Operation Flintlock

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American military history records two operations called Flintlock:


Operation Flintlock was the campaign against the Marshall Islands in the Pacific campaign of World War II, from January to February 1944. The operation involved the invasions of Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls.

This attack sank a large number of Japanese ships and stripped the air base at Truk of its offensive potential. With Truk neutralized, it could be bypassed, forgoing a costly invasion. Executed on 31 January 1944, Kwajalein fell on 7 February after stiff Japanese resistance.


Operation Flintlock was a series of forty nuclear tests conducted with one exception at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed Whetstone and were in turn followed by Latchkey.

The Red Hot test was notable for the release of one million curies of radioactivity which drifted as far as eastern Iowa. The individual test shots were:

Flintlock Test Blasts
Test Name Date Location Yield Note
Bronze 23 July 1965 Nevada Test Site about 60 kilotons
Mauve 6 August 1965 Nevada Test Site about 18 kilotons  
Centaur 27 August 1965 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Screamer 1 September 1965 Nevada Test Site about 12 kilotons  
Charcoal 10 September 1965 Nevada Test Site 20-200 kilotons  
Elkhart 17 September 1965 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Longshot 29 October 1965 near Amchitka, Alaska 80 kilotons Vela Uniform
Sepia 12 November 1965 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Corduroy 3 December 1965 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Emerson 16 December 1965 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Buff 16 December 1965 Nevada Test Site about 36 kilotons  
Maxwell 13 January 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Lampblack 18 January 1966 Nevada Test Site about 36 kilotons  
Dovekie 21 January 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Plaid II 3 February 1966 Nevada Test Site about 32 kilotons  
Rex 24 February 1966 Nevada Test Site 19 kilotons  
Red Hot 5 March 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Finfoot 7 March 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Clymer 12 March 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Purple 18 March 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Templar 24 March 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons Operation Plowshare
Lime 1 April 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Stutz 6 April 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Tomato 7 April 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Duyea 14 April 1966 Nevada Test Site 70 kilotons  
Pin Stripe 25 April 1966 Nevada Test Site about 4 kilotons  
Traveler 4 May 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Cyclamen 5 May 1966 Nevada Test Site 12 kilotons  
Chartreuse 6 May 1966 Nevada Test Site 73 kilotons  
Tapestry 12 May 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Piranha 13 May 1966 Nevada Test Site about 100 kilotons  
Dumont 19 May 1966 Nevada Test Site about 190 kilotons  
Discus Thrower 27 May 1966 Nevada Test Site 22 kilotons  
Pile Driver 2 June 1966 Nevada Test Site 62 kilotons  
Tan 3 June 1966 Nevada Test Site about 140 kilotons  
Puce 10 June 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Double Play 15 June 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Kankakee 15 June 1966 Nevada Test Site <20 kilotons  
Vulcan 4 May 1966 Nevada Test Site 25 kilotons Operation Plowshare
Halfbreak 30 June 1966 Nevada Test Site 365 kilotons