Would someone please explain what exactly a ‘Lulu’ call is?
For his services while commanding 43 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Phil Champniss was awarded the AFC in the New Years Honours List.
The year 1966 crept in almost unnoticed, the only operational sortie in January being a flagwave on the 25th, flown by Flt Lt Hayward and Fg Off Burrows in the Laqmush area. The objective of this operation was to persuade the Ahl Majawwar and Ahl Fatima tribes to gives up a number of hostages they had taken and bring to an end a tribal dispute. Very soon after the flagwave, all hostages were surrendered.
With little operational activity, the Squadron was able to concentrate its attention on training and, despite a petrol delivery strike, fuel was obtained direct from the refinery, an average of 10,000 gallons a day being available. Squadron pilots had completely settled down to using the modified 230-gallon tank, all aircraft having been fitted with them. An average sortie duration of 1.3 hours was easily attainable, allowing two or three exercises to be carried out on each one.
Naval co-operation exercises were flown on the 19th and 28th with 2 v 2 combat being carried out against Sea Vixens and splash targets from HMS Eagle. The combat sorties were particularly valuable because it gave the pilots the opportunity to try their skill against an aircraft of superior performance, armed with Red Top missiles. The fact that cine ‘kills’ were registered helped morale and the chance to debrief on board the carrier was gratefully accepted.
Life hotted-up somewhat in February with eighteen operational sorties being flown on missions ranging from air defence and flagwaves to active support for the SAS and a house strike. On the 1st of the month, Fg Offs Fernee (XF421) and Ashley (XJ632) performed a flagwave over Am Wuthia giving support during elections in the State of Dathina. On the next day, Fg Offs White (XF445) and Willman (XJ646) went to the aid of the SAS in response to a ‘Lulu’ call, the SAS being involved in Operation Flashbulb Foxtrot in the Bilah area. Although they had surrounded twelve dissidents and encountered stiff resistance, three dissidents were subsequently killed in the operation and four wounded.
On the 7th and 8th, two air defence scrambles were flown by Flt Lt Malin (XE530 and XG296) and Fg Offs Dean (XE649) and McKeon (XJ688), the first to Beihan and the second to Mukeiras. Both were false alarms as the aircraft turned out to be a Canberra! Following reports of dissidents using the Wadis Rihab and Behab in Ilahi country as an entry route to the Upper Aulaqi Sheikdom, Fg Offs Fernee (XG296) and Harrison (XJ688) carried out a flagwave on 8 February. This was sufficient to persuade the Ilahi to forbid further use of these Wadis by dissidents.
On the 14th, Wg Cdr Chandler (XJ646) and Sqn Ldr Davidson (XE617) performed a flagwave in connection with the Dathina elections but were in support of Operation Tartor, intended to keep the residents quiet. The elections were, however, cancelled due to internal unrest. Later the same day, Wg Cdr Chandler (XE617), Sqn Ldr Davidson (XJ646), Flt Lt Taylor (XE649) and Fg Off White (XE530) carried out a strike on a house owned by Salin Thabit Harbi Al Yahari in the village of Lakamit Al Harbi. In the previous November, this gentleman had blown up the house of the Sheikh of Yahari and the strike was a retaliatory measure. Seven people were reported killed in the attack following which, the Yaharis sued for peace. The last four operational sorties for February were flown on the 15th by Flt Lt Hayward (XG298) and Fg Offs Dean (XE617), Burrows (XJ646) and Lawton (XJ688) to give top cover to the SAS as they moved in reinforcements to conduct a rapid cordon and search west of Al Milah.
A total of twelve operational sorties were flown by the Squadron in March, these being mainly in support of ground operations by the FRA but two sorties were flown in connection with the disappearance of a Ferret scout car. On the 5th, Flt Lt Pollock (XJ689) and Fg Off Lawton (XE649) performed a flagwave over the Wadi Yahar, concentrating particularly on the villages of Sarwit and Watah. This was a follow-up to the house strike of the previous month and the flagwave was to discourage any further dissident activity. Although nothing was sighted, on landing both aircraft were found to have been hit by small arms fire; one in the leading edge of the tailplane and the other by the starboard intake on the leading edge of the wing. Flt Lt Hayward (XE649) and Fg Off Harrison (XJ689) were authorised to fly another flagwave over the same area two days later and fire their cannon only if opposition was encountered - none was. A week later, on the 14th, as No. 2 FRA set up camp while on a dissident sweep in the Wadi Tiban, Flt Lt Hayward (XJ689) and Fg Off Screen (XF445) flew a flagwave over the area. Shortly after, on the same day, Sqn Ldr Davidson (XF435) led Fg Offs Fernee (XF388), Burrows (XF440)and White (XJ692) from Ataq down the Wadi Hatib in support of No. 4 FRA which wanted a big show of force to bring Operation Ghia to a close.
