V Bomber dispersal airfields after 1968
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P6, Kinsman was indeed a dispersal exercise where crews allocated to a particular dispersal would exercise that dispersal. It was not part of a force generation exercise.
One we did was Ballykelly with 4 aircraft deploying in on a Monday and operatng out of there until Thursday when we flew home. Another notable one I recall was Pershore. We did a hi-lo-hi in and scraped in below fuel minimums after 5hr 45. We had never been there before but were committed to a straight in approach from overhead Cumberland; the skipper called visual about 50 miles out. The following day we did the same route cut short to 5hr 25.
We had the QRA caravans with individual bunk rooms. I remember getting up in the early morning light as dawn broke and looked in on our AEO the late Paddy Roache. All seemed well as Paddy was standing there half-in, half-out of his flying suit. A few minutes later when he hadn't arrived for breakfast I was sent to find him. He was tucked up in bed. He had been getting undressed!
Kinsman was a routine Restricted exercise although Peter Hennessey makes much of it in his book The Secret State. The nickname was later changed but I can't remember what it was called.
One we did was Ballykelly with 4 aircraft deploying in on a Monday and operatng out of there until Thursday when we flew home. Another notable one I recall was Pershore. We did a hi-lo-hi in and scraped in below fuel minimums after 5hr 45. We had never been there before but were committed to a straight in approach from overhead Cumberland; the skipper called visual about 50 miles out. The following day we did the same route cut short to 5hr 25.
We had the QRA caravans with individual bunk rooms. I remember getting up in the early morning light as dawn broke and looked in on our AEO the late Paddy Roache. All seemed well as Paddy was standing there half-in, half-out of his flying suit. A few minutes later when he hadn't arrived for breakfast I was sent to find him. He was tucked up in bed. He had been getting undressed!
Kinsman was a routine Restricted exercise although Peter Hennessey makes much of it in his book The Secret State. The nickname was later changed but I can't remember what it was called.
EX. INDEX was the name of the Strike Force Dispersal exercise we used to do in the late '70s.
Unfortunately our INDEX aerodrome was RAF Finningley - in those days a Learning Command base full of baby navigators and trainee rear crew. We usually had the night off before the 'fly off'. Supposedly to get some rest, it invariably meant invading the OM bar and returning much later. The next day one often felt distinctly shabby!
The bus was due to return us from the bus on one occasion, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. So OC35 decided to drive us back to Charlie dispersal himself, much to the consternation of the MTO. Fortunately he did so safely!
Unfortunately our INDEX aerodrome was RAF Finningley - in those days a Learning Command base full of baby navigators and trainee rear crew. We usually had the night off before the 'fly off'. Supposedly to get some rest, it invariably meant invading the OM bar and returning much later. The next day one often felt distinctly shabby!
The bus was due to return us from the bus on one occasion, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. So OC35 decided to drive us back to Charlie dispersal himself, much to the consternation of the MTO. Fortunately he did so safely!
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VISITATION was a Henessy misinterpretation - he looked at the name and thought it was the order to strike. In reality it was the helo evacuation from No10 to designated shelters.
Kinsman was a routine Restricted exercise although Peter Hennessey makes much of it in his book The Secret State. The nickname was later changed but I can't remember what it was called.
YS
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YS, concur. That name rings a bell.
On Hennessey, much of the source work is done by PhD students. Having found Kinsman they didn't find Mick or Micky Finn. The Kinsman master opord of course listed, at restricted level, all the dispersal airfields (as addressees/friendly forces) for that year.
PS
I had to educate WOn of God's people about changing of codewords as she had put out an SRO saying that Kinsman was now Candella (or similar Opord) thus compromising the new codeword.
On Hennessey, much of the source work is done by PhD students. Having found Kinsman they didn't find Mick or Micky Finn. The Kinsman master opord of course listed, at restricted level, all the dispersal airfields (as addressees/friendly forces) for that year.
PS
I had to educate WOn of God's people about changing of codewords as she had put out an SRO saying that Kinsman was now Candella (or similar Opord) thus compromising the new codeword.
ST Mawgan played host to Vulcan in 80/81 ish.. I recall a particularly foggy night on the airfeild, when I met one coming down the taxiway in the opposite direction. Quick visit onto the grass in the Minivan saw us out of harms way - We'd taken a wrong turning at one of the runway crossing points. - Easily done in the dark and fog.
I seem to recall they were hooked up with some rubber things to comms posts along the Northern parallel taxiway,
I seem to recall they were hooked up with some rubber things to comms posts along the Northern parallel taxiway,
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A similar system, Telebrief, served the fighter airfields but this was from the SOCs.
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The pedantic Answer to this Question (dispersal sites after 1968) is that after 30/6/69 there were none. Individual aircraft, maybe a Flight, did TDY.
The purpose of dispersal was to give PM the option not to First Strike (precisely: First Launch, capable of recall) as the Threat worsened, but to Second Strike, Launch on Warning. Fylingdales BMEWS was live from 17/9/63; Clear and Thule had been up since 10/61 but of modest comfort to UK. Nonetheless Bomber Command stood QRA, 1 aircraft per squadron, 24/7, from 1/4/62. Previous dispersal Exercises worked to a presumed 15 mins. Warning, detection of aircraft Threat. Soviet IRBMs precipitated <4 minute Q.
