# The B-17s' Last Military Mission?



## FLYBOYJ (Feb 24, 2006)

I found this tonight - this could be the last military mission flown by a B-17...

"*28 May 1962* In Operation Coldfeet, Maj. James Smith, USAF and Lt. Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR parachuted from CIA B-17G N809Z (44-83785 c/n
32426) into the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8. After searching the station, they were retrieved using a Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B-17, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, on June 1st."


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## syscom3 (Feb 25, 2006)

Where did you dig up that gem of trivia?

Good job!


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## FLYBOYJ (Feb 25, 2006)

syscom3 said:


> Where did you dig up that gem of trivia?
> 
> Good job!



Thanks Sys - It was from here...

http://home.sprynet.com/~anneled/ColdWar.html


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## Gnomey (Feb 25, 2006)

Good stuff Joe!


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## evangilder (Feb 27, 2006)

Wow! Interesting.


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## R988 (Apr 4, 2006)

I love all that cold war secret stuff


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## alieneggsac (Dec 20, 2006)

It's my dad who flew this mission, this is the real deal. The plane is now in it's old WWII colors on display with the Spruce Goose up in McMinville, OR. 

I used to fly in the B-17 all the time when I was a kid (and flew in it last around Portland, OR about 5 years ago). CAT (Civil Air Transport) used to fly it from Taiwan along the coast of Communist China in the 1950's dropping spies and testing out various types of spy listening equipment. 

Watch this space if you want to know more stuff in a few months.


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 20, 2006)

Very Cool! Please post more when you can!


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## R-2800 (Dec 20, 2006)

Yes please! post more stuff always good to get a first hand account!


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Dec 20, 2006)

Very cool good info FBJ and am looking foward to the new info coming soon...


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## Matt308 (Dec 20, 2006)

Sounds like the story in Blind Man's Bluff. If you have never read this fantastic book detailing cold war espionage, you are truly missing a real treat. This book covers details of everything from post WWII submarine missions, RB-47 tactics, to mid 60s USSR fighters shooting down C-130 reconnaisance planes. Truly fascinating, VERY well written and documented, and a dedication to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during that long WAR. Folks might be really surprised at the number of service men who died during those times and have never been properly recognized.


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## evangilder (Dec 20, 2006)

I would highly recommend that book, it is very well done.



Matt308 said:


> Folks might be really surprised at the number of service men who died during those times and have never been properly recognized.



Amen to that, brother.


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## timshatz (Dec 20, 2006)

I would love to be in the briefing room when they threw this one at those two guys, 

"Ok fellas, we're going to fly you up above the Artic Circle in a beat up old B17 where you drop out of the airplane by parachute to snoop around an abandoned Soviet Weather Station. When your done, we come back and pick you up by plucking you off the ice using a balloon capture technique that really oughta work well this time. Any questions?"

"Just one, are you f****** nutz?!"

Definitely a volunteer only mission.


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## alieneggsac (Dec 20, 2006)

When my dad was developing the system with inventor Robert Fulton (grandson of the inventor of the steam ship), the other pilot (who shall remain nameless) took out all of the electricity to Edwards AFB when he came in too low on a practice pick up, and the target mannequin whipped up off the ground, flew up over the top of the B-17, then whipped back down slamming into the ground and then the line looped around the power lines to Edwards AFB and ripped them out. My dad said he was laughing his head off because the B-17 was so low that it was kicking up dust off the desert floor. The story still makes my dad laugh when he talks about it.

A rundown of the story on the agency's website:

https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/95unclass/Leary.html

And here's my dad about to take off from Pt. Barrow to go pick the guys up:

https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/95unclass/104.gif

By the way, the navigational feat on this mission alone was unhearalded... trying to find a moving ice floe in Arctic Russia (last positioned 4 days earlier)by flying 14 hours, w/o magnetic navigation... all by dead reckoning. They weren't sure they would ever find the guys on the ground to take them out.

The very same B-17 was also used at the end of the 007 Movie Thunderball when it was used to pick up James Bond and his girlfriend from a raft at the end of the movie. It's a great piece of movie history, actually, because it shows in great detail how the whole system worked... it's the only film archive of the system I know of. The joke of the Bond sequence, however, was the two mannequins could not be reeled into the plane because the reel in point was a hole in the tail gunner's position (where the twin 50's went), you could only fit one man at a time through the hole. The B-17 landed with James Bond mannequin and his girlfriend's legs sticking out the back of the tail gunners position!


