1 - The Black Vault

THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM
mission with the Fulton-equipped B-17 and a support
C-46 cargo aircraft. 41 An additional $30,000
was eventually provided to Intermountain Avia -
tion to offset the expense of the mission.
On 26 May 1962 Intermountain Aviation
launched the two aircraft to Point Barrow, Alaska,
to begin the next phase of Operation Coldfeet. On
27 May Seigrist and Price launched north from
Point Barrow to the last-known position of NP 8,
but after 13 hours of flying, they were unable to
find the elusive ice station. Weather was poor
with decreased visibility. The next day, with the
assistance of a more sophisticated P2V out of Kodiak
Island, the crew located its target. Smith and
LeSchack parachuted out of the “Joe hole” in the
belly of the B-17 just as OSS operatives had done
during World War II. After dropping supplies to
the two men on the ice and completing a radio
check, the crew departed for Point Barrow. 42
While the two investigators probed the abandoned
ice station, Intermountain Aviation mechanics
installed the tubular steel pickup boom on
the nose of the B-17 at Point Barrow. A test flight
was conducted on 30 May, and all equipment was
determined ready for the following day’s mission.
By 31 May, 72 hours had elapsed since the B-17
had dropped the two men on to the ice station.
They had completed their investigative mission
and were ready for extraction. The B-17 pickup
aircraft launched with Robert Fulton aboard,
along with a full complement of flight and pickup
crew members. Weather had deteriorated since
the initial drop, and the aircraft was unable to
locate the station. A dense fog had formed due to
heating of the ice. The crew reluctantly returned
to Point Barrow for an attempt the following day.
After another unsuccessful search on 1 June, the
mission commander again called in the P2V for
assistance in locating the target. On 2 June the
P2V took off two and one-half hours before the
B-17 to give it time to find the ice station. The
P2V quickly located NP 8 with its more sophisticated
navigational equipment. 43
When the B-17 arrived over NP 8, the weather
was marginal at best for a pickup. The surface
wind was blowing at 30 knots, and the horizon
was barely discernible to the flight crew. The first
pickup was made by Seigrist and consisted of a
150-pound bundle of exposed film, documents,
and sensitive equipment. After the package was
successfully brought on board, Price moved to the
left seat for the next pickup. LeSchack was the
next package scheduled to be retrieved. The wind
had increased in intensity, and when the balloon
began to rise after the two men had inflated it,
LeSchack tore loose from the grasp of Smith and
was dragged some 300 feet across the ice. He finally
managed to stop sliding when his body hit
an ice block. At almost the same time that he hit
the ice block, Price hit the lift line and LeSchack
disappeared from Smith’s view through the fog.
Price and Seigrist changed seats again, and the
crew set up for the last recovery. Back on the ice,
Smith held on to a tractor as he inflated the helium
balloon. As had LeSchack a few minutes before,
he was unable to remain stationary when
the balloon rose to altitude, and he began to slide
across the ice. He managed to find a surface crack
in the ice, and he planted the heels of his boots
firmly in it. As Smith lay on his back on the ice
with his heels wedged in the crack, Seigrist hit
the lift line. Minutes later, Smith was aboard
the B-17 and on his way back to Point Barrow
with his fellow investigator. 44
Operation Coldfeet was an operational success.
The intelligence value gained from the material
extracted from NP 8 showed that Soviet research
in polar meteorology and oceanography was superior
to that of the United States. Additionally, it
was learned that the ice station was configured to
allow extended periods of low-noise operation,
confirming the importance the Soviets placed on
acoustical work. But beyond the intelligence value
of the mission, Coldfeet had validated the operational
use of the Fulton recovery system. 45 With
winds outside the designed operational capability
of the system, the flight crew still had managed to
make three successful recoveries. The system was
ready for expanded application in both the US
Army and the US Air Force.
Photo courtesy of Robert E. Fulton
Intermountain Aviation modified a B-17 with the Fulton
Skyhook system (later identified as STARS). Aircraft
was used during Operation Coldfeet.
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