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Aerial Photography of Antarctica in the Map Room of Syracuse University Library
The Map Room contains roughly 35,500 aerial photos from 40 flight lines for the AAW and AAE portions of Operation Highjump. In total there were more than 70,000 aerial photos from 60 flight lines taken during this expedition in Antarctica in 1946/47. The photos from these flights were found to have inadequate ground control points and were deemed not satisfactory. This necessitated another expedition to Antarctica in 1947/48, nicknamed “Operation Windmill,” to perform and collect the ground survey information to make the Highjump aerial photos useful. The Map Room has over 1300 - 8x10” black& white photos of field equipment, personnel and scenery from “Operation Windmill” as well as air photos for the Bunger Lake project flown during “Windmill.”
Syracuse University’s connection to these Antarctic expeditions.
The United States Geological Survey's Geologist for Operation Windmill was Dr. Earl T. Apfel, Professor of Geology at Syracuse University from 1928 to 1958 and Chair of the Geology Department from 1945 to 1958. Dr. Apfel had taken a leave of absence to be a part of this mission to Antarctica in 1947/48. These two photographic collections are now part of the air photo collection in the Map Room at the Syracuse University Library.
Operation Highjump 1946/47, Task Force 68
This mission charted most of the Antarctic coastline, some of which had never been seen before. Officially known as: The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program (1946-1947), code named: "Operation Highjump” The mission was sent to test equipment and troops in cold climates, claim land for the US, test and identify areas for establishing military bases, acquire scientific knowledge of the climate, geography, geology, meteorology of the continent.
AAW and AAE flight indexes
Imagery and MOVIE from Highjump
Operation Windmill 1947/48, Task Force 39
The primary assignment of Operation Windmill was to secure ground control points for the aerial photography done during Operation Highjump. The objectives were to collect scientific information, conduct explorations east of the Ross Sea and near the Bunger Hills, ascertain the condition of Little America III, and to, again, test and train personnel and equipment under Antarctic conditions.
