WT Forums

Hi all,

Well still after all these years of collecting 81st FIW/FBW/TFS related patches I am still falling a few short in the A-10 department. Can anyone help me out on these -

81st TFW crest - Desert version
78th TFS - red bordered Bushmasters patch.
91st TFS - Streaks Persian Excursion
91st TFS - Boys From Blue
92nd FS - 3\" Helmet patch
510th TFS - Bentwaters Buzzards - Desert version
510th TFS - Buzzard Frost 85
510th TFS - Buzzard Bait
511th TFS - Black and red Vulture Patch - Possibly Alconbury
The Generic Highway 84 patch
And lasts but not leasts -
the Bentwaters Air Friendship 92 patch and the RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge MWR patch.

BTW if anyone wants scans of any 81st related patches let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Also a question. I have a 4\" 511th TFS patch which has no white bars down the leading edge of the Vultures wings. Is this a 'Dink' of was this patch a limited run ordered for a special reason? Any ideas/thoughts.

I daren't even start on earlier stuff I need, but some of the 81st Sabre related stuff is scarey....

Cheers

Jon

The Buzzard bait patch should be fairly easy to find...it was sold at most airshows in Europe back in the day.


Buzzard Bait by coacha10a, on Flickr

The Buzzard Frost will not be easy...only about 25 ever made. I designed it for the deployment in Sep 85 to Bardufoss AB Norway.


510 TFS Bardufoss AB Norway 1985 by coacha10a, on Flickr

Coach

Hi Coach.

I currently have a list of 61 81st related patches I am looking for and most of them have been on my wants list for at least 3 years (some of them a lot longer (10 +)), so I am always hopeful of picking up a patch or 2, but mosy years I only get one or 2 to add to my collection and I normally manage to find more I need too.

Have you got any details on the BF 85 deployment that you could send me or post on the forum, ie how long, how many hogs, purpose etc? as that would be really interesting.

Cheers

Jon

Buzzard Frost (self named, by the way) was a 12-ship deployment from Bentwaters to Bardufoss AB Norway in Sept 1985 by the 510 TFS. The deployment was in support of the northern NATO version of REFORGER, the annual NATO-wide exercise for the defense of Europe.

Bardufoss was a colloacted operation base (COB) that was in the plans to be used by RF-4s from Bergstrom AFB TX. They were unable to deploy that year, so we were tasked to exercise the base. There were also ANG A-7s at a base near by, but I can't recall the name right now.

Bardufoss was unique in that it had an entire base facility inside a mountain. The ops, maintenance and weapons loading functions for a wing of F-5s could be accomplished within the mountain. The A-10s wouldn't fit in the openings, so we operated on the ramp, but ramp space was very limited since the base was not designed to host a lot of large aircraft.

Coach