RAF pilots secret raids in Yemen - Telegraph article & Storm Front book (merged)
 

Interesting little story in the Telegraph this morning. Looks like the website actually gives a slightly fuller account of it.

RAF pilots carried out secret raids in Yemen - Telegraph

I wonder if....
 

...the Sqn Ldr Bill Stoker mentiond in the report is the same chap a few posts below who has passed away/ Anyone Know?

The Ancient Mariner

Reading the additional posts in that thread I guess that it was the same chap.

More bombs were dropped than by the RAF during the entire Falklands War

Interesting little quotation from the link .....:hmm:

Jack

The previous CDS might be able to recall what happened during his time in Oman...

Perhaps the ends justified the means...another quote from the article:

Storm Front
 

For those of you who are fans of "Vulcan 607" and "Phoenix Squadron", I've just seen some publicity for Rowland White's new book "STORM FRONT" - 'The epic true story of a secret war, the SAS's greatest battle, and the British pilots who saved them'.

It's the story of the SAS' battle of Mirbat in Oman, 1972. It also brings in the lesser-known role of the Strikemasters and Hueys flown by Brit pilots.

Have orderd my copy - sounds like a great yarn.

John Nichol

It's in here too: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...toker-rip.html

Good call - it's now on order and I'm looking forward to the read.

Ever since spending nigh on 3 years in Dhofar I've been hooked on its history. A fascinating place that gets you hooked to its landscape and people as soon as you arrive.

BS1

Was that article in the Telegraph not just a book review jazzed up as origional research? The book is Storm Front by Rowland White, Vulcan 607 etc.:)

Cheers John , if it's anything like "Vulcan 607" & "Phoenix Squadron " it should be a brilliant read , next on my list !
Cheers , Grandfer :ok:

I'm fairly certain that was common knowledge in the late 1970's early 1980's.....
At least the chaps at Westland and Yeovilton who'd been out there with Airworks knew about it,and discussed it openly

Damn, it was common knowledge if you were down there around that time, we were aware of it when visiting Salalah from Masirah.

Didn't realise it was a secret :ooh:

I can now reveal that RAF crews were secretly involved in sorties to spread the ultimate weapon (codename DCS - soon to appear on a console gaming platform near you) around the North Atlantic. Between 1979 and 1994 I took part in a number of 'DCS spreadex' sorties, many over weekends and bank holidays, some of which have left my erstwhile colleagues battling weight gain, self esteem, and deprivation issues.

I don't think anyon e took photos - to be honest they'd be pretty gross.

I think I probably read about the Strikemaster sorties on the reverse of the Airfix instruction sheet, when they were still 2 bob a go.

David Milne-Smith? There's a name from the past. I met him when he was on a stretcher and I medevac'd him to Wegberg hospital after he left his Jaguar parked in a farmer's field, just south of Gutersloh.

Actually, when I wrote "parked" it was quite a bit more permanent than that....

Just looked it up - 14th April 1981.

It's the same Bill Stoker; as a wg cdr he commanded 16 Sqn Buccaneer Squadron at Laarbruch.

Foldie

It's hardly new "news" - it was covered extensively in both John Akehurst's book "We Won a War" and Ian Gardiner's (much) more recent "In the Service of the Sultan".

Both well worth reading but I think the former is OOP. There was also a David Shepherd painting: "Action at Mirbat". And on the heli side of that Op, a future two-star and a future one-star were involved IIRC.....

But no-one knew about the Dhofar war, cos it was before CNN was invented ....;)

Edited to add: the Shepherd painting

http://www.catalogue-host.co.uk/sale_pics/1341/500.jpg

I got my copy yesters and am half way through already- Yes - A good read with some cracking research and pictures.
Well recommended.

Teeteringhead is right to point out the helicopter component of things in and around the Oman. A considerable number of RAF guys served there and there were even some Iranian Chinooks (on our side in those days) involved.

The involvement was not without its price: John Heathcote & Roger Boyce were shot down, as was Peter Davis (who had an MC from the Army, a DFC from the RAF and something equally impressive from the Sultan). Bruce Handyside was lost in an operational accident and a couple of guys who are still around, were badly injured.

Unglamorous but equally vital, was the contribution of the Skyvans.

Perhaps there's another book in the offing!!

Old Duffer

PS My copy of Storm Force in bound from the South American river as I post.

PPS Try "Sweating The Metal" - up to date stuff on the Wokka Wokka in Afghanistan. A good read.

O-D ... exactly so. There's another Shepherd painting with SOAF Hueys, but I can't track it down at the moment.

There was a magazine article I saw somewhere a couple of years ago about helicopters in the Dhofar War - I'll see if I can find that too....

I think I've seen that painting in the Officers Mess at Sarfait in Dhofar. I'm pretty sure Sarfait was the scene of the action.

ghostie .... indeed. IIRC the title was "Resupply at Sarfait" or similar, and the "Capstan" feature was clearly identifiable.....