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Phantom FGR2 alternate recovery fields post-nuclear attack


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On 8/30/2024 at 1:36 AM, XV107 said:


 

There were also concerns that the Poles might 'have views' on taking mild fallout, never mind being hit - I once met a retired Russian officer who confided that he was convinced that they'd find a Polish armoured division bearing down on the Kremlin to settle some 300 years of scores had the balloon gone up  - and the reliability of allies, apart from the East Germans, was always uncertain.

 

That's plausible, indeed recent events have shown that the Russians still fear the Poles. 

 

I seem to remember a documentary about the cold war which discussed Soviet preparations. I think they were less well prepared than NATO gave them  credit for. Plus there were moments when they thought NATO was preparing to attack particularly during  large NATO exercises, thinking they  was cover for an intended assault.

 

This paranoia of course still exists. However ill founded it is.

 

As for the recovery of aircrews after a nuclear attack. I've no doubt some would have found their way to Ireland, Dublin or Shannon. Which I'm assuming wouldn't have been nuked. Any port in a storm. 

 

It's an interesting what-if, thank goodness it didn't happen.

 

 

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On 8/30/2024 at 1:36 AM, XV107 said:

 

A very good point - the Soviets were convinced (and they were probably right to be) that Jim Callaghan and Mrs Thatcher  - particularly the latter - would authorise a full-on 'the weather forecast today in the Moscow/Leningrad/Volgograd region is for temperatures of 1,000,000 degrees Celsius with occasional gusts of wind of up to 2,500mph: pack that factor 4550, comrades!' response to any nuclear attack on the UK (Callaghan was eventually persuaded to say that he would indeed have retaliated 'but would never have been able to live with myself had I survived'; nobody asked Thatcher, since it was just assumed that the answer to 'would you have...?' was blindingly obvious...).

 

There is one strand of opinion which holds that the Soviets  may well have conducted a couple of strikes on airfields or military facilities, but might very well have concluded that as long as GLCM wasn't being pinged at mother Russia from a field not that far from the A339, nuclear use against the UK should be confined to things like carrier groups, etc, etc, just to be on the safe side. This view is, of course, contested when measured against Soviet doctrine.

 

There were also concerns that the Poles might 'have views' on taking mild fallout, never mind being hit - I once met a retired Russian officer who confided that he was convinced that they'd find a Polish armoured division bearing down on the Kremlin to settle some 300 years of scores had the balloon gone up  - and the reliability of allies, apart from the East Germans, was always uncertain.

 

Anyway, Stornaway was a FOB; Phantoms deployed there in support of Ex OCEAN SAFARI in 1987, and Tornado F3s were there in 1989.

 

 

And because Mr Putin is being a bit of a nuisance, some Typhoons have visited more recently...

I think the wall coming down revealed the USSR had two Nukes planned for each Military Airfield in the UK...I guess it is always good to be safe......also places like Bristol, or actually Avonmouth, particularly the fuel farms and the UK Pipeline system depot were going to be whacked along with the port.

 

Interesting one with the Poles for example.  I read on another site the bombs and bullets side of things for the Warsaw Pact were very much controlled by the USSR.  The satellite countries were never going to be given enough of bangy type stuff to turn on the Russians. I can't remember how much they got for the big kick off but it was only two or three days worth of war stock.  I also seem to remember the Poles were due to go up against the Germans as Moscow thought the Poles would be right up for that, the East Germans would tasked with retaking the capital of their Country, Berlin.  Russians would go in against the UK and the US.  There was obviously more to it than that but there is a logic to the thinking.

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I used to live in Dover and post-Glasnost found out that we were slated for two big air burst weapons and a smaller ground burst device: I suppose a little bit of overkill never hurt anyone much!  There was no way the soviets were going to let any reinforcements across the Channel if the6 could help it.

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