Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.

Places like the weapon storage area and the QIA had a no warning necessary or kills on shots.

So if they made it over the fence, we was automatically allowed deadly thought for us. So we didn't have to give any warnings.

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In this episode, we visit REF Upper Hayford for a photography tour for Cold War enthusiasts.

As you can imagine, this was right up my street. The episode

is slightly different from the usual one. It's in three parts. The first is some audio from the

tour, followed by an interview with Rick Batson, a former member of the US Air Force 20th

Security Police Squadron and tour guide, as well as an

interview with his wife, who is also a tour guide, and covers some aspects of the challenges of being

the British wife of US Air Force service personnel. If you're enjoying the podcast then from a few

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I joined the Upper Hafer Tour with my good friend Tim at the end of March 2019.

The tour starts at the REFE.F. Upper Hayford Heritage Center with a short video and then you travel by minibus onto the base. The standard tour begins at 11am and lasts for approximately three hours.

The guided tour concentrates on the US Air Force flying field and command operations during the height of the Cold War when REF Upper Heaford was a target for Warsaw Pact forces.

The first building we visited was the avionics maintenance facility, which opened in 1981, for maintaining the F11E terrain following radar and other avionics.

And the building was proof against a thousand pound bomb with its own decontamination unit.

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