Cold War Photos.

[AlienFTM]

Oooh, red buttons. Must resist the squaddie urge to press.... must resist!

I got a brief Saracen course. The steering was exceptionally light considering the size. I found that actively rocking the steering wheel against the slackness in the power steering did a good job of keeping it straight.

Well it worked for me.

 

[Bodenplatte]

Oooh, red buttons. Must resist the squaddie urge to press.... must resist!

 

[RoofRat]

My 5 day tour was with a young Flt Lt on his first ground tour; he was acting as Tour NCO. It was a Divisional return to barracks in Dresden from the Altengrabow via Magdeburg. Some of their kit may have gone missing and ended up in Washington the next day.

Up until late 75,the RAF assiduously avoided taking 'Ground' kit under any circumstances. It all came to a head when I was taking the new SLOPS down to watch a fly-pro at Brand airfield,in the company of an 'old hand'.

Banging down the autobahn at about 22:00 on a Sunday,I saw a fire at the end of a 'bridge' in the distance,cut my lights,went past it,pulled in to the side and stopped. When asked by the old hand what I was doing,I explained that it was a known tac route and,there was a reggy on it. we sat for about 10 minutes with the roof open when we started to get mechanical noise. Fortunately the fire was on the opposite side of the track so, we got lovely silhouettes of the Div Chemical Recce going over the bridge, to the East. The old hand opined it was just a local move and, not worth hanging about for...the new SLOPS started to ask my opinion but was stopped by the old hand telling me to go.

We got down to the Z-Platz, heads down, woke in the morning to fog. the Weather MIG at about 07:00 then nothing. Left about 12:00 slow mooch back cross country,then back to Berlin.

The following morning after prayers, I collared the G2, told him what had happened, he confirmed it with the new SLOPS and, then went ballistic...the 'local movement' turned out to be most of 3SA bimbling into Poland !

After that it was, 'if it moves shoot it' and, more RAF Tour Nco's and Officers started to take kit from then on. The SLOPS was mega pissed off and, set it in stone...the drivers loved it !

 

[AnotherBerliner]

My only experience of Pig was in Tin City, Sennelager, when the DS's hints eventually got the follow-up force to find the M16 under my bed.

Saladin? Before my time, though a squadron of ours did Cyprus Sovereign Base squadron during my time in 76-7 and again about 85, after my time. I have never heard through the grapevine of any top-heavy accidents.

Wrt Saracen. We had Saracen ACVs until we got Sultan in 79. My personal opinion was rock solid. But then Command Troop and FHQ tended not to visit sticky places.

3RTR lost 3 guys on one exercise mid 1970.

The commander of a Mark 2/6 Ferret (the Vigilant GW variant) which had pulled off the road and almost stopped but then toppled over into the ditch. The clothing of the vehicle commander caught up on the missile control unit when he tried to get down.

The second incident occured on the return to camp at ENDEX. A Saladin came off the Autobahn, turned over and brewed up killing the turret crew. I believe the driver had fallen asleep.

I was in Assault Troop at the time and don't recall any problems with our Saracens.

 

[Brotherton Lad]

Up until late 75,the RAF assiduously avoided taking 'Ground' kit under any circumstances. It all came to a head when I was taking the new SLOPS down to watch a fly-pro at Brand airfield,in the company of an 'old hand'.

Banging down the autobahn at about 22:00 on a Sunday,I saw a fire at the end of a 'bridge' in the distance,cut my lights,went past it,pulled in to the side and stopped. When asked by the old hand what I was doing,I explained that it was a known tac route and,there was a reggy on it. we sat for about 10 minutes with the roof open when we started to get mechanical noise. Fortunately the fire was on the opposite side of the track so, we got lovely silhouettes of the Div Chemical Recce going over the bridge, to the East. The old hand opined it was just a local move and, not worth hanging about for...the new SLOPS started to ask my opinion but was stopped by the old hand telling me to go.

We got down to the Z-Platz, heads down, woke in the morning to fog. the Weather MIG at about 07:00 then nothing. Left about 12:00 slow mooch back cross country,then back to Berlin.

The following morning after prayers, I collared the G2, told him what had happened, he confirmed it with the new SLOPS and, then went ballistic...the 'local movement' turned out to be most of 3SA bimbling into Poland !

After that it was, 'if it moves shoot it' and, more RAF Tour Nco's and Officers started to take kit from then on. The SLOPS was mega pissed off and, set it in stone...the drivers loved it !

Oh, yes. Chance your arm and hope you get away with it.

 

[B42T]

Brandt airfield has a camping site on it now.
It's great camping next to the hard shelters and wandering around it reminiscing about old times.

the campsite is also superb with immaculate showers and even baths in separate lockable huge rooms.

 

[HCL]

Cheers. Happy memories

 

[Brotherton Lad]

And,if you suspected you were in a TRA...all bets were off ! Unless it was an 'Air' tour then you didn't bother as, you only had enough scran for 24 hours.

