Prof.Hennessy has reissued
The Secret State with a graphic
(P.334) by a Nav Rad with 49 flightpaths skirting Arctic Sweden. Some launch from airports. He also
(P.212) has 26 RAF "Bomber Bases" (here noted *) in a 1967 CoS paper guessing Sov. targets in UK.
Let me try to link what
Wynn tells us, with what posters here have said.
Valiant/Marham*
Tactical Bomber Force: QRA: 1 a/c p.Sqdn from 1/10/60-9/12/64. No dispersal (US custodials).
Medium Bomber Force. 1 a/c p.Sqdn QRA (progressively) from 1/1/62 - 30/6/69, stated to be 14 a/c, late-1963. Dispersal Exercised 1961/62 as
Mickey Finn. First Whole Force/no notice was
MF III, 13-15/11/63:
CiC BC: "16 of our 29 dispersals were used by 47 a/c"
(p.337). MF IV, 26-29/10/64: 25 dispersals were used by 35 a/c, the remainder
({? =4} of our dispersals) was activated by personnel only"
p.338.
11/63 Class A: MBF Main Bases: Coningsby*/Cottesmore*/Scampton*/Waddington*: Vulcan; Honington*/Wittering*: Victor.
Other MBF Class A Bases: OCUs: Finningley*/Gaydon*;
PR: Wyton*.
9.
Wynn, P.306 agrees. Coningsby was inactive from 17/11/64, Gaydon from 6/65. ex-TBF Marham was idle, but available as an MBF dispersal, from 9/12/64 until Victor K.1 arrived 7/65
(and used by Waddo in ?1968).
Posters say (duplicates edited out):
Coningsby: Burtonwood
(only between early-1963 and 11/64, when 9 & 12 Sqdns. moved to Cott. and B'wood had come off RAF care & maintenance);
Cottesmore: Ballykelly*, MoA Boscombe Down*, Leconfield*, MoA Llanbedr, Lyneham*, MoA Pershore*, St.Mawgan*, Thorney Is., Valley*, RNAS Yeovilton*;
Scampton: RNAS Brawdy*, Kinloss*, Leeming*, RNAS Lossiemouth*, MoA Thurleigh (Bedford*);
Waddington: BAC Filton*, Leuchars, Machrihanish*, Manston*, Wattisham, HSAL Woodford;
Wittering: Bruntingthorpe (though
Action Stations has it empty after USAF/TAC left, 9/62)
(Wynn has Coltishall)
That's (6*, then 5 Main Bases, plus: 3*, then 2 nearly-Main, plus:
24 dispersals (16 of them are *). Posters have also offered: Carnaby, Chivenor, Fairford, MoA Farnborough, Shawbury, MoA West Freugh. (posters noted Valiant Detachments at College of A Cranfield, Cranwell, MoA Tarrant Rushton). No posts for "1966 given up": Elvington, Middleton St.George, Prestwick.
More input from the horses' mouths, please.
(Done; this post updated 25/11/10 to No.149)
So we're trying to identify "Our 29 dispersals" 11/63 for the 6 Main Bases.
If: 3 were Finningley, Gaydon and Wyton
(in 1963 Marham had its discrete TBF Q Task), plus the 16* here posted
then: the further 10 1963 dispersals might be: Bruntingthorpe, Burtonwood, Coltishall, Cranwell, Elvington, Llanbedr, Middleton St.George, Prestwick, Wattisham...plus 1. All these are in
Wynn's list
(P.307). His extra one was Stansted.