UK in Twilight War

[RN7]

Just thought I'd have a look at how Britain would look after the nuclear strike, and what is likely to have survived.


UK NUCLEAR TARGET LIST

England: Aldershot, Barnsley, Bedford, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bristol, Bury, Coventry, Derby, Dover, Folkestone, Gloucester, Grimsby, Hereford, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Luton, Manchester, Nottingham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Stockport, Warrington, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Yeovil, York
Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth
Wales: Cardiff, Milford Haven, Newport, Port Talbot, Swansea

Although Britain got a right pounding and the Soviets knocked out most of Britain’s major cities, industrial centres and oil refining capabilities, they didn’t get it all. British nuclear weapon and nuclear power capabilities were not directly targeted, and besides targeting Aldershot and Hereford they seem to have missed most British military bases. The British nuclear deterrent at Rosyth, the nuclear weapons factory at Aldermaston, and the nuclear submarine yard at Barrow were not targeted, or were the Royal Navy bases (Portsmouth, Devonport, Clyde). Some bases near cities that were nuked were indirectly destroyed or damaged, but many important ones such as Northwood HQ, Porton Down, Winterbourne-Gunner and RAF High Wycombe were not targeted, and most if not all RAF and USAF bases across Britain seem to have survived.

Also some of Britain’s military industrial infrastructure would be intact. The British shipyards at Glasgow, Liverpool, Southampton and Bristol are all destroyed or heavily damaged, but the nuclear submarine yard at Barrow and major shipyards at Newcastle and Belfast have survived, as have repair docks at Middlesbrough and the naval bases in the south. The aerospace, military vehicle and small weapons industry would have been severely disrupted through the destruction of industry in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry, Gloucester, Leeds, Hull, Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and Southampton, while the Rolls Royce engine factory in Derby and the Westland helicopter plant at Yeovil were also targeted. However some industry has survived at Leicester, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Preston, Samlesbury, Telford, Warton, Belfast, Alsager, Isle of Wight and at other locations.


Oil Refineries
England
Coryton (Probable damage from nuclear strike on nearby London)
Fawley (Destroyed)
Humber (Damaged from nuclear strike on Grimsby but likely to be operational)
Lindsey (Probably destroyed from nuclear strike on nearby Grimsby)
Shell Haven (Probable damage from nuclear strike on London) (* Closed in 1999)
Stanlow (Probable damage from nuclear strike on Liverpool)
Teeside (Operational)
Scotland
Grangemouth (Destroyed)
Wales
Milford Haven (Destroyed)
Pembroke (Possible damage from nuclear strike on South Wales but likely to be operational)

Oil Storage Facilities
England
Eastham (Destroyed from nuclear strike on nearby Liverpool)
Hertfordshire (Operational)
Kingsbury (Possible damage from nuclear strike on nearby Grimsby but likely to be operational)
Tranmere (Probable heavy damage from nuclear strike on nearby Liverpool)
Shetland Islands
Sullom Voe (Operational)
Irish Sea
Offshore Storage Installation (Operational)

Oil Fields
All British oil fields are located offshore in North Sea.

Nuclear Power Stations
England
Berkeley (276mw) (England) (Decommissioned in 1989)
Bradwell (246mw) (Operational)
Dungeness A (450mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strikes on Dover & Folkestone but likely to be operational)
Dungeness B (1,110mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strikes on Dover & Folkestone but likely to be operational)
Hartlepool (1,210mw) (Operational)
Hinkley Point A (470mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Bristol but likely to be operational)
Hinkley Point B (1,220mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Bristol but likely to be operational)
Heysham 1 (1,150mw) (Operational)
Heysham 2 (1,250mw) (Operational)
Oldbury (434mw) (Probable heavy damage from nuclear strikes on Bristol and Gloucester)
Sizwell A (420mw) (Operational)
Sizwell B (1,188mw) (Operational)
Scotland
Chapelcross (240mw) (Operational)
Dounreay (250mw) (Scotland) (Decommissioned in 1994)
Hunterston A (300mw) (Scotland) (Decommissioned in 1990)
Hunterston B (1,190mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Glasgow but probably operational)
Torness (1,254mw) (Probably destroyed or heavily damaged from nuclear strike on Edinburgh)
Wales
Trawsfynydd (390mw) (Wales) (Decommissioned in 1991)
Wylfa (980mw) (Operational)

