Memories of RAFG
At this time of year thoughts may turn to Christmas markets. We managed a good few, and our consensus was that they are much better at night.
Detmold was magical, and Rheydt. Essen was poor, Aachen [with a Mess coach trip] was good. Koln is over-valued, being spread over too many venues. Then there was Bruggen village, and Gutersloh and a marvellous one in Weimar.
The UK versions seem over commercialised, all food and drink, whereas the German ones "in our day" had a good deal of relevant Christmas artefacts, cribs, candles, decorations, painted wood and china ......... and of course music.
Are there any Market memories to share?
Detmold was magical, and Rheydt. Essen was poor, Aachen [with a Mess coach trip] was good. Koln is over-valued, being spread over too many venues. Then there was Bruggen village, and Gutersloh and a marvellous one in Weimar.
The UK versions seem over commercialised, all food and drink, whereas the German ones "in our day" had a good deal of relevant Christmas artefacts, cribs, candles, decorations, painted wood and china ......... and of course music.
Are there any Market memories to share?
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I visited Berlin before the truck outrage on the Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal fair and I believe that the poshest market was in the Gendarmen Platz. Proper tables and white napery to munch your festive bratty at.
4mastacker's spillage story has just reminded me of another spillage story.
Laarbruch, early 80's II (ac) Sqn Jags. Like all RAFG sqn's at the time, we were well practised in Taceval, Mineval, Maxeval etc but when we had VIP's turn up when there wasn't an exercise on, the sqn treated them to a mini exercise demonstration lasting only 30 minutes or so. We had a set team, used the same HAS and used the same scenario which we all practised so it looked very slick.
The scenario involved 2 Jags returning to the HAS after a wartime recce sortie. The first aircraft would taxi in and be winched back into the HAS. The film would be removed from the recce pod and dumped into the panniers of my motorcycle (although I was a sooty, this was my "war role"). I rode off at high speed to the RIC, offloaded the film and returned to the HAS where the second aircraft would be taxying in. In the meantime, the refuel bowser would reverse into the HAS in front of the first aircraft. As the second aircraft taxied down the pan towards the HAS, the "Air Attack Red" warning would sound. To speed things up, the second aircraft would taxi into the HAS nose first, shut down, HAS doors closed with everyone safe inside. This is a MK1 German HAS which is quite a bit smaller than the UK ones.
It looked so, so slick when it worked but on this occasion, the bowser driver misjudged things and reversed into the HAS wall. The bowser tank ruptured and it started to spew AVTAG all over the place. The bowser driver drove out of the HAS and up the pan before parking on the grass.
I'm at the other end of the pan watching this on my motorcycle when the second aircraft turns up and starts taxying towards the HAS. I leap off my bike and bring the aircraft to a halt before it reaches the thousands of litres of fuel running across the pan. The next thing I know is the SENGO pushing me out of the way and starts marshalling the aircraft through the fuel towards the HAS. I sh!t myself and dived behind an earth bank, convinced the whole thing would go up. Luckily it didn't. Apparently "the show must go on". The fuel eventually drained into the surrounding soil and the Germans made us excavate the soil to a depth of 2 metres and dispose of it. I'm told the VIP's were impressed though
Laarbruch, early 80's II (ac) Sqn Jags. Like all RAFG sqn's at the time, we were well practised in Taceval, Mineval, Maxeval etc but when we had VIP's turn up when there wasn't an exercise on, the sqn treated them to a mini exercise demonstration lasting only 30 minutes or so. We had a set team, used the same HAS and used the same scenario which we all practised so it looked very slick.
The scenario involved 2 Jags returning to the HAS after a wartime recce sortie. The first aircraft would taxi in and be winched back into the HAS. The film would be removed from the recce pod and dumped into the panniers of my motorcycle (although I was a sooty, this was my "war role"). I rode off at high speed to the RIC, offloaded the film and returned to the HAS where the second aircraft would be taxying in. In the meantime, the refuel bowser would reverse into the HAS in front of the first aircraft. As the second aircraft taxied down the pan towards the HAS, the "Air Attack Red" warning would sound. To speed things up, the second aircraft would taxi into the HAS nose first, shut down, HAS doors closed with everyone safe inside. This is a MK1 German HAS which is quite a bit smaller than the UK ones.
It looked so, so slick when it worked but on this occasion, the bowser driver misjudged things and reversed into the HAS wall. The bowser tank ruptured and it started to spew AVTAG all over the place. The bowser driver drove out of the HAS and up the pan before parking on the grass.
I'm at the other end of the pan watching this on my motorcycle when the second aircraft turns up and starts taxying towards the HAS. I leap off my bike and bring the aircraft to a halt before it reaches the thousands of litres of fuel running across the pan. The next thing I know is the SENGO pushing me out of the way and starts marshalling the aircraft through the fuel towards the HAS. I sh!t myself and dived behind an earth bank, convinced the whole thing would go up. Luckily it didn't. Apparently "the show must go on". The fuel eventually drained into the surrounding soil and the Germans made us excavate the soil to a depth of 2 metres and dispose of it. I'm told the VIP's were impressed though
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The first job we did on arriving in Sylt was to remove the wing tanks of our NFIIs ready for air to air gunnery. Several of us would support the empty tank ready for the chap in the cockpit to operate the tank jettison switch. We were supporting the port tank when there was a loud bang from the st'board side... We beat Del boy and grandad to it!
