Atomic Testing Site Team

The airspace above military bases is restricted. Often civilian aircraft cannot fly over them at all. Other times civilian aircraft can fly in special air corridors when going over very large bases. Some enemy civilian aircraft were equipped with special sideways facing cameras to take long range slant photography. The distance between the camera and target area was often great resulting in photos that would never make a picture post card, but for intelligence purposes were just fine. This Soviet photo taken from an East German airliner flying in an air corridor over an American base in the Western United States is a good example. While at first glance the photos is one you would not likely pay for at your local developer. When analyzed by photo interpreters it is very clear what is going on here. The Commies correctly determined that this shows an American Army weasel with a mixed Army and Navy crew.

This APC is part of a team tasked with investigating the site of the recent atomic test. Once the atomic bomb is exploded, the real work begins in these atomic tests.

Since this atomic bomb blast was a joint Army/Navy operation it is only logical that a team of Sailors and Soldiers would conduct the investigation at the crater site. After waiting a few weeks for the radiation to die down, this team could conduct their investigation in safety without protective gear. The desert is very resilient and in the spring is actually very green. Even the bomb crater is showing signs of rebirth.

The team travelled to the site in two Jeeps, a weasel and two armored personnel carriers. These all terrain vehicles were needed to get to the remote desert location.

This photos shows two Jeeps and an APC parked on the edge of the crater site. The weasel is across the crater on the rim of the other side. The undulating nature of the terrain made the near side of the crater much higher than the opposite side. The team will inspect the site and try and learn the effects of this type of powerful blast.