Nigel Walpole - RAF and East German Fast-Jet Pilots in the Cold War

RAF and East German Fast-Jet Pilots in the Cold War

By the same author:

Swift Justice

Seek and Strike

Best of Breed

Voodoo Warriors

Dragon Rampant

Built to Endure

Swift From the Cockpit

Hitlers Revenge Weapons

Thinking the Unthinkable

Nigel Walpole

RAF AND EAST GERMAN FAST-JET PILOTS IN THE COLD WAR

Thinking the Unthinkable

First published in Great Britain in 2020 by

Air World

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire Philadelphia

Copyright Nigel Walpole, 2020

ISBN 978 1 52675 838 5

eISBN 978 1 52675 839 2

Mobi ISBN 978 1 52675 840 8

The right of Nigel Walpole to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

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This exploration into Cold War heritage would not have seen the light of day without the dedicated help of those who arranged access to new friends in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), helped carry out detailed research there and acted as interpreters. They included my old friends Oberst Gert Overhoff and Oberst Leutnants Horst Wilhelms, Klaus Kropf and Heribert Mennen, all former officers in NATOs German Air Force (GAF). What follows is a list of the other main contributors to Thinking the Unthinkable and I apologise for any omissions.

Generalleutnant Klaus-Jrgen Baar; Hans-J Barakling; Mike Barton; Michael Baumgart; Jrg Behnke; Ben Bennett; Frank Born; Rex Boulton; Air Commodore Dennis Caldwell; Martin Common; Dr Alan Curry; Andreas Dietrich; Dick Doleman; Nigel Eastaway; Tom Eeles; Joachim Faber; Gunter Fichte; Lutz Freunt; Helmut Friz; Hansjorg Goetz; Jrgen Gruhl; David Harrigan; Hans-Joachim Hartwig; Malcolm Hellings; Norbert Hess; Ralf Hinkemeyer; Andreas Hofmann; Rudolf Just; Gunther Kipp; Harald Lares; Benny Luther; Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen; Hannes Mallwitz; Holger Mller; Peter Mller; Rudolf Mller; Air Commodore John Nevill; Erwin Ntzmann; Gerd P; Barrie Palmer; Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards; Peter Peil, Andrew Pennington; Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork; Udo Reinsch; Edgar Reuber; Hartwig Richter; Doug Robb; Jim Sawyer; Frank-Helmut Scheder; Klaus Schmiedel; Frank Scholze; Dusan Schneider; Armin Schulz; Frank Schulz; Ken Senar; Uwe Senf; Mike Shaw; Manfred Skeries; Brian Skillicorn; Bob Snare; Gerd Tonnerson-Hoffman; Michael Wegerich; Joachim Went; Major General Peter Williams and Jerry Wilmot.

Finally, this work owes much to my Dutch wife, Margreet, who followed me faithfully throughout Europe as my secretary and interpreter, scrutinised my use of the English language and saw me through difficult times with equal measures of criticism and encouragement.

To the best of my knowledge, this work contains no material which is subject to copyright.

This book is dedicated to Oberst Leutnant Horst Wilhelms, GAF (Retd), a typical Cold War Warrior and invaluable member of our research team, who died in January 2012, and to all those on both sides of the Iron Curtain who did their duty during the Cold War.

: Anti-Aircraft Artillery

: Allied Air Forces Central Europe

: Air-to-Air Missile

: Air-to-Air Refuelling

: Air Base

: Airfield Construction Branch

ACM: Air Chief Marshal (General)

: Air Defence Identification Zone

: Airfield Damage Repair

: Airborne Early Warning

: Allied Forces Central Europe

: Advanced Flying Training School

: Armoured Fighting Vehicle

: Above Ground/Sea Level

: Airborne Interception/Air Interdiction

: Air Commodore (Brigadegeneral)

AM: Air Marshal (Generalleutnant)

AOB: Air Order of Battle

: Armament Practice Camp

: Anti-Radar

: Anti-Radar Missile

: Air-To-Surface Missile/Airfield Survival Measures

: Allied Tactical Air Force

: Air Traffic Control/Air Training Corps

: Allied Tactical Operations Centre

: Air Vice-Marshal (Generalmajor)

: Airborne Warning and Control System

: Belgian Air Force

: British Air Forces of Occupation

: British Army of the Rhine

: Basic Flying Training School

: Ballistic Missile Warning System

: British C-in-Chief Mission to Soviet Forces in Germany

: Beyond Visual range

: Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence

: Control & Reporting

: Combat Air Patrol

: Close Air Support

: Cluster Bomb Unit

: Central Army Group

: Central Flying School

: Commanding Officer

: Combat Operations Centre

: Command Post Exercise

: Central Region/Combat Ready

: Control and Reporting Centre

DACT: Dissimilar Air Combat Training

: Day Fighter/Ground-Attack

: Diensthabendes System (QRA)

: Distance Measuring Equipment

: Electronic Counter Counter-Measures

: Electronic Counter-Measures

EDC: European Defence Community

: East German Air Force

ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival

: Electronic Warfare

: Forward Air Controller

: French Air Force

: Fliegerausbildungsgeschwader (Flying School)

: Fighter-Bomber Wing

: Fliegerdivision (Air Division)

: Fighter Engagement Zone

: Fliegergeschwader (Flying Wing)

: Fighter/Ground-Attack

: Flying Officer (Oltn)

: Flight Lieutenant (Hptm)

: Foreign Object Damage

: Fhrungsorgan der Front-und Armeefliegerkrft e (Frontal and Army Air Force)

FO-FMTFK: Fhrungsorgan Front-und Militrtransportfliegerkrfte (Frontal Forces and Transport Command)

: Forward Operating Location

: Fighter Reconnaissance

: First Run Attack

: Fla-Raketen-Brigade (SAM Brigade)

: Federal Republic of Germany

: Fla-Raketen-Regiment (SAM Regiment)

: Flying Training School

: Field Training Exercise

: Radar Technical Battalion

: Radar Technical Kompanie (Radar Company)

: German Air Force (NATO)

: Ground Controlled Approach

: Ground Controlled Interception

: Gun Defended Area

: German Democratic Republic