Life was very good. Stationed at one of the premier bases in Europe, I enjoyed the work as a GCA operator. I was very pleased to have attained not only Seven Level supervisory status, but I had also been promoted to the lofty grade of Staff Sergeant in minimum time. Rhein Main was a most desirable station for an air traffic controller because of the high level of activity. Not only did we direct U.S. and Allied military transport and fighter aircraft, but we also directed quite a number of foreign airlines as well.

This event began shortly after our crew--3 operators and 1 mechanic--assumed our duties for the 1600 - 2400 shift on January 11, 1954. It was one of those gloomy , low overcast January nights that are so common at Rhein Main Air Base, Frankfurt, Germany during that time of year. The weather was not bad with 600 overcast and visibility 4 miles. We expected an easy night of it. With such weather, most MATS (Military Air Transport Service) and airline aircraft would request an ILS with a GCA monitor only. Fighter aircraft did not have ILS equipment and would have to do a GCA approach.

Little could we know that within a short period of time, 3 F-86 aircraft would be lost and 1 pilot dead.

Frankfurt Approach was directly responsible for funneling aircraft onto the final approach course, utilizing a very large AC&W radar that was located atop the IG Farben building in downtown Frankfurt. Frankfurt Approach normally switched the inbound aircraft to the Rhein Main GCA final controller at 5 to 7 miles on final.

This evening I was working the final approach position. Technical Sergeant Ethiele Todd, the shift supervisor, was monitoring the surveillance position. Airman First Class Edmond Fisher was doing the elevation function. Sergeant Todd was informed by Approach Control that a flight of 3 F-86’s was inbound to the Offenbach radio beacon, having been cleared from 20,000 to 2,000 feet. Offenbach was the normal turnover point to our unit and was about 9 miles from R/M runway 25R. Approach Control also reported the flight to be LOW ON FUEL.

As the Final Controller I was monitoring the communications between the flight of fighters and Approach Control. I was also monitoring our surveillance radar that had a 30-mile range. Yet I did not see any aircraft on their reported course, so I informed Approach Control that I did not have any radar contact with the flight they were purported to be working.

Our GCA crew was now in a high state of anxiety. We had a flight of 3 aircraft, low on fuel, and we were expected to direct them for a safe landing, but we had no radar contact! Our radar mechanic quickly set to validating the integrity of our radar, and I began a new calibration of the final approach CRT.

Frankfurt Approach changed the aircraft to my frequency at Offenbach. I advised them “NEGATIVE RADAR CONTACT” and sent them back to Approach Control. Frankfurt Approach elected to give the flight a surveillance approach as the ceiling and visibility were sufficient. I continued to monitor the communications and search for an answer to why Frankfurt Approach had aircraft that we couldn’t see!

At surveillance minimums of 869 feet the flight reported “field not in sight” and executed a missed approach. Frankfurt gave the flight vectors back for another approach. The flight leader advised “VERY LOW ON FUEL, ENOUGH FOR ONE MORE APPROACH”.

Throughout this second approach we continued to try to ascertain why we didn’t have their targets on our radar while Frankfurt Approach did. I asked the coordinator at Frankfurt if it was possible that their big radar antenna was badly misaligned and the aircraft were elsewhere. They didn’t seem to think so, but they were as perplexed as we were! Again Frankfurt gave me the aircraft on final approach. I sent them back, and a second surveillance approach was given by Frankfurt Approach.

The flight completed the second surveillance approach with the same results. I sent another controller outside as they allegedly approached the runway. There was no sound! In my mind they were miles away. The flight leader gave the “bailout” call at 6,000 feet.! The flight leader’s chute failed to open; the other 2 pilots survived, unhurt!

An effort was made to explain what had happened. Our GCA Flight Facilities Officer, First Lieutenant Orville E. Webb was suspicious that there was an altimeter problem and that the aircraft were higher than reported to be. In the accident investigation, based on prevailing winds, he plotted a position of where the canopies would be for both a 6,000-foot and a 16,000-foot bailout. The canopies were found at the calculated position of a 16,000 bailout. In their statements the two wingman pilots said that they had never looked at their altimeters. The Accident Board ruled that in all probability the flight leader leveled off at 12,000 feet, thinking he was at 2,000 feet.

Our GCA surveillance radar, an MPN-1, had a maximum height of 8,000 feet, thus explaining the reason we never had a target. The big Approach control radar at Frankfurt had a maximum height of 50,000 feet plus. Because of the loss of life, this troubling incident of 48 years ago is still fresh in my mind.

I joined the Air Force July 6, 1950, expecting 13 weeks of basic training at Lackland. The Korean war had just started and after a couple of weeks the Air Force decided we didn't need that much basic training. The real reason was that recruits were pouring into Lackland so fast that they were putting up tents to house them.