Nuclear Weapons & Reactor Factories
England
Aldermaston (Nuclear weapons design and manufacture) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Aldershot but probably operational)
Raynesway (Rolls Royce Marine Nuclear Fuel and Fabrication) (Destroyed from nuclear strike on Derby)

Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing & Examination Facilities
England
Sellafield (Operational)
Winfrith (Operational)

Nuclear Research Reactors
England
Chilton (Rutherford-Appleton nuclear research laboratory) (Operational)
Culham (Operational)
Harwell (Operational)
Greenwich (Decommissioned in 1991)
London (UCL research reactor) (Destroyed)
Risley (Decommissioned in 1991)



UNITED KINGDOM
ENGLAND
GREATER LONDON (25 miles from central London)
Nuclear Targets: London
Surviving Towns and Ports: Dartford, Gravesend, Guilford, Maidenhead, Slough, Staines, Tilbury, Watford, Windsor, Woking and some London suburbs
Airports: Gatwick (Destroyed), Heathrow (Damaged), London City (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: UCL Research Reactor (Destroyed)
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Northolt, RAF West Drayton (Destroyed)
Military Bases: London barracks destroyed or heavily damaged, Whitehall (Destroyed), Windsor Castle

EAST OF ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Bedford, Luton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Basildon, Brentwood, Bury, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Felixstowe, Harlow, Harwich, Hemel Hempstead, Ipswich, Lowestoft, King’s Lynn, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend, St. Albans, Stevenage, Thurrock, Yarmouth
Airports: Luton (Destroyed), Norwich, Peterborough, Southend, Stanstead
Nuclear Power Stations: Bradwell
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Coryton (Damaged), Shell Haven (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: Hertfordshire
Air Bases: Bassingbourne, RAF Alconbury, RAF Barkway, RAF Brampton, RAF Feltwell, RAF Henlow, RAF Honington, RAF Lakenheath, RAF Marham, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Molesworth, RAF Stanbridge, RAF Upwood, RAF Wattisham, RAF Wittering, RAF Wyton
Military Bases: Bury St. Edmunds, Carver, Chicksands, Colchester, Northwood HQ, Swanton Morley, Thetford

SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Aldershot, Dover, Folkestone, Southampton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Ashford, Andover, Aylesbury, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Brighton, Canterbury, Chatham, Cherwell, Chichester, Crawley, Eastbourne, Farnborough, Gillingham, Gosport, Guildford, Hastings, High Wycombe, Maidstone, Margate, Milton Keynes, Newhaven, Oxford, Portsmouth, Ramsgate, Reading, Sheerness, Sittingbourne, Swale, Tunbridge Wells, Winchester
Airports: Manston, Shoreham, Southampton (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: Dungeness A & B
Nuclear Facilities: Aldermaston, Chilton, Culham, Harwell
Oil Refineries: Fawley (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: Andover, AAC Middle Wallop, Farnborough, RAF Benson, RAF Brize Norton, RAF Halton, RAF High Wycombe, RAF Oakhanger, RAF Odiham, RAF Welford, RAF Weston, RAF Woodley
Naval Bases: Portsmouth, Sheerness
Military Bases: Aldershot (Destroyed), Arborfield, Bicester, Bramley, Canterbury, Chatham, Longmoor, Pirbright, Reading, Sandhurst, Shorncliff, Thorney Island, Winchester, Worthy Down

SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Bristol, Gloucester, Yeovil
Surviving Towns and Ports: Bath, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Poole, Plymouth, Salisbury, Swindon, Torbay, Weymouth
Airports: Bournemouth, Bristol (Destroyed), Exeter, Gloucester (Destroyed), Newquay, Plymouth
Nuclear Power Stations: Oldbury (Damaged), Hinkley Point A (Possible damage), Hinkley Point B (Possible damage)
Nuclear Facilities: Winfrith
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: AAC Netheravon, RAF Fairwood, RAF Lyneham, RAF St. Mawgan, RNAS Culdrose, RNAS Merryfield, RNAS Predannack, RNAS Yeovilton (Damaged)
Naval Bases: Devonport
Military Bases: Barnstable, Beachley, Blandford, Bovington, Bristol (Destroyed), Bulford, Cirencester, Corsham, Exeter, Fort Halstead, Fugglestone, Larkhill, Ludgershall, Norton Manor, Porton Down, Plymouth, RM Chivenor, Tidworth, Warminster, Winterbourne-Gunner

