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In February 1962, I arrived in Germany after having transitioned
into the Mohawk at Ft. Rucker, the previous November. Being assigned
as platoon leader of the Aerial Surveillance and Target Acquisition
Platoon, 503rd Aviation Company, 3rd Armored Division, presented
me with many challenges. First, conducting the DA Field Test
and Evaluation of the Mohawk. Second, was integrating the new
surveillance systems into the intelligence gathering system of
the Division. By the fall of 1962, the platoon was conducting
border surveillance missions in support of HQ, Seventh Army.
Six months later, we were proficient in all operations of the
KA-30 Camera, Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR), and the Infrared
(IR) system. In November 1963, Captain Ed Brinkley, Assistant
G-2 Air of the Division, called me on the phone. He had a special
photo mission for the Mohawk. When asked about the details of
the mission, he said that it was classified and that he would
come down to the 503rd the next day and brief me in person.
The next day he arrived and asked for a secure place where
we could talk. I cleared out my platoon headquarters office and
stationed my platoon sergeant, SFC Underwood, outside the door.
He then proceeded to tell me that he wanted aerial photographs
of the Russian Embassy! I asked for what reason? He replied that
it was not for me to know, just provide the photos!
Well, I explained that there was no way that a Mohawk could
perform the mission without causing an international incident
with the Russians, plus also getting a flight violation from
Frankfurt Air Route Traffic Control, as the Embassy was located
just northeast of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Airport. It was so
close to the airport that I would be all over their traffic pattern
and they would not allow it. I told him that he would have to
submit a request to Rhine-Main for permission to enter their
controlled air space.
I suspected that this mission was going to be tough by the
way he was remaining silent and just shaking his head, NO! He
said that no one was supposed to know that the photos had been
taken! "Do you have a plan as to how it should be done,"
I asked? "No," was his reply, "We'll just let
you figure out how to get it done!"
I had heard about missions like this one before, but this
was my first time getting one. He said for me to call him when
I had the details worked out. Then, with a smile on his face,
he just turned and walked out of the office.
I got out all the appropriate maps and charts of the area
and asked Captain Russell H. Potter, SLAR Section leader; Captain
Drexel E. Sanders, IR Section Leader; and 1st. LT. Roy A. Wulff,
also of the IR Section, to join me in the planning phase of the
mission. The mission called for three passes of the Embassy,
two passes on either side of the Embassy and one directly overhead.
One pass was to be looking from west to east at a 30-degree oblique
from 600 feet, one looking from east to west at a 15-degree oblique
from 400 feet, and one pass directly overhead from 300 feet.
The trick was to get these photos before anyone knew what we
were doing.
The first thing that we all agreed on was that we had to have
an aerial photograph of the area in order to study all the major
check points needed to determine each of the flight paths. During
the next few days, I flew a local VFR Mohawk mission and positioned
myself to the southwest of the Rhine-Main Airport and requested
permission to pass through their control area at 5,000 feet.
They gave me permission and I flew over the airport on a direct
line with the Embassy, with the KA-30 Camera running. SP-5 Markson
was my Technical Operator for the mission.
When the photos were developed, the Photo Section made an
excellent mosaic map of that area showing all the landmarks that
we would use later on our actual runs. We all studied the map
in great detail. During the next few days, I flew all around
the area in an OH-13H to get familiar with the landmarks from
the air and to choose the initial points from which each photo
run would be made. Using binoculars from an aircraft can cause
airsickness very quickly!
I then assembled the group again and we discussed everything
up to that point with the hope of coming up with a workable plan.
After hours of discussion, I decided that the mission should
be flown in an OV-1A rather than have a SLAR or IR aircraft buzzing
the Russian Embassy. Next, we would go for a day that was well
below Visual Flight Rules (VFR) minimums. That was the general
feeling of everyone for the best way to do it.
Next, a day that would have the least amount of people at
work, like on a Sunday. A day that was so rainy, foggy or hazy
that it would be very difficult to identify an aircraft operating
in the Frankfurt restricted area. One thing that we had going
for us was that the KA-30 camera in the Mohawk would produce
excellent photographs in that kind of weather.
Now, to determine the flight paths. The first requirement I had
was to fly each run so that the target would be on my left side
so that I would be looking through my camera sight reticle. The
next thing was to determine the order in which I would make the
three photo runs. In either case, I would be flying very close
to the end of the northeast runway of the Rhine-Main Airport,
a minimum of TWO times.
Sp-5 Markson, one of our sensor operators and my jeep driver,
was selected to fly the mission with me. The reason was that
he was very quick and proficient in setting up the camera, very
cool under pressure, and I had never seen him even come close
to getting airsick. I knew that we would be pulling some "G"
forces on this mission and these forces on a Sensor Operator,
with his head down resetting the camera in a tight turn, resulted
in airsickness very quickly.
