Shot Badger, a Test of the Upshot-Knothole Series April 18, 1953

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY A Test of the United States Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Tests Nuclear Test Personnel Review Prepared by the Defense Nuclear Agency as Executive Agency for the Department of Defense PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY Destroy this report when it is no longer needed. Do not return to sender. PLEASE NOTIFY THE DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY, ATTN: STTI, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20305, IF YOUR ADDRESS IS INCORRECT, IF YOU WISH TO BE DELETED FROM THE DISTRIBUTION LIST, OR IF THE ADDRESSEE IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED BY PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION of This PACE (When Oma Enlarad) REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE READ INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE COMPLETING FORM 2, GOVT ACCESSION NO. 3. RECIPIENT’S CATALOG NUMBER A Test of the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE Series 5. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER Jeannie Massie, Carl Haag, Stephen Rohrer, 8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER/a,) 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT, TASK AREA A WORK UNIT NUMBERS 11. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS Defense Nuclear Agency 13. NUMBER OF PAGES NA Since UNCLASSIFIED Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. 17. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT (of the *bstreet entered in Block 20, It ditisrent from Report) is. supplementary notes For sale by National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. This work was sponsored by the Defense Nuclear Agency under RDT&E RMSS Code 19. KEY WORDS (Contlnv* on reveree eide it nsesassry and identity by block number) BADGER Nevada Proving Ground Ionizing Radiation Atomic Exercise Brigade Exercise Desert Rock Joint Test Organization 20. ABSTRACT fGaetlaua ees r*r*r*e ft nuesamsry aad Identity by block number) This report describes the activities of D0D personnel in Shot BADGER, the sixth nuclear test in the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE atmospheric nuclear weapons testing series. The test, conducted on 18 April 1953, involved military personnel in Exercise Desert Rock V, AFSWP, AFSWC, and AEG test activities. The largest activity was the 2d Marine Corps Provisional Atomic Exercise Brigade maneuver involving SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE fl*h»H D»r* Enlatatl) PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY The Defense Nuclear Agency Action Officer, Lt. Col. H. L. Reese, USAF, under whom this work was done, wishes to acknowledge the research and editing contribution of numerous reviewers in the Military Services and other organizations in addition to those listed in block 7. PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY Between 1945 and 1962, the U.S. Government, through the Manhattan Engineer District and its successor agency, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), conducted 235 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests at sites in the southwestern United States and in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. In all, an estimated 220,000 Department of Defense (DOD) participants, both military and civilian, were present at the tests. Of these, approximately 90,000 were present at the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Proving Ground (NPG),* northwest of Las In 1977, 15 years after the last above-ground weapons test, the Center for Disease Control+ noted a possible leukemia cluster among a small group of soldiers present at Shot SMOKY, one test of Operation PLUMBB0B, the series of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted in 1957. Since the initial report by the Center for Disease Control, the Veterans Administration has received a number of claims for medical benefits from former military personnel who believe their health may have been affected by their participation in the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. In late 1977, DOD began a study to provide data to both the Center for Disease Control and the Veterans Administration on potential exposures to ionizing radiation among its military and civilian personnel who participated in the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. DOD organized an effort to: • Identify DOD personnel who had taken part in the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests ♦Renamed the Nevada Test Site in 1955. +The Center for Disease Control is part of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY • Determine the extent of the participants' exposure to ionizing radiation • Provide public disclosure of information concerning participation by DOD personnel in the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. This report on Shot BADGER is based on the military and technical documents associated with the atmospheric nuclear weapons test METHODS AND SOURCES USED TO PREPARE THIS VOLUME Many of the documents pertaining specifically to DOD involvement during Shot BADGER, the sixth event of the UPSHOTKNOTHOLE Series, were found in the Defense Nuclear Agency Technical Library, the National Federal Archives Record Center, the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office, the Los Alamos National Laboratory,* and the Modern Military Branch of the In most cases, the surviving historical documentation of activities conducted at Shot BADGER addresses test specifications and technical information, rather than personnel data. The available historical documentation