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

If you're trying to imagine that you are under attack by a yak fighter,

you're trying to take evasive action.

In the unlikely event that you're going to lose the aircraft,

you've got to get yourself out of that seat,

and you've got to get yourself 50 or 60 feet backwards

into the only door that you can exit the aircraft out of without jumping into the number three propeller.

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I'm here today at the R.E.F. Burton Wood Heritage Center near Warrington in the UK.

It's based on what was once the largest military airbase in Britain. The Heritage

Centre was established to preserve and uphold the history of the men, women and activities that

occurred here. Now, many of our fans are the proud owners of a Cold War Conversations coaster,

a gift from me to thank them for helping the podcast financially.

For the price of a cup of coffee a month to cover the show's increasing costs

and keep us on the air, you can get a coaster too.

Just head over to patreon.com slash Cold Warpod. That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com slash Cold War Pod.

Over 8,000-A-5,000 Americans were based at R-A-F Burton Wood during World War II and over 70,000 service personnel served here during its 54 year history until its

closure in 1993. The Heritage Centre packs a lot of history in and make sure you listen to my

unforgettable visit to the cockpit of an actual C-54 Skymaster as used in the Berlin airlift.

We welcome John Cotterill, the Heritage Centre manager at REF Burtonwood, to our Cold War

...