Two days later and Flt Lt Pollock (XJ689) and Fg Off Harrison (XG205) took off in search of the Hadramaut Bedouin Legion Ferret Scout Car which had disappeared while on a road test in the region of Husn Al Abr, thirty miles from the Yemen border. Reports suggested that the car had been ambushed and escaped in a westerly direction, but nothing was found.
Although the Squadron spent much of April on standby for the SAS, who were training in the Al Anad area, it was only called upon to fly two operational sorties during that period. This occurred on the 4th of the month after 50 dissidents had been spotted on a hill two miles north of the junction Wadi Taym and Wadi Bana on the previous day. Two Squadron FGA.9s, flown by Flt Lt Hayward and Fg Off Lawton, were tasked to fire at the top of the hill at first light on the 4th with Wg Cdr Chandler observing from a T.7. The hill was identified and both aircraft fired-off full ammunition loads, however, no dissidents were sighted.
On the next day, Flt Lt Alan Pollock was air-testing a Mark 9 (XE609) when fuel venting from a starboard drop tank caused a fire. Although he successfully landed the aircraft and the fire was extinguished, Cat 4 damaged was sustained by the aircraft.
Regular training continued with the concentration on simulated strikes, combat and close formation sorties, the latter being an invaluable build-up to a big formation flypast as part of the celebrations to mark 43 Squadron’s 50th anniversary on 15 April. On the day, three runs were made over the airfield, the first by eighteen aircraft in ‘43’ formation, the second as a diamond sixteen and a third comprising four boxes of four. A cocktail party, held at the Squadron on the previous evening, was attended by 250 people, including His Excellency the High Commissioner Sir Richard Turnbull and his wife. Sqn Ldr Davidson along with Fg Offs White and Lawton made their debuts on the British Forces Broadcasting Service when they talked about the Squadron’s 50 years of service, while Fg Offs Hughes-Lewis, Screen and Willman took part in the ‘Brains of Aden’ competition. However, the ‘Brains’ of 43 were eliminated in the first round!
Other features of the month were Hadramaut and Radfan recces, Djibouti diversions and low flying check rides at 50 ft, several airmen being given air experience and sector recces.
An interesting month is how the ORB describes May, the focus being mainly on operations with the SAS, a firepower demonstration, a house strike and various flagwaves to discourage inter-tribal disagreements. Operational sorties began on the 4th when Flt Lt Taylor and Fg Off Lawton, in XG135 and XF435 respectively, provided top cover for the SAS during Operation Starviewer ‘D’. While in the area, they carried out a low level search of the wadi in which five dissidents had been killed by a previous air strike carried out by 8 Squadron. Nothing was seen and the pair departed for Khormaksar when Flt Lt Hayward (XG298) and Fg Off Ashley (XE617) arrived to relieve them. They remained on station until it became too dark to be of further use to the ground forces.
On the 8th, Flt Lt Hayward (XG298) and Fg Off Lawton (XF421) performed a flagwave over Yibath, close to the Eastern Protectorate border. Yibath provided the divide between the Wahidi and Quati tribes who were in dispute over water and grazing rights. The air strike took place on the 11th when Sqn Ldr Davidson (XG205) and Flt Lts Taylor (XF421), Malin (XG296) and Hayward (XF435) attacked two houses in the village of Al Mazabah which had been reported as holding military supplies. They belonged to Ali Melholhar, leader of the Lower Yaffa Front, and Aquil Quasim Rageh, his second in command. A report reaching MEC two weeks later stated that the attack was very effective in that it had a salutary effect on the area, both houses being severely damaged along with two arms dumps in nearby caves, one of which collapsed on top of the stash inside. No one was injured and no other buildings were damaged but a local herd of cows was reduced by four.
