Looking Down the Corridors

by Kevin Wright

  In total nine Chipmunks served with the RAF Gatow Station Flight during its existence. Initially they wore an overall silver colour scheme with a black anti-glare panel on the nose and national markings on the fuselage, above and below the wings and on the fin. Serial numbers were applied to the fuselage and under wing. In the 1970s, light aircraft grey replaced the silver and this was retained until the end of operations. The individual aircraft involved were: WG303 from December 1956 until April 1968 and WK587 from November 1962 until April 1968. This pair were replaced by WP850 (left November 1975) and WP971, which departed in October 1975. WZ862 was in place from December 1974 until June 1987 and WD289 from May 1975 until June 1987. WG478 arrived in May 1987 and departed in July 1987. It returned to Berlin in 1994 to make-up a three-ship formation as part of the withdrawal ceremonies. The final two aircraft were WG486 from May 1987 together with WG466 which arrived on an unknown date, with both staying until 1994 when operations ceased. WG486 currently flies with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby as a trainer to familiarise new pilots with tailwheel aircraft and WG466 is displayed at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr at Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow. By the late 1970s the Chipmunk’s age and increasing obsolescence meant that the possibility of major failure was never far from the minds of the operators. Sqaudron Leader Vince Robertson (Squadron Leader Operations) produced a paper proposing that they should be replaced by Scottish Aviation Bulldog, which was the RAF’s basic trainer at that time. It had a tricycle undercarriage, better avionics and most importantly, a heater! Trials in the UK confirmed the Bulldog was a suitable platform and Vince submitted the paper to the Deputy Chief of Mission who endorsed the findings. In the finest British tradition, nothing further was heard so the venerable Chipmunk soldiered on.

  The Chipmunk gave the British a unique opportunity for visual reconnaissance tours within the BCZ but the arrival of Group Captain F.G. Foot, RAF, as Deputy Chief of Mission changed this.3 He was a former air attaché in Budapest and believed that all sightings should be photographically confirmed, giving impetus to the idea that the Chipmunk should be used to photograph Soviet and East German installations in the BCZ at low level to complement the photographic material from the Corridor and other programmes. So, in 1956 the Cabinet approved its use on clandestine low-level photographic collection operations in the BCZ under the auspices of BRIXMIS.4 Day-to-day approval of the photographic flights was devolved to a senior Berlin-based military officer. The programme’s political approval was part of the Corridor flight approval process, kept under constant review and revalidated every six months. Changes in the international political and military situation, especially where it affected Germany and Berlin, could result in the curtailment or suspension of flights and the devolved authority for short periods. Political constraints on the flights were at their most severe between 1960 and 1962.

  The photographic flights were both politically and militarily sensitive. By some definitions they amounted to aerial espionage (spy flights) because their primary collection method was cameras rather than visual observation. The counter argument was that the flights were ‘operated by military aircraft, crewed by uniformed personnel in airspace that we were legally allowed to use, carrying out airborne reconnaissance tours that were a logical extension of BRIXMIS ground-touring operations’.5 However, using cameras was certainly outside the flight’s stated public purposes of asserting access rights and crew continuation training. Had the Soviet authorities ever acquired prima facie evidence of photographic ‘spy flights’, serious diplomatic repercussions would undoubtedly have followed with the crew possibly being subjected to a ‘show trial’ followed by a lengthy prison term – euphemistically referred to in BRIXMIS as ‘the very long Russian language course’ – or worse.

  Flight Approval and Authorisation

  Until 1960 the individual flights were planned by the Squadron Leader (Operations) at BRIXMIS and approved by the Deputy Chief BRIXMIS, usually an RAF Group Captain. This changed dramatically after the U-2 incident in May 1960. London immediately imposed a total embargo on all photographic flights and assumed direct control. After the building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, many intelligence sources were seriously curtailed and some completely lost. This persuaded the PM to personally approve limited resumption of a small number of photographic flights (in blocks of single figures) to be executed within a specified time frame.6