sometimes has inconsistencies in vital facts. Efforts have been made to resolve the inconsistencies wherever possible, or otherwise to bring them to the attention of the reader. For several of the Exercise Desert Rock and test organiza tion projects discussed in this volume, the only documents available are the Sixth Army Desert Rock operation orders and the Test Director ' s Schedule of Events from " Operation Order i -53. These sources detail the pla ns developed by DOD and AEC pe rson prior to the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE Series. It is not known if a 11 o PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY the projects addressed in these planning documents were conducted exactly as planned. Although some of the after-action documents, such as the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project weapons test reports, summarize the projects performed during the UPSHOTKNOTHOLE Series, they do not always supply shot-specific information. In the absence of shot-specific after-action reports, projects are described according to the way they were planned. The references indicate whether the description of activities is based on the schedule of events, operation orders, To facilitate use of references, this volume uses weapons test report titles for each project. All yield information presented in this report is taken from the Department of Energy, Announced United States Nuclear Tests, July 1945 through 1979 (NVQ-209). Other data on the test, concerning fallout patterns, meteorological conditions, and cloud dimensions, are taken from DNA 1251-1, Compilation of Local Fallout Data from Test Detonations 1945-1962, volume 1, except in instances where more specific information is available elsewhere. ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT OF UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE SERIES REPORTS This volume details participation by DOD personnel in Shot BADGER, the sixth detonation of the Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE atmospheric nuclear weapons testing series. Four other publica tions address DOD activities during the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE Series: Series Volume: Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE, Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Shot Volume: Shots ANNIE to RAY, the First Shots ENCORE to CLIMAX, the PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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The volumes addressing the test events of Operation UPSHOTKNOTHOLE have been designed to complement one another. The series volume describes those dimensions of Operation l,oSH0TKNOTHOLE that apply to the series as a whole, such as historical background, organizational relationships, and radiological safety procedures. In addition, that volume discusses the overall objectives of the operation, describes the geographic layout of the NPG, and contains a bibliography of works consulted in the preparation of all five Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE reports. The single-shot volumes describe DOD participation in Shots BADGER and SIMON, and each multi-shot volume combines shotspecific descriptions for the other nuclear events of the UPSHOTKNOTHOLE Series. The shot and multi-shot volumes list only the sources referenced in each text. Descriptions of activities concerning any particular shot in the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE Series, whether the shot is addressed in a single-shot volume or in a multi-shot volume, should be supplemented by the general organizational and radiological safety information contained in the UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE Series volume. This volume is divided into four chapters: an introduction, two chapters on DOD activities, and a final chapter on radiation protection. It examines the activities of DOD personnel before, during, and after the BADGER event, focusing on their movements relative to the radiological environment. The procedures designed to ensure personnel safety, including exposure records indicating the effectiveness of those procedures, are included in chapter 4 whenever that information is available. PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY The information in this report is supplemented by the Refer ence Manual: Background Materials for the CONUS Volumes. The Reference Manual summarizes the basics of radiation physics, radi ation health concepts, exposure criteria, and measurement tech niques, as well as listing acronyms and terms used in the reports documenting nuclear test events in the continental United States. PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......................................... 6 LIST OF TABLES............................................... 7 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .......................... S 1.1 Department of Defense Participation ............... 12 1.2 Radiation Protection Procedures........................ 15 2 EXERCISE DESERT ROCK V OPERATIONS AT SHOT BADGER. .... 17 2. 1 Camp Desert Rock Personnel............................. 17 2.2 Orientation and Indoctrination ...................... 18 2.3 Volunteer Officer Observers............................. 20 2.5 Operational Helicopter Test Program.................... 32 2.6 Damage Effects Evaluation............................... 35 3 TEST ORGANIZATION OPERATIONS AT SHOT BADGER ............ 39 3.1 Military Effects Group Projects........................ 39 3.2 Weapons Development Group Projects ................. 51 3.3 Civil Effects Group Projects ........................ 53 3.4 Air Force Special Weapons Center Activities........... 55 3.4.2 Sample Courier Missions ...................... 