EAST-MIDLANDS
Nuclear Targets: Derby, Nottingham
Surviving Towns and Ports: Boston, Corby, Grantham, Leicester, Lincoln, Kettering, Mansfield, Northampton, Wellingborough
Airports: Castle Donington
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: Raynesway (Destroyed)
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Barkston Heath, RAF Coningsby, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Cranwell, RAF Croughton, RAF Digby, RAF Scampton, RAF Syerston, RAF Waddington
Military Bases: Copthorne, Leicester, Nottingham (Destroyed), Shewsbury

WEST-MIDLANDS
Nuclear Targets: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Wolverhampton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Burton, Dudley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Nuneaton, Redditch, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Stoke, Stratford, Tamworth, Telford, Warwick, Worcester
Airports: Birmingham (Destroyed), Coventry (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Cosford, RAF Shawbury, RAF Stafford
Military Bases: Donington, Dudley, Hereford (Destroyed), Lichfield, Redditch, Telford, Ternhill, Wolverhampton (Destroyed)

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER
Nuclear Targets: Barnsley, Grimsby, Hull, Greater Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield, York
Surviving Towns and Ports: Doncaster, Halifax, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Immingham, Scunthorpe, Wakefield
Airports: Doncaster (Damaged), Humberside, Leeds (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Humber (Damaged), Lindsey (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: Kingsbury (Damaged)
Air Bases: RAF Dishforth, RAF Holmpton, RAF Leconfield
Military Bases: Catterick, Fulford, Hillsborough (Destroyed), Hull (Destroyed), Pudsey, Sheffield (Destroyed), York (Destroyed)

NORTH-EAST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Stockton, Sunderland
Airports: Durham-Tees, Newcastle
Nuclear Power Stations: Hartlepool
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Teeside
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Boulmer, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Flyngdales, RAF Leeming, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Topcliffe
Military Bases: Durham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Otterburn, Stockton

NORTH-WEST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Blackburn, Bolton, Bury, Greater Liverpool, Greater Manchester, Rochdale, Stockport, Warrington, Wigan
Surviving Towns and Ports: Barrow, Birkenhead (Damaged), Blackpool, Bootle, Burnley, Carlisle, Chester, Crewe, Ellesmere Port (Damaged), Fleetwood, Lancaster, Preston, Southport
Airports: Blackpool, Liverpool (Destroyed), Manchester (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: Heysham 1 & 2, Sizwell A & B
Nuclear Facilities: Sellafield
Oil Refineries: Stanlow (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: Eastham (Destroyed), Tranmere (Damaged), Offshore Storage Installation
Air Bases: RAF Woodvale
Military Bases: Chester, Preston, Warcop, Weeton, Wigan (Destroyed)

SCOTLAND
CENTRAL LOWLANDS & BORDER
Nuclear Targets: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth
Surviving Towns and Ports: Cairnryan, East Kilbride, Livingston, Paisley, Perth, Stirling
Airports: Aberdeen (Destroyed), Campbeltown, Dundee (Destroyed), Edinburgh (Destroyed), Glasgow (Destroyed), Perth, Prestwick
Nuclear Power Stations: Chapelcross, Hunterston B (Possible damage), Torness (Damaged)
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Grangemouth (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Buchan, RAF Leuchars,
Naval Bases: Clyde, Rosyth
Military Bases: Ayr, Barry Buddon, Cupar, Dumbarton, Dundee (Destroyed), Glasgow (Destroyed), Edinburgh Castle (Damaged), Forfar, Garelochhead, Penicuik, Perth, RM Condor, Stirling

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Inverness, Kirkwall
Airports: Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Scatsta, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Wick
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: Sullom Voe
Air Bases: RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss
Naval Bases: Loch Ewe
Military Bases: Fort George, Inverness, Peterhead

WALES
Nuclear Targets: Cardiff, Milford Haven, Newport, Port Talbot, Swansea
Surviving Towns and Ports: Barry, Holyhead, Rhonda
Airports: Cardiff (Destroyed), Hawarden
Nuclear Power Stations: Wylfa
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Milford Haven (Destroyed), Pembroke (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF St. Athan, RAF Sealand, RAF Valley
Military Bases: Cardiff (Destroyed), Sennybridge

