Cold War Jets Tonight

He has said as much in his “walk-round” talks on airshow days at Duxford. I don’t know – I have no doubt that the information will remain classified for a very long time, anyway. In his books he refers to the “blackline” routes and talks about overflying North Korea and Cuba.

Went to a lecture on the SR-71 in Cambridge recently by Col Graham and he claimed that the Blackbirds had never overflown the Soviet Union. Do we believe that?

Excellent piece of television. I knew about the RAF flying secret missions in RB-45’s but it was news to me that they also flew clandestine U2 missions out of Turkey. Not my speciality but was that known to many of you?

It was known, Paul Lashmar covered it in one of his original Spyflight programs in the 90s (I have it on VHS somewhere) and in his book ‘Splyflights of the Cold war’ but even then much of the detail was not known – it’s only in this year that the UK part of the official CIA history of the U-2 was declassified in the US (THat chapter had always been redacted in the previous release).

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB434/

The UK Government still refuses to acknowledge participation and UK documents are still classified.

Finally got round to watching both parts last night, a well done show that didn’t sensationalise too much, but covered it’s subject well for the time slot it had.

It was the first time I’d seen the film of the DH110 accident, and the footage of the engines sailing overhead and into the crowd was eeriely shocking.

It’s easy as an enthusiast to spot and criticise the minor errors – Mig 15s becoming La15s, then back to Migs, a shot of a Comet in a factory during a sequence on Valiants but I don;’t think they spoilt the show.

NAM has re-run a news item on its website about the P.1216 development model that is displayed in Hangar 2, which is picking up on the BBC ‘Cold War Hot Jets’ theme that is currently doing the rounds. 😉

I just read skyskooters post about the B17 breaking up,.silly me should have read all of the posts first ,I am relieved to hearthat there were no souls on board though!

I found it to be very interesting,with some superb footage of the 3 V bombers.
The footage of the B17 that was shot down(the bit about the Lincoln over berlin) was extraordinary yet shocking,is it possible that any crew may have survived that?

Me too. With all its attendant publicity you would thought XH558 to have been the obvious choice. Perhaps they felt it necessary to interview Tony Blackman next to a white one!

Just re-watching Cold War Jets loving the shots of Minis and Standard Vanguards parked under V-bombers! Can’t believe they’re from the same era!

Also XM603 looks very sad still!

Yes, I thought they could have picked a better example to show what a Vulcan looks like.

Just re-watching Cold War Jets loving the shots of Minis and Standard Vanguards parked under V-bombers! Can’t believe they’re from the same era!

Also XM603 looks very sad still!

Although it was about the men and machines which took part in the Cold War, and the politics behind it, rather than those which might have done.

Very good programmes, although they could have spoken more about the TSR-2, other than the political side.

The B17 break up sequence was I believe a post war target drone being hit by a Nike Ajax ground to air missile. Quite spectacular.

Excellent series despite the B17 standing in for the Lincoln shot down in the Berlin Corridor! Great footage of all the V bombers and very good interviews.

Episode 2 – What a series. What aircraft, what times. Never appreciated what a fine aircraft the Victor was. Need to see one in the air again. Wow!

Roundel – is the clue surely…for English pronunciation.

Roundel =

Middle English, from Old French rondel, diminutive of rond, circle, round; see round

Small point. ‘Roundel’. Is it ‘row-ndel’, rhymes with ‘cow’ or ‘ron-del’ rhymes with,er ‘con’?

Always pronounced it ‘row-ndel’ me.
John

Wierd, I too noticed that, and have never heard anybody else pronounce it “rondel”. (Maybe in France?!) Interestingly, though, I’m sure I heard one of the veterans say it like that, perhaps the BBC told him to say it like Holland says it?!

On the whole, a very good programme, and I though it had a nicer balance of fact to entertainment than previous similar programmes.

“Rown-del” for me. Never ever heard your alternative, nor can see any reason to pronounce it that way.

Small point. ‘Roundel’. Is it ‘row-ndel’, rhymes with ‘cow’ or ‘ron-del’ rhymes with,er ‘con’?

Always pronounced it ‘row-ndel’ me.
John