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I defuelled a jet in Deci and they removed the droppers to find it full lol, I was read the riot act by the Armourers chief when I pointed out you requested I defuelled Hotel, he nodded in agreement, so why are you taking the tanks off Juliet.... Penny slowly sank in.
Does anyone remember the "negligent discharge" by a Hunter at Gutersloh, which just happened to be pointing at some offices ............. I seem to remember a hushed-up event in my time, so it must have been late 1960s?
This would be in the days of Sandy Wilson and Pete Gover and possibly Tiger Tim, all on 2 or 4 squadron.
Many years later, when Wilson became A O C in C RAFG and was duly knighted, he was referred to on a tannoy announcement at a German-hosted event, as "Sir Wilson!" His first accomplishment was to have the clocks in JHQ [the RAF part] synchronised, "and about time too!" as one wag said.
This would be in the days of Sandy Wilson and Pete Gover and possibly Tiger Tim, all on 2 or 4 squadron.
Many years later, when Wilson became A O C in C RAFG and was duly knighted, he was referred to on a tannoy announcement at a German-hosted event, as "Sir Wilson!" His first accomplishment was to have the clocks in JHQ [the RAF part] synchronised, "and about time too!" as one wag said.
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When WW593 tried to destroy itself in 7 hangar (that would make it a II(AC) Sqn a/c) when a drip tray containing a nice cocktail of AVPIN and AVTAG caught fire, my colleagues, who were at Gut at the time of the ND, told me it was the same aircraft that had loosed off some rounds in the same hangar.
After the fire, WW593 sat forlornly out on the airfield with an even more pronounced anhedral than Sir Sidney Camm had intended. It was used a decoy on subsequent exercises.
There can not be too many incidents such as WW593, so that must be the one where the 30mm round went through the wall and clipped the dust coat of someone in the armourers' den. I remember the occasion at Wildenrath when a BI8 sent a few 20mm rounds whizzing across the airfield.
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I suppose it's better than rolling nukes across the taxiway 
Yes indeed. A saga of buck-passing, with the lads at the bottom of the pile doing their best to make up for the failings of their superiors, and the failings of the system.
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yup............
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Slow Biker (#210),
Not RAFG, but a similar occurence (Hawarden, 1942), recorded in my Post #2452 on "Pilots brevet", Page 124:
..."There was an amusing (for the bystanders) incident in which this Spit was involved. An armourer was tinkering with the firing button in the cockpit. A second airman walked past right in front of the aircraft when the cannons unexpectedly fired. As he was exactly in line with the nose, the rounds passed harmlessly either side of him and off to the Welsh hills. The gun camera (in the port wing root) still had film in it, it worked and this was developed. Seemingly, the prints clearly showed his hair standing on end!"..
.
Danny.
Not RAFG, but a similar occurence (Hawarden, 1942), recorded in my Post #2452 on "Pilots brevet", Page 124:
..."There was an amusing (for the bystanders) incident in which this Spit was involved. An armourer was tinkering with the firing button in the cockpit. A second airman walked past right in front of the aircraft when the cannons unexpectedly fired. As he was exactly in line with the nose, the rounds passed harmlessly either side of him and off to the Welsh hills. The gun camera (in the port wing root) still had film in it, it worked and this was developed. Seemingly, the prints clearly showed his hair standing on end!"..
.
Danny.
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Yep was at Bruggen at the time, you would be surprised how few knew it happened, we did on the Squadrons but the rest of the station were pretty much in the dark, which considering they could have been in the light and a very bright one at that, it was a good thing..
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Story in the Brüggen Circuit in the 1980s of someone newly posted in out on a day out. A bit lost, but followed a sign for München instead of one for Mönchengladbach thinking they were one and the same place.
Quite a shock when they discovered they were in deepest Bavaria and some 700 Km (give or take) from Brüggen.
Quite a shock when they discovered they were in deepest Bavaria and some 700 Km (give or take) from Brüggen.
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They should have gone via Ausfahrt
Umleitung I fear.
Returning to the Bruggen incident and beyond, the transport /transfer of weapons was, naturally enough, the focus of great attention by all concerned.
There were only two tasks that C Met O BFG retained personal direct control and responsibility for:
forecasts for major paradrops,
and forecasts for movement by air of weapons.
Fortunately crossed fingers and toes seem to have worked.
Returning to the Bruggen incident and beyond, the transport /transfer of weapons was, naturally enough, the focus of great attention by all concerned.
There were only two tasks that C Met O BFG retained personal direct control and responsibility for:
forecasts for major paradrops,
and forecasts for movement by air of weapons.
Fortunately crossed fingers and toes seem to have worked.