TACEVAL stories
Whilst serving at Waddo, and in the process of helping to introduce the Nimros AEW 3 to service, we were called out, to play our part in the ritual of TACEVAL. We need to remember that, at that time, we had one aircraft, and due to its inability to perform any useful airborne function spent most of its time cosseted in one of the hangars. Meanwhile, the aircrew were improving their handicaps on the Station Golf course, of which I was secretary.
We get in to our first night of TACEVAL and at around 2130 hrs, even at distance, we hear an almighty "crump", multiple explosions, see flashes that light up the sky and generally get the impression that " it's kicked off". Around twenty minutes after the incident, we hear the following tannoy message:
" Attention, attention, this is the Station Commander. An attack on the main entry point has ended with criminal damage and personal injury, beyond exercise parameters. Many intruders are still at large on the unit. Waddington personnel are to offer no resistance if confronted with these intruders, stop. For the intruders. Your activities have exceeded the limitations of peacetime exercise, and, as Station Commander I am ordering a stop to any further intruder activity. I advise you that any attempt to interfere with the prime asset ( Nimrod AEW3) will be met with armed defence. You are to report to the main guardroom for processing off the unit".
Now, it appears we were hit by 23? SAS ( I always thought the reserves were 21 SAS), who drove a Ferret through the main gates, closed at the time, and took the Guardroom. Word spread that these chaps had made all occupants form a neat pile in the middle of the main room, SWO at the bottom. As a result the SWO suffered a heart attack and came close to his own personal endex. They then went on the rampage, and rumour had it that several guards, armed with our state of the art "pick axe" handles were subject to boisterous visits. I can't vouch for the attacks on Guardroom or guards various. I did hear the tannoy broadcast, and standing in the pitch dark hoped that my guard commander would call us in before the beggars paid us a visit.
Whilst that was only, eventually, a one day exercise. Stopped to protect our newly acquired asset, I believe it was the first I was involved in where I actually believed I was under any threat. In fact far more threat than the trips in to Sarajevo or the "other stuff" in GW1. Perhaps, sometimes, a bit of "exercise" does you no harm.
Smudge
We get in to our first night of TACEVAL and at around 2130 hrs, even at distance, we hear an almighty "crump", multiple explosions, see flashes that light up the sky and generally get the impression that " it's kicked off". Around twenty minutes after the incident, we hear the following tannoy message:
" Attention, attention, this is the Station Commander. An attack on the main entry point has ended with criminal damage and personal injury, beyond exercise parameters. Many intruders are still at large on the unit. Waddington personnel are to offer no resistance if confronted with these intruders, stop. For the intruders. Your activities have exceeded the limitations of peacetime exercise, and, as Station Commander I am ordering a stop to any further intruder activity. I advise you that any attempt to interfere with the prime asset ( Nimrod AEW3) will be met with armed defence. You are to report to the main guardroom for processing off the unit".
Now, it appears we were hit by 23? SAS ( I always thought the reserves were 21 SAS), who drove a Ferret through the main gates, closed at the time, and took the Guardroom. Word spread that these chaps had made all occupants form a neat pile in the middle of the main room, SWO at the bottom. As a result the SWO suffered a heart attack and came close to his own personal endex. They then went on the rampage, and rumour had it that several guards, armed with our state of the art "pick axe" handles were subject to boisterous visits. I can't vouch for the attacks on Guardroom or guards various. I did hear the tannoy broadcast, and standing in the pitch dark hoped that my guard commander would call us in before the beggars paid us a visit.
Whilst that was only, eventually, a one day exercise. Stopped to protect our newly acquired asset, I believe it was the first I was involved in where I actually believed I was under any threat. In fact far more threat than the trips in to Sarajevo or the "other stuff" in GW1. Perhaps, sometimes, a bit of "exercise" does you no harm.
Smudge
Mineval at an AD base somewhere in Yorkshire
0300 Callout finds the finest fighter sqn in the RAF, post sqn dinner, still all in Mess Kit on the patch, well into the whisky tasting.
0304 Entire sqn en voiture queued outside the main gate, fumbling for missing F1250s - not one between us.
Quick-thinking (or oblivious, I'm still not sure which) nav leans out of 2CV open roof and announces "Hello! We're aircrew, and we're p!ssed!"
Guard wisely salutes and waves us all through.
Entire Sqn manned in 20 minutes, but thank God we didn't end up launching.
0300 Callout finds the finest fighter sqn in the RAF, post sqn dinner, still all in Mess Kit on the patch, well into the whisky tasting.
0304 Entire sqn en voiture queued outside the main gate, fumbling for missing F1250s - not one between us.
Quick-thinking (or oblivious, I'm still not sure which) nav leans out of 2CV open roof and announces "Hello! We're aircrew, and we're p!ssed!"
