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Trim.
You clearly heard a different version of events than I did. Did anyone explain to you how two sigs corporals in a private car stood out in an ordinary street after making a bad choice on their 'orientation' route, that had not been preplanned? The Lynx was there to film the crowd, and would have had no idea that the two corporals were heading that way. Was it also explained to you why (if the crew knew who the car's occupants were) two British service men were allowed to be murdered over quite a long period of time with no attempted intervention (attempted being the correct word)! From memory, there were not that many variations in SOP's at that time (mainly for black/green ops), and just sitting back while someone is committing a violent life threatening act didn't really feature too heavily. On a day to day basis is was not uncommon for the last member of a brick to be pulled into a house for a bit of a kicking, and the SOP (official or otherwise) wasn't to simply leave them to it! Just my two penneth. |
Film about BRIXMIS
I have found this very interesting trailer on YouTube.
This is a fascinating subject and I'd love to view the whole film. Does anyone have details where I can obtain it, I have tried the usual 'Amazon' etc. Cheers ! Coldair YouTube - KEEP THE COLD WAR COLD - Trailer |
Try Artline Films - Productions de documentaires et de fictions if you can't find it listed email them, I think it's available on DVD.
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That's the exact one I meant Warmtoast .... bit of a "madeleine moment" with RAFG memories that sparked ......
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BRIXMIS
Just bought the mentioned book, arrived in the post this morning, a steal at £8.something from a well known on line retailer, that doesn't actually base itself around a South American River.
Will keep me amused on my trip to Bermuda tomorrow. |
Trim/Barnstormer. 18/03/88 MacBradaigh funeral. Maybe the Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly is best placed to describe the events.
Anyway, I also received the Brixmis book in the post yesterday and look forwrad to an interesting read. |
Drifting back to the thread.....
WJ916. The 'Top Secret' aircraft of the Royal Air Force. (Well it was in 1975). A Vickers Varsity!! The only aircraft I have seen taxy directly into a hangar (through the open doors, obviously*) and then shut down. The AF, and hangar, being overseen by 12 very big, very well armed RAF policemen. WY-Gatow-FY (* As opposed to the attempt later, by a different aircraft type, whose crew attempted to replicate the procedure but forgot to open the hangar doors first!) |
The only aircraft I have seen taxy directly into a hangar (through the open doors, obviously*) and then shut down. The AF, and hangar, being overseen by 12 very big, very well armed RAF policemen. |
Did 50% of the aforementioned book on the BA 2233 to Bermuda, had to keep putting it done or it would have ben finished in a single read !
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Obviously you boys in light blue were much better briefed than we in khaki. In BAOR in 55/56 there was no reporting system for the Soviet Mil Mission. No SOXMIS cards. As a 2/Lt I was a platoon commander and convoy leader with a tank transporter unit. Mostly carrying Centurions which Soviets knew all about from Korea, but also the new Conquerors on new Antar transporters. So we regularly saw the Soviets 'counting us out and counting us in'.
Most awkward moment: in the Army officers don't ride motor cycles, except in this one tank transporter unit. Although I had a lone pip on my helmet no Brit soldier ever realised I was an officer so I was never saluted when on my bike. Different in the Soviet Army. One day, leading a convoy I saw the Soviets counting us past a junction, with their driver standing on the roadside. I was greeted with an immaculate salute. Anxious not to cause offence, I tried to salute back - difficult when on a bike, especially when checking the road for the 100 ton transporter behind me, so I responded with something more of a wave than a salute. I fear the Soviets may not have been impressed.... |
I came into contact with SOXMIS during my time on the Harrier Force. It was during Op Horrendous Farce, or Hard Frost, I know it began with HF.
It was the GR5's first trip out into the woods and consequently of great interest to Ivan. We were lumbering along the autobahn in convoy heading for Bergen somewhere in our Bedford 4 ton trucks. The convoy was obliged to travel at the speed of the slowest vehicle, this being the AEC Mammoth de-min water tanker, the very same that had followed Monty across northern Africa: thus we travelled very slowly. Ivan appeared in my wing mirror and commenced a very slow overtake of the exceedingly slow convoy taking snaps of the GR5 spares loaded under the tarpaulins. This included spare Pegasus, replacement wings, and assorted ground equipment. I was driving the tail end truck as Ivan dropped back alongside with Igor happily snapping from the passenger window. Prior to departing Gut we had been briefed that SOXMIS were likely to pay us attention and our response was to make it difficult for him. Knowing that my Bedford's acceleration was no match for Ivan's 4x4 that had been cast from solid ore I attempted to "squeeze" him into the central barrier. Twice I drifted into his lane, each time he backed off until I moved back to the right whereupon he again came alongside with Igor snapping away vigourously. After two "squeezes" Ivan must have been pretty sure he'd found the truck with the GR5 ordnance on board as he was getting quite fixated photographing the tarped load on my truck. It was then that the convoy outriders on their CanAm Bombardiers finally caught up with the solid ore 4x4 and shooed him away. Ivan was right to concentrate on my truck at the back of the convoy as it was indeed carrying the most important element of a Harrier Force deployment......... 4 tons of Herforder pils; aka Herfy Handbags! Zazdrovje Ivan:ok: |
The Classic Flight Club's Pembroke, XL954, pictured below, was used for spying/photographic missions on flights between West Germany and Berlin.
ScanImage19 1024 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Read more details here: Aircraft |
TQF Andovers used to taxy in/out of the hangar at Benson.
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BRIXMIS
I found this to be a better insight ot BRIXMIS missions..............
