RAF pilots secret raids in Yemen - Telegraph article & Storm Front book (merged)
Mirbat
Jenkins,
So right!! But they would have then continued Northwards towards Muscat and then Khasab and may have achieved their aim. Who knows, still the best years flying that I had and some of the best people that I have known, long live SOAF!!
So right!! But they would have then continued Northwards towards Muscat and then Khasab and may have achieved their aim. Who knows, still the best years flying that I had and some of the best people that I have known, long live SOAF!!
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Jenkins, that was one of my theories after a few beers. I added the fact the Indonesian were moving into the north of Borneo and the oil producing areas at a similar period of time . Considering the Russians had a a lot of influence over Sukarno my theory was it was a war of attrition. Shut off the oil from the western countries and no need to put Russian troops in harms way.
Totally agree with you Bill......even though we did it with 4 engines the valley approach to Khasab in the Herc was stunning.....Hope your keeping well good days in SOAF/RAFO
Gentleman Aviator
Oh come on Jenkins, do keep up - I'd have thought your grasp of geopolitics a bit better than that! And even if it hadn't have been the same Adoo, their Khasab colleagues would have been remarkably encouraged by victory at Mirbat.
As to the "Secret War" aspect, we used to say cynically that the Dhofar War finished before CNN started. That said, there were the occasional TV crews who came to Dhofar. I recall flying some (ITV or BBC, will check logbook) from Salalah up to the Hammers and/or the Dianas. And on the strength of that, put my then current UK "squeeze" (now Milady Teeters) in contact with the TV team - she got a slap-up meal and a tour round the studios when it was transmitted!
I also have (somewhere!) notes of an account of Mirbat from the other (ie Adoo) side. Will post that if I can find it ....... just seen in the Torygraph some details of a campaign started to get "Laba" the posthumous VC he so richly deserved ....MID pshaw!!
As to the "Secret War" aspect, we used to say cynically that the Dhofar War finished before CNN started. That said, there were the occasional TV crews who came to Dhofar. I recall flying some (ITV or BBC, will check logbook) from Salalah up to the Hammers and/or the Dianas. And on the strength of that, put my then current UK "squeeze" (now Milady Teeters) in contact with the TV team - she got a slap-up meal and a tour round the studios when it was transmitted!
I also have (somewhere!) notes of an account of Mirbat from the other (ie Adoo) side. Will post that if I can find it ....... just seen in the Torygraph some details of a campaign started to get "Laba" the posthumous VC he so richly deserved ....MID pshaw!!
The Daily Telegraph mentions a Hunter "crippled by gunfire", was this in fact a Strikie?
When the Adoo gained SAM 7s the Strikie's ground attack days were up. Along came the Hunter's gifted by Jordan which took over the job.
I once flew home with a former Hunter (contract) pilot who went on to fly 1-11s with SOAF. He showed me his log book with "before" and "after" photos of an Adoo emplacement in a cave with a large rock overhang hiding its entrance at the end of a wadi. In went the Hunters, up the wadi, lobbed a few 100 lbs of HE into the cave, end result no cave, just a pile of rubble - real 633 Squadron stuff!
When the Adoo gained SAM 7s the Strikie's ground attack days were up. Along came the Hunter's gifted by Jordan which took over the job.
I once flew home with a former Hunter (contract) pilot who went on to fly 1-11s with SOAF. He showed me his log book with "before" and "after" photos of an Adoo emplacement in a cave with a large rock overhang hiding its entrance at the end of a wadi. In went the Hunters, up the wadi, lobbed a few 100 lbs of HE into the cave, end result no cave, just a pile of rubble - real 633 Squadron stuff!
The Daily Telegraph mentions a Hunter "crippled by gunfire", was this in fact a Strikie?
Can anybody identify these Strikie pilots for me please. The photo was taken at Seeb around the time of the national day celebrations in 1977. I am out of picture to the left having just had a most enjoyable flight in the right hand seat of a Strikie with one of these gents.
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Last edited by Compass Call; 31st Oct 2014 at 00:09.
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SOAF 1969 -1970
Hi DMS
I arrived in Oman about 12 months before you. Just after they had delivered the sand. You missed the saga of split canopies and retained ammmo links etc. I had a great friend out there called Peter Hulme (RIP) and flew lots of trips with him after several teething troubles. He told me that if he was going to die doing acceptance test flying, then he was going to take someone from BAC with him. That was my intro. to flying in Strikemasters. Add to that, Beavers and one trip in the Piston Provost. (One was enpough) Do you recall, when at RAF Leeming, a certain Mike Drabanski? What was the story there. He went to SOAF as well.
