On October 31, 1956, Rear Admiral George John Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole. He also became the first to set foot on the South Pole in 40 years.
Dufek was an American naval officer, naval aviator, and Antarctic expert. He served in World War II and the Korean War and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much of his career in the Antarctic. In 1954, he joined a special Antarctic planning group preparing for the Navy’s Operation Deep Freeze, a scientific polar research expedition.
Operation Deep Freeze was a series of expeditions in Antarctica between 1955 and 1998, which were military run and supported by various American military agencies. Rear Admiral Byrd was the officer-in-charge and the most senior US representative monitoring political, scientific, legislative and operational activities of the US Antarctic programme. The primary mission of the 1955-56 expedition was to establish two stations along the Ross Sea and the transportation of personnel, equipment and supplies to build two stations in the interior the following spring. In addition they would undertake reconnaissance by aircraft and tractor and carry out scientific projects.
When planning was complete Dufek was given command of Task Force 43 which, with more than 80 officers and 1,000 enlisted men, three ice-breakers, and three cargo ships, was charged with logistics and support for the expedition.
On October 31, 1956, Admiral Dufek became the first American to set foot at the South Pole and to plant the American flag. Dufek and a crew of six were the first men to land on the pole from the air.
Among other accomplishments the team successfully established two base camps and undertook surveying flights, surveying 8,00,000 square miles of Antarctica never before seen by humans. Their flight over the South Pole disproved earlier concerns that the snow at the South Pole would not support aircraft landing upon it.
After Byrd’s death, Dufek was appointed supervisor of US programs in the South Polar Regions. Among the numerous recognitions and awards he received were the Legion of Merit with two Gold Stars, World War II Victory Medal and Korean Service Medal. In August 1957 he received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
Antarctic features like Dufek Coast, Dufek Head, Dufek Massif, and Dufek Mountain were named in his honour.