On the edge of war: A V-Force pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis (458)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2026

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I had the honour of speaking with Tony Dobbie, a former RAF V- Force bomber pilot who joined the RAF in 1960. Tony shares amazing anecdotes from his training, including his experiences flying jets like the Meteor and the Vampire, and the transition to the mighty Victor bomber. He candidly discusses the realities of nuclear missions during the Cold War, revealing the tension and responsibility that came with such roles. One of the most gripping parts of our conversation revolves around the Cuban Missile Crisis. Tony was on QRA on Black Saturday when US forces went to DEFCON Two, one step shy of war and US and British forces prepared for imminent conflict with the Soviet Union . Tony also recounts a posting to the Bomber Command Operations Centre near High Wycombe in 1965 where a false alarm almost sent the V-Bomber force off to bomb the Soviet Union. Special thanks to Matthew Dobbie (Tony’s son) for organising the interview and the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, who allowed the episode to be recorded in their BBC Studio. Episode extras http://www.coldwarconversations.com/episode458 Tony’s book – Suki, Me & World War 3 Matthew’s YouTube Channel Air Force Anecdotes Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and receive 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 tips via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION o BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:06.3	Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or
0:12.6	crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the
0:18.3	story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.
0:24.0	Changes in sexual performance are more common than most people realize, and support doesn't need to feel awkward.
0:30.1	With MedExpress, everything happens privately online.
0:33.4	Start by completing a short consultation reviewed by UK registered clinicians.
0:37.6	If eligible, treatment is delivered discreetly to your home, with ongoing support whenever you need it.
0:43.0	You're not alone in this. Visit medexpress.co.com.uk slash podcast to learn more.
0:48.7	And so the controller said, call out the V-Force.
0:51.9	So I picked up the phone, the red phone, and just said, alert state, 02.
0:58.2	I had the honour of speaking with Tony Dobby, a former R-AF V-Force bomber pilot who joined the REF in 1960.
1:07.3	Tony shares amazing anecdotes from his training, including his experiences flying jets like
1:13.2	the meteor and the vampire and the transition to the mighty Victor V bomber.
1:18.5	One of the most gripping parts of our conversation revolves around the Cuban missile crisis.
1:24.5	Tony was on quick reaction alert on Black Saturday when US forces went to DEFCOM 2,
1:30.2	one step shy of war and US and British forces prepared for imminent conflict with the Soviet Union.
1:37.3	Tony also recounts a posting to the Bomber Command Operation Centre near High Wickham in 1965
1:42.6	where a false alarm almost sent the V-bomber
1:45.7	force off to bomb the Soviet Union. Tony has also written a book about his experiences called
1:51.1	Suki Me and World War III. There'll be links in the episode information. I'd like to give special
1:57.5	thanks to the Hack Green secret nuclearer who allowed the episode to be
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 20 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ian Sanders, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ian Sanders and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.