Russian Overflights by RAF Crews during the "Cold War"
Do you remember the paint scheme as looking temporary and brushed on, or properly applied with all the usual stencils, etc.?
Red white and blue roundels, or red and blue?
The problem with a low conspicuity Canberra for night ops is that it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in daylight and on any flightline?
Red white and blue roundels, or red and blue?
The problem with a low conspicuity Canberra for night ops is that it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in daylight and on any flightline?
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At last, Waddo Linney, someone else who has seen a black Canberra! Way back in the thread I mentioned, as a young teenager seeing an all black Canberra land at Sylt in 1961. When I reminded my father of it a few years ago his reply was , "Yes, but because it was pushed into a hangar so quickly, you didn't see the bullet holes in the fin." Going back the RB45 overflights, a close friend of mine who sadly died last year, Flt Lt Gordon Tompkins MBE, processed the film that came back. Following a tour on Lincolns he was posted to the Weather Flight at Wyton. Gordon was navigator and a fellow navigator and his pilot would disappear for three days. Gordon had a room at the top of the photo section at Wyton and in theory he was the only one with a key. When his navigator friend returned a package of film would appear on his desk. Gordon was assisted by a Dr Llewelyn in developing a process of printing that brought out detail, though not 3d. All this was done in Gordon's spare time and in total secrecy. He would take the prints in person to MOD ( Air Ministry) in London. For his work he was awarded the MBE. I hope this gives just a little more to the story.
My dad is 82, flew in Shackleton's and Canberra's. Says and has said very little about what he did, but flew or was based out of Cyprus and Malta at times? Does that make sense?
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Do you remember the paint scheme as looking temporary and brushed on, or properly applied with all the usual stencils, etc.?
Red white and blue roundels, or red and blue?
The problem with a low conspicuity Canberra for night ops is that it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in daylight and on any flightline?
Red white and blue roundels, or red and blue?
The problem with a low conspicuity Canberra for night ops is that it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in daylight and on any flightline?
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At last, Waddo Linney, someone else who has seen a black Canberra! Way back in the thread I mentioned, as a young teenager seeing an all black Canberra land at Sylt in 1961. When I reminded my father of it a few years ago his reply was , "Yes, but because it was pushed into a hangar so quickly, you didn't see the bullet holes in the fin."
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I have feelers out, trying to get in touch with other ground crew members who served at Labuan at that time and who may have memories of the mysterious Canberra.
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Waddo Liney, it was so long ago I can't recall if it had a sheen or not. I do recall Dad saying that it was not cleared to land at RAF Sylt. I have always presumed that it was at height either near or over the Russian border and got caught by a fighter. Knowing they had been hit, and not knowing the damage, I would think the crew elected to land at the nearest NATO base.
Last edited by MikeeB; 10th Jun 2020 at 13:05.
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Made a request to MOD through the Freedom of Information Act for any pertinent information. The reply was that it's too long ago to be in its records, but it was suggested that I try searching the National Archives. Don't think I particularly want to chase down that rabbit hole.
However there is no reference within as to their role nor where operational flights took place just a reference to a secret file at 11 Group for further information. So likely in this case this "overflight" might not be mentioned in the ORB.
One intriguing event was an "air to sea firing programme" carried out at Leysdown.. Perhaps if they saw an E-Boat they were expected to attack it??
Of course only a proportion of the RAF records are available for download though, at the moment, there is no charge to do so...
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Nutty
I’ve had a link removed recently, the explanation by the mods was that there’s a requirement to also have text by the poster, not just the link.
I’ve had a link removed recently, the explanation by the mods was that there’s a requirement to also have text by the poster, not just the link.
One of the officers had his own Tiger Moth, so he got a flight in that one day, said it was the best thing he ever flew in whilst in the RAF.
I'll ask some more next time I go round more for my own interest than anything else, but if anyone has any specific questions based on the above, please let me know.
Regards
