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Post by Brett on Sept 29, 2014 13:04:27 GMT 12
Photographic proof that the Rebel Alliance have established a base in Britain.  |
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Post by beagle on Sept 29, 2014 14:05:37 GMT 12
take it, they are ex aircraft shelters from the cold war on an ex RAF base
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 29, 2014 14:22:01 GMT 12
Former set from Teletubbies?
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Post by beagle on Sept 29, 2014 14:44:05 GMT 12
you would remember it well
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Post by baronbeeza on Sept 29, 2014 14:56:01 GMT 12
 Word must have got out... |
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Post by Mustang51 on Sept 29, 2014 15:09:39 GMT 12
Baronbeeza............ your byline....... sounds suspiciously like my Birdog and BT-13 !
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Post by mumbles on Oct 9, 2014 9:18:51 GMT 12
Photographic proof that the Rebel Alliance have established a base in Britain. As Baronbeeza alluded to, this is the former GAMA (GLCM Alert and Maintenance Area) at Greenham Common, which was built to house the deployment of US land based nuclear cruise missiles and their associated Transport/Erector/Launcher vehicles to the UK in the 1980's. They have been empty since 1991 or so and are now a listed monument, possibly because they are so hardened that demolishing them is impractical. They were built to survive a nuclear airburst over the base, and direct hits with conventional weapons. No doubt the Soviets had a few groundbursts planned for the site (and the similar one at Molesworth). The plan though was for them not to be in the bunkers when the fit hit the shan, with the TEL's dispersing to secret countryside locations during the anticipated buildup to war. In the case of a surprise attack the plan was for a QRA flight to bolt from the bunker to the middle of the airfield and launch from there. They are impressive but sinister structures, and to see them being used as a Star Wars film set rather than operational pleases me  . |
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Oct 9, 2014 9:32:59 GMT 12
Word must have got out... Ah look - it's a gathering of the David Bain jumper-knitting society!  |
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Post by baronbeeza on Oct 9, 2014 10:43:38 GMT 12
I was involved with the RAF during 1981 and a little of 1982. It was an interesting period.
The Cold War was full on and the RAF were desperately trying to introduce new types to replace the aging fleet that had found themselves with.
So here we were getting all accustomed to basically the intricacies of the Third World War when the whole time we had these 'distractions'.
The IRA bombing campaign was taking it's toll, both in lives lost and the extra effort involved in increased security measures. Those guys were really gunning for you, - nothing phoney war there !
Then the Greenham ladies joined the parade. To top it off some drunken Argentinian fishermen decided to raise their flag on some rock down in the South Atlantic.
The world had gone crazy...
Oh, I do remember getting told that if the balloon did go up then there was a chance that the Warsaw Pact countries may fragment. Hmmmm, some chance I thought. Anyway just 7 years later the Berlin wall was down and that part of the world was changed dramatically.
As Mumbles has told us above, the Greenham bunkers were only really good for a movie set from the early '90's onwards.
Oh, and back home. The RNZAF were busy flying policemen about to watch rugby matches, or so I was told.
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Post by angelsonefive on Oct 9, 2014 11:04:40 GMT 12
The ladies pictured are probably members of the women's " peace " camp that occupied the perimeter of the base for several years to protest against the basing of US nuclear Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles there.
It was rumoured that the occupants of the peace camp included a number of Soviet Spetsnaz female troops, tasked to enter the base in the event of hostilities being imminent and carry out acts of sabotage, but the rumour has never been verified.
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