began to drag across the ice. After 300 feet, his progress was stopped by an ice block. As he lay on the ice and tried to catch his breath, Price hooked into the line.
On his own Major Smith held on to an abandoned Russian ice tractor while inflating the balloon but was dragged free and pulled across the ice until be dug in his boot heels. Still prone when the hook caught the balloon he was pulled up and winched aboard.
Officially Operation Coldfeet produced intelligence "of very great value" and showed that Soviet Arctic operations were generally superior to those of the United States. While no traces of an acoustic sensor network was found, it was discovered that the Soviet station was configured for extended periods of silent operation.
Furthermore, the Fulton system was proven under difficult operational conditions, though generally unused once helicopters started to be equipped for mid-air refuelling.
Game Use.
How might this odd bit of polar espionage figure in a Who based game?
1. In a Krynoid situation, as in The Seeds of Doom, there could be a need to drop and retrieve a team into a remote polar outpost without landing (perhaps due to bad weather). It may be necessary to brush over the training needed for the Fulton process.
The PCs might be rushing to evacuate via STARS aircraft while facing imminent doom, be it encroaching Krinoid or searching Ice Warriors.
2. For a UNIT-centric scenario the team may be dropped in to investigate an incident in the high Arctic, beyond helicopter range and without the time for an under-ice submarine trip. Perhaps a UFO has been tracked down and now someone needs to go and take a look.
Or there could be an abruptly terminated distress message from someone's drift ice station (Soviet, American, Canadian, British) suggesting of outré goings-on on the ice.
3. The party's transport could land them among such an operation. A small team from one nation, or a UNIT-esque agency, could be investigating something odd on the ice when the PCs arrive.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
Project COLDFEET was a CIA operation in 1961 to examine an abandoned Soviet Arctic research station.
While the stated reason for the project was to determine information of Soviet cold-weather capabilities and equipment, and look for any evidence that the Soviet Union was constructing a sensor system for tracking submarines under the ice, probably the most important aspect was to test a newly developed system, called STARS, for picking up people and equipment from the ground without landing an aircraft (often rather tricky).
STARS, also referred to as the Fulton system, was Surface-To-Air Recovery System and involved a person wearing a full body harness attached by a rope (the 'lift line') to a small balloon that would, in theory, be caught by an attachment on a low flying aircraft. Then the person, or cargo pod, would be reeled on-board the plane.
- There is a distinct vibe from the project descriptions that the CIA really wanted an excuse to test it's new toy and the mission was very much a secondary consideration.
- The film version of Ice Station Zebra has a this concept used by the Russian team.
The target for the mission was initially a Soviet research base called NP9 but this was altered to the more recently constructed NP8, when it was discovered that the latter was being abandoned due to ice movement making the runway unusable.
- Both of these bases are what's called 'drift ice stations'; while it's counter-intuitive bases on the ice move quite a bit as the ice is not at all as monolithically stable as it appears. NP9 had moved out of safe operational range of US airbases.
On 28MAY1962 the mission began. It has been planned for April but the CIA and USAR were unable to locate the elusive NP8 base due to the movements of the ice.
A CIA operated converted B-17 (escorted by a USAF P2 Neptune patrol aircraft) flew from the USAF airfield at Point Barrow in Alaska carrying two agents:
- Major James Smith was a serving USAF officer, an experienced paratrooper, fluent in Russian linguist and experienced in Arctic operations.
- Lieutenant Leonard A. LeSchack was a USN reservist and geophysicist with extensive Arctic experience.
It was planned that they'd have three days to explore the abandoned Soviet base.
Naturally things went wrong...
On 31MAY the B-17 returned to retrieve the men but was unable to find the base or establish radio contact (not uncommon in those days, especially in the Arctic). The weather had deteriorated, warmth had heated the ice causing dense fog to form.
On 01JUN the search was repeated, but despite over twelve hours in the air, still without success. Assistance was required and, reluctantly,m the USAF was asked to help.
On 02JUN1961 a Neptune patrol aircraft joined the operation and its more capable search and navigational equipment located NP8 and guided the B-17 to the location.
- It should be remembered that these were the years before GPS or satellite navigation, before surveillance satellites and compact IC electronics.
- Further, the Arctic is a hostile environment; batteries and electronics don't work was well as in more clement conditions and need more insulation, heating and protection.
- Finally the highly ionised atmosphere interferes with radio (and RADAR) to a significant extent with radio noise and scattering effects being common.
However conditions were poor for an attempt to extracting the agents and their booty; high winds, low visibility, fog and grey ice that made differentiating between ground and sky difficult. However the aircraft crew made the attempt.
The first pickup, of a canister containing about seventy kilos of materials gathered from the abandoned base and film taken by the agents, went smoothly.
The second, of Lieutenant LeSchack did not. Even with Major Smith holding him the wind made standing on the ice nearly impossible. When the line-carrying balloon was caught in a sudden gust LeSchack was torn away and dragged nearly a hundred metres across the ice, until an ice mound stopped him. Then the B-17 grabbed the balloon and he was pulled aloft, successfully being winched aboard.
from being blown away. As the rising balloon caught the wind, LeSchack tore away from Smith's grasp, pitched forward on his stomach, and began to drag across the ice. After 300 feet, his progress was stopped by an ice block. As he lay on the ice and tried to catch his breath, Price hooked into the line.
On his own Major Smith held on to an abandoned Russian ice tractor while inflating the balloon but was dragged free and pulled across the ice until be dug in his boot heels. Still prone when the hook caught the balloon he was pulled up and winched aboard.
Officially Operation Coldfeet produced intelligence "of very great value" and showed that Soviet Arctic operations were generally superior to those of the United States. While no traces of an acoustic sensor network was found, it was discovered that the Soviet station was configured for extended periods of silent operation.
Furthermore, the Fulton system was proven under difficult operational conditions, though generally unused once helicopters started to be equipped for mid-air refuelling.
Game Use.
How might this odd bit of polar espionage figure in a Who based game?
1. In a Krynoid situation, as in The Seeds of Doom, there could be a need to drop and retrieve a team into a remote polar outpost without landing (perhaps due to bad weather). It may be necessary to brush over the training needed for the Fulton process.
The PCs might be rushing to evacuate via STARS aircraft while facing imminent doom, be it encroaching Krinoid or searching Ice Warriors.
2. For a UNIT-centric scenario the team may be dropped in to investigate an incident in the high Arctic, beyond helicopter range and without the time for an under-ice submarine trip. Perhaps a UFO has been tracked down and now someone needs to go and take a look.
Or there could be an abruptly terminated distress message from someone's drift ice station (Soviet, American, Canadian, British) suggesting of outré goings-on on the ice.
3. The party's transport could land them among such an operation. A small team from one nation, or a UNIT-esque agency, could be investigating something odd on the ice when the PCs arrive.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?