Evening star., 1951-11-11

which develop during the summer.
The newly discovered ice islands,
however. are safe havens by COM
parison. But their surface is cor
rogated and they contain shallow
valleys down which drainage streams
up to Is or 20 miles long flow dur
ing the thawing season.
Special freezing processes, engi-
neers believe, would greatly simplify
the establishment of emergency land
ing fields in the Arctic, whethei
they are on ice islands, fat sand
bars along the coast. or the tundra
whose depth of perma frost is over
laid in midsummer by sticky muck.
Field Tests Plonned
Field tests along this line will be
conducted this winter by United
States Army and Canadian Army
engineers in the Yukon area, where
emergency fields will be built on
frozen lakes and the adjoining
tundra.
Methods to be used were not dis
cussed, but it is known that ex-
periments have been conducted for
some time with compounds which.
mixed with water and allowed to
freeze, present a tough, smooth sur
face capable of supporting heavy
weights.
On the Siberian shore of the Arctic
Ocean, the Russians are believed to
be extending air operations to ad-
vanced fields whose use probably will
be confined to the long winter season.
Such operations, from fiat frozen
surfaces on land or ice, are largely
a matter of supply. Fuel in quanti-
ties required by jet aircraft or heavy
bombers must be delivered by ocean
tankers. The Soviets are known to
be making increasing use of the navi-
gable rivers indenting their north
ern coast
Red Ice Breakers
Ice breakers of advanced design,
like those we loaned our former Al
lies in World War II, are required
to extend the season for surface
operations. The Russians are now
believed to have the worlds strong
est fleet of ice breakers.
Nevertheless. no Soviet aircraft
has yet been spotted on top of the
world, either visually or by air-borne
radar, according to Gen. Nathan F.
Twining. vice chief of staff Of the
Air Force and former commander Of
the Joint forces in Alaska,
Neither the general nor his aides
would discuss the big, still-classified
airbase which was under construc-
tion last summer on the coast of
Greenland several hundred miles
north of the Arctic Circle Unau-
thorized accounts by returning con-
struction men have been the only
source Of published reports
The base. according to these
sources, will have runways up to
5000 feet with long. fiat all-weather
approaches capable of handling B-36s
or the latest multijet bombers. It
seems logical that the polar recon-
naissance flights out of Alaska may
be supplemented by similar weather
scouting operations based on Green
land. 1t could cut almost 1000 miles
off the round trip.
This region is the breeding ground
OF winter storms which control the
weather OF Europe. 1t also is prob
ably much nearer the point of origin
OF the giant ice islands under OBJ
servation farther west.
Almost nothing has been released
about what we are doing to strength
en- airbase in Greenland and Ice.
land under the NATO defense pro-
gram. The Danes are as sensitive
as the 1celanders or the Norwegians
to the reactions of Russia.
Security Conscious conodo
The Canadians also. according to
American sources, oppose the release
OF information about what has been
done toward establishing a rim Of
radar warning and air navigation
outposts along the archipelago and
the coast of the northwest territories
to Alaska.
Work on military installations in
Alaska reached new peak last sum-
mer, where some of the most impor-
tant construction projects were sealed
in against the winter cold to allow
the job to continue. An even heav-
Ter construction schedule will be fol-
lowed after next springs thaws.
Gen. Twining recently told an au-
dlence in Alaska that the forces be-
ing built up must be deployed for
the most part in the main popula-
tion centers Of Fairbanks. Anchorage
and Kodiak"
He added: Closely connected to
the security Of Alaska is the capabil-
1ty OF using the area in support Of
a strategic air offensive. In this
regard. Alaska is a military base area
OF major strategic Importance in di-
rect support of our effort in the in
itial phase of war in the future.
This Importance becomes even
more imperative as the heralds of
the hypersonic age. the longer-range
guided missiles. are developed"
neurological Developments and
the trend of world events, the gen.
eral said, are increasing the impor-
tance of the Arctic area on the
shortest air route between the po-
tential enemy and our industrial
centerS.
Oddly enough, the winter months
bring the most favorable flying
weather to the far North.
Topsy- -Turvy Land
Too. our airmen can now navigate
with precision in region where the
only landmarks are ice fields. Here
the North star is overhead, the sun