RAF Importance
- With the Navy flying just about all the operations
around South Georgia and then the Falklands, although with
a number of RAF Sea Harrier pilots, the RAF's role can be
overlooked. And yet it's ability to rapidly transport men,
supplies and aircraft, first to Ascension and then later
further south was so important to success.
Between the
UK and Ascension
Hercules
and VC.10 transports flew
over 500 sorties to Ascension by the end of the war to
bring in more than 5,000 people and 6,000 tons of freight.
The Hercules, some the lengthened C.3's, but mostly C.1's,
were from the pool of over fifty aircraft of 24, 30, 47
and
70 Sqdns of the Lyneham Transport Wing. The first two
squadrons concentrated on the UK/Ascension airbridge and
the other two on missions south, and by the end of the
war, six aircraft had been fitted for in-flight refuelling
to extend their range.
As well as flying to Ascension,
the thirteen VC.10 passenger aircraft of 10 Sqdn
from Brize Norton later returned with ship's
survivors, and from Montevideo, brought back prisoners and
deportees from the Falklands and South Georgia and wounded
men from battle. They also continued to fly the Atlantic
to the United States. Extra transport capacity was
provided by chartered Boeing 707's and five ex-RAF Belfast
freighters.
Ascension-based
Aircraft and Units
On their way south
in early May, three Harrier
GR.3's of 1
(Fighter) Sqdn were retained at
Wideawake for air defence, but later relieved by three
supersonic Phantom
FGR.2's of 29(F)
Sqdn from RAF Coningsby. By then, and with the shortage of
helicopters on the island, a Sea
King HAR.3 of
202 Air-Sea Rescue Sqdn had joined a Chinook
of 18 Sqdn on vertrep
duties.
Apart from units responsible
for air movements, communications and supply, the RAF also
took on ground defence with the arrival of HQ Unit, 3 Wing
and Field Flight, 15 Sqdn of the RAF Regt.
Missions
Flown from Ascension
First to deploy were two
Nimrod MR.1
maritime patrol aircraft of
42(TB) Sqdn from St Mawgan to patrol Ascension waters and
act as links with the nuclear subs. Later in April, they
were replaced by some of the thirteen plus and more modern
MR.2's
of 120,
201 and
206 Sqdns from Kinloss. In over a hundred sorties from
Wideawake, they flew ahead of the Task Force, reached as
far as Argentine waters, and provided SAR and radio links
and coordinated air refuelling for Victor and Vulcan
missions and Harrier staging flights. By the surrender,
some MR.2's were fitted for air-refuelling and some with
Sidewinder AAM's for self defence, but no aircraft
equipped with the Harpoon anti-shipping missile were ready
in time. In addition, R.1 reconnaissance aircraft of
Wyton's 51 Sqdn may have taken part.
At least south
from Ascension, few missions would have beeen possible
without the
Victor K.2 tankers
of 55 and
57 Sqdns from Marham, some twenty of which reached
Ascension. Apart from refuelling each other as needed,
they first flew three maritime radar reconnaissance
missions leading up to the recapture of South Georgia.
Then in nearly 600 sorties the Victors supported other
aircraft in often complicated logistics patterns. These
included (with outline numbers of tanker sorties) fighters
staging to Ascension and some Harrier GR.3's on from
there, Hercules long range drops (6), extended Nimrod
patrols (12), Vulcan raids on Stanley (15).
They also provided cover as
"Atlantic Conveyor" went south with her Harriers and
helicopters.
Although the Waddington-based
Vulcan B.2 bombers of
44,
50 and
101 Sqdns were due to retire from service, a number were
fitted with extra ECM and readied for action. Four
aircraft in total reached Ascension, the first two at the
end of April to start a planned series of seven, single
aircraft "Black Buck" missions against Stanley through to
mid June. Conventional bombs were used on three occasions
and Shrike anti-radar missiles on two, with one mission of
each type being called off.
The Hercules
of 47 and 70
Sqdns were trained in tactical support and based at
Ascension to air drop men and urgent supplies to the Task
Force further south. As 47 Sqdn included a Special Forces
Flight, it may have been used for undisclosed covert
operations.
To reinforce the
Navy's Sea Harriers,
Harrier GR.3's of
1(F) Sqdn, RAF Wittering were prepared for carrier
service. Although fitted with Sidewinder and ECM and with
the pilots receiving limited ski-jump training at
Yeovilton, they were mainly used in their normal ground
attack role. Nine out of ten aircraft setting out in early
May reached Ascension, and apart from the three that
temporarily stayed on, the other six sailed with "Atlantic
Conveyor" and later flew off to "Hermes". Six more arrived
at the end of May to add to the three already there.
Of this nine,
four flew direct to "Hermes",
four sailed with merchantman "Contender Bezant" too late
to join the fighting
one returned to the UK with fuel leaks.
Thus a total of ten GR.3's flew
with the Navy, with three shot down by ground fire and one
damaged beyond repair in landing.
With the boggy terrain and
almost total lack of roads, heavy lift helicopters were
a must. Hence the importance of the first five
Chinook
HC.1's of 18
Sqdn, RAF Odiham carried by "Atlantic Conveyor". One
stayed on Ascension, but three of the remaining four
were lost in the Exocet attack. The one survivor worked
wonders, and not until the surrender did three more plus
the Ascension Chinook arrive on "Contender Bezant".