They decided I had an aptitude for electronics, altho they couldn't have been more wrong. It was off to Keesler AFB and 36 weeks of airborne radar maintenance school. I struggled thru with mediocre grades and asked for a European assignment. On May 22, 1951, I arrived at Fort Dix, NJ, for shipment to Germany, base assignment still unknown. After 3 long weeks we finally left New York for Bremerharven aboard the Troop Ship, General C C Ballou. I cannot think of much good about the trip as it seemed a majority of the passengers were sick for a good portion of the time. As I recall the trip took 12 days and I swore I'd never get on another troop ship.

We arrived in Bremerharven to more good news. We were being shipped to a staging center in southern Germany for further assignment. They put us on a train and 24 hours later we arrived at a place call "Sandhofen". It was a comfortable place but all I wanted to do was get on my way and do something useful. After about one week I was assigned to the 12th Troop Carrier Squadron at Rhein Main, arriving probably mid June 1951

There were about 20 plus of us new 1 strippers in the squadron with the airborne radar mechanic AFSC (or MOS) and they had a need for 7 or 8. I could see myself being in the Air Force for the whole 4 years and still being a 1 stripper. Then the opportunity came up for Spoon's code school and I jumped at that as did a number of the other surplus mechs. Stockard was a great instructor but tho I could transmit with a reasonable speed, I made mistakes in copying code. They expected perfection and I could see that was not going to be my "forte". M/Sgt "Pappy" Stern was NCOIC of Maintenance. He learned that I was a good typist so he promised me 3 stripes in a very short period of time if I would be his maintenance clerk. Time was marching on and I needed to make progress.

I had worked for Pappy only a month or so when the opportunity came up for transfer to the AACS Squadron and cross train as a GCA Operator.

I left the 12th Squadron in March 52 for the 1945th AACS Squadron. Finally, after almost 2 years in the Air Force I finally had a job I had an aptitude for and liked. One month after the move I received my second stripe, 4 months later, the third and S/Sgt a year after that. It would have been 6 months but the Air Force changed the time-in-grade requirements.

I rotated back to the States in May 1954 and was discharged. As a civilian I applied for USAF Pilot Training, I graduated from Pilot Training in August 1956. My Bio that I'm attaching will tell the rest.

I made lots of friends in the 12th Squadron, tho I was there only a few months. I continued to see these friends after I left the Squadron at the Airman's club and at other socializations. In the pictures on your website I remember quite well Don Salzman, McDonald, Krynski, Witherspoon and others.

When I got to the 12th in June 1951 I was good friends with a guy in the barracks by the name of James A Koepke. He was one of us surplus radar mechanics and there was a possibility he could have been in the 10th or 11th squadrons but I was pretty sure he was in our barracks, upper bay. Jim left at the same time I did, March or April 52 and went to the link trainer section over in the control tower building. Jim had a BMW motor cycle and I rode on that elevated back seat all over that part of Germany. Lucky I didn't get myself killed.

One of you might remember the incident but when Jim was thinking of buying the cycle and was just trying it out, he was following a 4 X 4 GI truck that stopped in front of him. Jim was unable to stop, collided with the rear end and ended up in the back of the truck, minus his upper front teethe. Of course, having wrecked the other guy's motorcycle, he had to buy it. He had it fixed up and drove it the rest of his tour.

As I recall, Jim was from Wisconsin. I have picked 4 James Koepkes from the Yahoo. peoples web site and will call all of them tomorrow. I haven't had any reports of Jim since I left Germany nearly 45 years ago.

I may have asked you this question before but every so often get a desire to find him. Jim was redheaded.

I just finished Chuck Lunsford's book, departure message, and found it to be a superb piece of writing. I presume you have read it, if not, you might want to consider it.

A couple of other incidents with the motor cycle. One was out behind the barracks. Jim was doing "Wheelies" with someone on the back seat. On one violent departure the back seat came off and dumped the victim on the concrete with his rear end taking a big jolt. Another time was at that joint on the way to Neu Isenberg, the one past Freddie's but before getting to Neu Isenberg. It had been a fun night of partying and was dark & late. Jim had let another acquaintance take the cycle for a ride. We could hear him on the return, coming toward us at high throttle. As he got closer, we became aware that he was not going to stop. He had evidently forgotten how to close the throttle. We all scattered but before hitting the building, dumped it and came spinning in. He had to be hauled off to the hospital and off course, another expensive repair job on the cycle.

One of my flight instructors in pilot training was William R. Hall, a navigator I believe from the 11th Sqdn. Also I would run into a pilot from the 12th by the name of Lou Martin. I am still in contact with Bill & Lou.

After 20 years at age 38 I retired as a Major and went with Civil Service and stayed 23 more years with the government, retiring as a GS-15. I had a regular officer commission and logged 11,670 pilot hours during my 14 years as an Air Force pilot.

Regards - Lloyd

Editors note: This is a great story. Many thanks from the 12th TC Squadron.