oldiaf wrote:The original report mentioned Shahabad Airport not base ...
I guess you know about 'Google Earth': please, show me anything 'airfield-alike' near Shahabad in Lorestan.
Anything but that highway.
The F-4 Phantoms were on ground not on CAP according to the report.
Where? Where should they have been 'on the ground'?
I have a strong feeling, you guys simply have no trace of clue about the condition of Iranian military as of September 1980; especially no clue under what condition was the IRIAF 'functioning' at the time.
If you would have any clue, you would know that what you're talking about here, what you 'demand' (kind of), was impossible.
If these were F-4 Phantoms, then from TFB.3. And that was one of IRIAF air bases that felt the worst impacts of the post-revolutionary chaos. Its CO, Col Golchin (mind: a Colonel was normally supposed to command a squadron, but surely not a full 'Tactical Fighter Base' with several thousands of officers and other ranks), was happy if he could find enough ground crews and pilots to man his aircraft.
First of all, think logically: let's say he would have decided to 'disperse' his aircraft and crews. Why do so, after initial Iraqi air strikes on Shahroki have clearly shown that these are at safest in their hardened aircraft shelters? And why do so, if this would only increase his problems with maintaining and operating his aircraft?
At TFB.3, he at least had stocks of ammo and spares on hand, and the same ground crew could take care of 2-3 aircraft. That made the maintenance a very slow process (and thus had a major impact on turn-around times), but at least this was possible.
If he would have sent any aircraft to, say, some kind of 'dispersal strip' near Shahabad, he would have to send gound crews, pilots, ammo, fuel, spares, and ground equipment there - all of which were precious and best-protected right where they already were, at TFB.3.
Plus, he would have to organize housing for personnel, guards and air defences for such a facility too. That all was simply out of his abilities - because Iranian military was in a complete chaos, because of lack of personnel, and because people were refusing to listen to 'Shah's pilots' (meaning 'any officer').
Even the MIM-23B I-HAWK and Rapier sites supposed to defend TFB.3 were inoperational - for lack of personnel (caused not only by post-revolutionary chaos, but also the famous Nojeh Coup attempt, of which the TFB.3 was centrepiece, and after which hundreds of IRIAF officers were arrested). There was lack of kerosene because some of Iraqi bombs (by sheer accident) have hit some of fuel depots etc...
Golchin had his hands full with his NCOs ('Homafars') too: they were protesting for all possible (and usually nonsensical) reasons. Several times they blocked the base for days. Say, even if he managed to issue such an order, what do you think would have happened if he sent them to 'camp in wilderness'...?
And on top of that he was frequently out of contact to the HQ at Dowshan Tappeh, but had to run 'normal' combat operations against Iraq, as ordered by Tehran, plus help save TFB.4 from the threat of those three Iraqi divisions advancing on Dezful...
Come on...
One of the Iraqi refugess I met in Belgium few months ago was an Iraqi medic with the Iraqi army at that time ... He told me He played Football in Dezful back in early 80s !!
In Dezful? Surely not. Iraqis never reached Dezful. The furthest they came was a radar station about 15km west of that town.
16 Sep 2015, 00:20