With the trouble at Yibath still ongoing, Flt Lt Malin (XF421) and Fg Off Griffiths (XG205) carried out another flagwave over the area on the 12th and to signal the end of Operation Vonip on the 14th a firepower demonstration was carried out in the Mabashal Kalb area, Fg Offs Lawton (XG205) and Griffiths (XJ692) flying two 43 Squadron aircraft with four more coming from 8 Squadron. At the end of the demonstration, a flypast in formation was given to the troops and local inhabitants. Further flagwaves were flown in the 19th by Fg Offs Dean (XG261) and Willman (XE645) at Khawrah to deter inter-tribal disputes and on the 27th, the same pair flew XG205 and XE688 respectively on a second flagwave north east of Shabwah where a large crowd was threatening the Fort of Bir Asakit. Nothing of note was seen apart from a few tribesmen and camels.
With excellent serviceability rates for the FGA.9s and T.7s, three new pilots were able to enjoy a concentrated initial start to their tour in the Middle East, all three being checked out on the range and seeing a large part of the local area.
June was somewhat quieter with only one house strike and three flagwaves recorded. The first flagwave was carried out on the 4th when Fg Offs Ashley XG205) and Hughes-Lewis (XG135) flew over the Yibath area as the dispute between the Wahidi and Quati over grazing rights had still not been settled. There was then a long pause until the 28th of the month when Sqn Ldr Davidson (XF431) and Fg Off Tite ((XE688) of 208 Squadron - 8 Squadron being on detachment in Masirah) took off at 04:55 to perform a flagwave in the Wadi Hadramaut, an area that was rarely visited by the Squadron. They flew around the towns of Quadfa, Henin, Quatn, Shibham, Saywun and Ghuraf in support of a ground operation chasing 36 smugglers involved in gun running. Later that same day, Flt Lts Malin (XF440) and Waters (XJ645) flew to the Mithaf area where the FNG were searching for a band of dissidents but nothing was found.
On the last day of the month, Sqn Ldr Davidson (XF431) with Flt Lt Hayward (XF440) and Fg Offs Lawton (XJ646) and Dean (XG296) flew to the junction of Wadis Taym and Bana where a group of dissidents had been reported as preparing to free political prisoners from nearby Jaar Prison. Each aircraft was armed with twelve rockets and full gunpacks and by attacking from 20,000 ft, they had total surprise. Thirty minutes later a second wave of four aircraft with Flt Lt Taylor (XG205) led three Hunters from 208 Squadron (Flt Lts Thornton (XJ632), Tite (XE530) and Davis (XF388)) into a similar attack. No reports of the success of these attacks were received back in Aden.
No operational sorties were flown by the Squadron in July, the month being divided into two parts; the first at Khormaksar on basic training followed by a training detachment to Masirah from the 18th to the 29th as the second part. The plan for the detachment was for 43 Squadron to attack targets (allocated the previous day by HQ RAFPG) on the Trucial Coast where a pair of 208 Squadron aircraft would intercept them. The plan may have been well worked out but no interceptions were made and no combat film taken by either side.
The month of August was in total contrast to the previous month in that it flew more operational sorties in any moth since the Radfan operations of June 1964. The majority of the 106 flown were air defence patrols in the Beihan and Mukeiras areas intermixed with flagwaves and firepower demonstrations. The sudden increase in air defence patrols which the Squadron commenced on the 2nd was due to a border infringement and the strafing of Nuqub in Beihan State, by two Mig aircraft on 30th July. Every operational pilot bar two in the Squadron flew the patrol, including Wg Cdr Chandler and Wing Training Officer, Sqn Ldr Trowern. The patrols were largely monitored by type UPS 1 radar code name ‘Whiskey’ based at Mukeiras, but low level coverage was marginal. Fg Offs Screen and Harrison carried out a flypast for the BBC at Nuqub on the 21st during one of their patrols.
The then recent extending of the airstrip at Beihan to 1,800 yards enabled landings to be made on the mornings of the 19th and 24th by Flt Lt Hayward and pilots from 8 Squadron on completion of their patrols. There they were refuelled remained on standby until late afternoon when they were flown back to Khormaksar, but it was soon realised on the first day that no provision had been made for food and water for the pilots for their seven-hour wait. This omission was rectified for the 24th and subsequent days on which Hunters landed at Beihan. The groundcrew and equipment were ferried up from Khormaksar in the Dakota and a Twin Pioneer on each occasion. The aim of the Beihan landings was to get experienced pilots checked out so that the deployment of Hunters to Beihan could become a regular event. The patrols on the other hand, had the desired effect in that nothing more of the Migs was seen.