Plewis
I arrived in Oman about 12 months before you. Just after they had delivered the sand. You missed the saga of split canopies and retained ammmo links etc. I had a great friend out there called Peter Hulme (RIP) and flew lots of trips with him after several teething troubles. He told me that if he was going to die doing acceptance test flying, then he was going to take someone from BAC with him. That was my intro. to flying in Strikemasters. Add to that, Beavers and one trip in the Piston Provost. (One was enpough) Do you recall, when at RAF Leeming, a certain Mike Drabanski? What was the story there. He went to SOAF as well.
Plewis
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Hi Dave, not sure how I landed here especially on a 2011 thread, but saw Dick's name and your own but it is probably buried by now.
I ended up staying for the whole of the War from 1970 to 1977, I think that I was the longest serving active service pilot in the end. There must be others on here that I was there with ie:- Old Duffer, as I was with John and Roger when they were shot down by the SAM 7. We were on a resupply run but were called away to provide top cover for the Strikies who were going Adoo bashing.
We flew at around 4,000ft AGL which was supposed to be out of missile range but they had just got the 7B which we did not know about. I saw John's 205 go up in smoke and flames and plummet down, and started down after him. This was when they fired the second missile but but the Company Commander down below saw it fired and had time to call out "Sam, Sam, Sam." Standard procedure was for any helicopter pilot that heard it to go into a vertical spiral at 6,000ft/min ROD, and fire off his decoy missiles. I broke the lock on it but it must have had a proximity fuse that detonated it and I lost part of my tail fin and rotor. I could not continue down to try and see if anybody survived, and had to limp back to base. Sadly it was one of Rogers first flights as he was still doing his conversion after leaving the RAF as a Wing Cdr.
Enough for now,
cheers
David Duncan
I ended up staying for the whole of the War from 1970 to 1977, I think that I was the longest serving active service pilot in the end. There must be others on here that I was there with ie:- Old Duffer, as I was with John and Roger when they were shot down by the SAM 7. We were on a resupply run but were called away to provide top cover for the Strikies who were going Adoo bashing.
We flew at around 4,000ft AGL which was supposed to be out of missile range but they had just got the 7B which we did not know about. I saw John's 205 go up in smoke and flames and plummet down, and started down after him. This was when they fired the second missile but but the Company Commander down below saw it fired and had time to call out "Sam, Sam, Sam." Standard procedure was for any helicopter pilot that heard it to go into a vertical spiral at 6,000ft/min ROD, and fire off his decoy missiles. I broke the lock on it but it must have had a proximity fuse that detonated it and I lost part of my tail fin and rotor. I could not continue down to try and see if anybody survived, and had to limp back to base. Sadly it was one of Rogers first flights as he was still doing his conversion after leaving the RAF as a Wing Cdr.
Enough for now,
cheers
David Duncan
Picked up Storm Front off Kindle - halfway through it now after reading all of your comments and dits.
What a cracking read - real boys own stuff except all true.
You can feel the heat, sun and smell the avtur off the pages - very well written.
What a cracking read - real boys own stuff except all true.
You can feel the heat, sun and smell the avtur off the pages - very well written.
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I am looking at it now as it is hanging in my Study. Unfortunately badly faded as it was in the conservatory initially. It did not go down well with my Army friends as our AB205 had main staging as opposed to the troops themselves.
That was Op Simba at Mainbrace in early 1972, well and truly taking the War to the Adoo, and for the next few years we were in and out almost daily. It was thanks to the Sher****ti Kid with his HMG in the caves there that I ended up with a crash landing on the runway, a written off 205, and another fractured spine and concussion.
Happy days and memories, and hard to believe that it was over forty years ago. I am a lifetime member of SAFA and it is sad to see that the number of obituaries of my old friends and colleagues increases annually.
David Duncan SOAF
That was Op Simba at Mainbrace in early 1972, well and truly taking the War to the Adoo, and for the next few years we were in and out almost daily. It was thanks to the Sher****ti Kid with his HMG in the caves there that I ended up with a crash landing on the runway, a written off 205, and another fractured spine and concussion.
Happy days and memories, and hard to believe that it was over forty years ago. I am a lifetime member of SAFA and it is sad to see that the number of obituaries of my old friends and colleagues increases annually.
David Duncan SOAF
Battle of Mirbat
Have just finished reading Storm Front.
What an extraordinary story.
No question that Laba deserves a posthumous VC.
And meticulous detail concerning the Strikemaster ops... I'd had visions of them coming in from a clear blue sky - hadn't realised it was under clag at 250-300 feet!
What an extraordinary story.
No question that Laba deserves a posthumous VC.