Since Fliegerhorst Airfield, Hanau, was 20 Km to the east
of the Rhine-Main Airport, I decided to take off, turn west and
fly at 500 feet to visually identify the Rhine-Main Airport and
determine that the ceiling would allow the second run at a height
of 600 feet. Then I would make a right descending turn to the
northeast and start the first run making the 15-degree oblique
run at 400 feet out of the left side of the Hawk. SP-5 Markson
would already have the camera set up for this run. When that
run was completed, I would make a sharp left climbing 180-degree
turn to the southwest for the second run at a 30-degree oblique
at 600 feet. Markson would be resetting the camera for the second
run.
On this run, I would be heading directly at the Rhine-Main
Airport at an altitude of 600 feet. Someone, somewhere was bound
to see me by then and there was no telling what their reaction
would be! I would just have to hold a steady course on this run
until it was completed, regardless of my close proximity to the
Rhine-Main Airport. At the instant that run was completed, I
would have to make a very sharp left descending 180-degree turn
and start back to the northeast, away from the airport, aligning
the Hawk for the last run at 300 feet directly over the Embassy.
I decided to make the vertical overhead run the last one because
after that low pass, everyone in the Embassy would be on my case!
SP-5 Markson would have to be quick and accurate on the camera
settings and I would have to always be aware of my next checkpoint
to align the sight reticle on a line with the Embassy. All this
aligning of the sight reticle of the camera had to be done by
turning and maneuvering the Hawk along the flight path. The sight
reticle that I would be looking through was on a long arm that
was located down on the lower left side of my ejection seat.
I had to reach down, grasp it and pull it up beside me so that
the sight reticle was at my eye level, looking out through the
left side hatch. I had to set it either at the 15 or 30-degree
oblique position. The round reticle had to pass through the center
of the Embassy in order to get the desired photos.
After all the planning was completed, I called for Captain Brinkley
to come over and review our plan. He came the next day and agreed
that it was as good as we could make it, under the circumstances.
He gave me the go-ahead to start looking for a day to fly the
mission. I was to notify him when we had selected the day for
the mission to be flown. I notified all the weather personnel
and we all began to watch for a day that the mission could be
flown.
A day came about a week later when bad weather was forecast to
be in for the next weekend. It turned out that the visibility
was too bad on that Sunday and we could not conduct the mission.
One week later the weather was forecast to be bad again and this
time it looked good for the mission and all preparations were
underway to get it going. On Friday, the weather looked marginal
for Sunday but we continued preparations so that we could go
on a last-minute decision. That decision came about 0700 hrs,
Sunday morning. Our Company Commander, Major Victor M. Hernandez
was informed as well as Captain Brinkley, so that they could
be ready for any violation reports that may come in from anywhere.
The ceiling was ragged at 700 feet up to 1000 feet with the visibility
less than one mile, with misting rain and some fog.
There was one good break. The winds were calm, which would
help tremendously in lining the Hawk up on the photo runs. Captain
Sanders had already pre-flighted the Hawk, OV-1A, 60-3736. At
0900 hrs, Sp-5 Markson and myself climbed aboard. I had filed
a 45-minute VFR Local flight in the area! There was already some
controversy starting in Flight Operations from one of the lower
ranking enlisted men that worked there on a daily basis. He knew
that the weather was not VFR and the Hawk should not be departing
on a VFR flight plan; however, the presence of our Flight Operations
Officer, Captain Tom Morris, quieted things down quickly.
We were off at 0930 hrs and flew west at 500 feet. I was monitoring
both Rhine- Main Tower and Frankfurt Approach Control on our
command radio set. The ceiling was ragged and the visibility
was worse than I had expected. I reduced our airspeed from 180
knots to 150 knots and put down 15-degrees of flaps. The slower
speed, with the slots and slats out, made me feel more comfortable
in the reduced visibility. I reduced speed even more, on down
to 130 knots, as I surely did not want to cause a mid-air collision!
With the "no wind" condition, the Hawk was so smooth
I felt like we were on ice skates. The autobahn system told me
that I was right on course to pick up the first major checkpoint,
a large brick building with a bright red tile roof.
Markson reset the camera for 130 knots rather than the normal
180 knots. It was set for 400 feet and a 15-degree left oblique.
The Rhine Main Airport was now visible but I was much closer
than I wanted to be. The next checkpoint, a large green field,
came into view to my right front and I turned right to line up
on the right side of it. Over the headset I heard the Rhine-Main
Tower say: "Attention all aircraft in the Frankfurt Control
Area. There is an unidentified aircraft reported passing northeast
of the airfield, exercise extreme caution."