The codicil to that was, I kept an Air tour out for 72 hours in 76,driving and calling kit. The RAF Tour Nco just changed the batteries in the dictaphone and, made copious notes. After 24 hours straight I had to have a 'kip' !

After we got back and they wrote the highlight,I was apparently "very difficult to wake up" ! Pat on the back from the G1 and, a bollocking from SLOPS, because I'd buggered up their touring schedule !

Don't know how it was in the '70s, but in the '80s we had a means of meeting people in a forest at dark o'clock. Details of TRA would be handed over and in we went. Obviously we had been there a day or two before the declaration and could play the 'Search me, Guv' card. I clearly didn't know a TRA had been declared.

 

[RoofRat]

Oh, yes. Chance your arm and hope you get away with it.

The drivers found Air tours more taxing than,Ground tours being chased around the DDR.

Late transit, couple of hours sleep in the car,up with the Weather Mig,into the location then,360ing for as long as the flypro lasted, followed by an installation or two on the way home, after which the 'heroes' dozed until Potsdam...unless the driver just happened to spot some 'kit' in the far, far distance !

 

[Brotherton Lad]

The drivers found Air tours more taxing than,Ground tours being chased around the DDR.

Late transit, couple of hours sleep in the car,up with the Weather Mig,into the location then,360ing for as long as the flypro lasted, followed by an installation or two on the way home, after which the 'heroes' dozed until Potsdam...unless the driver just happened to spot some 'kit' in the far, far distance !

I did an Air Tour or two. It felt very vulnerable because there are so few places to park yourself and the Sovs knew that. Essentially one end of the runway or the other and you need a good line of sight for the photography in the daytime so you can't really hide.

Ground Tours allowed you to be more nimble and do stuff during the night when no-one was looking.

 

[RoofRat]

I did an Air Tour or two. It felt very vulnerable because there are so few places to park yourself and the Sovs knew that. Essentially one end of the runway or the other and you need a good line of sight for the photography in the daytime so you can't really hide.

Ground Tours allowed you to be more nimble and do stuff during the night when no-one was looking.

Yup, just of the centreline, somewhere near the outer marker beacon.

It was at Finsterwalde that, I found out that an Admiral could out accelerate a Volga on full chat, in reverse from a standstill. The RAF crew wanted to know what to do, I just told 'em to keep looking through the windscreen and tell me if he got closer !

The pisser was, having got on the autobahn to come home, the Tour Officer discovered,he'd left his jacket hanging on a tree near the OP...yup, we went back and got it, his orders were that when we got within 50 yds, he would leap through the sunroof and, run like ****,grab it and,dive back through the sunroof whilst I kept the car 'in motion'...he couldn't run very fast but, fortunately there was nobody around.

He still got a bollocking for compromising an OP (never used again for a few years).

 

[lert]

 

[Brotherton Lad]

Yup, just of the centreline, somewhere near the outer marker beacon.

It was at Finsterwalde that, I found out that an Admiral could out accelerate a Volga on full chat, in reverse from a standstill. The RAF crew wanted to know what to do, I just told 'em to keep looking through the windscreen and tell me if he got closer !

The pisser was, having got on the autobahn to come home, the Tour Officer discovered,he'd left his jacket hanging on a tree near the OP...yup, we went back and got it, his orders were that when we got within 50 yds, he would leap through the sunroof and, run like ****,grab it and,dive back through the sunroof whilst I kept the car 'in motion'...he couldn't run very fast but, fortunately there was nobody around.

He still got a bollocking for compromising an OP (never used again for a few years).

Must be an RAF thing. On one of my Air Tours the young Flt Lt lost his shirt somewhere in East Germany. I decided not to go back to find it.

 

[RoofRat]

Must be an RAF thing. On one of my Air Tours the young Flt Lt lost his shirt somewhere in East Germany. I decided not to go back to find it.

A roll of fim in the pocket no brainer !

 

[Brotherton Lad]

A roll of fim in the pocket no brainer !

I was the one taking the piccies.

 

[Ruckerwocman]

Must be an RAF thing. On one of my Air Tours the young Flt Lt lost his shirt somewhere in East Germany. I decided not to go back to find it.

I'll bet you would have gone back for Susanna York's frillies.

 

[Brotherton Lad]

I'll bet you would have gone back for Susanna York's frillies.

View attachment 553290

Don't you just stick them in your pocket?

 

[ACAB]

I vaguely remember hair nets. Whether it was box heads or cloggies I don't remember but I do remember a "What The F***???" attitude amongst our own troops.

It was Cloggies, I remember that we thought the West German Bundeswehr were the dogs bollocks.

 

[greenbaggyskin]

[snip...]

It was Cloggies, I remember that we thought the West German Bundeswehr were the dogs bollocks.

Really? At what?

 

[muzzleflash]

Really? At what?

Whenever one of their battle groups rocked up complete with Marders and Leopard 2's, they most certainly looked the dogs bollocks