Tim served in the USAF and the NSA from 1975 to 1988 during some of the most tense periods of the Cold War. This included stints at the US Air Force Electronic Warfare Center at Kelly AFB, Texas, and RAF Chicksands, in the UK working on SIGINT collection of USSR/Warsaw Pact/Other targets. He also served as part of the Cryptologic Support Group, Strategic Air Command HQ, Offutt AFB, Nebraska providing SIGINT briefings to SAC leadership on worldwide events In 1983 he transferred to the NSA and later GCHQ, Cheltenham, Glos 1984-1988. We hear about how the first indications that something was amiss the morning Chernobyl reactor exploded in 1986, the day the cleaners answered the secure phone at SAC HQ, and how at GCHQ the US and British intelligence share information as part of the UKUSA Agreement. 0:00 Introduction and Tim's background in the US Air Force 5:12 Understanding electronic warfare and data gathering at Kelly Air Force Base 16:58 Posting at RAF Chicksands in Bedford, UK, and monitoring for changes in regular patterns 25:52 The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian hostage crisis 36:19 Able Archer alerts and other instances of signals intelligence at Strategic Air Command, Nebraska 44:16 Incident of the KAL007 Korean airliner and US Navy exercise incidents 57:08 Misinterpretation during a briefing on a recon flight of TU-95 bear bombers and gathering intel on the Soviet Union 1:01:18 Constant pressure to provide intel on Soviet leadership and missile alerts during Soviet drills 1:05:34 Transition from Air Force to NSA and role at the NSA 1:14:08 Tracking Chinese air defense and transition to GCHQ 1:22:08 U.S. stance during the Falkland conflict and witnessing the Chernobyl reactor explosion 1:30:59 Anecdote about NSA bureaucracy and language proficiency test 1:34:21 Closing and thanks to supporters Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Extra episode info here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode310/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Thanks to listener Phil Curme for introducing me to Tim. You can read his blog here walkingthebattlefields.com Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aged 16 Chris joined the British Army apprentice school in Arborfield, at Princess Marina College. He was trained as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers otherwise known as REME. We talk about life expectancy in war scenarios, experiences with crash-out exercises, and life as a British soldier in West Germany Chris also served Post-Wall Berlin with the Military Police and describes an interesting “secret” job he was involved in. The episode was recorded at one of the Hack Green Nuclear Bunker Living History Weekends where Chris is one of the re-enactors. His advice has proved valuable to the other re-enactors as he is someone who was there…  It’s a great down-to-earth account of a sometimes forgotten part of the British Army, without whose support they wouldn’t have been able to operate.  0:00 Introduction and Chris's early life and decision to join the British army 3:05 Life expectancy in war scenarios and crash out exercises 4:40 Casualties on exercises and in training 9:25 Encounters with Soviet military liaison units and inspections by the Warsaw Pact 13:59 Living with the constant threat of conflict and its mental toll 15:53 De-escalation of tensions and the opening of the Berlin Wall 19:45 Life in Berlin post-Wall 20:31 Best aspects of serving in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) 23:57 Differences between the RAF and the Army 26:03 Closing remarks Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Extra episode info here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode309/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part two of Henrik’s story. You can hear the first part in episode 307. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode307 It’s the late 1980s and Henrik and his friends plan to escape from East Germany via Czechoslovakia. Henrik provides a very vivid account of their discovery by Czechoslovak border guards in a forest near the Austrian border. He describes the moment the guards open fire to get them to stop. Henrik is separated from his friends and held in various Czechoslovak prisons, before being flown back to East Germany. There he is interrogated for a number of months before being placed on trial. After his conviction for Republikflucht or "desertion from the republic" he is held on in a rough criminal prison in Dresden before being moved to a work camp. The prison and work camp has two types of prisoners, politicals and criminals. There he is exposed to the hardcore criminals of the GDR, violent criminals, murderers and neo-Nazis. 