Curator’s comment:
The Internet is media rich with videos pertaining to the DEWLine. Here are over 40 YouTube videos that we’ve found for your viewing pleasure. Be patient as the page takes a while to load. It’s worth the wait. 🙂
The first several videos are documentaries and were professionally produced. The rest are either personal memoirs, or snippets of DEWLine life that someone captured for posterity.
Enjoy!
The Gallery
1 – Arctic Mission: A Report on DEW Line Activities (Complete)
Documentary film. Source unknown. In 1955, the Bell System was contracted by the American and Canadian governments to create a line of radar stations along the far-northern Canadian shore. (20:01 minutes)
2 – The Eyes and Ears of the Arctic
Documentary about the design and construction of the DEWLine and the DEW East (Greenland) sites. Source unknown. (32:38 minutes).
3 – DEWLINE (1957 Documentary)
Documentary film. USAF DEWLine documentary showing the design and construction of the Distant Early Warning radar line in the 1950’s. (55:32 minutes).
4A – The Big Picture, The DEW Line.
Documentary film. Role of Army Transportation Corps in Arctic, shown on “THE BIG PICTURE”. (27:09 minutes).
4B – The Big Picture – NORAD
Documentary film. US Army docudrama on the DEWLine with emphasis on NORAD. Part of the Army’s Big Picture series. (27:13 minutes)
5 – Early Newsreel about DEWLine Construction.
Archived film. Included film of modules being transported across the tundra. (1:20 minutes)
6 – The Story of the BMEWS System
Documentary film. Source unknown. The Ears of the North. The Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), along with the Distant Early Warning Line (DEWLine) helped keep North America safe during the Cold War. (11:49 minutes)
7 – The Story of the BMEWS Missile and Bomber Radar Systems at the Height of the Cold War
Documentary film. Source unknown. (13:22 minutes).
8 – The DEW Line Story
Documentary film on the need and construction of the Distant Early Warning Line. (27:17 minutes).
9 – DEWLine Closing Ceremonies, 1993
Semi-documentary film. Source unknown. The DEWLine operated continuously from 1957 to 1993 and was replaced by the North Warning System (NWS) at the time. Here are the closing ceremonies and tributes to the people who made it happen. (1:12:00 minutes).
10 – AT&T Archives: The DEW Line (Bonus Edition)
Documentary film. The film documents the construction and completion of the radar defense network above the Arctic Circle by the men and women of the Bell System and Western Electric, working in conjunction with the military. The project’s story is told from inception until the radar system was operational, turned over to the U.S. Air Force. ( 30:18 minutes).
11 – MSTS Arctic Operations (1956)
Documentary film. MSTS Sealift for establishment of The Arctic Dewline Sites during 1956, resupply of Arctic bases in Greenland, Labrador, Baffin Island and Alaskan areas. (44:12 minutes).
12 – DEW Line Cleanup
Mini documentary. Source: Toronto Star. The Distant Early Warning of DEW line sites of the 1950s are now being cleaned up in northern Canada. The site at Cape Dyer on the east coast of Baffin Island is one of the two remaining sites still undergoing a clean-up. (2:18 minutes).
13 – Arctic Convoy with Giant Mack Trucks
Documentary film. Source unknown. Classic film showing the convoy of 11 giant Mack Trucks to the DEW Line project across the Arctic in 1956. (23:32 minutes).
14 – Return to Hall Beach – 50 Years Later.
Personal memoir. Visit a Distant Early Warning Line (DEWLine) radar station in the Arctic. Brian (Simon) Jeffrey, a former DEWLiner, returns after 50 years. Brian first arrived at FOX Main in July 1960, just prior to his 20th birthday. Now in his 70’s, he makes a return visit to a place he once called home. Here is what he found as he strolled down memory lane. (25:09 minutes).
15A – Ron Blessin’s DEWLine Adventures
Personal memoir. Ron Blessin spent many years on the DEWLine as a Radician. In this video he documents many of his Arctic adventures with the people of the North and the weather. (1:08:00 minutes).
15B – Ron Blessin’s DEWLine Slides.
Ron Blessin spent the early 60’s in the PIN sector as a Radician. Here are just a few of his slides complete with an audio commentary. (27 minutes).
16 – Bernie Ward’s DEWLine Movies
Personal Memoir. Bernie Wards movies are of the early years of the DEWLine. Unfortunately, the audio is poor but the pictures are priceless. (47:16 minutes).
17 – DEWLine Mini-Documentary
Personal memoir. An interview with one of the youngest radar technicians (Brian Simon) to go to the Distant Early Warning Line (DEWLine) in 1960 and some of his adventures from the coldest part of the Cold War. (14:26 minutes).
18 – Life at the DYE Sites. (DYE-2)
An Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (AFRTS) production about life on the DEW East DEWLine (DYE) Sites. Courtesy J. J. Kizak. (11:17 minutes).
19 – A view inside the abandoned DYE-2 station, Greenland
Personal memoir. University of Colorado Boulder glaciologist Mike MacFerrin takes us on a tour of the DYE-2 station, one of two large radar stations in south Greenland that were part of the U.S.’s DEW line during the Cold War. (00:51 minutes).
