Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  VANGUARD E-BOOK

  © Copyright 2020

  Peter William Hall

  The right of Peter William Hall to be identified as author of

  this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the

  Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All Rights Reserved

  No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication

  may be made without written permission.

  No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,

  copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions

  of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to

  this publication may be liable to criminal

  prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is

  available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781784657 09-3

  Vanguard Press is an imprint of

  Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers Ltd.

  www.pegasuspublishers.com

  First Published in 2020

  Vanguard Press

  Sheraton House Castle Park

  Cambridge England

  Preface

  This is a novel set in 1960, a period when the Cold War was quite ‘hot’ for some people and tensions between ‘East’ and ‘West’ were also high. Britain was investing a lot of money in developing both offensive (mainly nuclear) and defensive (mainly missile) weapons for the protection of Britain and its allies. The dictum was that if Britain was attacked and had to declare war then the RAF had failed in its task as a deterrent force.

  Some very real incidents that occurred during the author’s period of service with the Royal Air Force inspired the imagination and this novel was written. However, all characters and events in the novel are fictitious. While some real places and RAF bases have been used in the novel, none of the events actually occurred on them and no character in the novel served on them.The hero is a composite of about five corporals that the author knew. Most of the corporals that the author served with were well-educated, highly trained and intelligent persons, far from the picture that is painted of corporals by some authors and parts of the media.

  It was an interesting time to serve in the RAF. Describing some of my service in the RAF to a young person many years later brought the comment that it sounded like a James Bond story. I had never thought of it like that, nor, I am sure, did any of those that I served with. To us, it was all part of doing our duty and we just took it as a matter of course. The young person’s comment helped to inspire the author to write this novel.

  Peter Hall

  LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN RED HAWK RISING

  As with any organisation, acronyms relating to its sphere of work tend to be developed and used by the staff both in documents and everyday conversation. The Royal Air Force was no exception and a list of those used in this novel is set out below. Not all are of the RAF but were used in conversation.

  RAFRoyal Air Force

  WRAFWomen’s Royal Air Force

  A.V.MAir Vice Marshall

  C.O.Commanding Officer

  LACLeading Aircraftman

  SAC Senior Aircraftman

  SMOSenior Medical Officer

  JSTUJoint Service Trials Unit

  MoDMinistry of Defence

  MT Motor Transport

  MUMaintenance Unit

  NAAFINavy Army Air Force Institute

  RAERoyal Aircraft Establishment

  SAMSurface to Air Missile

  UHFUltra High Frequency(used in radio transmissions)

  ISUIntelligence Security Unit (RAF Internal Security – invented for novel)

  KGBKomitet Gosudstvennoy Besopasnosti (in English – Committee for State Security - it

  covered both foreign intelligence and domestic security)

  MI5Military Intelligence 5 (responsible for internal security in Britain)

  MI6Military Intelligence 6 (responsible for external security related to Britain)

  SIBSpecial Investigation Branch (of the Police)

  SOESpecial Operations Executive (set up during World War 2)

  DMUDiesel Multiple Unit (Diesel-engined railcars coupled together)

  ETAEstimated Time of Arrival

  HGVHeavy Goods Vehicle (Road transport – lorries, semi-trailers etc.)

  Abbreviations

  Admin.Administration

  i/cin charge

  Tech.Technician

  u/sunserviceable

  CHAPTER 1

  The pilot of the RAF Pembroke transport aircraft radioed in his expected time of arrival (ETA) at RAF Kinloss. His route would overfly the Cairngorm Mountains. It was mid-afternoon late in November 1958. The crew had been held up at RAF Turnhouse, near Edinburgh, while delivering some urgently required spares. With early snowfalls it had been decided to fly the spares in rather than risk them by road. Now on the last leg of the trip the crew was tired and hungry. They had an urgently required replacement ECM (electronic countermeasures) unit to be delivered to RAF Kinloss and to be fitted to one of the PR Shackletons. A wall of cumulus stretched from the Cairngorms. It was too wide to go around and they were already on a descent pattern, although with sufficient altitude to clear the mountains. They entered a world of white. Shortly after they entered the cloud the port engine coughed and spluttered. The pilot tried coaxing it but to no avail. Then the starboard engine followed suit and the aircraft was losing power and altitude. The co-pilot radioed in their location, giving the co-ordinates and their compass heading, as the pilot struggled with the engines. The control tower at RAF Kinloss said that they would keep the channel open. Also listening in to the drama were two other parties; one was the RAF Mountain Rescue team at RAF Leuchars and the other a Russian radio operator on a Russian trawler off the coast of Aberdeen.

  Suddenly, the port engine cut out and the aircraft drifted off course. The plane started to lose altitude. Despite the cold, the two crew members were perspiring as they tried to maintain control of the aircraft and restore altitude and course. Then the starboard engine cut out and the co-pilot radioed the situation as he and the pilot desperately tried to re-start the engines but to no avail. The noise of the engines was replaced by a whistling sound as the plane lost height. Suddenly, the wispiness of the cloud was replaced by a solid white wall. Five seconds later both pilots were dead and the plane scattered in pieces across the face of the mountain. It was 15.31 hours on 23rd November.