  These restrictions were onerous, cumbersome and inefficient, and significantly slowed the Chipmunk’s reaction time when events were at their most dynamic and fast moving around the city. In 1961 the PM approved twenty-eight flights, plus a small number that could be launched at the discretion of the GOC (Berlin). Only thirteen were flown because of poor weather and aircraft availability.7 In December 1961 London relaxed the constraints slightly by approving a number of photographic flights that could be flown with approval of the GOC (Berlin), but without a time limitation.8 In 1962 these restrictions were further relaxed and allowed the GOC (Berlin) to approve two flights in any one week.9 By the mid 1960s London had increased the BRIXMIS flight allocation to five days per fortnight, with approval of the GOC (Berlin) after consulting with the BMG in Berlin for any political input. This approval procedure remained extant until photographic flights ended in September 1990.

  Crew Selection and Training

  The primary selection criteria for RAF officers posted to BRIXMIS were for them to have an intelligence background and personal qualities that enabled them to be good touring officers, which was their primary employment, capable of dealing with the rigours of mission life. Aircrew officers were told to retain their flying clothing but no reason was given for this.

  Before the British services began to take intelligence matters more seriously in the 1970s, intelligence and pre-posting training for aircrew destined for BRIXMIS was minimal and mainly unsuited for the mission’s role. They attended the School of Service Intelligence (SSI) course at Ashford, in Kent, that was orientated towards military attachés. It therefore did not accurately reflect the rigours and hazards of mission life because most attachés generally operated in a more civilised environment.

  To rectify this deficiency the SSI introduced the Intelligence (Special Duties) Course that was tailored to meet BRIXMIS requirements. A large portion of the course was devoted to vehicle and equipment recognition. Officers and NCOs, regardless of service, had to become proficient in recognising Soviet and East German ground and Air Force equipment and the types of units that possessed them. Camera handling and operation was included in the course syllabus, but was biased towards the ground tour environment. Consequently prospective Chipmunk observers had no formal training in air-to-ground photographic techniques but were deemed to be competent for the task. The establishment of a dedicated Chipmunk crew in the 1980s, mainly on flight safety grounds, led to a more professional approach being taken to aerial photography and new observers performed one or two ‘dry’ missions over West Berlin to familiarise themselves with the cameras and hone their skills to enable them to get the best results from operational missions where a single pass over the target was the norm.

  Until the mid 1970s most RAF pilots’ initial flying training was undertaken on the Chipmunk so familiar to them. Some had considerable experience on it. The amount of Chipmunk ‘refresher training’ required depended on the pilot’s previous experience. Pilot training for the photographic flights consisted of an ‘acceptance flight’ at RAF Gatow, followed by a number of ‘clean’ (non-photographic) route flights to familiarise pilots with the details of the BCZ. Experienced observers assisted on these familiarisation flights by ‘nursing’ the pilots until they were as familiar with the BCZ as the observers.

  Hans Neubroch was posted to BRIXMIS as a touring officer and became first BRIXMIS Chipmunk pilot between 1956 and 1959. He already had several hundred hours on the aircraft as an instructor so his training requirement for the BRIXMIS role was minimal. Mike Neil was a Chipmunk pilot at Ga
tow between 1973 and 1977 and again from 1980 to 1983, when he was also Wing Commander (Operations). In 1973 his training had consisted of one flight around the ‘standard BCZ route’ with his predecessor followed by some additional ‘clean’ (non-photographic) familiarisation flights. When Mike handed over to his successor in 1977, he gave him a one-flight ‘standard BCZ tour’. On his return to Gatow in 1980 he was simply given an acceptance check, after which he was considered operationally ready because of his previous experience.

