Of the original six Whirlwinds sent to HK in 1967, only one survived to come home again: XP301. The rest went in the water or one lost the head when it flew into power lines.

Poor old 301 was brought all the way back from the Far East and then ended up on the fire dump - a pity as it was the SS11 trials aircraft.

O-D, wiping away a tear.

ian16th Blimey! Where did you get that from?
I was one of the wardens that had to regularly visit families in my area, to ensure they were ready to leave, if and when instructed to do so and read out those orders, to dispel rumours.
I recall going to one house and as I was reading the instructions to them two little poodles came into the room. The wife picked them up making a great fuss of them, telling me they were her babies.
When I read out the instruction that pets were to be left behind and arrangements would be made for them to be humanely destroyed
the poor woman was naturally distraught. Difficult times.

OD prior to pilot trading many of us started as proud SS11 pointers! I can only say it was awful - but at least it made a decent bang when/if it hit what it was being pointed at. Unlike the many fired that followed.

Ahhh! the SS-11.

Time (again) for my trivia question. Where and from what aircraft and on which Squadron did the RAF first fire a Guided Weapon operationally? (ie against baddies not targets).

I won't ask the type of weapon ........ ;)

(I bet O-D knows.....)

At the risk of very slight thread drift, but still GSM related - has anybody heard anymore about the re-introduction of the GSM?

According to the latest edition of JSP 761:

SHADER / LEVANT to be the first clasp?

Slight drift but does anyone who served in Cyprus in the fifties/ sixties recall RAF personnel being involved in the fatal shooting of rioters?

I have a personal reason for asking.

Tash

If this happened it would be in the 50's and the EOKA times.

Cyprus became independent in 1960.

C Met O was [at personal risk] visiting livers-out in Ayios Dhometios at its nastiest when he was hauled over at a Greek Cypriot road block.

Up against the wall. "Papers!" "Passport?"
"Ah!. OK! You are English?"

"Yes!, me English" said C Met O, gritting his teeth.

Him being a hairy arsed jocks jock, complete with Burns Night thrashes, kilt and all the trimmings.

He nearly wept tears of shame over a beer afterwards.

True, every word of it.

Dates and Ranks on GSM
 

I've mentioned this to TTN via a PM.


One area with looming errors for this new clasp/medal, is that the qualifying period, 21 December 1963 to 26 March 1964, ends less than a week before the demise of the ranks of Cpl/Tech, Sen/Tech and Master Tech. This happened on 1st April 1964.

So the chances of anyone that qualifies for the clasp/medal getting demobbed while still holding that rank are quite remote.

I wonder how many wrong 'uns will be returned.

Oh dear me TTH, I hope you didn't put any money on my knowing the first guided weapon fired in anger by the RAF - not really my bag so to speak.

We can exclude Fireflash on the Swift! I have also discounted the rumour that a Firestreak was fired from a Javelin in the Malacca Straits, leading to the demise of an Indonesian Hercules. PGMs don't count - different set of rules really.

I'll go for a Shrike fitted to a Vulcan and fired against the Argies.

Old Duffer

86 Squadron Liberator with mk 24 "Mine" homing torpedo in 1943.

The RAF have never had an ATGW helicopter have they?

ATGW - it rather depends on how you define the SS11.

It was wire guided but as with so many weapons, it can be used as the mood takes you.

O-D

Ok, perhaps ATGW isn't precisely the correct term for the RAF but exactly what else was it designed to fire at?

Perhaps you could define the SS11.

Slower than the second coming (if it didn't dive suddenly into the ground after launch), smoke belching out, and prone to cable breaks. When the French stopped producing it the contract for more of the wretched things went to Bangladesh! You couldn't make it up.....

And I didn't say it was a helicopter .................... ;)

Neither did I!

Rose, as you know, 9 out of 10 worked when they were needed, might have had something to do with all that DX44? training that got in the way of somebody doing all that AFV training.

Bugger me, picking up all the wire must have been fun and what on earth was was used as a sight? Hats off to 209 Sqn I say.

Reminds me of TOW firing @120kts - now that really worked, I don't think - but that's another story.

One version of the Twin Pin story was here:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...pioneer-2.html

But I still maintain the torpedo was 'guided'!

Incidentally, they also tested the SS11 on a Single Pioneer as well

I read that with interest Dave but it all seems just a tad unbelievable to someone whose launched a few of these things. The navigator says they were unguided ? Having witnessed several off the launcher the missile had to be captured by the gunner who basically flew it onto the target. If it wasn't 'captured' either in the sight or out - the damn thing danced wherever it wanted totally uncontrolled until the wire broke and then it was supposed to go right and down. I think what I am trying to say is that you probable wouldn't hit the mountain let alone a cave entrance without controlling it.

Fire and forget wasn't even........ fire and a cat in hell's chance.