  At RAF Kinloss, the air traffic controller reported that all contact with the Pembroke WK467 had been lost, suspected crashed. Similarly, two other alerts were made, one being the RAF Mountain Rescue Unit at RAF Leuchars and the other the radio operator on board the Russian trawler. Both were listening in on that radio frequency.

  Corporal Watson at the Mountain Rescue Unit telephoned his Section Commander, Flight Lieutenant Thompson, and reported the situation. “We have a couple of our unit training with some RAF mountaineers and base-camped at Loch Morlich, sir. They are due to radio in at 16.00 hours.” Flight Lieutenant Thompson ordered Corporal Watson to alert the duty team and prepare for departure, weather permitting. He also told him to let the mountaineering team know the situation and ask them to head for the anticipated location based on the radio messages from the co-pilot. While the Mountain Rescue Unit had to wait for an official order, the team on location was free to move as part of their training.

  Simultaneously, the radio operator on the Russian trawler (really an electronic eavesdropping ship) reported the news to the political officer on board, who then prepared a coded message, “The eggs have been spilled. Please retr
ieve.” He also put the co-ordinates into the message in coded form. Returning to the radio room, the political officer gave the message to the radio operator and told him to transmit at the agreed times. On the ground, a team of four men were camped in the Shelter Stone near Loch Avon, almost due north of Braemar, waiting for the message. The leader, Captain Garasov, received the message and confirmed that he understood. There were no other people camping in the Shelter Stone so they took advantage of being able to light a fire safely. Under torchlight, he studied the map and calculated the possible location of the aircraft.

  The weather closed in, preventing aerial searches taking place. At 16.00 hours the Mountain Rescue radio operator transmitted the message to the mountaineering team. Corporal Scott took the message. He was a member of the Mountain Rescue team based at RAF Leuchars. Flying Officer McEwan headed the mountaineering team and he read the message that had been handed to him, “Thanks, Scotty,” he said, “this will need some planning.” The team was in the main tent which served as a dining, briefing and training room. It also served as their base and Communication Room. After about half-an-hour poring over the map and doing some calculations, Flying Officer McEwan called the team together. “Right, let’s make some decisions. I estimate that the plane crashed in the region of Cairn Toul, most likely on the eastern side. That’s about ten miles of hiking for us from here. Sergeant Bradley’s team is already a lot closer and should have made camp by now a little north of Loch Einich. They’ve got that new short-wave radio that we’re testing for the ISU.It’s now 16.45 hours and they should be checking in at 17.00 hours. We’ll have them head over at first light to the estimated location of the crash site. There are six of them. Four of us will head out with some of the emergency equipment. Scotty, you and Stevie (referring to Corporal Steve Evans) stay here at base camp and keep the radio manned.” There were nods of agreement and team members started going about the different tasks. For anyone listening in it was clear that in this situation there was less formality with no loss of respect for the leadership and authority.

  A red light started winking on the radio, even though it was still ten minutes to the “On Air” time. Scotty called out, “Someone is operating the Emergency Procedure on our ISU frequency, sir,” as he moved over to the radio and switched it over from ‘standby’ mode. He got a nod from the officer to proceed and flicked the switch over. “Cairngorm Base RAF. Proceed.”

  “ISU base. Switch to scrambler.”

  The atmosphere became tense as all eyes were turned to the radio. Flying Officer McEwan crossed the tent to the radio as Scotty switched ‘scrambler’ on, picked up the handset and passed it to the officer. He said, “Flying Officer McEwan.”

  “Iain, Groupie here. I understand that you know about WK467.”

  “Yes sir,” was the reply.

  “Well, you need to get to her fast. We believe that she has crashed and should be somewhere around the Cairn Toul — Ben Macdhui area. Apart from finding out if the crew is still alive, she was carrying the latest ECM unit crated for installation in a Kinloss Shackleton. Now, Intelligence reported picking up radio messages from a Russian trawler off Aberdeen shortly after we lost contact with WK467. We think that some of our ‘friends’ may be in the area and seek to get that ECM unit. When you set out, go armed as a precaution. If the weather clears a helicopter will fly a team in to give you support. Over and out.”

  Flying Officer Iain McEwan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The eyes of the other five men were watching him. As members of the RAF’s in-house Intelligence Unit, without being told they knew that this was going to be more than a normal search and rescue. Their officer gave them the news. Then the team in the field was calling in and this time they were all able to listen in to the conversation.

  “Corporal Rogerson checking in for the team, sir.”

  “Jamie, put Sergeant Bradley on.” Corporal Rogerson handed the mike and headphones to the sergeant. “Brad, this is Iain McEwan here, our training is to be put to the test. A Pembroke went missing this afternoon, presumed crashed and estimated to be on the eastern side of Cairn Toul. It was carrying special equipment for Kinloss. We’ve had a call from the ‘office’ to say that others may be trying to get it before we do. Break camp before dawn and move out at first light. That should be at about 07:00 hours. If it’s still foggy you will need to go out by compass and memory. We can’t afford to sit and wait for clear weather on this one. Go the most direct route you can — over the top of Cairn Toul, skirting around Braeriach. We will head down the Lairig Ghru. Take everything with you as we don’t know how long we will need to be there. If you don’t see us before, head for the bothy about mid-day. If you discover the wreck, send up a flare. Over.”