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 20, 2006)

Very very Cool!!! Thanks for the info!!!!


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## Matt308 (Dec 20, 2006)




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## Gnomey (Dec 21, 2006)

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.


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## P38 Pilot (Dec 23, 2006)

Thats amazing.


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## Aggie08 (Feb 17, 2007)

timshatz said:


> I would love to be in the briefing room when they threw this one at those two guys,
> 
> "Ok fellas, we're going to fly you up above the Artic Circle in a beat up old B17 where you drop out of the airplane by parachute to snoop around an abandoned Soviet Weather Station. When your done, we come back and pick you up by plucking you off the ice using a balloon capture technique that really oughta work well this time. Any questions?"
> 
> ...



Hahaa, I was thinking the same thing. Funny!


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## bigZ (Feb 17, 2007)

alieneggsac said:


> The very same B-17 was also used at the end of the 007 Movie Thunderball when it was used to pick up James Bond and his girlfriend from a raft at the end of the movie. It's a great piece of movie history, actually, because it shows in great detail how the whole system worked... it's the only film archive of the system I know of. The joke of the Bond sequence, however, was the two mannequins could not be reeled into the plane because the reel in point was a hole in the tail gunner's position (where the twin 50's went), you could only fit one man at a time through the hole. The B-17 landed with James Bond mannequin and his girlfriend's legs sticking out the back of the tail gunners position!



It was also shown in the The Green Berets starring John Wayne.


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## alieneggsac (Jul 29, 2008)

I thought you'd all like to know that a painting by Keith Woodcock of the Skyhook B-17 was unveiled at the CIA of this mission and all participants received awards. My father Capt. Seigrist received his second Agency Seal Medallion for his work as Captain of the B-17 on this mission. 

Incidentally this technology made it into the new Batman Movie and was given a 15 second clip where a C-130 Skyhook picks up Batman from the top of a building in Hong Kong.

The painting is now hanging prominently at HQ in VA. Here you can see the painting and a brief on the mission:

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-...es/vol52no2/iac/seven-days-in-the-arctic.html







Thought you would appreciate this!


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## Matt308 (Jul 29, 2008)

Excellent!!!!


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## SusanL. (Jun 7, 2009)

Good Day All.
I am writing this for Captain Leonard LeSchack, who is alive and well and views this site. He was interested of course in Flyboys comments about the B17 and mention of his Project Coldfeet. Just being released is a documentary that includes this mission called Behind Enemy Lines. The History Channel in Germany picked it up, and it has just been sold to National Geographic US for their Spy Series.
You have an excellent and informative Website, quite the pleasure to read all of your posts.
Best Wishes
SusanL.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 7, 2009)

Thanks Susan and send my regards to Captain LeSchack!


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## comiso90 (Jun 7, 2009)

very cool...

I'd like to see the plane... I wonder what the markings and color scheme were? Was the bomb bay converted into a huge gas tank?

Where is that plane now?... It was probably putting out forest fires the next year.

oops... I posted but didnt see the comments by alieneggsac... thanks!


*Captain Leonard LeSchack*


.


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 7, 2009)

Wern't they experimenting on something like this to pick up downed pilots during WWII?

Regardless, that had to be one hell of a ride!


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## SusanL. (Jun 7, 2009)

Yes they had been experimenting, first was a system called the All American System. It didn't work that well. They found that it ripped men's guts out literally, at 9G's.
There were a few accidents in the early stages of the Fulton system as well. Accidents were largely attributed to mechanical disasters with the winch systems (lines broke). When Captain LeSchack was picked up off the Russian ice Station this was the first military operational use of the Skyhook. The documentary that has just come out, has actual footage, and some re-enactments of the pick up. It was produced by ZDF, Here is a short clip of that with Len speaking he was compared to James Bond. 

ZDF Enterprises - Program Sales - International Catalogue - Documentaries - Behind Enemy Lines (Hinter feindlichen Linien )


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 7, 2009)

Thanks for the link, that was really interesting!

 to the Capt!


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