HDNet World Report Joins the U.S. Coast Guard in Dramatic Recovery Mission for World War II Heroes Lost in the Ice of Greenland

DALLAS, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In a race against time, the U.S. Coast Guard, and expedition lead North South Polar, Inc., are trying to find the remains of three World War II heroes who crashed on the ice of Greenland in 1942.  This may be one of the last chances to relocate, recover and repatriate the men before the glacier where they rest cleaves into the sea due to global warming.  Award-winning HDNet World Report correspondent Paul Beban and his camera crew are on the expedition, in cooperation with IncrediBull Entertainment.

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U.S. Coast Guard Lt. John Pritchard and Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Bottoms and U.S. Army Air Corp Cpl. Loren Howarth have been missing since their USCG J2F-4 Grumman Duck amphibious biplane crashed during a mission to rescue a downed B-17 bomber crew back on Nov. 29, 1942.  Pritchard and Bottoms had already rescued two men from the B-17; Howarth was to be the third.

The World Report crew will be filing daily reports from the remote site each day, updating viewers on the progress of the mission.  The expedition is under constant threat of sudden severe weather, and a guard is required at all times to protect against polar bear attacks.

The first clips from the HDNet World Report vlog can be found here:

http://www.hd.net/worldreport.html

"This is an extremely exciting and dangerous mission, and HDNet World Report will be there to film each step in the process," said Mark Cuban, chairman and co-founder of HDNet.  "It could finally bring closure to a story that is now almost seventy years old, and could bring three war heroes home at last."

The recovery effort has become known as "The Duck Hunt," after the nickname for the now-rare J2F-4 Grumman aircraft. In 2009, possible locations for the crash site were narrowed significantly, and a search area was mapped out, with an anomaly that is entombed in the ice cap soon being identified as the likely location of the downed Grumman Duck.

Now, with peak conditions as summer in Greenland comes to a close, the joint North South Polar/U.S. Coast Guard team will continue the search using ground-penetrating radar to locate the anomaly in the ice cap found during last year's expedition.  If successful, the next step will be to melt down into the ice to free the remains of the three men.  Time is running out, though, as the glacial area where the plane rests is expected to break off in the near future.

Exclusive coverage of the mission will air on HDNet World Report in September, and is being produced in conjunction with Los Angeles-based IncrediBull Entertainment.  Continuous updates from the mission, currently underway, will be available online as the operation unfolds.

About HDNet

HDNet (www.hd.net) is the independent network with unique and thought-provoking content that appeals to men of all ages and is delivered in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather.  Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world.  HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence. HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series.  "NASA on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.  

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts with its Friday night series, "HDNet Fights" (www.hdnetfights.com).  "HDNet Fights" works with leading MMA promoters including DREAM, Sengoku, King of the Cage, XFC, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC and more.  HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet's "Inside MMA" is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA, while "Fighting Words with Mike Straka," goes one-on-one with some of the biggest names in the sport. HDNet also features regular season games from the newly formed United Football League.

HDNet also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series.  The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Nickelback and more.  HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring "Art Mann Presents," "Girls Gone Wild," "Deadline" and "Get Out!"  

Only HDNet Movies (www.hdnetmovies.com) delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters.  The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Robin Williams, Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, and Verizon FiOS. 

The HDNet networks can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/HDNet, facebook.com/HDNetFights and facebook.com/HDNetMovies and via Twitter at twitter.com/hdnet, twitter.com/hdnetfights and twitter.com/hdnetmovies.

About North South Polar, Inc.

North South Polar, Inc. (NSP) is a leading worldwide recovery specialist in deep glacier search and repatriation of Military Missing In Action (MIA) personnel & aircraft, at depths reaching beyond 250 feet beneath the ice sheet surface. NSP assists the Department of Defense, its service branches and private collectors in the ethical, legal and environmentally sensitive recovery of historical aircraft and artifacts from land, sea and glacial depths. Utilizing cutting-edge, customized technology developed in cooperation with world-renowned scientists and leading advisors, NSP incorporates advanced technology, technical survival gear and highly trained personnel to execute safe and successful expeditions.

About IncrediBull Entertainment

Los Angeles-based IncrediBull Entertainment is focused on bringing world-class, high quality production to a television or theatre near you. A partnership between UK celebrity television host, politico and executive Dr. David Bull and US production veteran Aaron Bennet, IncrediBull Entertainment is a new provider of content-with-a-conscience, producing short and long-form programming and events that entertain, thrill and educate. IncrediBull Entertainment is part of the IncrediBull Group, with offices in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

SOURCE HDNet

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