Eight flagwave sorties were flown in the Lodar Plain area following the return from self-exile in the Yemen of a particularly hostile tribe. Resident tribes in the area were not only displeased at their return but were also worried that they themselves would be in danger. The firepower demonstration at Musaymir on the 24th was flown by Flt Lts Malin (XE688) and Jennings (XJ646) and Fg Offs McKeon (XE649) and Ashley (XJ684) and mounted at the request of the local political officer on the return of the Sheikh to his tribal territory.
Along with 46 patrols along the border near Beihan and Mukeiras, in which every operational pilot took part, two flagwaves were carried out in September but of more significance were the attacks by three sections of four aircraft on targets in the Wadi Bana and to the north of Wadi Yahar. On the 13th, Wg Cdr Chandler (XE552), Flt Lts Malin (XJ632)and Waters (XF388) and Fg Off McKeon (XJ646) took of at 07:10 and carried out a strike in the Wadi Bana, followed by two more four-ship strikes in the Wadi Yahar; the first taking off at 09:10 comprised Wg Cdr Chandler (XJ680), Flt Lts Pollock (XJ684) and Jennings (XJ692) and Fg Off Screen (XJ689) and the second, an hour later, was flown by Flt Lt Malin (XF388) and Fg Offs Griffiths (XE552), Ashley (XJ646) and Lawton (XF435). The areas struck were to deter a gang of known dissidents who were planning to become more active.
Prior to this, on the 7th, Fg Offs McKeon and Screen performed a flagwave over Al Kirsh, Awabill and Musaymir with two purposes in mind. To boost the morale of defenders of a remote fort at Awabill that had been fired on and to deter a local Sheikh and his sons after they tried to rush the border at Al Kirsh and Musaymir. Two days later, another flagwave was performed over the Yibath area where the Wahidi and Quaiti tribes were still disagreeing over grazing rights. The only other sortie of note for the month occurred when Fg Offs Lawton (XE649) and Harrison (XE552) were scrambled to intercept an unidentified aircraft which turned out to be the T.7. Ooops! On the 19th, Flt Lt Malin undertook standby duties at Beihan in XJ692, landing on the rough airstrip at 09:00 and departing at 14:00.
With the SAS operating in the Habilayn area, top cover sorties were flown by Flt Lt Malin (XG261) and Fg Off Griffiths (XF456) on the 28th as patrols were being moved into observation areas.
Very little training took place due to an increase in aircraft unserviceability rates, the high number of operational flying and for that fact that the Squadron now boasted 23 pilots - seven of these were non-operational.
The heavy workload continued through October, when 89 Beihan and Mukeiras patrols were flown plus four flagwaves and five sorties in support of SAS movements in the Dhala area. Sqn Ldr Davidson provided a Beihan standby on the 7th when he flew up to the airstrip in XG261 at 07:55 and returned at 15:45.
The flagwaves were called for the Wadi Ruqub and Wadi Hatib, concentrating particularly on the village of Jabirah where, one of several tribes that had defected to the Yemen some time previously had since returned and had started causing trouble among the villages. The FRA had been called in to pacify the area and Flt Lts Malin (XG261) and Fg Off Griffiths (XF440) flew over Ruqub on the 15th followed by Flt Lt Taylor (XG261) and Fg Off Hughes-Lewis (XE688) who flew over Jabirah on the 16th.
On the 28th, Wg Cdr Chandler (XJ646), Sqn Ldr Davidson (XF435) and Flt Lt Etheridge (of 8 Squadron), took of at 04:20 en-route for Salalah to participate on Operation Fate, which involved the Wessex of 78 Squadron and the 1st Irish Guards and HMS Fearless. At first light, the Wessex took the Irish Guards ashore and surrounded the village of Hawf in the Eastern Aden Protectorate. This was followed by a sea assault from HMS Fearless. The whole village was thus cordoned off and parties then searched the population, picking up 22 known dissidents, one of whom had been wanted for three years. These dissidents had been operating into the territory of Muscat and Oman and had to be removed. The 43 Squadron aircraft’s job was to provide top cover during the landings while the 8 Squadron aircraft was turned round at Salalah and placed on standby ready to replace the airborne pair when they landed. A 105 Squadron Argosy had taken the groundcrew under the charge of Fg Off Hawken, on the previous day. Absolute secrecy was maintained to the extent that Fg Off Hawken had no idea of his eventual destination when he boarded the Argosy. The operation was declared a complete success.