Guard wisely salutes and waves us all through.
Entire Sqn manned in 20 minutes, but thank God we didn't end up launching.
Smudge I was almost at the exit the WOC at Wittering when the entrance was attacked by a force of external origin. I dont know who they were but aggressive wasnt the word. As the lights went off I fell into the small comms room and layed behind a cabinet. I masked up as there was smoke. And listened to the meyhem in the main room. The inject was rapidly terminated with the target in the aggressors having achieved thier aim. To be honest it wasnt real but the shock value was huge. Which I suppose was the whole point..
Had the men from down west at Binbrook - me and a mate spent 3 hours quivering behind a sofa in the OM as they rampaged around. My OC PMS had a pistol put to his head and told you are f.....g dead! All got a bit out of hand in places.
AR1 & Wanderoo,
I never heard of those instances. Obviously takes a thread like this to bring them to life. I wonder what ever happened when a three day TACEVAL programme had to be aborted because of exuberance on the intruders behalf, Day 1? We certainly wouldn't have had that luxury if the real thing kicked off, I doubt any speznatz type people would have heeded a reasonable tannoy from Harry Staish. As in my previous post, re the Officers being captured within minutes of start ex at Akrotiri, one has to wonder if any of these "early incursions" or "over the top" actions were designed to test the mettle of the Station hierarchy rather than us Baldricks. I just bet there are some other, similar stories of shortened exercises out there.
Smudge
I never heard of those instances. Obviously takes a thread like this to bring them to life. I wonder what ever happened when a three day TACEVAL programme had to be aborted because of exuberance on the intruders behalf, Day 1? We certainly wouldn't have had that luxury if the real thing kicked off, I doubt any speznatz type people would have heeded a reasonable tannoy from Harry Staish. As in my previous post, re the Officers being captured within minutes of start ex at Akrotiri, one has to wonder if any of these "early incursions" or "over the top" actions were designed to test the mettle of the Station hierarchy rather than us Baldricks. I just bet there are some other, similar stories of shortened exercises out there.
Smudge
I never heard of those instances. Obviously takes a thread like this to bring them to life. I wonder what ever happened when a three day TACEVAL programme had to be aborted because of exuberance on the intruders behalf, Day 1? We certainly wouldn't have had that luxury if the real thing kicked off, I doubt any speznatz type people would have heeded a reasonable tannoy from Harry Staish. As in my previous post, re the Officers being captured within minutes of start ex at Akrotiri, one has to wonder if any of these "early incursions" or "over the top" actions were designed to test the mettle of the Station hierarchy rather than us Baldricks. I just bet there are some other, similar stories of shortened exercises out there.
Reading some of the reports, accepting some liberal license in reporting, it clearly would have highlighted how potentially easy it could have been to take out a base or two at a key time which would not have been pleasant reading up the foodchain.
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It might have had taceval aspects but IIRC you are talking about Brave Defender and 23 SAS was one of 2 Reserve units.
At Waddo I believe they had prior permission to modify the door into the Ops building which they did with a chain saw.
At Coningsby someone took out the window of the guardroom with a sledge hammer and a gorilla held his hand over the panic button until they opened the guardroom door with another chain saw.
They then broke in to the Police office where a home based WO was being held as a suspect. The SAS ordered everyone up against the wall. Our brave suspect protested he was one of them. He ended up with a broken arm and bloody nose as he hit the wall.
Their raid was countered though as the barrier guard ducked out of sight and rang the WOC which, in a hardened building, was impregnable.
At Waddo I believe they had prior permission to modify the door into the Ops building which they did with a chain saw.
At Coningsby someone took out the window of the guardroom with a sledge hammer and a gorilla held his hand over the panic button until they opened the guardroom door with another chain saw.
They then broke in to the Police office where a home based WO was being held as a suspect. The SAS ordered everyone up against the wall. Our brave suspect protested he was one of them. He ended up with a broken arm and bloody nose as he hit the wall.
Their raid was countered though as the barrier guard ducked out of sight and rang the WOC which, in a hardened building, was impregnable.
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There was a book about the Spetnatz that made interesting reading...
Wasn't one of their schemes to have sleepers with SAM's in the UK, prior to kick off they would secure them high up on timers in the tree canopies covering flight paths , as the timers counted down they would become active and launch at aircraft, then a few hours later the next would arm etc.
Wasn't one of their schemes to have sleepers with SAM's in the UK, prior to kick off they would secure them high up on timers in the tree canopies covering flight paths , as the timers counted down they would become active and launch at aircraft, then a few hours later the next would arm etc.
