Air Pictorial August 1997 Part 5.
The Intelligence people briefed us carefully: there might be some surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) but no radar-eqipped night fighters, although there was a ground control radar reporting system which would enable them to track us and position a fighter within visual range, but this was not thought to be likely. The one comforting thought was that we should be too high and too fast for any anti-aircraft fire. No flak! Good news! We were to remain silent unless attacked, in which case OMG frequency was to be used to give a sitrep to the chaps back at the ranch.
Late in April 1954 everything was go, including the spare aircraft (which we never used). Once again, the three RAF RB-45Cs staggered into the air and headed for north Denmark where our faithful tankers topped us up. After a smart salute to the tanker's boom operator-all lights doused-came the long, slow climb into the inky blackness east-south-east. We cleared some stratus at 30,000 ft, got a good view of the stars and were greatly encouraged by Rex's confidence-inspiring report that the ground mapping radar was working like a breeze. He gave me new courses from time to time and asked for straight and level flight as we ran on to our various target sites which he said he was having no problem photographing.
Occasionally I saw, reflected on the cloud cover, flashes from the ground, similar to lightning or an active bombing range at night. It was causing us no harm-just puzzling, that's all.Having taken nearly all our photos, we were heading south towards Kiev at 36,ooo ft and Mach 0.7 when the electric storm or bombing range flashes seemed to be getting more frequent and always directly beneath us, which was odd for a random phenomenon. Had it not been for the absolute certanty which the briefing officers had dismissed the possibility of flak, I would have been a shade suspicious because it all closely resembled the German variety I had seen a lot of in an earlier life. No-one else was bothered; Rex, who couldn't see out anyway, was devilling away at his photography and Mac in the back was reporting all systems normal, leaving me to ponder on this curious departure from the script. My reverie was rudely interrupted by the sudden heart-stopping appearance of a...................
Sorry guys, I will have to upload the final part, tomorrow.