Operational Readiness Platforms to generate 2 or 4 aircraft 2-3 minutes' Q from 9 Main Bases and 27 dispersals were built to Fylingdales' schedule, initiated by 2/62, done largely in 1963 (Wynn.P.306; P.339 has Waddo's completed 2/63. Posters here doubt some planned ORPs - Bruntingthorpe, Elvington, Prestwick, Stansted). PPRuNers noted (most of) these 27 sites and others, but did not separate Away Day Detached Duty from Q/ORP sites. There was no large scale, armed dispersal before 1/4/62 because:
- aircraft did not sit away from Main Base with live British weapons prior to Yellow Sun Mk.2 (see Brian Burnell's site: learn of chicken feathers and ball bearings); and:
- US weapons remained under US custody. So neither RAFG/Canberra B(I)6/8, standing Q 15/9/60-6/6/72, nor TBF Valiant, Q 10/10/60-26/1/65, could disperse.
Hennessy/Secret State,P.201 has PM valiantly holding Alert 3, on Main Bases, not moving to dispersal...but he did not have the option to disperse because: Marham Valiant/Mk.28 were for Saceur, not him, to Task; his 16 Victor 1/Yellow Sun Mk.1 could not disperse; and for his 16 Victor 1/, 24 Vulcan 1/ and 8 Vulcan 2/YS Mk.2 on 3 Main Bases, there was nowhere to go fit to Launch on Warning. If he were to Launch on Command, use them or lose them, he would give Bomber Command the time needed to do so from Main Base.
Q+dispersal applied thus (derived from Wynn):
Honington Victor 1: 1/5/62-6/11/65, and Cottesmore Victor 1: early-63 - 9/64 (though whether 16 Sapphires could be up and at 'em in 4 mins. is unclear);
Coningsby Vulcan 2: early-63 - 11/64 (Wynn lauds the later responsiveness of Olympus 301, so whether 16 Olympus 201...&tc); Wing to:
Cottesmore Vulcan 2: 11/64-2/69;
Waddington Vulcan 1: 1/4/62- mid-67 (though whether 16 Olympus 101...&tc); Wing to:
Waddington Vulcan 2: 9/66- 30/6/69 (Strike Command Q stand down);
Scampton Vulcan 2/Blue Steel: (inert, from 28/3/63; wet: ) 7/64-30/6/69;
Wittering Victor 2/Blue Steel: (inert, from 24/10/63; 1963; wet: ) 7/64-31/12/68. PPRuNer PN has this combo's readiness as "lame".
Waddington Wing operated Vulcan 2/WE177B 9/66-21/12/82, Scampton Wing, 1/1/70-28/2/82. PPRruNers have Waddington's dispersals as BAC Filton, Leuchars, Machrihanish, Manston, Wattisham; Scampton's as RAE Bedford, RNAS Brawdy and Lossiemouth, Kinloss, Leeming. What they did not do after 30/6/69 was disperse on Q.
The purpose of dispersal was to give PM the option not to First Strike (precisely: First Launch, capable of recall) as the Threat worsened, but to Second Strike, Launch on Warning. Fylingdales BMEWS was live from 17/9/63; Clear and Thule had been up since 10/61 but of modest comfort to UK. Nonetheless Bomber Command stood QRA, 1 aircraft per squadron, 24/7, from 1/4/62. Previous dispersal Exercises worked to a presumed 15 mins. Warning, detection of aircraft Threat. Soviet IRBMs precipitated <4 minute Q.
Operational Readiness Platforms to generate 2 or 4 aircraft 2-3 minutes' Q from 9 Main Bases and 27 dispersals were built to Fylingdales' schedule, initiated by 2/62, done largely in 1963 (Wynn.P.306; P.339 has Waddo's completed 2/63. Posters here doubt some planned ORPs - Bruntingthorpe, Elvington, Prestwick, Stansted). PPRuNers noted (most of) these 27 sites and others, but did not separate Away Day Detached Duty from Q/ORP sites. There was no large scale, armed dispersal before 1/4/62 because:
- aircraft did not sit away from Main Base with live British weapons prior to Yellow Sun Mk.2 (see Brian Burnell's site: learn of chicken feathers and ball bearings); and:
- US weapons remained under US custody. So neither RAFG/Canberra B(I)6/8, standing Q 15/9/60-6/6/72, nor TBF Valiant, Q 10/10/60-26/1/65, could disperse.
Hennessy/Secret State,P.201 has PM valiantly holding Alert 3, on Main Bases, not moving to dispersal...but he did not have the option to disperse because: Marham Valiant/Mk.28 were for Saceur, not him, to Task; his 16 Victor 1/Yellow Sun Mk.1 could not disperse; and for his 16 Victor 1/, 24 Vulcan 1/ and 8 Vulcan 2/YS Mk.2 on 3 Main Bases, there was nowhere to go fit to Launch on Warning. If he were to Launch on Command, use them or lose them, he would give Bomber Command the time needed to do so from Main Base.