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I was once tasked as enemy to deliver some "Rock Apes" from Gutersloh to one of the RAF "Clutch" stations, by helicopter. We fooled ATC into thinking we were transiting north/south at low level under their MATZ stub (we spoke to discover if there was any inbound traffic as we were about to go in parallel to the runway). We turned hard right and flew unannounced onto the roof of the Ops bunker, whereupon the Rocks rapidly disembarked the Puma from the hover and we were gone in about five seconds. The defending force had so much cam on top of the machine gun posts that they couldn't turn the guns inwards so we were effectively unopposed.
We discovered later that in the commotion we caused our tame Rocks banged on the door, shouting "We're under attack, let us in!" and someone foolishly did let them in......
Lessons were learned.
We learned that it was very difficult to get them to give us a refuel after having such fun at their expense .....
We discovered later that in the commotion we caused our tame Rocks banged on the door, shouting "We're under attack, let us in!" and someone foolishly did let them in......
Lessons were learned.
We learned that it was very difficult to get them to give us a refuel after having such fun at their expense .....
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Aye Smudge, while not a TACEVAL I do seem to remember the odd FTX in Germany being 'calmed down' or even curtailed early on during my time out there.
Sadly it was normally because the noduff casualty allowance had been reached. IIRC the toll was set at around 3 fatalities.
An example being on a RE FTX circa 1982 during the mine laying part when a Field Sect Commander (Cpl) managed to get himself in the wrong place when swapping the 432 that was pulling the Bar Mine layer, norm practice had the replacement 432 (full of Bar Mines) pull up along side the now empty one and the Bar Mine layer would be unhitched and hooked onto the replacement. He was crushed between the two vehicles.
Bear in mind all this was done at night, preferably with no moon light and def no torches other than the odd red torch which were carried by the Sect Commanders, Troop S/Sgts and sometimes, if he had been really good the Troop Comd was allowed one as well, it kept the Troopys quiet and gave them something to play with while we were out on task but they didnt get the batteries just in case they worked out how to turn it on.
Sadly it was normally because the noduff casualty allowance had been reached. IIRC the toll was set at around 3 fatalities.
An example being on a RE FTX circa 1982 during the mine laying part when a Field Sect Commander (Cpl) managed to get himself in the wrong place when swapping the 432 that was pulling the Bar Mine layer, norm practice had the replacement 432 (full of Bar Mines) pull up along side the now empty one and the Bar Mine layer would be unhitched and hooked onto the replacement. He was crushed between the two vehicles.
Bear in mind all this was done at night, preferably with no moon light and def no torches other than the odd red torch which were carried by the Sect Commanders, Troop S/Sgts and sometimes, if he had been really good the Troop Comd was allowed one as well, it kept the Troopys quiet and gave them something to play with while we were out on task but they didnt get the batteries just in case they worked out how to turn it on.
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Wasn't there a Tank Crew found dead under their tank in RAFG that sank onto them in the night crushing them?
I also seem to remember a VW Beetle with some German who took some of his family out to see the Britishers at play, sadly a tank came through a hedge straight over the top of them. Both during exercises.
I also seem to remember a VW Beetle with some German who took some of his family out to see the Britishers at play, sadly a tank came through a hedge straight over the top of them. Both during exercises.
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Was detached on a course to a first class training establishment not far from Weston Super Mud in the late 80's, when the hooter went off at 04 Chr!st sake. Our entire class (all techies from a number of stations) rolled over and went back to sleep, then wandered off for breakfast at the usual 07:00. A high ranking station SNCO dressed in well pressed camo gear had a bit of a sense of humour failure when he saw us, until we pointed out that in the event of the real thing we would all be three hours up the road to our home bases (We had been primed by our instructors the day before that we were just to ignore all the noise)
For some reason the exercise finished at 07:30 precisely, the trainees then went off to class for the day, and it all resumed again at 18:00 for another three hours....
For some reason the exercise finished at 07:30 precisely, the trainees then went off to class for the day, and it all resumed again at 18:00 for another three hours....
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Nutloose said
I was in the RAF but working with 24 Brigade (604 FACS). It was forbidden for anyone to sleep underneath a vehicle for that precise reason.
After several army types were killed when lying, camouflaged, in ambush position the powers that be stated that a notice on a 6ft pole was to be posted next to camouflaged ambush positions, the notice was to say "DANGER! |Troops are hidden within 4 metres of this notice". Soon after a German army tank crushed several troops despite the presence of the notice. The tank commander's excuse was the had to get closer to the notice so that he could read it.
Wasn't there a Tank Crew found dead under their tank in RAFG that sank onto them in the night crushing them?
After several army types were killed when lying, camouflaged, in ambush position the powers that be stated that a notice on a 6ft pole was to be posted next to camouflaged ambush positions, the notice was to say "DANGER! |Troops are hidden within 4 metres of this notice". Soon after a German army tank crushed several troops despite the presence of the notice. The tank commander's excuse was the had to get closer to the notice so that he could read it.
