The Army Corps of Engineers' Assignment
Clip: Season 17 | 1m 35s
The job of building an Alaskan highway was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Stretching 1,500 miles through the sub-arctic wilderness, the Alaskan Highway was built to defend Americans from threats in the Pacific. The monumental job was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers. The order was deceptively simple: build a road to Alaska as fast as possible. The Corps rushed over 10,000 men and 250,000 tons of equipment, materials, and supplies north on troop trains.
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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The Army Corps of Engineers' Assignment
Clip: Season 17 | 1m 35s
Stretching 1,500 miles through the sub-arctic wilderness, the Alaskan Highway was built to defend Americans from threats in the Pacific. The monumental job was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers. The order was deceptively simple: build a road to Alaska as fast as possible. The Corps rushed over 10,000 men and 250,000 tons of equipment, materials, and supplies north on troop trains.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Clip: S17 | 50s | On October 25, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the last gap of the highway. (50s)
Clip: S17 | 2m 59s | The Corps wanted finish the highway in a hurry, but progress was slowed by mud and muskeg. (2m 59s)
Clip: S17 | 1m 9s | Bulldozers cleared trees and dirt from a 60 to 90-foot swath for the Alaskan Highway. (1m 9s)
Now PlayingThe Army Corps of Engineers' Assignment
Clip: S17 | 1m 35s | The job of building an Alaskan highway was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers. (1m 35s)
Clip: S17 | 2m 53s | By September, 1942 the Army Corps of Engineers had struck permafrost. (2m 53s)
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Clip: S17 | 2m 27s | Cubans line up to have their passports stamped at the Peruvian Embassy. (2m 27s)
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Clip: S17 | 53s | Castro travels to the U.S.S.R. and meets with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. (53s)
Building the Alaska Highway Promo
Preview: S17 | 30s | In May of 1942, thousands of American soldiers began the building of the Alaska Highway. (30s)
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.