  The question of replacing the Chipmunk with something more modern was often discussed but progressed little beyond this stage. Retired Squadron Leader Vince Robertson, Chipmunk pilot and BRIXMIS Touring Officer from 1976–79 told us little about the efforts to replace the Chipmunks at RAF Gatow:

  I was becoming increasingly aware of age of the Chipmunk and while maintained to the highest standards by the excellent groundcrew at Gatow, the possibility of a major failure was never far from the minds of the aircrew involved in the operation. I wrote a paper to the Deputy Chief Of Mission, Group Captain Mike Rayson, voicing my misgivings and proposing that we look at a replacement. I undertook to investigate the suitability of the Scottish Aviation Bulldog, then still in use as a trainer with the University Air Squadrons in the RAF. It was a modern, more comfortable machine with a few more electronic refinements and, significantly, a heater! I went to London UAS, then based at Boscombe Down, and carried out a series of trial flights with then Flight Lieutenant (later Air Commodore) David Williams as photographer. The trial was successful and we showed that the Bulldog would be a suitable platform for reconnaissance sorties in the BCZ. My paper was well received but I think the Bulldog was turned down on the basis that it would be a major change in our operations and would not sit well with the Soviets. The fact that the US Mission had changed their aircraft during my time in Berlin to the Pilatus Turbo Porter counted for nothing with the British authorities. And so the replacement saga came to an end and the worthy Chipmunk soldiered on for another 10 years, God Bless Her!

  David Cockburn was the dedicated Chipmunk pilot between 1986 and 1989. Although he had only two hours’ previous experience on Chipmunks he was an experienced low-level navigator and glider pilot. He attended two courses before arriving in Berlin: the Central Flying School (CFS) course to learn how to fly the Chipmunk and the Intelligence (SD) Course. Because of the secrecy surrounding the Chipmunk’s activities his CFS instructor was totally unaware of the type and amount of flying his ‘student’ would be doing. Consequently, he spent a lot of time flying from the front seat, concentrating on obtaining an instrument rating because the aircraft would be operating in the controlled airspace of the BCZ. This was found to be really a waste of effort because BRIXMIS Chipmunk flights were always flown from the back seat and under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions. The Intelligence (SD) Course introduced him to his new unit and its overall role but not the specifics of his new job – this came later. When David was told that he was the dedicated BRIXMIS Chipmunk pilot, he realised, after ten years in a training role, that he was returning to an operational flying environment.

  From 1956 until 1960 the Chipmunk crew consisted of a pilot in the front seat and an observer/photographer in the rear seat. The observers were generally from the Army, but on one occasion a Royal Marine officer filled the seat. The observers were normally mission ground touring officers but occasionally RAF personnel flew, because of their service specialisation. The pilot was either a BRIXMIS member, or a Berlin-based pilot on a ground tour. The rationale behind this was to maintain the ‘continuation training’ cover story. As the BRIXMIS members were also ground touring officers it meant that sometimes they might have just completed a forty-eight-hour ground tour of the GDR, immediately followed by a Chipmunk sortie. Roy Marsden, an observer and Russian linguist from 1973 to 1975, remembers that in one day he flew a Chipmunk sortie in the morning, acted as interpreter for the Chief of BRIXMIS at a meeting with the Soviet External Relations Branch (SERB) in the afternoon and then went out on a ground tour in the evening!10 This concept of being touring officers as well as Chipmunk crew members gave rise to concerns that fatigue could be a contributory factor in the event of a Chipmunk accident. It speaks highly of the crews’ professionalism and dedication that there never was one. In 1981 the Deputy Chief of Mission established a dedicated Chipmunk crew whose sole purpose was to plan and execute the Chipmunk flights and report their results. At the same time the ‘continuation training’ part of the cover story was discreetly dropped. In the event of a BRIXMIS pilot being unavailable, certain officers at RAF Gatow were aware of the flights’ real purpose and would step into the breach.

  The Army element at BRIXMIS made a case in the 1970s that they should permanently provide the observer because the majority of the targets were ground force orientated. The RAF pointed out that the sometimes violent manoeuvres and the peculiar flying attitudes often necessary during the flights made even the most hardened aircrew feel airsick and, in case of an emergency, a high degree of crew co-operation and airmanship was required to bring the flight to a successful conclusion. Ultimately common sense prevailed and all the photographic flights continued to be RAF crewed.

