Taceval, Maxival and Minival
Exercise HF
Late '80's Harrier deployments were all termed Exercise H.... F..... , for instance Hard Frost.
It was during Horrendous Farce that I was quietly settling in to my pup tent for the night, whittling something from solid, listening to the hairy pigs snuffling round the mess tent when a Landy approached the site with lights on full beam. As it swept round the site hides were lit up, bomb stacks illuminated, and fuel bunds washed with light.
"TURN THOSE LIGHTS OFF!" was yelled from the OC's pitch
The Landy continued its path around the site
"TURN THOSE RUDDY LIGHTS OFF!" Yelled the OC now sprinting towards the Landy.
The hide was plunged into darkness.
Spudoooosh!!!!!
"TURN THOSE BLASTED LIGHTS ON NOW!"
The MT driver obeyed and lit up the disturbing sight of the OC in the slop trench behind the mess tent, up to his medals in cold beans and bacon fat.
The Land Rover and driver escaped in the ensuing laughter and despite an APB across the Sennelager ranges was never found. End Ex
It was during Horrendous Farce that I was quietly settling in to my pup tent for the night, whittling something from solid, listening to the hairy pigs snuffling round the mess tent when a Landy approached the site with lights on full beam. As it swept round the site hides were lit up, bomb stacks illuminated, and fuel bunds washed with light.
"TURN THOSE LIGHTS OFF!" was yelled from the OC's pitch
The Landy continued its path around the site
"TURN THOSE RUDDY LIGHTS OFF!" Yelled the OC now sprinting towards the Landy.
The hide was plunged into darkness.
Spudoooosh!!!!!
"TURN THOSE BLASTED LIGHTS ON NOW!"
The MT driver obeyed and lit up the disturbing sight of the OC in the slop trench behind the mess tent, up to his medals in cold beans and bacon fat.
The Land Rover and driver escaped in the ensuing laughter and despite an APB across the Sennelager ranges was never found. End Ex
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
MPN 11, Charlie Lima perhaps?
At Waddo my brief was to get sqn cdrs as high up the batting order as possible. As soon as an aircraft came up they were banished to dispersal on the far side and Bootsie' s hair.
Double points if I got two on Echo and doubled again if I got all three.
At Waddo my brief was to get sqn cdrs as high up the batting order as possible. As soon as an aircraft came up they were banished to dispersal on the far side and Bootsie' s hair.
Double points if I got two on Echo and doubled again if I got all three.
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Bullseye, PN 
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MPN, one of the good guys, he couldn't believe they were daft enough to make him an air cdre.
Tashengurt wrote:
..and the shock troops came across from Dundee on a Saturday night, fortifying themselves in the Commie and Hendies before starting their onslaught on the station's hospitality facilities (aka Eagle Club, Cpl's Club, or, for the less "refined", 892's accommodation block).
According to Taceval scenarios Balmullo was full of Soviet sleepers just waiting to run amok on Leuchars if the balloon went up.
Personally, I never trusted the ladies in the feeders!
Personally, I never trusted the ladies in the feeders!
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When I was at Kinloss the staish had the whole area sewn up tight. Spies at Inverness and then Aberdeen would tip him off when the team arrived.
One exercise he invited the local Army units to run an exercise in Rosisle Forrest. The Army were non-players but that didn't stop them operating OPs. The Taceval intruders couldn't move an inch without their movements being called in.
One exercise he invited the local Army units to run an exercise in Rosisle Forrest. The Army were non-players but that didn't stop them operating OPs. The Taceval intruders couldn't move an inch without their movements being called in.
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WIWAK ... that's a new one, PN 
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I recall at Buchan in the 80s an 11Gp 'active edge' being called in the middle of the night. 80% of manpower duly generated and then everyone off to the bar to 'celebrate'. Then just as one was settling down in bed hours later the hooter going off again for a Taceval Part 1! 80% duly generated and Combat ready TOKs undertaken with a massively sore napper. Heady days
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PN
Wasn't that the one where the intruders had to be dropped by 202 sqn within the airfield bounds? Only to be rounded up by the QRF within minutes.
I recall one where the DISTAFF complained that the guard force were not "robust enough" with their challenges. Next Nimrod returning from an exercise sortie: Guards at the rear door challenging every crew member for ID and one of the crew making friends with a rifle butt after being a little "awkard".