Then into view came the street with the high row of trees
and the Embassy Street. I could just make out the roof of the
Embassy in the distance and had to make some very quick, sharp
turns to align the sight reticle on a line that would intersect
the Embassy. In the reduced visibility and with all the turning,
I momentarily lost sight of the Embassy! "Aircraft operating
northeast of the Frankfurt Airport, depart the area immediately,"
cracked over the headset! There it was, off to the left front!
I quickly shifted the Hawk until the reticle was on line. "Camera
On," I yelled and Markson was right on it, cool as could
be. I held the Hawk as steady as I could as the reticle split
the Embassy dead center!
"Camera Off," I said, and Markson immediately began
resetting the camera for a 30- degree left oblique at 600 feet.
I made a sharp left climbing 180-degree turn and begin to line
up on a parallel street, until I could pick up the Embassy again.
Turning so sharp and pulling up to 600 feet was doing a job on
Markson, but he was right on it! When I picked up the Embassy,
I was too close and had to turn sharply away and then get back
on course.
"Camera On," I shouted! Now I was fighting the Hawk,
forcing the reticle to align with the Embassy. As the reticle
approached the Embassy, I leveled the wings and saw the reticle
slice through the Embassy and knew that I had just "Lucked
Out"!
"Camera Off," I shouted, as I reduced the power
levers and began a left descending 180-degree turn to 300 feet
for the final vertical run over the Embassy. I was looking over
my left shoulder, up through the overhead canopy, trying to keep
the Embassy in sight. Half way into the turn, I saw an airliner
with gear down and landing lights shining like auto headlights.
He was descending through the scud, straight at me! I increased
the turn to almost vertical and went under him! I could see the
individual treads on his tires!
Gosh, where is the Embassy? There it is, to the right front!
I've got to go right, then left! I was all over the sky, swirling,
trying to get the Hawk aligned up on the Embassy street. "Camera
On," I screamed! I rolled out of an almost 90-degree bank
and leveled the wings. After several quick final turns, the nose
of the Hawk was coming up on the Embassy fast! As we went directly
over it, I saw five or six people on the lawn staring up at us!
Between the Rhine-Main Tower, the Frankfurt Approach Control
Radar, the Airline Captain and those people on the ground, it
was going to be very difficult trying to convince anyone that
we had not been there that morning!
"Camera Off," I said, as I pushed the power levers
forward. I made a climbing right turn, pulled up the flaps and
let the airspeed increase to 180 knots. I headed southeast away
from the Embassy and not directly towards Hanau, just as fast
as we could. I wanted to fly southeast for some time, just in
case another aircraft was following me. After I was sure that
we were in the clear, I would turn back west towards Hanau. When
I felt safe, I called Hanau Tower on our prearranged secondary
frequency, just in case anyone was monitoring Hanau's primary
frequency. I was feeling really good now, about the mission.
Since the visibility was a little better, I lined up on runway
10 at 200 knots and requested a 360-degree overhead approach,
pitching out to the left, over the hangar area. We landed without
incident, even though I momentarily lost sight of the runway
during the pitch out. SP-5 Markson took the film to the photo
van for processing.
I could not believe how quickly the mission had been flown. It
seemed like we were around the Embassy for only seconds. I wondered
how many incident reports and flight violations would come in
as a result of this mission? I called Captain Brinkley in his
quarters and told him that the mission had been completed and
I thought that we should have some good pictures. He said that
he would be down in a couple of hours and select the ones that
he wanted. Markson and I went to our quarters for a shower and
some breakfast.
On Monday, I called Captain Brinkley and asked if our mission
had accomplished what he had wanted? He said, "Yes, very
much so." I asked him what the photos showed that was so
important? He hesitated and said that he could not tell me. I
just blew up over the phone and went over every part of the mission
that could have resulted in a flight violation, incident report,
or even some kind of a disaster, and told him I wanted to know!
Markson and I deserved to know! He thought a minute and said
that he would come down the next day.
The next day he did come into my platoon office and closed
the door. He told me that Washington knew that a new, very powerful
Radio Transmitter had been installed in the Russian Embassy;
however, all their efforts had failed to determine the location
of Radio's Antenna. The Hawk had found it, plain and clear. It
was erected, standing upright, down inside a false chimney in
the center of the building! The last pass directly overhead looked
straight down inside the chimney, and there it was!
The thing that had worried me the most about that mission --
flight violations -- never materialized. I was never told of,
nor was I ever made aware of, any flight violations filed by
the Rhine-Main Airport, the Captain of the Airliner or any of
the Embassy personnel! Maybe there had been some! If so, some
higher headquarters must have taken care of them. But the final
truth of that day was simply this: THE MOHAWK HAD DONE IT TO
THEM, AGAIN!
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