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and marched the captives approximately 150 miles into Sudan. After 12 days, Dolecki successfully escaped, and the other captives were eventually released. The U.S. government characterized the insurgents as "well armed bandits," apparently an attempt to appease the
Ethiopian government. As a consequence of the attacks, the Ethiopian Army began escorting the survey teams. This had already been authorized per the 1953 defense installation treaty between the U.S. and Ethiopia, which authorized the mapping survey and allowed "Ethiopian security forces" to accompany the survey teams outside of installations. In October 1965, another survey team was attacked by insurgents, resulting in one Ethiopian soldier wounded and one ELF insurgent killed in action.
164:. According to a country study commissioned by the U.S. Army, the Eritrean War of Independence began in 1961, and intensified in 1962 in response to Ethiopia dissolving the Eritrean-Ethiopian federation. By 1965, the Ethiopian Army devoted a division to fighting the ELF insurgency, including three battalions to guard cities in Eritrea, and a counterinsurgency battalion focused on direct action. The U.S. State Department also noted the effect of the increased insurgency in March 1965, as the Ethiopian government requested an increase in security assistance aid due to the disruption caused by "Eritrean dissidence."
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140:. They also struggled to subsist in remote areas of the country that included jungles, deserts, dense bush, mountains and swamps that harbored deadly snakes, crocodiles, lions, leopards, hyenas, hippos, cape buffalo, elephants, wild dogs, dangerous bees and ants, aggressive tribes of baboons and sometimes hostile natives, not to mention any number of malignant diseases. In addition, these troops and their support personnel were frequently required to conduct their operations in active war zones along the
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44:. The soldiers who conducted the mapping operations on the ground during that time used the latest surveying and mapping techniques and were exposed to many hardships and dangers, but they completed their mission near the end of the decade. The maps that were created still serve as the base maps for the country of Ethiopia and are presently being updated and maintained by the
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In at least one case, a survey team was taken captive by insurgent members of the
Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in July 1965. The team consisted of CW3 Jack Kalmbach (UH-1 pilot), Specialist 4 Ronald Dolecki (field classifier), and Habte Mesmer (Ethiopian interpreter). The ELF burned the helicopter
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modeling. These computer-generated photo control points were then used to compile, or draw, the planimetric map to the desired scale and delineate its contours from stereo models of the photos using special stereoscopic mapping equipment. Once the map images were drawn in detail to uniform scale and
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A device known as a
Terrain Profile Recorder (TPR), which used the boiling point of a liquid chemical at a specific altitude and a gyroscopically stabilized radar altimeter was used to determine and maintain the altitude of the aircraft above a known elevation, such as a large body of water, while
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Field classification specialists, soldiers as well as civilians from Army Map
Service, were utilized to conduct research on the ground in order to provide names of cities and towns and any other prominent named features, as well as classify types of roads, buildings, hydrographic features such as
302:. The primary 1:250,000-scale map series and 1:50,000-scale maps of special interest areas that were created as a result of this operation still serve as the base maps for the country of Ethiopia, and are presently being maintained and updated by the Ethiopian Mapping Authority in Addis Ababa.
189:) of the location of the aircraft (and therefore the aerial photo camera station) with respect to known stations on the ground was controlled horizontally by a system known as HIRAN (High Range Navigation Radar), a large and heavy system that required a large aircraft, such as the
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Action
Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Northern African Affairs (Newsom) to the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Williams), “Suggested U.S. Response to Ethiopia Government’s State of Alarm,” Washington, Mar. 15, 1965,
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The
Ethiopia-U.S. Mapping Mission was activated in July 1963 and during its lifespan involved about a thousand U.S. military and civilian personnel. It was closed out in July 1970 after its topographic surveying mission in Ethiopia was complete.
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Cold War
Mapping Mission: The 329th Geodetic Detachment and the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 1956-1970 (Bennington, VT: Merriam, 2014), 31; "Oil City Soldier Makes Dramatic Escape Through Lion Country," Oil City Derrick, Jul. 29, 1965,
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photo coverage of the entire area. Strategically located photo-identifiable points were selected in areas of overlap between photo flight lines and elevations were established on these points by the topographic surveyors using differential
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Geographic coordinates and elevations (representing all three dimensions) were later extended by Army Map
Service personnel to other strategically located points on the photos using computers and analytical methods of
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lakes and rivers, and any other features to be depicted on the maps. Interpreters were used to interview local officials and residents to determine proper names, spelling and usage of features.
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Art. VIII, XVII, “Utilization of
Defense Installations Within Empire of Ethiopia, Agreement between the United States of American and Ethiopia,” May 22, 1953, TIAS 2964, 5 UST 749
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used by the
Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission was flown by the U.S. Air Force, normally at an altitude above 30,000 feet for optimum coverage. The geographic coordinates (
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Ethiopia: A Country Study, eds. Thomas Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry (Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1993), DA Pam 550-28, p.47,
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257:, small portable units that provide measurements of the force of gravity, were also used by the surveyors to conduct gravity surveys to further understand the
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was primarily provided by the 572nd Engineer Platoon (Topographic Aviation) and civilian pilots under contract, along with some early support from the
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Cold War Mapping Mission: The 329th Geodetic Detachment and the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 1956-1970 (Bennington, VT: Merriam, 2014), 31.