Guard Force were now "too robust".
After a very early morning hooter the linies on shift had responded admirably and put the road barriers out (One set across the gap between No 1 hangar and Supply on the main arterial road) Staish leaps into his 1800 and heads from his house to Ops and drives straight into the unlit and as yet umanned barrier. One 1800 to MTSS. On the same exercise the Staish drove out of the main gate and hit a car travelling on the main road, driven by the NAAFI Wagon lady. 1800 no 2 to MTSS. I think this was his first "Eval" at Kinloss!
Wasn't that the one where the intruders had to be dropped by 202 sqn within the airfield bounds? Only to be rounded up by the QRF within minutes.
I recall one where the DISTAFF complained that the guard force were not "robust enough" with their challenges. Next Nimrod returning from an exercise sortie: Guards at the rear door challenging every crew member for ID and one of the crew making friends with a rifle butt after being a little "awkard".
Guard Force were now "too robust".
After a very early morning hooter the linies on shift had responded admirably and put the road barriers out (One set across the gap between No 1 hangar and Supply on the main arterial road) Staish leaps into his 1800 and heads from his house to Ops and drives straight into the unlit and as yet umanned barrier. One 1800 to MTSS. On the same exercise the Staish drove out of the main gate and hit a car travelling on the main road, driven by the NAAFI Wagon lady. 1800 no 2 to MTSS. I think this was his first "Eval" at Kinloss!
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Looking back now some 20 years later, it seems ridiculous how normal it was to be woken at 3am by a blaring air raid siren on any random weekday and just walk out the door for three days.
The second Mrs Tashengurt wouldn't stand for it!
The second Mrs Tashengurt wouldn't stand for it!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
OA&T, not sure, could have been the one where I sat in the Fire Section all booted and spurred for 12 hours a day until reality kicked in and we reasoned that we would have 45 min warning for our task so just laid back and let it wash over us.
On Helicopter intrusion, we were at Binbrook with the Shack, and as with the Shack things got well behind the drag curve and our intrusion went well into dark.
As it was wrapping up one of the distaff came and whispered sweet words in our ears. Listen he said, a 22 sqn Sea King is going to do an insertion of studes from Finningley.
Anyway the Blue Thunder whisper machine slipped silently over the boundary in pitch dark. Intruders dropped off it roared skywards and then went hopping around the airfield with further spoof drop offs. The SRF was run ragged.
My brother-in-law, then a junior techie, confessed he just about sh^t himself.
Good fun had by all
On Helicopter intrusion, we were at Binbrook with the Shack, and as with the Shack things got well behind the drag curve and our intrusion went well into dark.
As it was wrapping up one of the distaff came and whispered sweet words in our ears. Listen he said, a 22 sqn Sea King is going to do an insertion of studes from Finningley.
Anyway the Blue Thunder whisper machine slipped silently over the boundary in pitch dark. Intruders dropped off it roared skywards and then went hopping around the airfield with further spoof drop offs. The SRF was run ragged.
My brother-in-law, then a junior techie, confessed he just about sh^t himself.
Good fun had by all
In the mid 60's at Wyton we thought that Mick's and Micky Finn's were magic because the Tannoy always ended with the words "51 Squadron exempt"
Regards, Den,
(who never participated in any such exercises because I was also at Honington on 204 who were also excused)
Regards, Den,
(who never participated in any such exercises because I was also at Honington on 204 who were also excused)
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Anyway the Blue Thunder whisper machine slipped silently over the boundary in pitch dark. Intruders dropped off it roared skywards and then went hopping around the airfield with further spoof drop offs. The SRF was run ragged.
XW [again] ... and 7SOS did a silent insertion with a C-130. As SATCO, I had to be told for safety reasons, but it was the middle of the night anyway so no problem. Not that I ever saw/heard anything, of course, until ...
Well, let's put it this way. The various naughty people fanned out from the middle of the runway and caused appropriate chaos and mayhem all over the Station. It would appear one of their targets was ATC, as some headed our way, but as they set off a load of our trip flares* it seems they decided to leave us alone.