The Last Mission : Behind the Iron Curtain by Steve Gibson A first person account of the operations of a unique British military unit with the privilege of operating behind the Iron Curtain throughout the Cold War. Written by the unit's last tour officer, it covers the years 1988-1990 while also offering historical perspectives on the unit's almost 50-year history. Includes photographs. |
That explains why BAC Hurn had a dedicated Alvis Leonides engine overhaul shop between the 1-11 production lines in the 1970s and, IIRC, did a couple of Pembroke wing respars as well.
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Spent 6 months at Gatow on a holding post as a young P/O - went on a couple of Chipmunk flights whilst there, and we also planned a trip down the corridor to Celle, but it was obviously thought to be a bit too obvious so it was abandoned....
the Berlin Air Safety Centre was another weird set-up, and we won't even mention the "T'berg" place.... |
Leonides for the Pembroke
In the late eighties, when the Pemmies should have been retired but were not due to the Andover conversion over-run. Alvis were persuaded (cer-ching) to build another 6 engines for 60 Sqn. I heard that they had to get a chap well past his retirement age (80's) to come back and assemble them because no-one was current on them.
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Leonides for the Pembroke
What a wonderful story!
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Gatow
Its strange to see that there is no one here who has commented was never at Gatow?
I wonder why?, even though there are books written about this stuff ........ Some secrets have a longer shelf life than others and promote conspiracy LOL, I was there 78 to 81 but I'm not talking either hee hee |
The book, 'Last Mission' is an awesome book about Brixmis, although hard to find these days.
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The Last Mission
The Last Mission has been re-published as:
Live and Let Spy: BRIXMIS: The Last Cold War Mission Author: Steve Gibson ISBN: 9780752465807 and is readily available through ABE Books. Silly price being asked for the 1997 first edition. YS |
More on BRIXMIS:
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Live and Let Spy also available from Amazon
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Yes Dave, I was on 60 in the late 1960's and recall that, if the weather was bad, we often didn't deliver the film to Rheindallen until 1600 on Friday...... Not the best time for you guys!
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Pembroke at Wildenrath
Many years ago I was on an ATC Camp at Wildenrath. My somewhat battered 3822 records a 15 minute trip in Pembroke XL953. This one had a full pax fit, and most of the camp were given a trip in it.
According to one of the crew, this one had the nav's desk in the cabin, as a 'senior officer' liked to fly it from time to time to keep his hand in. Can anyone confirm this? |
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BRIXMIS Chipmunks
Heard somewhere that a twin radial engined RAF comms/transport aircraft named after a dock may also have played a role.
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Pembroke C(PR)Mk.1. Sixty Squadron Wildenrath
Photographic images of the internal photo kit fitted to the 60 Squadron PR Pemmies have been impossible to find despite 40 years + of interest in the type. Best I have found is a page of a 1958 Hunting Pembroke brochure which shows the mounting frames for the oblique cameras against the optically flat side windows and the vertical camera position on the floor above the sliding belly doors. I am unable to post images on this site so sorry for that. Anyone with internal photos is cordially invited to share them!
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In the early 80s the 2 ringer who played the Russky in most Air Exercises at Chivenor,one B B,declared himself an Ex Chippie driver of said outfit.He was fluent in Russian,and was in Germany recovering from an incident,of which he had had a few,but flew the Chippie on such sorties.He became Boss of 63 I believe a bit later.The Wingco Ops at Chivenor then was also Ex Germany and had done likewise,and knew BB well.Said Wingco was in the "chair" when the Pablo Mason "Red Tea Shirt" event occurred.Somewhere I have a small Air to Air Pix of the 151 Hawk minus most of its nose with main gear hanging,prior to the SNO vacating followed by the tattered red tea shirt worn by Pablo,taken by the chase plane sent up by G L the Wingco Ops,but am not clear how to post it here!!
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Somewhere I have a small Air to Air Pix of the 151 Hawk minus most of its nose with main gear hanging,prior to the SNO vacating followed by the tattered red tea shirt worn by Pablo,taken by the chase plane sent up by G L the Wingco Ops,but am not clear how to post it here!! http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/P...Pablo/hawk.jpg |
For the uninitiated, was this a bird strike or a mid-air collision?
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Midair with another 151 Sqn Hawk, 29th July 1983.
All four crew ejected successfully, one Hawk came down near Holsworthy, the other went into Bideford Bay. |
Yes indeed the very same!!The SNO,known as the Albatross or Black Pete, was presented with the broken nose including probe,rather bent mounted on a Mah ogany Plinth,which I think may reside in his hallway.It all resulted from a 1V1 that went wrong,and the unfortunate Foreign Stude that caused it,plus Ex Crimson Crab Instructor banged out immediately.Whilst the surviving airframe was deemed flyable, Uncle George sent up a chase plane to assess whether it was recoverable.The SNO elected to vacate,as there was not much left of the nose in front of him and leave Pablo to attempt a grass landing on the remaining gear,however it decided to become uncontrollable after the first ejection,hence the tattered tea shirt caused by Pablo's successful subsequent ejection.As stated the Aircraft became lost at sea.
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The US had their own SF group a clandestine unit of about 90 Green Berets
Detachment "A", Berlin Brigade |
It originally had a hybrid colour scheme of RAF paint with civvie registration displayed but it now has an authentic Training Command scheme. (I believe at one time this aircraft was also at Hamble). http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psccq9ig3m.jpg |
There has been much on this forum about the activities of the 60 Sqn Pembrokes and the BRIXMIS Chipmunks. If anyone wants to dleve further they should try 'Looking Down The Corridors' by Kevin Wright and Peter Jefferies. ISBN No 9 780750 979474 published by History Press and available in paperback form. It should tell you what you wanted to know but were too frightened to ask. Notwithstanding Beags Valley incident.
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Cromwellian - Just finished reading it. Very interesting read, and heightened for me by mention of Hans Neubroch, as a wg cdr, and whose obituary I wrote last year for our school old boys magazine.
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