0:00 Introduction and recap of the previous episode 1:31 Interview with Henrik: Early plans and journey to Czechoslovakia 7:40 Arrest on the border and early imprisonment experiences 17:21 Transfer to Prague and encounter with the East German Stasi 28:23 Arrival at the Secret Service prison in Dresden and coping in prison 46:59 Interrogations and dealing with the Stasi 1:00:18 Family visits, communication in prison, and considering a change of mind 1:13:08 Reflections on the Stasi's approach and trial 54:36 Life in remand prison and public humiliation during transport to Rakowitz work camp 1:00:06 Living conditions, daily life, and experiences in Rakowitz work camp 1:10:54 Announcement of amnesty and release from prison 1:14:00 Post-release observations on the social climate in East Germany 1:23:18 Closing remarks and outro Extra episode information https://coldwarconversations.com/episode308 Special thanks to Jonny Whitlam for introducing Henrik to CWC. You can book his excellent Berlin tours here https://www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henrik was born in the late 1960s near Dresden in East Germany. The area was sarcastically known as the Tal der Ahnungslosen or Valley of the Clueless, as the area generally was not able to receive TV from West Germany from the mid-to-late 1950s. He describes his childhood growing up in a Uranium mining area. His mother was a teacher and his father was required to be a member of the Communist Party as his role at the university involved in map making which was classified as secret work. It’s not until he is 8 or 9 that Henrik realises there is another Germany and as he gets older he gets into Western music as he can still pick up West German radio. In 1983 his favourite grandmother moved to the West and started to bring him Western clothing and vinyl records. At 15 or 16 he seriously starts to think about how he can get to the West. Compulsory service in the National Peoples Army beckons increasing his urgency in finding a way to leave. In 1988 Henrik receives an unexpected postcard from Spain from a friend who had been sentenced for 2 years for trying to escape and this begins to crystallise Henrik’s plans. 0:00 Introduction and background of Henrik 10:47 The role of Western radio and music in shaping Henrik's perception of the West 19:21 Importance of Western contact for East German citizens 29:45 Music censorship in East Germany 35:19 Henrik's first thoughts of leaving East Germany 47:34 Henrik's gap year and work in a data processing factory 52:08 News about friends sentenced for trying to escape 1:02:24 The impact of his escape on his family 1:06:24 Comparison of Stasi and Gestapo tactics 1:07:45 Closing remarks, mention of episode extras and soundtrack If Henrik's life was made into a movie he says this would be the soundtrack… https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3eJFR6QJebyv2S16Dqyhoc?si=072a284d83dc4410 Extra episode information https://coldwarconversations.com/episode307 Special thanks to Jonny Whitlam for introducing Henrik to CWC. You can book his excellent Berlin tours here https://www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are listening to part 2 of my chat with Joe who joined the USAF in 1981 and was trained to fly the A10 Warthog a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft designed to provide close air support to ground forces by attacking tanks, armoured vehicles, and other ground targets. Part 1 is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode305/ In 1985 Joe is sent to 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at RAF Bentwaters in the UK, just over 50 miles from where his father served in World War 2. His role was to fly the A10 over West Germany and attack Warsaw Pact ground forces should the Cold War turn hot. We hear about the perils of flying the A10 at only 100 feet in mist and rain, whilst navigating with a map on your knee in the days before GPS was available.  Joe also recounts visiting the Inner German border and driving to his wartime target sectors to see what they looked like from the ground. He describes how they trained for landing on West German autobahns as well as their tactics against enemy aircraft. Joe also flew the Royal Air Force’s VTOL fighter, the Harrier, and tells of the challenge of managing the controls and his respect for the Royal Air Force. 0:00 Introduction and Joe Andrew's deployment to UK 1:35 Visiting the inner German border and discussion on potential kill zones 3:29 Practice landing on autobahns and durability of A-10's undercarriage 6:17 Low-level navigation and situational awareness in Europe 10:59 Practice bombing, missile firing, and liaisons with the army 15:00 Air to air defense, maneuvering training, and target acquisition 17:32 Managing information and plotting targets while flying 20:45 Tactics for air-to-air combat and likely survivability rate in conflict 27:44 Training for escape and evasion if shot down, and use of countermeasures 34:45 Joe Andrew's experiences with combat SAR alert and flying the Harrier 44:00 Extras and acknowledgements for the podcast's financial supporters Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Visit the RAF Bentwaters Museum here https://www.bcwm.org.uk/ Extra episode information https://coldwarconversations.com/episode306 The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Join Intohistory on this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices