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“Task Force Frigid” U.S. Army (1947)

1947 · Short film · 28 min

  • War
  • Documentary
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Synopsis

This U.S. Army film documents the mission and challenges faced by “Task Force Frigid” in 1947. Task Force Frigid was conducted around the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska during the sub-zero temperature winter. This Cold War exercise was intended to learn about how the Army could fight in the frigid north, with the implicit threat being the Soviet Union. The commander in charge was Col. Paul V. Kane. Frigid pushed men and machines to their limits, and it was discovered during the tests that some forms of ammunition were unreliable at low temperature, vehicles could not be restarted, and even that weapon triggers might have to be modified due to the fact that firing with mittens was difficult. Main title (00:14). A flag that reads “FRIGID” is centered on a map. Clips of the Tanana River and the task force members (00:47). Bulldozers clear out snow and trees to prepare for an ice bridge (1:07). Crewmembers saw lodges carried by cranes as they built the bridge (01:38). Pershing tanks cross the ice using the bridge (02:14). Tanks tow heavy weapons for the task force (03:24). The crewmembers are shown dressed in heavy outerwear to protect them from the cold (03:32). They enter an airplane for a parachute drop (03:52). They jump from the plane and land on the snow-filled grounds (04:10). With “Bear Claw” snowshoes, they walk through the deep snow (04:49). A Fairchild C-82 Packet is used by the task force for an artillery drop (05:17). The men struggle with walking through the…

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Details

Running time
28 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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