Q+dispersal applied thus (derived from Wynn):
Honington Victor 1: 1/5/62-6/11/65, and Cottesmore Victor 1: early-63 - 9/64 (though whether 16 Sapphires could be up and at 'em in 4 mins. is unclear);
Coningsby Vulcan 2: early-63 - 11/64 (Wynn lauds the later responsiveness of Olympus 301, so whether 16 Olympus 201...&tc); Wing to:
Cottesmore Vulcan 2: 11/64-2/69;
Waddington Vulcan 1: 1/4/62- mid-67 (though whether 16 Olympus 101...&tc); Wing to:
Waddington Vulcan 2: 9/66- 30/6/69 (Strike Command Q stand down);
Scampton Vulcan 2/Blue Steel: (inert, from 28/3/63; wet: ) 7/64-30/6/69;
Wittering Victor 2/Blue Steel: (inert, from 24/10/63; 1963; wet: ) 7/64-31/12/68. PPRuNer PN has this combo's readiness as "lame".
Waddington Wing operated Vulcan 2/WE177B 9/66-21/12/82, Scampton Wing, 1/1/70-28/2/82. PPRruNers have Waddington's dispersals as BAC Filton, Leuchars, Machrihanish, Manston, Wattisham; Scampton's as RAE Bedford, RNAS Brawdy and Lossiemouth, Kinloss, Leeming. What they did not do after 30/6/69 was disperse on Q.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Tornodoken, comprehensive. The only thing I would say is that the V-force never dispersed on Q. Did you mean they never did a Micky Finn after 1969?
Prestwick was used as a dispersal; I seem to recaall vaguely it was a Cottesmore one. Elvingdon IIRC was a Scamton one.
You say why MacMillan never disperse the force in 1963. Do you have any info on the ring of steel? Bloodhound 1 sites around the bomber bases?
I know Woolfox Lodge covered Cottesmore and Wittering to the west, Woodhall Spa covered Coningsby and to some extent Waddington. There was one at Marham and also West Rainham. Where were the rest? North Coates? Was Catfoss? Haxey?
What was the effective range of a BH1?
Prestwick was used as a dispersal; I seem to recaall vaguely it was a Cottesmore one. Elvingdon IIRC was a Scamton one.
You say why MacMillan never disperse the force in 1963. Do you have any info on the ring of steel? Bloodhound 1 sites around the bomber bases?
I know Woolfox Lodge covered Cottesmore and Wittering to the west, Woodhall Spa covered Coningsby and to some extent Waddington. There was one at Marham and also West Rainham. Where were the rest? North Coates? Was Catfoss? Haxey?
What was the effective range of a BH1?
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Exercise Dispersals
Tornadoken,
Two points:
1.Vulcan 200 and 300 series aircraft engines had no appreciable difference in light up and go times. On a practice scramble the aircraft were almost sure to be mixed.
2.In the seventies Wittering was used by Scampton, and Wyton by Waddington in addition to those you listed - source : my logbook.
Two points:
1.Vulcan 200 and 300 series aircraft engines had no appreciable difference in light up and go times. On a practice scramble the aircraft were almost sure to be mixed.
2.In the seventies Wittering was used by Scampton, and Wyton by Waddington in addition to those you listed - source : my logbook.
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DA, I only mentioned Catfoss as it was a regular low level target, along with North Coates, for Air Defence exercises.
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Bloodhound Mk1 orbat
My understanding is that the Bloodhound Mk1 orbat (ISD 59-64/65) was 4 Wings:
21 Wg HQ Lindholme- 94Sqn Misson, 112 Sqn Breighton, 247 Sqn Carnaby
24 Wg HQ Watton- 242 Sqn Marham, 263 Sqn Watton, 266 Sqn Rattlesden
148 Wg HQ North Coates- 141 Sqn Dunholme Lodge, 222 Sqn Woodhall Spa, 264 Sqn North Coates (+ Service Trials Unit)
151 Wg HQ North Luffenham- 67 Sqn Woolfox Lodge, 237 Sqn Warboys
Also trials firing unit at Aberporth & training site at Newton. Some firings also at Woomera.
Bloodhound Mk2 started to be introduced in late 63 (North Coates trials unit) & ISDs 64/65 onwards. OSD 93.
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21 Wg HQ Lindholme- 94Sqn Misson, 112 Sqn Breighton, 247 Sqn Carnaby
24 Wg HQ Watton- 242 Sqn Marham, 263 Sqn Watton, 266 Sqn Rattlesden
148 Wg HQ North Coates- 141 Sqn Dunholme Lodge, 222 Sqn Woodhall Spa, 264 Sqn North Coates (+ Service Trials Unit)
151 Wg HQ North Luffenham- 67 Sqn Woolfox Lodge, 237 Sqn Warboys
Also trials firing unit at Aberporth & training site at Newton. Some firings also at Woomera.
Bloodhound Mk2 started to be introduced in late 63 (North Coates trials unit) & ISDs 64/65 onwards. OSD 93.
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