Witness Description
Air Force Equipment/Procedure
“Crash Site”
31. “it was ice cold, it felt like it just came out of a freezer”196
Anderson
Condition of a balloon payload after it has been “cold soaked” in the upper atmosphere at temperatures far below zero.
Site 2
Vehicles
32. a “jeeplike truck that had a bunch of radios in it and two big antennas....There was a guy sittin’ in there wearin’ earphones and he was talking on the radio.”197
Anderson
Reference to a modified M-37 3/4-ton utility truck, commonly referred to as a weapons carrier, unique to the Balloon Branch. One of the primary vehicles used by recovery crews. Balloons were tracked by direction finding gear and required a radio operator to wear headphones (fig. 32).
Site 2
33. “weapons carriers”198
Ragsdale
Corroboration of description #32. See above.
Site 1
34. “six by six Army trucks”199
Ragsdale
Reference to M-35 21/2-ton cargo truck used to transport dummies and suspension racks for launch and recoveries (fig. 31).
Site 1
35. “six by [six]... military truck with canvas...wagon type...thing over it”200
Anderson
Corroboration of description #34. See above.
Site 2
36. “wreckers [with] cranes on ‘em”201
Anderson
reference to M-246 wrecker used to launch and recover anthropomorphic dummy payloads (figs. 23, 28, 70).
Site 2
37. “a wrecker”202
Ragsdale
Corroboration of description # 36. See above.
Site 1
38. “there was military ambulances”203
Anderson
Reference to a converted M-43 ambulances used as balloon recovery communications vehicles (figs. 64, 71, 80).
Site 2
39. “the pick-up”204
Anderson
Pick-up trucks were often used to recover anthropomorphic dummies (figs. 71, 79).
Site 2
72