ARCTIC EYES

摘要

When the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was formed on April 4, 1949, in the light of increasing Soviet Union belligerence, Norway was one of the 12 founder members. It was the only European member of the new organisation to share a common border with the prospective adversary; along a 122-mile (196km) frontier above the Arctic Circle in Norwegian Lapland (Finnmark) where, remarkably, the town of Kirkenes is closer to Moscow than the Norwegian capital Oslo. Norway's position on the northern flank made it a key member of the Alliance, though its land border made it vulnerable to an armoured thrust with a rugged 1,100-mile (1,770km) coastline exposing it to amphibious landings. Reconnaissance was, therefore, a key requirement for the newly formed Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNorAF - Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret), which initially relied on three Spitfire PR.XIs of 1 Photo-Reconnaissance Flight, formed at Gardermoen, north of Oslo, on August 9, 1949.