* For those unfamiliar, XW Local was in a separate 2-story control tower in the middle of the airfield. Very lonely and vulnerable, so I decided it shouldn't be
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Just remembered a Red Can to Benbecula. Quite normal, handled well, no dramas until . . .
It was all over and I went to the Ops building pitching up at the door in a pseudo Russian flying suit and appropriate Russian rank. Due to lack of comms no one had told ops the incident was over. Guard had kittens and Ops was prepared to surrender
It was all over and I went to the Ops building pitching up at the door in a pseudo Russian flying suit and appropriate Russian rank. Due to lack of comms no one had told ops the incident was over. Guard had kittens and Ops was prepared to surrender
Last edited by Pontius Navigator; 20th Oct 2015 at 18:59.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Tone down and blackout
Just been reminded of something and connecting with what ORAC said about Russian intentions on the Lightning thread.
Tome down hit the UK big time in 1973 with pretty blue and yellow being replaced with mucky green cloak of invisibility and reflective yellow for visibility. Hangar doors were painted green and white window frames painted green too. Shares in the Green Paint company would have soared.
Stn Cdr at Wittering demanded that DOE (Destroyers of Everything) paint the hangar doors green. They did; emerald green. Germany had all the tone down green. Went well with the staish's red complexion.
Then for Tacevals we had blackout. Now it might have worked for real but just had the effect of creating black holes - bomb here. Except both schemes had one tiny little floor.
On a long range bomber every thing is black and green and missiles see nothing at all. The powers that be totally forgot the advances in blind bombing since the 1940s.
PS
On an associated note, Ordnance Survey mapping of the 60s and before showed blank areas where there were airfields. Then, as more and more airfields went in to C&M the surveyors added the buildings, roads, taxiways and runways. Some bases had only gone into C&M as part of the Cold War buildup so perfectly detailed mapping of the prime targets was available to anyone for 6/8d.
Tome down hit the UK big time in 1973 with pretty blue and yellow being replaced with mucky green cloak of invisibility and reflective yellow for visibility. Hangar doors were painted green and white window frames painted green too. Shares in the Green Paint company would have soared.
Stn Cdr at Wittering demanded that DOE (Destroyers of Everything) paint the hangar doors green. They did; emerald green. Germany had all the tone down green. Went well with the staish's red complexion.
Then for Tacevals we had blackout. Now it might have worked for real but just had the effect of creating black holes - bomb here. Except both schemes had one tiny little floor.
On a long range bomber every thing is black and green and missiles see nothing at all. The powers that be totally forgot the advances in blind bombing since the 1940s.
PS
On an associated note, Ordnance Survey mapping of the 60s and before showed blank areas where there were airfields. Then, as more and more airfields went in to C&M the surveyors added the buildings, roads, taxiways and runways. Some bases had only gone into C&M as part of the Cold War buildup so perfectly detailed mapping of the prime targets was available to anyone for 6/8d.
Mid 80s - Marham - one that sticks in the mind.
Was tasked with mighty Wokka to pick up some paras from Aldershot (in itself an adventure worth telling) and deliver them to Marham at about midnight. Paras had gone to town - all dressed in Spetsnaz kit, AK47s and plenty of blank ammunition - only they hadn't actually told the taceval team about that bit! We arrived on time, lights out and on goggles for a 'tactical' insertion, and put the troops out near to an active HAS, which they immediately assaulted because the gate was open. Apparently the engineers' faces were a sight to behold as a load of Russian SF all firing in the air bore down on them - they bolted into the HAS leaving all the doors open and mayhem ensued. In the meantime we hopped across the airfield doing a couple of dummy drops, overflying at low level a couple of RAFP and their dogs at which point the crewman on the ramp threw out a couple of thunderflashes - apparently it was 24 hours before they found the dogs (or may be the other way round!).
By now the pandemonium had reached fever pitch with 'armed intruders' running riot - they had captured a bus full of aircrew driving round the peritrack to go to dinner (617 ?) thanks to centralised messing, put dummy bombs on all the Victor Ts and the Taceval team were having kittens. We went back to pick the troops up at endex and were declared persona non grata! All in a day's work!
