Upcoming BBC doc on Jets and the Cold War - help needed!
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The Cold War ? It's a massive project and if the truth be known it was just about every aeroplane and missile (including IRBMs) in the R.A.F. whether involved directly or indirectly. This even includes MPA S.A.R. missions such as the loss of the trawler Gaul around the North Cape.
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Another area to look at is the survival infrastructure such as ROC Reporting posts, a few are preserved. Regional seats of government, such as the amusingly named Essex secret Bunker. Then there was the MOS buffer stocks of food etc. Not forgetting Burlington.
Across the pond there is all the Minuteman sites which are shown on Benchmark maps, which causes me much mirth. NORAD in Colorado and its roles including the Santa tracker.
Across the pond there is all the Minuteman sites which are shown on Benchmark maps, which causes me much mirth. NORAD in Colorado and its roles including the Santa tracker.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
The survival fly-off could be another programme on its own. SRMP - Varsities allocated North Sea search boxes. Lame Duck V-bombers with safe haven in the Irish Sea - on top of StrkFltlant 
Fighters simply flying out north east etc
Fighters simply flying out north east etc
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Tom,
A fleet used to vacate Main Operating Bases and would deploy off-piste at a certain readiness state. The thinking was the MOBs were static, easy to find and would have been severely twatted shortly after kick-off. Deployed locations would often be only 30 or 40 miles from the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) (cue sniping comments from those sans flaps on their boots) to ensure a very high sortie rate to support the pongos.
Deployment sites included options, such as bulldozing the contents of supermarkets rearwards (having secured alcohol & porn, obviously) to make hangar space and going up tiddly up up (and down) from the car park.
Aircraft were also deployed in the extensive forests, taking off from grass, tin strips, 'C'-class roads or autobahns. Even though one ate and slept there, it was, frankly, difficult to find your 75ft-square tin landing pad, in the average weather, from an IP to target run which started at ~450kn and ended at 0kn. We were reasonably sure the average Ruski on his first away match would have had a devil of a job to see anything of these sites.
Other contributors on these forums were better informed of the more closely-guarded plans. You could try a PM to noprobsbob.
Good luck.
A fleet used to vacate Main Operating Bases and would deploy off-piste at a certain readiness state. The thinking was the MOBs were static, easy to find and would have been severely twatted shortly after kick-off. Deployed locations would often be only 30 or 40 miles from the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) (cue sniping comments from those sans flaps on their boots) to ensure a very high sortie rate to support the pongos.
Deployment sites included options, such as bulldozing the contents of supermarkets rearwards (having secured alcohol & porn, obviously) to make hangar space and going up tiddly up up (and down) from the car park.
Aircraft were also deployed in the extensive forests, taking off from grass, tin strips, 'C'-class roads or autobahns. Even though one ate and slept there, it was, frankly, difficult to find your 75ft-square tin landing pad, in the average weather, from an IP to target run which started at ~450kn and ended at 0kn. We were reasonably sure the average Ruski on his first away match would have had a devil of a job to see anything of these sites.
Other contributors on these forums were better informed of the more closely-guarded plans. You could try a PM to noprobsbob.
Good luck.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Subterranea Britannica
Their "about us" page has links for similar organisations across Europe.
The Radar Pages
Linesman/Mediator Rotor
SAGE
East German System
Their "about us" page has links for similar organisations across Europe.
The Radar Pages
Linesman/Mediator Rotor
SAGE
East German System
Thread Starter
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This is all great stuff chaps, thanks very much for your help. Some really great stuff - keep it coming, and I'll get back to people asap. Have tried to post on the Aviation Network forum but my account isn't being verified for some reason....so thanks for reposting it, I'll get on it as soon as they'll let me!
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An interesting chart ORAC. I wish I could chat with a couple of those guys in the border posts in GDR after an incident I related in my book. It's been interesting to see discussions of Falklands engagements but we don't get the same chance with Cold War encounters.
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Air Defence Radar Museum
Agree with MAINJAFAD - the Air Defence Radar Museum to the north east of Norwich is a must - it hosts much of the history of ground-based air defence of the UK during the Cold War as well as some of the equipment from that era including the Operations Room (exactly as we left it when we moved back into the bunker in the early 90s), a bloodhound missile system and equipment used at the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System site at RAF Fylingdales.
Your POC is:
Chris Morshead
Museum Manager and Curator
RAF Air Defence Radar Museum
Neatishead
Norwich
Norfolk
NR12 8YB
[email protected]
Index Page
Tel: 01692-631485
The Association of RAF Fighter Control Officers could also assist with identifying key personalities from the Cold War era and putting you in contact with the controllers/master controllers/sector controllers etc who commanded and controlled the airborne QRA(I) and supporting aircraft during interceptions of Soviet Union bomber and recce aircraft approaching the UK. They can also assist with identifying Mission Crew from the BMEWS site at RAF Fylingdales. Send a PM if you need contact details for the Association.