  Sensors and Films

  Chipmunk crews used a 35mm hand-held camera that could be fitted with a variety of lenses as standard. There is some evidence that a fixed F.95 oblique camera fitted with a 4in lens producing 70mm square format stereoscopic photography was used sometime between 195911 and 1961 and this is referred to in some official papers.12 References to the fixed F.95 often infer that it was fitted and in regular use. However, the reality may have been somewhat different. Hans Neubroch is certain that it was not fitted between 1956 and 1959 when he was the Chipmunk pilot. Francis Bacon, the corporal in charge of the BRIXMIS photographic section from 1959 to 1961, said that they never handled any 70mm film and that their darkrooms were not equipped to handle that film format.13 He recalled discussions proposing installation of a fixed camera in the Chipmunk with the lens pointing through the centre of the fuselage roundel to conceal its presence. Whilst some initial work may have been carried out, the available evidence indicates that the F.95 was either never actually fitted or done so only for a very short period. By December 1961, the JIC in London recommend that use of the F.95 should be ‘discontinued’ and more easily disposable hand-held cameras be substituted.14 Certainly, the presence of a fixed F.95 would have made denying the flight’s true purpose impossible if the aircraft had force-landed in the GDR or East Berlin, with consequent political and diplomatic repercussions.

  The cameras went through several iterations as technology advanced. Initially, a hand-wound Leica M3 body, usually fitted with a 200mm Telyt lens, was selected. This used Kodak Panatomic-X film (rated at 64 ASA) that could be uprated to 1600 ASA by modifying exposure and processing techniques. By the 1970s two motor-drive Nikon F1 bodies were introduced. They came with a selection of Nikon lenses: 55mm for wide-angle shots, 135mm for closer shots and 500mm for really close-up shots. The 1,000mm lens was introduced during this period but it was very difficult to use in the Chipmunk’s cramped cockpit with its vibrations and the 80-knot slipstream. The camera had to be held very steadily to achieve results that were not out of focus and shaky. Film used was Kodak 400 ASA monochrome and 100 ASA colour. Infrared film was occasionally used to ascertain which vehicles were painted with IR reflective or absorbent paint. By the 1980s the motor-drive equipped Nikon F3 was the standard body that could be fitted with lenses ranging from 35mm for wide-angle up to the 1,000mm for very close-up work.15 By then Kodak colour 100 ASA and 400 ASA film was exclusively used.

  Ready-use spare film was carried in the observer’s flying overall pockets. By the 1980s it was carried in a brass cassette containing about 20 rolls of film (720 frames) with a further 20–30 rolls (720–1080 frames) carried in flying overall pockets in case a sortie presented a particularly large number of opportunities. The average sortie used 15–20 rolls (540–720 frames).
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  Although digital cameras became available in the 1980s they were never used on Chipmunk photographic flights because the digital images could still be recovered even if the memory card was damaged. The photographic film images were easily destroyed by exposure to light or fire and thus less of a challenge to ‘deniability’.

  Tasking and Targeting

  Primary tasking for Chipmunk photographic flights was done by HQ BRIXMIS based on their intelligence requirements and local knowledge. Other tasks originated from the UK MoD in London, HQ BAOR and HQ RAFG in Rheindahlen and HQ Berlin Infantry Brigade (BIB). The various requests were all considered and incorporated into individual flight plans.

  There was a plethora of Soviet and East German targets for the flights. They included two complete Soviet ground force divisions, elements of two others, a complete artillery division, 6 Motor Rifle Brigade based at Berlin-Karlshorst that formed the Soviet Berlin garrison, two major airfields (one fast jet and one helicopter), several SAM sites and significant logistic installations. The GDR had a complete army division, other army units, logistic installations and its Border Command Centre (Grenzkommando Mitte – GKM). East Berlin housed major GDR government organs, including the Headquarters of the infamous Ministerium für Staats Sicherheit (MfS), more popularly known as the ‘Stasi’. On the Berlin Railway Ring the rail yards and sidings at Berlin-Karlshorst, Bernau, Döberitz, Elstal, Priort, Satzkorn and Wüstermark were used for importing and moving military equipment. Therefore there was plenty of ‘trade’ for the flights.