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corpsman911

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Badlands Bombing Range - Wednesday, July 09, 2008 10:38 PM
I am trying to find information about the Badlands Bombing Range located in South Dakota, particulary which units were involved in training there in 1943-1944, and what part of the Badlands were reserved for bombing targets. Alos, if anyone has any copies of maps that may show the location of targets I would appreciate it.
Curt Wendelboe
Terry T.

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:33 AM
Rapid City AAB, SD used
Butte County #1 Precision Bombing Range "Newell Bombing Range" 37mi. N of Rapid City AAB
Rapid City #2 Precision Bombing Range "Pierre Bombing Range" 129mi. E of Rapid City AAB
Air to Ground Range 33mi ENE of Rapid City AAB
Air to Air Range 33mi. SE of Rapid City AAB
 
Sioux City AAB, Iowa
Elks Point (S.D.) Precision Bombing Range, 25mi. NW of Sioux City AAB
Mitchell #3 (S.D.) Precision Bombing Range, 158mi NW of Sioux City AAB ("Gann Valley")
Mitchell #4 (S.D.) Precision Bombing Range, 141mi. NW of Sioux City AAB
Yankton (S.D.) Air to Ground Range, 60mi. WNW of Sioux City AAB
Watertown (S.D.) Precision Bombing Range,206mi. NNW of Sioux AAB
 
 
Terry T.
 
 
corpsman911

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:59 AM
Terry - thanks for the info but the bombing range I'm researching would have been in the Badlands south and east of Rapid City about 50 miles. Most  of it was (I think) within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. If you have any info on that it would be great.
Curt
Curt Wendelboe
corpsman911

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Thursday, July 10, 2008 11:58 AM
Terry - 17s used a bombing range located in what is now the Badlands on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Corps of Engineers and Oglala Sioux Triba has been cleaning unexploded ordinance for some years now. I just don't know where exactly the different ordinances were dropped.
Curt
Terry T.

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Thursday, July 10, 2008 2:44 PM
From:http://www.stormingmedia.us/93/9340/A934014.html
 










MTADS Magnetometer Survey of the Badlands Bombing Range, SD Impact Area. Combined Airborne, Vehicular, and Man-portable Survey, September 2002Authors: H. H. Nelson; D. A. Steinhurst; David Wright; Tom Furuya; J. R. McDonald; NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC

 






Abstract: In 1942 the Department of War annexed 341,725 acres of the Pine Ridge Reservation for use as an aerial gunnery and bombing range. From 1942 until 1948 various sections of this range were used for bombing exercises and air to ground operations.
 
Since 1960, portions of the land have been returned to the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) in a step-wise fashion.
 
In 1978, all remaining Badlands Bombing Range (BBR) lands were declared excess with the exception of 2,486 acres termed the Impact Area.
 
In 1999 the Naval Research Laboratory, NRL, conducted a demonstration survey on the Badlands Bombing Range Impact Area using the Multi- sensor Towed Array Detection System (MTADS). Historical records indicated that 105-mm, 155-mm, and 8-in projectiles had been used on the site. During this survey, eight live 155-mm and seven live 8-in projectiles were recovered and destroyed but no 105-mms.
 
In September 2001 NRL returned to the same area to conduct an Advanced Classification Demonstration with the vehicular MTADS on a 10-acre seeded site and a larger, 1685-acre, survey with the new airborne MTADS. Again, seven live 155-mm and four live 8-in projectiles were found and detonated. The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) and the Ellsworth Air Force Base Environmental Office have a dual interest in this site. First, they would like to be able to certify the site as clear of UXO to facilitate the excessing of the land from Government ownership. Second, they would like to determine if a combination man-portable, vehicular, and airborne survey can reliably and completely cover a site of varying topography such as the Impact Area. To further these goals, AFCEE and NRL jointly conducted a geophysical survey of the remaining 750 accessible acres of the Impact Area with the aim of finding all remaining 105-mm, 155-mm, and 8-in projectiles. The survey was conducted using the NRL MTADS airborne, vehicular, and man-portable magnetometer platforms from 16-28 Sep 2002.


This may be of some helpTerry T.
Terry T.

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Thursday, July 10, 2008 2:56 PM
Curt:
You can find just about anything you want online about that range, pictures maps, actually with Goggle Earth or Terra Server, or MSN Live Seach you should be able to see taget from the air, if there still there. I been to old gunnery ranges where the trucks used as targets were still in the center of the circle, demolished but still there.
 
Some sites online that I found in about 10mins..
http://www.state.sd.us/denr/DES/Ground/Superfund/FEDERALFACILITIESPAGE.htm
 
http://www.yankton.net/articles/2008/06/28/news/doc4865a8b969c9d876886414.txt
 
http://www.hometown-pages.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=59&ArticleID=14476&TM=21230.34
 















12/26/2006 2:29:00 PM 
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I sit atop a car that was part of a bombing range target used on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota starting in the 1940s. My friend and I were the first to find the geo-cache hidden here.
 
 
Terry T.
It's the 'bomb':
corpsman911

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Friday, July 11, 2008 12:17 AM
Terry- thanks for the info. Now if I could just locate a map showing exactly where the range was in the Badlands I'd be estatic!
Curt
Terry T.

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RE: Badlands Bombing Range - Friday, July 11, 2008 1:32 AM
Curt:
If you would do a little research you can find things..but you would rather sit back and let someone else find it..
 
 
I will give you a nice circular target that can be seen from the air..go to Terra Server..the section which calls for
Longitute  -102.63667 <- don't forget the minus
Latituide 43.77507
 
Now go look & search for the information you seek..
 
Terry T.

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