What was the mission of Operation High Jump, according to Governmental documents?
In August 1946, Operation High Jump was implemented by the US Government, and it was one of the most significant naval task forces in Antarctica, with 13 ships, 23 aircraft, and 4700 men, and led by Admiral Richard E. Bryd. The operation was part of the long-term plan to include the Arctic and Antarctica as Byrd felt ¨Cold War tensions made the Arctic a strategic region, particularly for national security."
Byrd wanted to ensure that American policymakers did not miss the pitfalls of ignoring the Arctic and Antarctic. In addition, he believed enhancing American polar capabilities if there was a war with the USSR would be beneficial. Byrd was a decorated Naval officer and would be assigned to the mission in Antarctica. The operation was highly classified.
The goal of Operation High Jump was:
- Train personnel and test material in the frigid zones;
- Consolidate and extend American sovereignty over the largest practical area of the Antarctic continent;
- Determine the feasibility of establishing and maintaining bases in the Antarctic and to investigate possible base sites;
- Develop techniques for establishing and maintaining air bases on the ice, with particular attention to the later applicability of such techniques to operations in interior Greenland, where, it was claimed, physical and climatic conditions resembled those in Antarctica;
- Amplify existing knowledge of hydrographic, geographic, meteorological, geological, and electromagnetic conditions in the area.
However, their first task upon arriving in Antarctica was to build a base, Little America, so that they could spend two months of ¨discovery, training, and scientific investigation".
During their time in Antarctica, the Navy completed many of its objectives, maneuvering a "modern fighting fleet in Antarctic waters," and completed the jet-assisted flight of six R4Ds from the deck of an aircraft and landed in a snow-covered landing strip.
In addition, Byrd completed two flights beyond the south pole and explored areas that had never been explored before, as well as footage from over 60 flights in the Antarctic—testing of Naval personnel and equipment dealing with the elements of the Antarctic weather.
However, due to weather conditions, many times during the flights, they had problems with visibility, fog, and freezing, causing some aircraft to be inoperable. In addition, cameras could not capture good photos, causing whiteouts on pictures, not truly being able to capture what they were seeing.
However, they had to end the mission early, at the end of February 1947, due to worsening weather conditions and winter approaching. It leads to more questions who speculate on the real reason for Operation High Jump. When the Navy left Antarctica, they headed toward Chile, and rumors already started about why they left the mission early.
According to an interview with Bryd in a Chilean newspaper immediately after the mission ended before he was debriefed, he stated:
¨Admiral Richard E. Byrd warned today that the United States should adopt measures of protection against the possibility of an invasion of the country by hostile planes coming from the polar regions. The admiral explained that he was not trying to scare anyone, but the cruel reality is that in case of a new war, the United States could be attacked by planes flying over one or both poles. This statement was made as part of a recapitulation of his own polar experience, in an exclusive interview with International News Service. Talking about the recently completed expedition, Byrd said that the most important result of his observations and discoveries is the potential effect that they have in relation to the security of the United States. The fantastic speed with which the world is shrinking – recalled the admiral – is one of the most important lessons learned during his recent Antarctic exploration. I have to warn my compatriots that the time has ended when we were able to take refuge in our isolation and rely on the certainty that the distances, the oceans, and the poles were a guarantee of safety¨
However, after Byrd returned to the US and was interrogated, he never spoke of this incident again. Anyone else who spoke of the mission would be arrested; the task was now top secret and highly classified, which left many skeptical of the real reason for going to Antarctica.
However, this operation was strategic, as some speculate that Operation High Jump was also to see if there was any Nazi activity in Antarctica. Possibly an underground Nazi base where Hitler went after WWII.
Nazi and alien theory.
On December 17, 1938, Hitler sent a ship, the SS. Schwabenland was on a secret mission to Antarctica because he wanted to claim the and for Germany and search ancient artifacts that he believed to have special powers.
The SS. Schwabenland contained engineers, scientists, and members of the Thule Society. The Thule society was said to be a German occult group that consisted of many high-ranking German officers, and many of its members were part of the SS Paranormal Division.
Heinrich Himmler founded the SS Paranormal Division to search for paranormal powers that the Third Reich could use. Hitler also believed he was part of the Aryan race, as he called them the ¨founders of culture¨.
He thought they existed deep inside the earth, and the entrance to their world was located in Antarctica—part of the mission of the SS. Schwabenland was to search for an entryway to where the Aryans lived and build a secret underground base. Hitler wanted to negotiate a pact for their technology.
It is said they did find something; 150 miles inland, they discovered what is described as an arctic oasis; it was 300 square miles, free of ice, warm water, and some plant life. It was the spot the Nazis would choose for their underground base.
The story gets even more suspicious when a German officer named Hans Kammler is involved. Kammler was in charge of Nazi civil engineering projects and the top secret V weapons program; he also was in charge of the V-2 rocket and emergency fighter programs.
Kammler disappeared in April-May 1945, as did a long-distance supply plane, the JU390. Although the US government thought he fled to Antarctica after staging his suicide, he nor his plane were ever found.
After his disappearance, many sightings of UFOS were seen in South America. As a result, the US government thought he had escaped to Antarctica and continued their work in the secret military base. And many believe this is the valid reason for Operation High Jump.
What about the aliens?
Two days after arriving, the crew at Little America saw bright lights off the coast and attempted radar contact but were unable. It is said that the UFO attacked the military expedition, destroying ships and killing soldiers.
Operation High Jump was said to have caused many casualties, and they buried them in Antarctica and never said how they died, most labeled as ¨accidents¨. According to reports by Lieutenant John Sayerson, a flying boat pilot, he stated:
¨The thing shot vertically out of the water at tremendous velocity, as though pursued by the devil, and flew between the masts [of the ship] at such a high speed that the radio antenna oscillated back and forth in its turbulence. An aircraft [[[Martin flying-boat]]] from the Currituck that took off just a few moments later was struck with an unknown type of ray from the object, and almost instantly crashed into the sea near our vessel. About ten miles away, the torpedo-boat Maddox burst into flames and began to sink. Having personally witnessed this attack by the object that flew out of the sea, all I can say is, it was frightening.¨
However, this was debunked as his name Sayerson was misspelled (Sireson). The boats were misnamed, and it was a report by a Soviet reporter, possibly propaganda. However, how do we know which story is correct?
As we know, the government will hide and cover up anything possible. However, we may never know with Byrd's statement to Chilean papers and this ¨disinformation¨ campaign. Possibly the first battle between the US military and UFOs or not.
It is reported that February 26 was the last engagement, and Operation High Jump called a time to retreat six months early. Some, however, think that the UFO could have been what the Germans were working on, the German wonder weapons, which Kammler was working on in the secret underground base.
When the crew arrives back in the US, the team is interrogated and debriefed, none are to speak of what happened there, or they will be arrested. However, the story has much speculation; we know that Operation High Jump happened, and we have the classified records stating the reason for leaving was the weather; however, will we ever know the real reason?
After Operation High Jump was completed, a UFO crash was found on a ranch in Roswell. So, to further the confusion, what happened during Operation High Jump?
Antarctica is now essentially off-limits; since now the Antarctic Treaty exists, which only allows certain visitors to certain parts of Antarctica. Scientists are permitted only in certain areas, as well as if you want to visit, you can with a guided tour via cruise ship in designated areas only.
It could all be due to the weather conditions being unsuitable or because there is a hidden Nazi military base or the entrance to the secret hollow earth. Only those who were there will ever truly know what happened during Operation High Jump.
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