WWIII Aircraft Losses: 4 ATAF, Central Front D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part III

WWIII Aircraft Losses: 4 ATAF, Central Front D+0 (9 July, 1987)  Part III The third part of 4 ATAF losses on D+0 will cover the remainder of USAFE assets based in the Federal Republic on the first morning of war. Canadian and West German squadron losses will also be looked at in the next entry. …

Memories of WWIII: Destination Bitburg Part III

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)- “The next morning, Drool (Major Ed Leahy, 27fth TFS operations officer) and I hit the ground running. By first light Drool was busy working out air plans with the Bitburg wing staff and contemporaries from our sister squadrons there. For most of the morning on 5 July, I …

Memories of WWIII: Destination Bitburg Part II

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)- “We touched down at Bitburg in the early afternoon of July 4th. Independence Day and a Saturday, though my first impression of the airbase revealed signs of neither. The airbase was a madhouse of activity and drove home how seriously USAFE was taking this crisis. To be frank, …

Memories of WWIII: Destination Bitburg Part I

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)- “Around 2000 on July 3, 1987 I received a call at home from my squadron CO. He ordered me to pack a bag and in front of the wing headquarters building at 2100. Fortunately, packing a bag was no big deal. I already had one ready to go …

Memories Of World War III: The Road To War Part III

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)-  “When the coup went down in Moscow my squadron was out at Nellis and about to start the second half of a Red Flag rotation. The matter wasn’t talked about much since we had our hands full with the exercise. But in the last couple of days the …

The Central Front D+20 (29 July, 1987) Part IV

General Bill Kirk, USAF was the Commander of Allied Air Forces in Central Europe (COMAAFCE). Thus far, he had run an almost flawless air war, having achieved air superiority and overcome Warsaw Pact advantage in aircraft numbers, as well as the much-vaunted effectiveness of enemy air defenses. That is not to say NATO losses in …

Air War on the Central Front D+5 (14 July, 1987) Part II

Outside of the 36th TFW headquarters building two vehicles were waiting when Holland and Glosson emerged. One was a blue Air Force sedan, and the other a jeep packed with five security police troops. Holland got into the back of the sedan while Glosson went over to the jeep and spoke briefly to the NCO …

Air War on the Central Front D+5 (14 July, 1987) Part I

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Holland’s war had yet to begin. He was one of eight Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers brought together as an ad-hoc advance party by Tactical Air Command forty-eight hours earlier. On D+3 Holland had been at McGuire Air Force Base working with his squadron to get ready for war …

Air War on the Central Front: D+3 (12 July, 1987)

In the early morning hours of D+3, General Bill Kirk, USAF reflected on the progress of the air war on the Central Front thus far. The four star general wore two hats, serving as Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe. Like a good number of his NATO and …

USAFE Stands Up D-3 (6 July, 1987) Part 1 **

6 July, 1987 was a day the US Air Force had spent years preparing for. At least one Rapid Reactor exercise was held annually to simulate the swift movement of stateside squadrons to their designated wartime airbases in Western Europe. Data from the exercises was analyzed, contingency plans updated, and training revised to help squadrons …