Russian Overflights by RAF Crews during the "Cold War"

[VIProds]

Kapustin Yar

Heimdall

Many thanks. I used your excellent paper on "Spyflight" for Operation Ju Jitsu and Operation Robin as the basis of my investigation. You are right, I have all sorts of memo's and letters between Bomber Command, Air Ministry, The Secretary of State, The Cabinet and the PM (thanks Dave) on Operation Ju Jitsu, but not a sausage on Operation Robin.

The only two official mentions are in a Memo from Bomber Command to Air Ministry stating that "we will have to wait until late 1952 before a Canberra PR3. will be ready". Also, in John Crampton's article where there is a very professional looking chart of Europe and Russia, showing the three routes for the April 1954 Operation Ju Jitsu mission, but also for the August 1953 route (WH726) which starts at Giebelstadt and follows John Crampton's out leg i.e. Giebelstadt - Prague - Krakow - Kiev - Karkov and Stalingrad.

I took the information on the more powerful Rolls Royce Avon-109 engines from the CIA Archives, a document entitled "The CIA and the U-2 Program" by Gregory W. Pedlow & Donald E. Welzenbach Chapter 1 Page 5.

Cargill Hall asserts that "the RAF flight was part of Operation Robin and flown by a Canberra B2. carrying a 100 inch lens. It took off in late August 1953 from Giebelstadt, Germany" Paul Lashmar contacted former 540 Sqn aircrew and states that Fl Lt Gingell remembers flying WH726 to the US in Spring 1954. The RAF Wyton ORB confirmed that this aircraft departed 1st March 1954 for six weeks.

Again from the CIA Archives on page 189 of "Intelligence and National Security". Chris Pocock checked RAF Wyton ORB to see "On 1st March 1954 No58 Sqn sent Fl Lt DC Downs and Fl Lt J Gingell to the US for Operation Robin, originally planned as a two-week joint RAF/USAF trial, but extended to six weeks. They returned on 10th April 1954 and during this month WH726 was attached to the Squadron for Operation Robin. Cargill Hall has photographs of WH726 being modified to take the 240 inch camera and even though they are not dated, Chris Pocock believes they were taken in 1954.

The Public Records Office, Air/1106 (Project Robin) has three papers still missing, but a Memo from June 1955 (to & from the Vice - Chief of Air Staff) reveals that "Robin" received UK Political approval in June 1953. A specially modified Canberra fitted with an American 240 inch focal length lens camera would be used to photograph special targets near the Russian Border and Satellite frontiers. The flights would be 10 miles inside Western airspace. Neatly missing out the deep penetration to Kapustim Yar.