Background image: The wreckage of the P-38 "Lightning" that would eventually become known as "Glacier Girl" as it was found in 1992. The fighter plane had been trapped under the Greenland ice cap for 50 years before its recovery. Photograph by Lou Sapienza from the Bobbie Bailey Collection, Kennesaw State University Archives and Special Collections.
The Kennesaw State University Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books (MARB) presents exhibitions, public programs, archival collections, and educational services supporting KSU’s mission and encouraging dialogue about the past and its significance today. This online module is part of a series of modules designed for university students to explore moments in history through a diverse selection of source materials from our University Archives.
This module draws on photographs, videos, and other materials to tell the story of the retrieval of a World War II-era fighter plane lost in the Arctic ice in 1942. All images and primary source material used in this module are from the KSU Archives and Special Collections.
The Story of the LOST Squadron
Following the entry of the United States into World War II, the U.S. military initiated Operation Bolero to build up their troops in Europe. Fighter planes such as the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortess" and Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" were flown to strategic locations in Great Britain in anticipation of imminent Allied military operations.
In July 1942, eight U.S. fighter planes en route from Maine to Scotland as part of Operation Bolero encountered a severe cold front. Their S.O.S. message was intercepted by a German U-Boat, which sent back a misleading message that caused the squadron to reverse course. The planes eventually ran out of fuel and were forced to crash land in Greenland. All of the servicemen survived and were rescued, but the planes were left behind.
Background: Formation of two B-29 bombers in flight (circa 1942-45). From the Bell Aircraft Georgia Division (Marietta) Collection.
The mission
In the 1980s, members of the Greenland Expedition Society embarked on a mission to retrieve the planes, now buried beneath the Greenland ice cap. Watch the video below to learn more about the history of the Lost Squadron and the Greenland Expedition Society's efforts to retrieve it.
Above: Documentary on the Lost Squadron (1989). From the Bobbie Bailey Collection.
The Method
The retrieval mission was made possible by a specially designed drill nicknamed "The Super Gopher," which drilled more than 250 feet into the ice to extract the plane one piece at a time.
"Pat Epps had the [salvage] rights, and he came over one day and told me about the story. I said, “That sounds pretty good.” He said they were twenty-five or thirty feet under ice. In my mind, I said, “That’s no big deal.” But when they finally found it after about four or five trips, it was 275 feet deep."
Excerpt from Interview with M. Bobbie Bailey, Kennesaw State University Oral History Project.
Bobbie Bailey was the CEO and owner of Our Way, Inc. an Atlanta remanufacturing plant. Her team of engineers was responsible for designing and building the drill known as "The Gopher" used the retrieve Glacier Girl. The drill used warm water to quickly melt the dense Greenlandic ice, which enabled the retrieval crew to reach the buried plane.
Left: Photograph showing holes drilled with the Super Gopher drill in the Greenland ice cap. From the Bobbie Bailey Collection .
Above: This video shows the excavation team working on disassembling the airplanes several hundred feet beneath the ice. Each crew member had to be slowly lowered down more than 250 feet beneath the ice and each part had to slowly be pulled back up the same distance. Through this careful, time consuming method, the crew was able to recover all of the original airplane. From the Bobbie Bailey Collection.
Return to Flight
Background: Glacier Girl, one of the P-38 "Lightning" fighter planes retrieved from the Greenland ice, pictured before her first test flight in Middlesboro, Kentucky after being restored to flying condition (2002). From the Bobbie Bailey Collection.
Discussion Questions
How can the story of Glacier Girl and the Lost Squadron inform our study of World War II?
What technological advances or engineering innovations were necessary for the retrieval of the Lost Squadron from the Greenland ice cap?
Was this venture worth the cost incurred by Our-Way? What did the company gain from their participation?
Background: Photograph from the Greenland Expedition Society (undated). From the Bobbie Bailey Collection.
KSU Archives and Special Collections Digital Resources
This module used materials from the following archival collections. Click on the links below to explore the collections in our Scholarly Online Access Repository.
- Bobbie Bailey Collection, 1948-2016
- Bell Aircraft Corporation Photographs, 1942-1945
- Kennesaw State University Oral History Project
Click the button below to access another university module on World War II history.
Left image: Bell Aircraft employees work on tail assembly. From the Bell Aircraft Georgia Division (Marietta) Collection, 1942-1945.
Acknowledgements
Thank you for participating in our online unit, "Glacier Girl: The Expedition to Retrieve the Lost Squadron."
To learn more about the collections and resources available from the KSU Archives and Special Collections, please click the button below.
This module was prepared by Archives and Special Collections Intern Chandler Moore and Outreach Archivist Helen Thomas.