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Cold War Mapping Mission: The 329th Geodetic Detachment and the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 1956-1970 (Bennington, VT: Merriam, 2014), 31.
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Cold War Mapping Mission: The 329th Geodetic Detachment and the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 1956-1970 (Bennington, VT: Merriam, 2014), 31.
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Cold War Mapping Mission: The 329th Geodetic Detachment and the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 1956-1970 (Bennington, VT: Merriam, 2014), 31.
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made into detailed map reproducibles through photographic processes, printing plates were produced and maps were printed in volume on an
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https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-urges-army-secretary-to-recognize-maryland-veteran-with-pow-medal
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https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-urges-army-secretary-to-recognize-maryland-veteran-with-pow-medal
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taking a series of aerial photographs that overlapped in the direction of flight and across flight lines in order to provide
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borders, where brutal wars and indiscriminate killing had been going on for years, and the area of the country that is now
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https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/frd/frdcstdy/et/ethiopiacountrys00ofca_0/ethiopiacountrys00ofca_0.pdf
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distances from nearby photo-identifiable points on which the surveyors established horizontal positions using
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Press Release: "Van Hollen Urges Army Secretary to Recognize Maryland Veteran with POW Medal," Dec. 8, 2020,
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Press Release: "Van Hollen Urges Army Secretary to Recognize Maryland Veteran with POW Medal," Dec. 8, 2020,
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map finishing operations based on these surveys were subsequently completed by Army Map Service/TOPOCOM in
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control was established by the topographic surveyors on the bulky HIRAN ground stations by measuring their
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and their aviation support pilots and crew served on field parties that endured sweltering heat in this
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Gebru Tareke, The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa (New Haven: Yale U. Press, 2009), 62
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The 64th Topographic Engineer Battalion: Cold War Mapping Mission from Africa to Iran in the 1960s
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in the 1960s to survey and map the entire country of Ethiopia, then under the rule of Emperor
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Geoinfo - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa web site, Ethiopia, EMA
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The Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission was a mission of the U.S. Army
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Stars and Stripes Article refers to U.S. Cold War mapping of Ethiopia
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320:"Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission - 64th Engineer Bn. HQ, AMS"
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https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v24/d301
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Some areas of the country were accessible by motor vehicles.
251:, a fast and efficient process that is still in use today.
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552:"Ethiopia-U.S. Mapping Mission - Making Topographic Maps"
527:"Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission - Headquarters"
100:, and the Mapping Mission itself was headquartered in
68:, 64th Engineer Battalion, 29th Engineer Company and
610:ETHIOPIA: The Foreign Minister's Delusion web site
92:. Battalion Headquarters was located in Leghorn (
124:Remote areas required daily helicopter support.
359:"Ethiopia Eritrea Independence War 1961-1993"
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156:was engaged in armed struggle with imperial
168:Consequences of armed conflict in Ethiopia
104:, the nation's centrally located capital.
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36:during the 1960s to provide up-to-date
636:Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission
615:Project King's Ransom Project web site
577:"Ethiopian Mapping Authority web site"
26:Ethiopia-United States Mapping Mission
32:, was an operation undertaken by the
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40:coverage of the entire country of
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498:"Ethiopia-U.S. Mapping Mission -
237:Wild T-2 Theodolite in the Sunset
676:Ethiopia–United States relations
207:electronic distance meters (EDM)
20:Ethi-U.S. Mapping Mission Logo
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162:Eritrean War of Independence
80:. Aviation support for the
60:Mapping Mission Headquarters
666:United States Army projects
46:Ethiopian Mapping Authority
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193:. High-quality horizontal
661:Cartography organizations
620:ETHIOPIA TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
281:Satellite Map of Ethiopia
154:Eritrean Liberation Front
30:Ethi-U.S. Mapping Mission
500:Making Topographic Maps
261:of the country and the
630:East View Cartographic
502:by Mr. David P. Moore"
347:Merriam Press web site
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187:latitude and longitude
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249:offset printing press
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130:topographic surveyors
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70:U.S. Army Map Service
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646:Buying Maps from EMA
28:, also known as the
625:2012-02-18 at the
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199:cardinal direction
183:aerial photography
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90:Ethiopian Airlines
66:Corps of Engineers
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34:United States Army
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671:Maps of Ethiopia
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579:. Archived from
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223:stereoscopic
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217:techniques.
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152:, where the
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255:Gravimeters
230:techniques.
203:theodolites
177:The methods
134:Sub Saharan
102:Addis Ababa
52:The mission
655:Categories
587:2012-02-12
562:2009-07-15
537:2009-07-30
512:2009-07-15
369:2009-07-15
330:2009-07-09
259:topography
136:region of
228:levelling
632:web site
623:Archived
300:Maryland
296:Bethesda
273:The maps
215:traverse
195:geodetic
74:Cold War
42:Ethiopia
306:Sources
150:Eritrea
142:Somalia
108:The men
94:Livorno
138:Africa
191:RB-50
146:Sudan
98:Italy
460:p.5.
290:and
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128:The
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