  “Understood, sir. We will radio in on departure and again when we reach the summit; then at half-hourly intervals after that. Over.”

  “That’s good, Brad, over and out.” The other five men, all corporals, had gathered round him on hearing the radio conversation. The mist of low cloud swirled around them, the orange colour of their two-man alpine tents standing out against the snow and mist. Night had fallen at about 16:45 hours. “Okay, guys, this is no longer a training exercise. We’ve just gone operational.” Then he explained the situation to them. “Go and get yourselves a hot meal now and we will meet in ninety minutes in front of my tent to go through our route.” The pairs moved to their respective tents and prepared a hot meal over a spirit stove. Everything was deliberately done slowly to pass the time, for at that time of year it was a long night. Each pair was equipped as a self-contained unit, including food and all equipment. This was a safety measure for the whole team. If one pair was lost through accident or separation then the other pairs would not be affected operationally.

  Over at the Shelter Stone, a four-man team was also studying the map. While they spoke in English it was clear that it was not their mother tongue. Captain Garasov was with the Russian Military Intelligence. He was part of a coordinated team that was tasked with collecting the latest information on British military developments. “All right, men, we’ll have a good night’s sleep and break camp at first light. The RAF won’t be able to send in a rescue team until this weather clears so we should be able to locate and pick up the unit before they can get a team in.”

  At 06:00 hours, the team near Loch Einich rose and Sergeant Bradley checked that they were all active. Each pair cooked breakfast over their spirit stove in their tent and then set about breaking camp. At Loch Morlich the team there was also breakfasting and making preparations to move out. First light would be about 07:00. By 06:45, Sergeant Bradley’s team had struck camp and were making final checks on their equipment as they waited for first light. It finally came, revealing a world of white with rocky outcrops sticking out of the snow-covered landscape. The cloud had lifted and they could see their immediate area. To their south lay Loch Einich, looking still and black in that light. Above them towered Braeriach, its upper slopes lost in the cloud that lay above them. Sergeant Bradley was teamed with Corporal ‘Tiny’ Morris and Corporal Jamie Rogerson with Corporal Andy Hill. The other pair were Corporals Tim Hart and Dave Bailey. Lifting their rucksacks onto their backs, each checked that crampons and rope were firmly tied and within easy reach. Then waterproof mittens were pulled on and they moved out, Sergeant Bradley leading. He set an east-south-easterly course which would set them on a slightly angled climb up the slopes of Braeriach to reach the Einich Cairn and then track towards the summit of Cairn Toul. They moved at a steady pace, avoiding the deep patches of snow in favour of more exposed ground. While not being able to walk in a straight line it made for more rapid progress.

  At a similar time to their departure, Flying Officer McEwan led his team out of their Loch Morlich base, skirting Loch Morlich and heading south towards the slopes of Ben Macdhui from which they would then be able to drop down into the valley of the Lairig Grhu. Already at a higher elevation, the four-man team led by Captain Garasov moved out from the Shelter
Stone and set their course for Lochan Buidhe. From there they would aim to skirt the peak of Ben Macdhui and search for aircraft remains on its southern slopes and then drop down to the Lairig Ghru and look for signs of a crashed aircraft on the slopes of Cairn Toul.

  Sergeant Bradley’s team entered the cloud after an hour of steep walking. If they missed their planned route, they would have cliffs to climb. Each pair roped itself so that if one man fell his partner could hold him. After thirty minutes the lead pair would drop back and let the next pair take over the lead. It was slower work with the map almost useless in the heavy mist. Each pair would keep the other in sight, the middle pair watching forward and back. The first pair couldn’t see the third pair. Despite the cold, they were perspiring inside their cold weather clothes. Tim Hart was in the lead when he spotted the cairn. The ground leveled into a plateau and here there was less snow where the wind had swept across. Sergeant Bradley called a halt for a short break. They unroped, dropped their packs and sat leaning on them or just hunkered down, breaking open small packs of raisins or chocolate.

  Across the Lairig Ghru, Captain Garasov and his team reached the narrow plateau that would lead up to the slopes of Ben Macdhui. Similarly, they were in thick mist and had to travel by compass. They too paused for a short break.

  To the north and below cloud level, Flying Officer McEwan and his team were making good time but were still behind the other two teams heading for the same place.

  After a rest, Sergeant Bradley got his team moving again, picking up an old track that would lead to the summit of Cairn Toul. It was easier going and they started to make better time. The track veered round Carn na Criche and led almost due south towards the cliffs that overlooked the Lairig Ghru, only the thick mist prevented them from seeing much further than three yards. Corporals Rogerson and Hill were taking a turn in the lead. As they walked on, the snow lay thicker and there was no sign of the track. Suddenly, Andy Hill yelled for Jamie Rogerson to stop and turned and signalled for the other pairs to halt. “It doesn’t feel right, Jamie. The hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. Can you feel hard ground through the snow?