Paul continues his story with his recruitment into the Army Air Corps. It’s initially delayed with a tour providing airfield repair in West Germany and then the Falklands, but finally, he’s at training at Middle Wallop, the home of the Army Air Corps. He describes the training including underwater escapes, flying and navigation. As a Gazelle crewman, his role was navigator, observer and co-pilot. We hear of exercises including the lesser-known Railex/Probex, a US, French and British exercise to re-open a land corridor to West Berlin should the links be closed by Warsaw Pact forces and the British Frontier Service.Paul’s story is again full of great anecdotes and the dangerous reality of flying low-level missions in a single-engine aircraft including a forced landing with a General on board.0:00 Introduction and Paul's recruitment into the army air corps1:30 Sponsor: Call for donations and listener testimonial8:08 Discussion on practice drills and Paul's deployment to the Falklands20:02 Surviving training and posting back to Germany24:17 Transition to a new hangar and memorable encounter with Apache helicopters28:34 Flying the inner German border and interception of unauthorized flights33:42 Exercise Railex Probex: A combined US, French, and British exercise44:08 Winning the Rolls Royce Trophy and personal experiences in the army air corps54:24 Reflecting on the dangers of the job and the forgotten casualties of the Cold War58:33 Importance of timing for the general's travels and emergency landing due to engine failure1:13:59 Return to the Corps of Royal Engineers and posting back to Germany1:21:16 Paul's sunshine tour in Gibraltar and final tours1:21:48 Closing remarks and appreciation for patronsTable of contents powered by PodcastAI✨Cold War history is disappearing; however, a simple monthly donation will keep this podcast on the air. You’ll get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show.I am delighted to welcome Paul to our Cold War conversation…
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