20 – Inside DYE-2
Semi-documentary. Source Icescapes TV. Have a look around inside Dye-II, one of a series of Distant Early Warning stations that were in use during the cold war. Nowadays the station is abandoned and only visited by occasional expeditions that happen to pass by. Inside, it looks like a ghost house, and it seems as if the former occupants just dropped whatever they were doing and left. (3:59 minutes).
21 – DYE-3 DEWLine Station in Greenland
Personal memoir. Welcome to the Dew East Radar site DYE-3 in Greenland, courtesy of Randy Hardin and Terry Wambolt. (10:59 minutes).
22 – Another Look at DYE-2 & DYE-3
Archival film. Another Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (AFRTS) production about life on the DEW East DEWLine (DYE) Sites. This time specifically DYE-2 and DYE-3. Courtesy J. J. Kizak. (4:39 minutes).
23 – DYE-4 Lower Camp
Personal memoir. Courtesy of Randy Hardin and Terry Wambolt. (3:13 minutes).
24 – DYE-4 Upper Camp
Personal memoir. Courtesy of Randy Hardin and Terry Wambolt. (5:47 minutes).
25 – DYE-4 Wildlife
Personal memoir. Both animal and human! Courtesy of Randy Hardin and Terry Wambolt. (3:10 minutes).
26 – DYE-4 Anomalies
Personal memoir. Video shows the severe damage done by a high-wind storm in 1963, among other gems. Courtesy of Randy Hardin and Terry Wambolt. (14:03 minutes).
27 – DEWLine Electronics at CAM-Main
Personal memoir. Short video vignette showing some of the radar and communications used on the DEWLine. Courtesy of Derek Whitehead. (2:53 minutes).
28 – Travels on the DEWLINE
Personal memoir. Derek Whitehead spent 20 years on the DEWLine as a Radician, Station Chief, and Sector Chief C&E. This video chronicles some of his travels across the Line in the earlier years. (32:24 minutes).
29 – CAM-3, Shepherd Bay
Personal memoir. Visit to the CAM-3 DEWLine radar site in the late 80’s early 90’s. Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (8:40 minutes).
30 – CAM-5, Mackar Inlet
Personal memoir. A visit to DEWLine station CAM-5 in the late 80’s. (Caution, adult language). Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (8:12 minutes).
31 – CAM-5 POL Flight
Personal memoir. The resupply of POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) is done by airlift. Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (2:23 minutes).
32 – CAF Cargo Flight: DYE-Main to BAR-2
Personal memoir. Canadian Air Force cargo flight from DYE-Main in the East to BAR-2 in the West. Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (7:12 minutes).
33 – Tour of BAR-2, Shingle Point
Personal memoir. Wayne Trylinski takes the viewer on a walk around BAR-2, including inside the module train. (Caution, adult language). Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (25:08 minutes).
34 – BAR-1, Komakuk Beach, Yukon
Personal memoir. Visit to the BAR-1 DEWLine radar site in the early 90’s. Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (12:46 minutes).
35 – Abandoned PIN-3 DEWLine Site
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. PIN-3 burned to the ground in Jan 2000. Recently an environmental crew was at the site and video much of the pristine heavy equipment that had been abandoned and left behind. Some video of the burned-out module train. (4:00 minutes).
36 – DEWline1
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. 2009 video of PIN-3. Abandoned vehicles and other equipment in garage. (10:04 minutes).
37 – DEWline2
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. 2009 video of PIN-3. Abandoned equipment in garage, brief shot of burned out module train. (10:01 minutes).
38 – DEWline7
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. 2009 video. Brief shot of equipment in garage at PIN-3 then a flight in a C-46. (7:51 minutes).
39 – DEWLine8
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. 2009 video CAM-3 area. Interior of the garage showing almost new equipment. (10:04 minutes).
40 – DEWLine9
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. 2009 video of FOX-Main including a video tour of the Inuit village at Hall Beach. View from the op of the 90-foot tropo antennas. (10:02 minutes).
41 – DEWline10
Personal memoir. Source unknown, possibly a site reclamation (clean-up) crew. View from the top of the tropo antennas at FOX-Main. Shots of the airport at Pelly Bay. (4:47 minutes).
42 – Churchill’s Polar Bears and Seals
Personal memoir. Some of the wildlife to be found around Churchill MB. Courtesy Wayne Trylinski. (8:15 minutes).
43 – The Streator DEWLine Training Facility.
Pictures of the now-abandoned DEWLine training facility located in a corn field outside Streator IL. (3:15 minutes).
44 – The Noisettes- “DEWLine”
A video vignette. (16:10 minutes).
45 – SUAANGAN Horton River (BAR-E) DEWLine Site Cleanup
The challenges of cleaning up a former Intermediate site (I-Site). (28:53 minutes).
46 – The Dewline by John Speers.
Personal memoir. John Speers 2008 DEWLine memoirs. (6:03 minutes).
That’s it!
If you know of any additional DEWLine videos, or if you have some of your own, contact us. We will post more videos as we find them.