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Was detached on a course to a first class training establishment not far from Weston Super Mud in the late 80's, when the hooter went off at 04 Chr!st sake. Our entire class (all techies from a number of stations) rolled over and went back to sleep, then wandered off for breakfast at the usual 07:00. A high ranking station SNCO dressed in well pressed camo gear had a bit of a sense of humour failure when he saw us, until we pointed out that in the event of the real thing we would all be three hours up the road to our home bases (We had been primed by our instructors the day before that we were just to ignore all the noise)
For some reason the exercise finished at 07:30 precisely, the trainees then went off to class for the day, and it all resumed again at 18:00 for another three hours....
For some reason the exercise finished at 07:30 precisely, the trainees then went off to class for the day, and it all resumed again at 18:00 for another three hours....
Bear
On the subject of Germans, tanks and pongoes, there was a story doing the rounds when I was first in the RAF, whose veracity I cannot confirm.
It seems that, not long after the second unpleasantness whilst the Army was still an 'army of occupation', at the end of a busy day's exercise generally charging about the countryside, a weary tank crew pulled up outside an inviting looking German pub.
When they went inside, they were confronted by silent stares from the clientele, followed by Mein Host announcing "Ve do not serve British in this bar, Tommy!".
The crew quietly left. Then various pongo commands were issued, such as "Gunner, with one blank round, LOAD!"....."Left 9 o'clock, traverse!" - at which there was a shattering of glass as the tank barrel smashed through the window - "FIRE!".
An almighty bang and sounds of much breaking glass followed, after which the dazed patrons stumbled out into the Straße. The tank commander collared Mein Host and told him "You don't serve f*****g anyone in this bar now, do you Fritz!".
And off went tank and crew to find another pub!
As I say, I don't know whether it's true. But it ought to be!
It seems that, not long after the second unpleasantness whilst the Army was still an 'army of occupation', at the end of a busy day's exercise generally charging about the countryside, a weary tank crew pulled up outside an inviting looking German pub.
When they went inside, they were confronted by silent stares from the clientele, followed by Mein Host announcing "Ve do not serve British in this bar, Tommy!".
The crew quietly left. Then various pongo commands were issued, such as "Gunner, with one blank round, LOAD!"....."Left 9 o'clock, traverse!" - at which there was a shattering of glass as the tank barrel smashed through the window - "FIRE!".
An almighty bang and sounds of much breaking glass followed, after which the dazed patrons stumbled out into the Straße. The tank commander collared Mein Host and told him "You don't serve f*****g anyone in this bar now, do you Fritz!".
And off went tank and crew to find another pub!
As I say, I don't know whether it's true. But it ought to be!
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During the 80's at Binbrook the TACEVAL team expected to see a deployment plan drawn up. There was always a blank Op Order for just this purpose where you simply filled in the gaps. The team said prepare for deployment to Waddington, then said do it! As the JP, I was sent on the bus with all the groundcrew who complained that, since Waddo wasn't on exercise, they would need money for the NAAFI club. So, we stopped at the bank in Market Rasen en route and all formed an orderly queue to cash cheques, all armed to the teeth with GPMGs, SLRs, SMGs etc and nobody in the bank batted an eyelid.
We were also allowed home at the end of shifts during exercise and to take your weapon with you. The fish & chip shop also never batted an eyelid about people ordering while wearing a pistol in a shoulder holster.
We were also allowed home at the end of shifts during exercise and to take your weapon with you. The fish & chip shop also never batted an eyelid about people ordering while wearing a pistol in a shoulder holster.
Waddo
Smudge,
I too was at Waddo at the time of that incident and was in the COC. The intruders had also forced their way into the outer part of the COC and had smashed the foresight of a weapon onto the hand of one of the SNCOs who tried to stop them causing serious injury. IRC it was Ex Brave Defender. I also seem to remember that the intruders chainsawed the oak door to SHQ which had some history.
The exercise was indeed terminated and a number of VSOs then arrived in various helicopters and a formal apology for the conduct of the TA SF was later broadcast I think.
I too was at Waddo at the time of that incident and was in the COC. The intruders had also forced their way into the outer part of the COC and had smashed the foresight of a weapon onto the hand of one of the SNCOs who tried to stop them causing serious injury. IRC it was Ex Brave Defender. I also seem to remember that the intruders chainsawed the oak door to SHQ which had some history.
The exercise was indeed terminated and a number of VSOs then arrived in various helicopters and a formal apology for the conduct of the TA SF was later broadcast I think.
) was one of the hooligans at Waddo that year....
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At some point several crew would slip out of the aircraft either on a blind side, or after hiding, and then leg it across the airfield in the dark.
The counter hooligans, them with white caps and blue flashing lights, would then charge around the airfield trying to catch them. After a couple of very near misses it was realised this was an accident waiting to happen and that game was abandoned.