Was tasked with mighty Wokka to pick up some paras from Aldershot (in itself an adventure worth telling) and deliver them to Marham at about midnight. Paras had gone to town - all dressed in Spetsnaz kit, AK47s and plenty of blank ammunition - only they hadn't actually told the taceval team about that bit! We arrived on time, lights out and on goggles for a 'tactical' insertion, and put the troops out near to an active HAS, which they immediately assaulted because the gate was open. Apparently the engineers' faces were a sight to behold as a load of Russian SF all firing in the air bore down on them - they bolted into the HAS leaving all the doors open and mayhem ensued. In the meantime we hopped across the airfield doing a couple of dummy drops, overflying at low level a couple of RAFP and their dogs at which point the crewman on the ramp threw out a couple of thunderflashes - apparently it was 24 hours before they found the dogs (or may be the other way round!).
By now the pandemonium had reached fever pitch with 'armed intruders' running riot - they had captured a bus full of aircrew driving round the peritrack to go to dinner (617 ?) thanks to centralised messing, put dummy bombs on all the Victor Ts and the Taceval team were having kittens. We went back to pick the troops up at endex and were declared persona non grata! All in a day's work!
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Then for Tacevals we had blackout. Now it might have worked for real but just had the effect of creating black holes - bomb here. Except both schemes had one tiny little floor.
On a long range bomber every thing is black and green and missiles see nothing at all. The powers that be totally forgot the advances in blind bombing since the 1940s.
On a long range bomber every thing is black and green and missiles see nothing at all. The powers that be totally forgot the advances in blind bombing since the 1940s.
What ever happened to dummy airfields? Or dozens of assorted radar reflectors to fill the blank space an airfield represents? Or indeed obscuring/confusing your [not]friendly regional radar IPs?
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Looking back now some 20 years later, it seems ridiculous how normal it was to be woken at 3am by a blaring air raid siren on any random weekday and just walk out the door for three days.
It was right about then that I grew up and started thinking about a proper job.
Mid 80s - Marham - one that sticks in the mind.
Was tasked with mighty Wokka to pick up some paras from Aldershot (in itself an adventure worth telling) and deliver them to Marham at about midnight. Paras had gone to town - all dressed in Spetsnaz kit, AK47s and plenty of blank ammunition - only they hadn't actually told the taceval team about that bit! We arrived on time, lights out and on goggles for a 'tactical' insertion, and put the troops out near to an active HAS, which they immediately assaulted because the gate was open. Apparently the engineers' faces were a sight to behold as a load of Russian SF all firing in the air bore down on them - they bolted into the HAS leaving all the doors open and mayhem ensued. In the meantime we hopped across the airfield doing a couple of dummy drops, overflying at low level a couple of RAFP and their dogs at which point the crewman on the ramp threw out a couple of thunderflashes - apparently it was 24 hours before they found the dogs (or may be the other way round!).
By now the pandemonium had reached fever pitch with 'armed intruders' running riot - they had captured a bus full of aircrew driving round the peritrack to go to dinner (617 ?) thanks to centralised messing, put dummy bombs on all the Victor Ts and the Taceval team were having kittens. We went back to pick the troops up at endex and were declared persona non grata! All in a day's work!
Was tasked with mighty Wokka to pick up some paras from Aldershot (in itself an adventure worth telling) and deliver them to Marham at about midnight. Paras had gone to town - all dressed in Spetsnaz kit, AK47s and plenty of blank ammunition - only they hadn't actually told the taceval team about that bit! We arrived on time, lights out and on goggles for a 'tactical' insertion, and put the troops out near to an active HAS, which they immediately assaulted because the gate was open. Apparently the engineers' faces were a sight to behold as a load of Russian SF all firing in the air bore down on them - they bolted into the HAS leaving all the doors open and mayhem ensued. In the meantime we hopped across the airfield doing a couple of dummy drops, overflying at low level a couple of RAFP and their dogs at which point the crewman on the ramp threw out a couple of thunderflashes - apparently it was 24 hours before they found the dogs (or may be the other way round!).
By now the pandemonium had reached fever pitch with 'armed intruders' running riot - they had captured a bus full of aircrew driving round the peritrack to go to dinner (617 ?) thanks to centralised messing, put dummy bombs on all the Victor Ts and the Taceval team were having kittens. We went back to pick the troops up at endex and were declared persona non grata! All in a day's work!
Last edited by MAINJAFAD; 22nd Oct 2015 at 00:30.