Broken Arrows and Project Iceworm: The US military in Greenland during the Cold War

From a secret US underground base housing a nuclear reactor to a search for fragments of four Hydrogen bombs lost by a US Air Force B-52, Greenland – the world's largest island – has a unique military history of its own.

During the Second World War, the American War Department established a series of bases around the coast of Greenland. 

These served as radio and weather stations or airbases for planes hunting U-boats.

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They were crucial for the Allied convoys crossing the Atlantic, bringing vital supplies to Britain and Russia. 

During the Cold War, America believed it was vulnerable to formations of Russian bomber aircraft flying over the North Pole. 

Today, Greenland is home to the US Pituffik Space Base, which is important in the defence against ballistic missile threats. 

In the video above, BFBS Forces News' Richard White explains the history of Greenland during the Cold War and Project Iceworm.