British Secret Spy Planes during the Cold War

[Freddie838]

British Cold War Spy Planes

Chipmunks! - for a few shillings more you could have had a Percival Pembroke from that Goat Sqn.

[Tashengurt]

That's the one MrB. Sadly I think my copy might have gone to Barnardos.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Many a true word spoken in jest Freddie boy!

[Martin the Martian]

If you're in Berlin pop along to the Alliertenmuseum, located in a former US military area in Grunewald. It's all about the Allied presence in Berlin, and has a fascinating display on BRIXMIS, including looped video footage shot on a jaunt into East Germany. The inspection by a Hind understandably gets the team a little excited.

They also have one of the Gatow Chippies in storage awaiting the building of a new hall, and outside is a Hastings.

[KING6024]

Back in my seafaring days there was always at least one,often more soviet vessels anchored between Lowestoft and Orfordness.Bentwaters,Woodbridge,Alconbury and Mildenhall were all quite close. Colin.

[Karl Bamforth]

I am still suprised the number of ppl who served at Wildenrath and who never realised the primary task of the goat squadrons Pembrokes.

Many do not believe it even now and think its a wind up.

[FantomZorbin]

Around Jun/Jul 2008 BBC Radio 4 did a programme on BRIXMIS ... if you can find it in the BBC archives please let me know as I'm damned if I can find the thing now

[teeteringhead]

Barnstormer

everything was being watched overhead by a Lynx,

.... indeed - I've seen the video the Lynx took .... not nice viewing

[Old Bricks]

BRIXMIS History

For a more relaxed description of how BRIXMIS operated, read the 2-part article reprinted from Pennant magazine (Forces Pension Society) on the Jever Steam Laundry website - www.rafjever.org/stationstor011.htm

Bring back the Iron Curtain! All is forgiven!

[allyn]

BBC 4/The BRIXMIS Story

Found it:

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - The Brixmis Story

but it's no longer available.

[FantomZorbin]

allyn
Thanks for that. Good news: I found a brain cell that worked, Bad news: the BBC pulled the plug! Hey Ho!

[caiman27]

Back in my seafaring days there was always at least one,often more soviet vessels anchored between Lowestoft and Orfordness.Bentwaters,Woodbridge,Alconbury and Mildenhall were all quite close. Colin.

Not forgetting the strangeness that was on Orford Ness itself - Cobra Mist and all that.

[Wokkafans]

MP3 download (3.27 MB) available here:

http://hfsurfing.googlepages.com/BRIXMIS.mp3

Will play in Windows Media Player

WF

[BEagle]

Between my Gnat and Hunter courses, having held at Wildenrath, I once bantered a chap (ex-pilot air trafficker) in the OM bar at Valley about 'those' Pemmies. He went rather quiet and 'invited me outside for a chat'....

"I don't know how the f*** you found out about that, but for f***'s sake you must STFU about it!", was all he would say.

So I did. Although it had only been a guess on my part....

All sorts of 'interesting things' went on in what's currently termed 'The Cold War'....

Here's one... .

[Tashengurt]

C'mon then! What were they up to?

[Trim Stab]

I feel for the crew who later realised that they could have at least tried to help their own lads, instead of just watching their demise!

I've never heard that version of events before. It was not part of the brief when we were shown the video. We were told the crew were aware of what they were filming, but were unable to intervene because of the SOPs they were operating under.

[FantomZorbin]

Wokafans

Brilliant, many thanks

[Warmtoast]

Teeteringhead

Fellow cold warriors will remember the SOXMIS pocket aide memoire which we all carried - big coloured piccie of a SOXMIS vehicle plate, with a prominent number at Herford Mil to 'phone with the report.

This is the form in question.



At Rheindahlen ISTR some fearsome German who examined us for a BFG Driving Licence (the dreaded 'Tick-test') issued these forms to sucessful BFG licence applicants promising dire consequences if we failed to report sighted SOXMIS vehicles.

[BossEyed]

Tashengurt, a bit of Googleage returns references to Operation HALLMARK, and this image from a plastic model box:

[XV277]

I am still suprised the number of ppl who served at Wildenrath and who never realised the primary task of the goat squadrons Pembrokes.

Many do not believe it even now and think its a wind up.

Which is strange, as the PR version of the Pembroke was acknowledged since the days of 81 Squadron in Malaya.

I've oft wondered about the fact that the UK 'Open Skies' aircraft was an ex-60 Squadron Andover that replaced the Pembrokes.........