How Engineers Designed Marston Mats to Build Airfields in Jungles Within 48 Hours скачать в хорошем качестве

How Engineers Designed Marston Mats to Build Airfields in Jungles Within 48 Hours

How did US engineers turn Pacific jungles into operational airfields in just 48 hours during World War 2? This is the untold story of Marston Mat—the revolutionary perforated steel planking that changed the entire Pacific War strategy. When Marines landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, they faced an impossible problem: tropical mud that swallowed aircraft whole. Traditional runway construction took months, but they had days before Japanese bombers would destroy any air cover. The solution came from Carnegie-Illinois Steel engineer James Marston, who designed interlocking steel planks that could float on mud, drain monsoon rains, and support 50,000-pound bombers. In this documentary, we explore: ✓ The Guadalcanal crisis that sparked the urgent need (August 1942) ✓ Failed experiments with coral, burlap mats, and steel planking (1941-1942) ✓ The engineering genius behind the 10×120-inch interlocking design ✓ How Seabees built Henderson Field under enemy fire in 19 days ✓ 300+ Pacific airfields constructed using 90 million sq ft of matting ✓ Continued use in Korean War, Vietnam, and modern disaster relief Discover how a simple idea—perforated steel planks with hook-and-channel edges—transformed warfare logistics, accelerated the Pacific island-hopping campaign, and shortened World War 2 by months. This technology is still in use today, 80+ years later. SOURCES US Army Corps of Engineers Historical Division - "Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks" (Official military construction records, deployment data, timeline documentation) Seabee Museum and Memorial, Port Hueneme, California - Technical specifications, field reports from Henderson Field operations, firsthand accounts from Naval Construction Battalions National WWII Museum Archives - Guadalcanal Campaign documentation, aircraft operational records, construction timeline data for Pacific airfields Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) - "Military Engineer Journal" archives covering pierced steel planking development, testing protocols at Wright Field and Camp Claiborne Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation Records (now part of US Steel historical archives) - Original design patents, engineering specifications, production data for Marston Mat "The Fighting Seabees" by William Bradford Huie - Historical account of Naval Construction Battalion operations in the Pacific Theater Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB - PSP/AM-2 matting evolution, Korean War and Vietnam usage data, modern applications documentation "Seabee Book: The History of the United States Naval Construction Battalions" by Commander C.B. Cooke - Detailed construction methodologies, casualty reports, operational timelines Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) - Engineering reports on load distribution mechanics, soil bearing capacity studies, comparative analysis of runway surface materials "Engineering the Victory: The Pacific Island Airfields of WWII" by Jeffrey Ethell and Robert Sand - Comprehensive coverage of Pacific airfield construction statistics and strategic impact #ww2 #ww2secrets #ww2history #worldwar2 #wwii