Operation Robin
Well, here goes. I have done some further investigating from several sources including the CIA Archives (thank goodness for the Freedom of Information Act). As a result I have changed some of the information that I had previously written.
In May 1953, English Electric were producing the Canberra B2. Bomber, when they started the production line for the reconnaissance version, the PR3. Richard Bissell, who was the head CIA person responsible for Russian Overflights asked his Scientific adviser, Richard S Leghorn to research high Altitude aircraft that could help the United States carry out photographic overflights of Soviet territory.
Leghorn was convinced that the Canberra could be the aircraft if it were modified. He insisted that English Electric be invited over to the Wright Air Development Command in Dayton to discuss modifications. They said that the CIA were extreamly impressed with the altitude perfofmance of the B2. (47,000 ft ceiling) and asked the English Electric Designers if there was any possibility that they could extend the length of the Canberra's wings and install more powerful engines, to produce an even higher ceiling. When the Boffins got back to the UK, they felt that their wing design was nigh on perfect, but installed six, more powerful Rolls Royce Avon-109 engines to three Canberra's on the production line (WH726, WJ573 & WJ574). To their amazement, the ceiling on these three aircraft increased from 47,000 ft to 65,000 ft. Which was incredable as this was only 5,000 ft lower than the U-2's ceiling and the U-2. wasn't even on the drawing board at this stage.
British Intelligence had found out that a lot of German WWII missile experts were shipped to Kapustin Yar, South East of Stalingrad to develop missiles by the Russians. No one knew if these were short, intermediate or long range missiles. At this time, the USA did not have a long range, high altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft like the Canberra, so the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA agreed that they would propose that the RAF would carry out a deep penetration mission to Kapustin Yar in a modified Canberra. US President Eisenhower would not give permission for US overflights of Russia. The UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to the RAF undertaking this operation, even though he had reservations about it.
All three aircraft were modified for reconnaissance duties. WH726 was fitted with extra fuel tanks in the bomb bay and was flown to Hanscom Field in the US and had an ultra high quality 100 inch oblique camera, designed by Dr Jim Baker which was on loan to the RAF and was fitted to the Port side of the rear fuselage.
When WH726 flew back to the UK, they did a trial flight by flying up the English Channel and took some high quality photographs of the streets of Central London! The three aircraft were delivered on loan to 540 Sqn at RAF Wyton. On the 27th August 1953, Canberra WH726 who's Crew consisted of Wg Cdr A.W.H.(Freddie)Ball, Sqd Ldr W.N.(Don)Kenyon and Sgt A.J.(Jim)Brown. Canberra WJ574 who's Crew consisted of Fl Lt Garside, Fl Lt Shield (on the 27th August mission) and Fl Lt Reeve (on the 28th August mission) and Sgt Wigglesworth. Both aircraft took off on the 27th August during the day for a practice flight. The normal procedure was once they achieved operating height, the second aircraft would check to make sure that the lead aircraft was not displaying a telltale "contrail".
At about 1:00am on 28th August 1953, both aircraft took off from the American Base at Giebelstadt, which is about 8 miles South East of Wurzburg in West Germany (right on the East German Border). The idea was to fly under cover of darkness and to arrive at Kapustin Yar just after sunrise. WH726 flew via Kiev, Kharkov then south of Stalingrad then turned to Port to head for the missile production and testing grounds at Kapustin Yar. Russian Radar tracked WH726 as soon as it entered Soviet airspace and the Russians vectored fighters to try and intercept the Canberra, but the MiG-15 fighters did not have A.I. Radar and they had to rely on visual sightings, which at night and with WH726 being blacked out would have been impossible.
By the time that WH726 arrived at Kapustin Yar, it was daylight and one MiG-15 Pilot, Lieutenant Mikail Shulga spotted the Canberra several thousand feet above him glinting in the morning sun. He was flying at his maximum altitude which was 47,000 ft, so all he could do was to accelerate in a shallow dive then pulling the MiG-15 into a climb, but his aircraft kept stalling "and nothing came of it", which dispels the stories that WH726 was flying at 47,000 ft also that the aircraft was fired on and badly damaged. A Russian defector, who in 1953 served as an Air Defence Radar Operator and recalls that the Canberra incident was an absolute farce as some MiG-15's were incorrectly vectored and the Pilots were confussed and started firing at each other.
Once the photographs were taken, WH726 turned back on itself and followed the Volga River to the Caspian Sea and then on to Iran (Tabriz airfield). Once the Crew were rested and the aircraft refuelled, it was flown back to Giebelstadt where the film was transported back to the States for processing and analysis.
WH726 went on to fly "Operation Robin" missions along the Eastern Block Countries between 10 and 40 miles outside their Border with the oblique camera. On 1st March 1954, Fl Lt D.C. Downs and Fl Lt J. Gingell flew WH726 back to Hanscom Field in the States to have the 100 inch oblique camera replaced by a 240 inch downward looking LOROP camera fitted in the bomb bay. WH726 continued flying photographic missions till 21nd September 1966 when it was struck off the RAF Inventory and sold to BAC, who converted it to B72 standard. It was then sold on to the Peruvian Airforce.
Many thanks to all the sources, that I have been able to piece this all together.
Last edited by VIProds; 17th Sep 2009 at 15:14.