58 4 RADIATION PROTECTION AT SHOT BADGER ....................... 60 4.1 Desert Rock Radiation Protection Procedures .... 61 4.1.1 Radiation Protection for Troop Maneuvers. . . 61 4.1.2 Radiation Protection for Volunteer 4.1.3 Radiation Protection for the Operational PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 4.1.4 Radiation Protection forObservers in Orientation and Indoctrination.................. 65 4.2 Results of the AEC-DOD Joint Test Organization 4.3 Radiological Safety for AFSWC Units Based at Kirtland AFB.......................................... 71 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1- 1 Location of Shot BADGER in the Nevada 2- 1 Marines Move through Display Area during BADGER Rehearsal, 16 April 1953.......................... 26 2-2 Position of Exercise Desert Rock Participants at 2-3 Marine Corps Troops at 16 April 1953 Rehearsal for the BADGER Detonation................................... 29 2-4 E Company Being Airlifted to Its Objective after the 2-5 Operational HelicopterTest Project at Shot BADGER ... 33 4-1 Initial Survey for Shot BADGER, 18 April 1953, 4-2 Resurvey for Shot BADGER, 19 April 1953, 4-3 Resurvey for Shot BADGER, 20 April 1953, PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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LIST OF TABLES 2- 1 Exercise Desert Rock V Activities at Shot BADGER .... 17 3- 1 AFSWP Field Command Military Effects Group 3-2 Weapons Development Group Projects and Civil Effects Group Projects with DOD Personnel Involvement, 3-3 AFSWC Air MissionSupport, Shot BADGER . 56 PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS The following abbreviations and acronyms are used in this volume Atomic Energy Commission Air Force Base Air Force Special Weapons Center Armed Forces Special Weapons Project Department of Defense Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Incorporated Federal Civil Defense Administration Indirect Bomb Damage Assessment Joint Test Organization Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Nevada Proving Ground Roentgen per hour Strategic Air Command Universal Transverse Mercator 2d Marine Corps Provisional Atomic Exercise PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY AEC TEST SERIES: HEIGHT OF BURST: To investigate the possibility of increasing yield of a standard fission-type weapon by varying the composition; to evaluate blast, thermal, and radiation phenomena produced by To evaluate troop maneuvers, military equipment, At shot-time, recorded temperature at ground zero was 7.7° C. The relative humidity was 40 percent, and the air pressure was 862 millibars. Surface winds were from the north at nine knots. At 10,000 feet, the winds were 17 knots from the west; at 40,000 feet, the winds were 68 knots from the northwest. Onsite fallout occurred mostly to the southeast of ground zero. During the initial survey, which was completed at 0730 hours, radiation intensities greater than 0.1 R/h were measured within three kilometers north, east, and west of 2d Marine Provisional Atomic Exercise Brigade, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Federal Civil Defense Administration, Air Force Special Weapons Center, University of California Radiation PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY Shot BADGER was conducte Time on 18 April 1953 at the Energy Commission continental of Las Vegas. BADGER was the performed at the NPG from 17 detonation was originally sch radioactivity from the second preparations. To ensure care the shot, the dates for Shots d at 0435 hours Pacific Standard Nevada Proving Ground, the Atomic nuclear test site located northwest sixth nuclear test of Operation 11 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests March through 4 June 1953. The eduled for 11 April, but residual shot of the series, NANCY, delayed ful preparation and the success of BADGER and RAY were reversed (10; The BADGER device was fired on a 300-foot steel tower in Area 2 of Yucca Flat, UTM coordinates 784104.+ Figure 1-1 shows the location of the detonation in relation to the other ten detonations of Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE. Although the BADGER device was expected to yield 40 kilotons of energy, its yield was only 23 kilotons. Nevertheless, the blast illuminated Las Vegas like daylight and was evident 500 kilometers** to the southwest in Los Angeles (20). * All sources cited in the text are listed alphabetically and numbered in the Reference List, appended to this volume. The number in the text is the number of the source document in the + Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates are used in this report. The first three digits refer to a point on an east-west axis, and the second three refer to a point on a north-south axis. The point so designated is the southwest corner of an area 100 meters square. **Throughout this report, surface distances are given in metric units. The metric conversion factors include: 1 meter = 3.28 feet; 1 meter = 1.09 yards; and 1 kilometer = 0.62 miles. PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY Figure 1-1: LOCATION OF SHOT BADGER IN THE NEVADA PROVING GROUND PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED BEST AVAILABLE COPY The top of the cloud formed by Shot BADGER rose to an altitude of 36,000 feet and the bottom reached 23,000 feet.* Winds blew the BADGER cloud to the southeast. Onsite fallout was in Areas 2, 3, and 7. The main access road was contaminated, causing delavs in various projects. Within the Desert Rock area, significant fallout occurred in the southeastern portion of the equipment displays, as well as near ground zero (20). The BADGER device was designed and built for the Atomic …