And meticulous detail concerning the Strikemaster ops... I'd had visions of them coming in from a clear blue sky - hadn't realised it was under clag at 250-300 feet!
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Sarfait to the Sea
Was one of the Pongos below......FOO & FAC on our guided tour - Sarfait to the Sea via the Iranian LSL!
This might bring back some me memories
My first strike in Dhofar……………………..(the twelve days of Christmas)
On my first strike in Dhofar, CSOAF said to me, “Your target is the bushy top tree”
On my second strike in Dhofar, CSOAF said to me, “Two caves at Simba and a target of the busy top tree”
Third “Three laden Camels”
Fouth “Four adoo running”
Fifth “Six – zero – Four”
Sixth “Six Hunters swimming”
Seventh “Seven Submarines”
Eighth “Eight Furqat lurkers”
Nineth “Nine mortar baseplates”
Tenth "Ten Trannies tossing”
Eleventh “Eleven helis humping”
On my twelfth strike in Dhofar, Bravo said to me “SAM…SAM…SAM
With due deference to R**** F******, the first of the few with a SAM up his chuff 19 Aug 75
This might bring back some me memories
My first strike in Dhofar……………………..(the twelve days of Christmas)
On my first strike in Dhofar, CSOAF said to me, “Your target is the bushy top tree”
On my second strike in Dhofar, CSOAF said to me, “Two caves at Simba and a target of the busy top tree”
Third “Three laden Camels”
Fouth “Four adoo running”
Fifth “Six – zero – Four”
Sixth “Six Hunters swimming”
Seventh “Seven Submarines”
Eighth “Eight Furqat lurkers”
Nineth “Nine mortar baseplates”
Tenth "Ten Trannies tossing”
Eleventh “Eleven helis humping”
On my twelfth strike in Dhofar, Bravo said to me “SAM…SAM…SAM
With due deference to R**** F******, the first of the few with a SAM up his chuff 19 Aug 75
Gentleman Aviator
Ah! "My First Strike in Dhofar".
By an amazing coincidence, when recently clearing out old boxes in the garage (well - it was easier and cheaper than a divorce!) I came across an original of the "SOAF Songsheet", which I recall being typed up by Dave Long (RIP) as I sat alongside him in Skid Row (with a certain amount of alcoholic lubrication), as we tried to remember all the words - well, we'd written lots of them ourselves.
I'll photocopy some and take to the Dinner next month, and I will also - in slower time - scan it and forward it to anyone interested. It runs to 9 sides of A4, and includes other such classics as "We are the Jolly Helis", "Who Shot Young Robin" and "I Don't Want to be a Strikie" (in the last of which I modestly claim credit for composing the memorable line: "Living off the Earnings of an Embassy Typist.")
Too many memories ..... but I'll quote Dave Long's introductory rubric from the top of page one:
By an amazing coincidence, when recently clearing out old boxes in the garage (well - it was easier and cheaper than a divorce!) I came across an original of the "SOAF Songsheet", which I recall being typed up by Dave Long (RIP) as I sat alongside him in Skid Row (with a certain amount of alcoholic lubrication), as we tried to remember all the words - well, we'd written lots of them ourselves.
I'll photocopy some and take to the Dinner next month, and I will also - in slower time - scan it and forward it to anyone interested. It runs to 9 sides of A4, and includes other such classics as "We are the Jolly Helis", "Who Shot Young Robin" and "I Don't Want to be a Strikie" (in the last of which I modestly claim credit for composing the memorable line: "Living off the Earnings of an Embassy Typist.")
Too many memories ..... but I'll quote Dave Long's introductory rubric from the top of page one:
The following songs were composed by members of 1 (Strike) and 3 (Heli) Squadrons SOAF during the months following the 19th August 1975. It was on this date that Ra'ees Tayaar R**** F******, 1 Sqn, first demonstrated the efficiency of SAM-7. These songs are dedicated to all those members of 1 & 3 Squadrons who operated under it's (sic) shadow - hang loose!
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The book isn't new, it's been out for quite a while. Has it really taken this long for the f---wits at the Torygraph to leech on to the "earth-shattering revelations?"
Oddly enough, I was at Duxford today and hangar 5 has a Strikemaster therein. Nice pugnacious looking machine armed with 4 x MATRA pods.....oh and what about that He.162A-1.....and that CASA 2.111???
As my Mrs might put it "I didn't know WHERE to look."
Oddly enough, I was at Duxford today and hangar 5 has a Strikemaster therein. Nice pugnacious looking machine armed with 4 x MATRA pods.....oh and what about that He.162A-1.....and that CASA 2.111???
As my Mrs might put it "I didn't know WHERE to look."