November was another busy month for Beihan and Mukeiras patrols, a total of 72 being flown. These were interspersed with eight flagwaves in various areas, an air defence scramble and a four-ship strike in the Wadi Bana. A secondary benefit of the patrols was that they provided good practice for the ground radar controllers, particularly as no hostile aircraft were seen during a patrol. A flagwave on the 10th was flown to investigate inter-tribal fighting in the Dhala area and on the 14th, the Squadron was requested to overfly some villages at the north end of Wadi Yahar. This was to impress local chiefs who were being asked to join the Federation at the time.
On the 22nd of the month, an Aden Airways DC3 (VR-AAN) crashed two miles from the coast, north-east of Hasn Valide, while on a scheduled service from Meifah to Aden. Twenty-seven passengers and three crew were killed as the aircraft was blown apart by an explosive device believed to have been carried in hand baggage as it passed through 6,000ft. The FRA was sent up to prevent local inhabitants looting the wreckage and 43 Squadron was asked to overfly the area for the same reason.
On the morning of the 26th, Mukeiras radar did see a hostile blip, resulting in Fg Offs Dean (XF431) and Hughes-Lewis (XE645) being scrambled, but by the time they reached the area, the hostile(s) had headed back across the Yemen border. Two days later a four-ship strike was mounted in the Wadi Bana where an ex-dissident turned informer had seen dissidents in the area of a wood. Wg Cdr Chandler (XE688), Flt Lt Hayward XJ646) and Fg Offs Ashley (XJ692) and Hughes-Lewis (XE552) attacked the area with rocket and cannon fire and, judging by pre- and post-strike photographs, the objective was successfully achieved.
The 26 border patrols flown in December reflected a decrease in both these operations and in the number of flagwaves requested, these being reduced to just three. With the three air defence scrambles flown by the standby being called as practice sorties, December was a much quieter month.
On the 1st of the month, Sqn Ldr Davidson led a four-ship formation flypast at Mukalla in the Eastern Aden Protectorate to mark the coronation of the new Emir; Flt Lt Hayward and two pilots from 8 Squadron completed the formation. Tribal strife in the Ar Rubat and Am Madinah areas triggered a flagwave which was flown by Wg Cdr Chandler and Flt Lt Norman on the 12th and the same area was subjected to a leaflet drop by a 105 Squadron Argosy closely followed by another flagwave by Squadron Hunters on the last day of the year. A flagwave flown by Fg Offs Willman and Lawton on the 28th over Al Khabr, Hada and Al Mitaf, was intended to discourage the people of these villages from harbouring political prisoners who had escaped from nearby Meifa. These comprised the assassin of Colonel Grey, Commander of the Hadramaut Bedouin Legion, and the hostages taken from the assassins tribe to curb the tribes recalcitrance. The Air Defence scrambles occurred on the 14th, 19th and 31st, the latter being accomplished in a time of seven minutes (from the word ‘scramble’ to calling the radar controller when airborne at 5,000 ft).
Otherwise, most of the emphasis for the month was on training comprising the usual sim(ulated)-strikes and high and low level cine sorties. However, a new policy was introduced whereby the more experienced pilots were flown together, usually on Saturday mornings, on four-ship sim-strikes with two-ship bounces and an ensuing four-versus-two combat that was cleared down to 2,000 ft. These proved extremely beneficial. FAC and ACO training was conducted at the Khab Khab range on the 12th and 30th respectively. The FAC training was an innovation in that pilots from both 8 and 43 Squadrons did the controlling, which was to a remarkably high standard considering that they were unqualified in the task and many had never flown FAC sorties. The ACO training was intended to bring officers and NCOs of the SAS up to standard. The year’s Christmas Card drop was flown by Flt Lts Taylor and Hayward on the 24th to the up-country airstrips at Beihan, Mukeiras, Dhala and Habilayn.