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

Author:Nigel Walpole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Aviation
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Jörg Behnke had his first flight in a MiG-21M on JG-7 in 1985. (Jörg Behnke)

This was not the case when two UB-16 rocket launchers, each carrying three 57mm S.5 rockets (three with live warheads) departed inadvertently from a MiG-21M of JG-7, operating out of Garz, during an anti-ship weapons training sortie on a Saturday afternoon. Manfred Skeries, then Deputy Commander 1.LVD and Chief of Air Defence Training, was determined to find them – and avoid the tortuous weekend enquiry which would otherwise follow. It happened in June 1986, while the unit was practising air-to-air gunnery and unguided rocket deliveries on the Baltic ranges and air-to-sea rocket training against the ship targets. Manfred was airborne with the commander of JG-7 in a two-seat MiG-21UM, when they overheard a young pilot break communications security to report that he had lost his rockets and both launchers – with the possibility that they had caused casualties or damage on the ground. OC JG-7 immediately cancelled all further weapons training and Manfred set up an inquiry. This concluded that all cockpit procedures had been correct, that there was no obvious technical defect and that the launchers had been lost en route to the range in use - rather than on the range itself. On that basis, search parties were set up to scour the area beneath the aircraft’s flight path, drawing on all available help from the local air force, navy, police and Stasi units – but to no avail – and there were none of the expected calls from the public. It was then that Manfred came to the rescue, getting authority to offer a DM500 reward and to the use of the Mi-8 helicopter which had been acting as range monitor, to carry him, the JG-7 commander, the young pilot involved and his squadron commander, on a ‘search and rescue’ operation. This centred on an area in which the pilot had sensed that he heard a ‘metallic thump’ below his aircraft, but thought nothing of it at the time. Had he checked his weapons panel then he would have seen that the two lights which indicated that the pylons were occupied were no longer illuminated. Those aboard the helicopter quickly realized that their initial search from 80-100m (260-330ft) was too low, and raised the height to 200-250m (660–800ft), but still there were no sign of the launchers, no visible damage to property or any gathering of people to suggest that they had found their quarry. However, further calculations of the MiG’s flight path eventually led to success, both launchers and their rockets being found in a cornfield just off the road to Anklam. There they met other military men searching the area, including a two-star NVA general who admitted that he had once lost an entire tank company – and had no idea where to look for it. A deeper technical investigation subsequently revealed that the extreme humidity at that time had caused a short in the external stores jettison circuit. All’s well

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