“OASIS IN THE ARCTIC” 1955 RCAF FORT CHURCHILL, MANITOBA NORTHERN CANADA ARCTIC DEW LINE XD60704

Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website “Oasis in the Arctic“ is a short, color, amateur-made film about Fort Churchill (the present day Churchill Airport) in Manitoba, Canada. The fort was established in 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces. It was initially used as a training base by both Canada and the United States. At the time the film was made, the Fort was in use as a Royal Canadian Air Force base in support of the construction and operation of the Distant Early Warning Line, or DEW Line, and later for Strategic Air Command. This film shows a community of people thriving against the elements in the subarctic climate in the northernmost port of Canada. The film was produced by Hugh Randolph and narrated by Ronald Schulman. It’s not clear why it was made, but it doesn’t appear commercial, and may have been presented as a military briefing film concerning the building of the DEW Line. Line of trees marks the treeline -- north of which trees do not grow. A Douglas DC-6 airplane takes off from the air strip in the snow. Completely white shots of landscapes in the Arctic. Title shots appear as well as superimposed titles: “The Kolor Is Ansco The Print is Kodachrome (1:47).” Another reads “The Photography is Hugh Randolph’s SMPTE” (SMPTE means Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers). Close up of the sign for Fort Churchill Airport. This is a small airport in Churchill, Manitoba Canada. It was built by the U.S. Army Air Forces during the second world war. A U.S. Air Force Douglas C-124 Globemaster II plane takes off (2:29). People climb out of a Canadian Pacific DC-3 passenger plane in the snow (2:52). Shot of the Royal Bank of Canada in Fort Churchill. Shots of buildings in the tiny town. Close up of a sign “Arena Fort Churchill Winter Carnival April 2nd.” Sled dogs bark and get pet in front of their sleds (3:40). The breed looks to be Canadian Eskimo Dogs. A man with a number pinned to him takes off on his sled. Drifts of snow blow across the landscape (4:08). Two men in uniform inspect a piece of paper by Royal Canadian Air Force plane (4:45). At (4:56) a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar takes off. A small radar dish, part of the Distant Early Warning Line, rotates (5:10). Canadian and American planes, including a Douglas C-47 transport from the Flying Tiger Line and what appears to be a Curtiss C-46A ’Commando’, are loaded with supplies on the runway. They prepare to fly west of Baffin Island. May 22, 1955: shots from inside the cockpit (6:05). Aerial shots. Crossing the Arctic Circle (7:13). The plane lands, barrels of cargo roll down a ramp out of the plane (7:53). Shots of water and ice from a DC-4 plane. The plane is flying very low. The plane swoops low over a damaged plane on the ice (9:45). Men tie burlap sacks together and throw them out of the plane. Wide shot of a pink sunrise. Trees with one side eroded from the wind. Tripods of communication lines (12:18). A wooden cross marks a grave. Close ups of arctic flowers. Poster reads “The 2nd Annual Fort Churchill Carnival.” Women sit in a line wearing colorful dresses (3:15). Marching band leads a parade. A tank rolls by dressed up as an elephant (13:55). People play carnival games. A man conducts a concert by the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Band. Mounties stand by. Dancers in pink show girl outfits climb on stage for a U.S. Special Services show. The major announces the carnival queen and the post commander congratulates her (16:06). The sun sets. Waves lap the rocky shore. Snow covers the beach (7:16). Close ups of frosty trees. A man sets an oil filled pit on fire that billows black smoke (18:05). Two men spray a white foam chemical on the fire that is being tested by the United States Engineer Test Team. A helicopter takes off. Shots of planes such as the B-25 Bomber donated by the 406 squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force (19:39). Two pilots take off in the plane. A target in the snow looms below them. M29 Weasels and M-76 Otters drive over the snow as part of an exercise (20:45). A red flag blows in the wind. The men check their communication equipment. They signal each other. An arctic raven flies low over the snow. Plane appears, pilot drops a bomb on the target, no explosion (22:01). The inert bomb lies in the snow. A man marks it with a red flag. The plane flies low (22:50). Views from inside the cockpit. The plane lands. Two men walk on the horizon in windswept snow. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit