Hello,
In my three months tour as a radar operator on an AWAC apart from the daily
regular 5 Buccaneer or sometimes Backfire stand off nuclear bombers and the
intercept by our only 5 lightings we could afford and the 10 o'clock flight from
Helsinki (we mustn't shoot that one down (oh when he gets to London there won't
be an airport, or any where...) and the 9.30 form London that was always too
close the bear (the military own the sky so he would shoot him down) so we need
to tell the pilot a 2 degree change (west) to miss him, the civvies could not
see the military, only we could see both, and these vastly superior Tupolovs we
did see goblins (there the civvies) and some ducks (their the light planes) and
loads of scruff (its noise) but some we could not identify (UFO) well I did ask
one of our brave lightings to go and see what it was, and he got quite close but
then there blip did not disappear on the next sweep. It just vanished. I had the
link to the pilot and I heard some screaming.
The next day there weren't enough lightning's to intercept any all the bear
(that's the one shot down by the UFO) so we don't intercept UFO's any more.
(Probably a Tupolov)
The Awac radar is like a beacon that light up the sky and can be seen in Moscow. So we are sitting ducks.
Usually the patter went like this, Oh here they come; 5 bear, they have five bombs each 10,10,20,20,50 megatons. This one if for York ETA 8:45, Alert Corby missile battery Lightning marked tell him to switch on radar at ... There are the Tupolovs that one is marked for him. This bear is for London ETA 9:30 call the civil defence to expect heavy casualties the mark is 50 Megatons, I suppose he will call at Reading, Basingstoke, Oh and GCHQ if he makes it there he may try Birmingham. Alert the missile battery in the Malvern hills and the Cheviot guns, I make that 10:45, better alert Gloucester. Oh that is for Glasgow at 9:35 and Edinburgh at 9:40, Oh he might try Hull, Grantham missile battery might hit him. Oh there are plenty left for other cities that will be a nice wake-up call.
The Lightings are all marked and the Tuplovs are closing, that Lightning will reach the bear just before the Tupolov and we might get that one. The Tupolovs are vastly superior and will wipe the floor.
There is a green line - alert defences and the red - line this signals the attack starts and the dog fight. The Lightning's are timed to reach the red line to match the bear and the Tupolovs to match the Lightings. Well each day the bear turned back just before the line where the stand off bomb was in range of the coast. There was one that (York) that could release its bomb just before the line and that turned back first and then we all had chocolate or a fag and went home to tea.
Well on the Friday at the end of my tour they did not stop, Oh that has reached the red line. I slid the red lid of my red button and pressed. It was a surprise attack, "There that Tupolov coming for us, we must eject. Warn the pilot Press the green eject button"
I pressed mine
The pilot cabin door bust open and the terrified pilot burst in the life jackets on and the rear door opened I sat before leaping into the darkness. The sea bumped me about and then there were flashes in the sky big aeroplanes falling out the the sky big wings burning tumbling down Parachutes opening.
This happened all over the world, I'm told.
Then there were searchlights in the sky grinding noises and the little yellow boats buzzing around and those wonderful men with the bright orange jackets on pulling us out with drinks of tea, there were a couple of Russians in mine.
Well I started speaking Russian to these "enemies" and I said I was from Novosibirsk, He asked me my regiment, oh I said I was the radar in the AWAC, he looked (he thought he would be shot), I said what is the food like on the base, "Bread and Potatoes and bits of bacon" - "Yes" he said, "Are there Geese near the base", "Yes - we like eggs, but do not take the geese because they lay the eggs". I carefully pulled a kit kat out and we shared the bar, he stared crying. "I am alive" he said "so am I" I said. "Its Ok here" I said.
In fact I worked at a radar factory as a radar engineer as an MSc student just 3 months work experience and they thought it might me nice if I went up to meet the bear, just see our work in action, I was a civilian then a sort of air traffic controller. Came a bit of a shock, all the people in our department used to chant the dirge because it was the same each day, but not that one! Just for one weeks work experience!
Oh by the way I went home on leave, me doctor said I was mad, two holes in the head you ok,. Well I made it back to the base but it was all dark (because I could not see) in me uniform they found me wandering and took me home laid on my bed, I vaguely remember some kisses but then just nothing.
I must have woken up with no memory but basically I can't remember that is
what forgetting means.
Chris.