Your POC is:
Chris Morshead
Museum Manager and Curator
RAF Air Defence Radar Museum
Neatishead
Norwich
Norfolk
NR12 8YB
[email protected]
Index Page
Tel: 01692-631485
The Association of RAF Fighter Control Officers could also assist with identifying key personalities from the Cold War era and putting you in contact with the controllers/master controllers/sector controllers etc who commanded and controlled the airborne QRA(I) and supporting aircraft during interceptions of Soviet Union bomber and recce aircraft approaching the UK. They can also assist with identifying Mission Crew from the BMEWS site at RAF Fylingdales. Send a PM if you need contact details for the Association.
Last edited by Agatha; 6th Dec 2012 at 21:25. Reason: More info added
Tom,
The Essex "Secret" Bunker is at Kelveden Hatch only a few miles from North Weald Airfield. You might also like to try Harrington and North Luffenham, both ex nuclear missile sites and recently listed by English heritage for some of their CW buildings and structures. North Luffenham is still an active MoD base though.
Good luck.
The Essex "Secret" Bunker is at Kelveden Hatch only a few miles from North Weald Airfield. You might also like to try Harrington and North Luffenham, both ex nuclear missile sites and recently listed by English heritage for some of their CW buildings and structures. North Luffenham is still an active MoD base though.
Good luck.
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Cold War
Tom - both my husbands (1 and 2!) and I were doing 'stuff' during the Cold War - me in Air Traffic at Leuchars, first husband flying bombed-up Valiants low level over Scotland then Victors, and second husband engineer/armourer also at Leuchars, then in the forests in Germany with Harriers.
Curses aw ditor - beat me to it! It wasn't only jets in the cold war, and we did have our own nukes in Maritime guise, and in AEW form the Shack 'soldiered' on 'til virtually the end of the cold war as the only 4 engined fighter (well we were in 11 Group!!)
Last edited by Shackman; 21st Dec 2012 at 18:33. Reason: sppeling!
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It's both a big and very interesting subject, so good luck with the project!
From a personal point of view, put a word in for me for the producers not to;
1. Use "jumpy" or fast zoom & out of focus camera shots.
2. Keep repeating the same segments of film at random as if they've run out of ideas.
Just a thought...
From a personal point of view, put a word in for me for the producers not to;
1. Use "jumpy" or fast zoom & out of focus camera shots.
2. Keep repeating the same segments of film at random as if they've run out of ideas.
Just a thought...
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Good luck with this, but keep it factual and politics out of it.
1 clip that is a MUST (to illustrate tactics to be used) is the ZSU-23 sight film (and soundtrack!) of the Buccaneers low-level at Red Flag. EVERYONE wants to see that again and the Beeb must have that in the archives somewhere.
I think it was the Beeb that did 'cuts' to the IAF shed at Leuchars during their New Years' Eve/Day programming in 1976 or 7 during which a 'live' scramble was conducted. Always thought it might have been 'fixed' (too much of a coincidence!) but given the regularity of intrusions in that timeframe, it may well not have been! Ivan was always keen to disrupt PH 'standowns'.
To Airpolice below: Yep, '77 that's a higher probability
1 clip that is a MUST (to illustrate tactics to be used) is the ZSU-23 sight film (and soundtrack!) of the Buccaneers low-level at Red Flag. EVERYONE wants to see that again and the Beeb must have that in the archives somewhere.
I think it was the Beeb that did 'cuts' to the IAF shed at Leuchars during their New Years' Eve/Day programming in 1976 or 7 during which a 'live' scramble was conducted. Always thought it might have been 'fixed' (too much of a coincidence!) but given the regularity of intrusions in that timeframe, it may well not have been! Ivan was always keen to disrupt PH 'standowns'.
To Airpolice below: Yep, '77 that's a higher probability
Last edited by Downwind.Maddl-Land; 22nd Dec 2012 at 12:50.
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I think that would have been at the end of 77 as I had taken my girlfriend to visit Leuchars Ops that summer. (Romantic or what?) During the visit we had a live qra scramble, so she got to choose the callsigns for the aircraft being launched.
At new year when the tv show was on, showing the ops guy selecting callsigns and telling the crews to go, she was telling her family that she'd been there and done that.
At new year when the tv show was on, showing the ops guy selecting callsigns and telling the crews to go, she was telling her family that she'd been there and done that.
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Heads up guys,
The Programme is slated to be shown at 9pm on Friday 8th November 2013, BBC 2.
BBC2 Cold War: Hot Jets
The Programme is slated to be shown at 9pm on Friday 8th November 2013, BBC 2.
BBC2 Cold War: Hot Jets
Last edited by NutLoose; 26th Oct 2013 at 09:15.