NORTHERN IRELAND
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Bangor, Belfast, Castlereagh, Craigavon, Derry, Larne, Lisburn, Newtownabbey
Airports: Belfast, Derry, Langford Lodge
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Aldergrove, RAF Bishopscourt
Military Bases: Balykinler, Ballykelly, Ballymena, Belfast, Derry, Holywood, Lisburn, Omagh, Portadown

[stilleto69]

Hi RN,

Great work. Just one question - What about RAF Greenham Common. I think the Soviets would have hit it just to make sure all the GLCMs were put out of commission. JMO

[TiggerCCW UK]

Looks great to me, but I hope you don't mind a couple if minor suggestions regarding Northern Ireland. Castlereagh, which is where I live, and Newtownabbey are both essentially suburbs of Belfast, rather than towns in their own right, and Langford Lodge hasn't existed as an Airport for years. You could add Newtownards airfield, a small WW2 airfield now in use as a civilian airfield, St Angelo outside Enniskillen, another WW2 strip now in civvy hands. Also, Belfast actually has 2 airports, the George Best Airport at Sydenham in East Belfast, which would still have been called the City Airport in 2000, its a smaller airport capable of handling anything up to a 737, and the main international airport at Aldergrove, capable of handling 747's etc. Aldergrove is 20 or so miles out of Belfast towards Lough Neagh and Antrim. Another port to consider would be Warrenpoint on the border on Carlingford Lough.

I like the work you're doing and please don't take this as a criticism, just a local perspective :)

[TiggerCCW UK]

Links for the above;

http://www.warrenpointharbour.co.uk/

http://www.belfastairport.com/

http://www.belfastcityairport.com/HomeInfo.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtownards_Airport

http://www.ulsterflyingclub.com/cms/

http://www.enniskillen-airport.co.uk/

Hope some of that may be of interest to some of you :)

[Rainbow Six]

RN7, that's a cracking piece of analysis - very, very well done.

One minor point - the UK does have one onshore oil field, which is operated by BP and located at Wytch Farm in Dorset (relatively close to Bovington Camp).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wytch_Farm

Also, and again from a local point of view (I grew up about five miles from Rosyth) the nuclear deterrent was based on the Clyde - the subs themeselves were (indeed still are) at Faslane, whilst warheads were kept at Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport, approx ten miles away. The US Navy had a separate facility at Holy Loch which was closed in 1992 IRL.

The Subs did go to Rosyth for any refitting that was required until the mid 1990's IRL (when the work moved to Devonport, but that's a whole other story...)

Also, you may want to include Boscombe Down in the list of air bases in South West England (I did have a look, and didn't see it mentioned, although I may have missed it)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoD_Boscombe_Down

Like Tigger said, please don't take any of that as a criticism - I genuinely think what you've put together is an oustanding piece of work - well done.

[LBraden]

I noticed you said "Greater Leeds" as someone who lives about 10 miles from Leeds, care to clarify that, as under the same name, Wakefield would be a nuclear dead zone as well.

Also, you missed off retired RAF Elvington, old WWII bomber base, still looked after as its a museum now, but it was officially closed in 1992, which with T2K, I doubt that the RAF would have closed her down with a major war on the horizon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Elvington

Also RAF Leeming is actually in Yorkshire itself, so it depends how you want to divvy up "Yorkshire" and "North East" on your maps.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Sorry, meant to include these in my links earlier;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Angelo_airfield

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Langford_Lodge

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/L/Langford_Lodge.htm

[RN7]

Hi RN,

Great work. Just one question - What about RAF Greenham Common. I think the Soviets would have hit it just to make sure all the GLCMs were put out of commission. JMO

Hi Stilleto,

I admit I missed a few bases, although some were deliberat as they are little more than grass airfields or radar stations. I did miss Greenham Common however, but accoring to GDW so did the Soviets!

[RN7]

Looks great to me, but I hope you don't mind a couple if minor suggestions regarding Northern Ireland. Castlereagh, which is where I live, and Newtownabbey are both essentially suburbs of Belfast, rather than towns in their own right, and Langford Lodge hasn't existed as an Airport for years. You could add Newtownards airfield, a small WW2 airfield now in use as a civilian airfield, St Angelo outside Enniskillen, another WW2 strip now in civvy hands. Also, Belfast actually has 2 airports, the George Best Airport at Sydenham in East Belfast, which would still have been called the City Airport in 2000, its a smaller airport capable of handling anything up to a 737, and the main international airport at Aldergrove, capable of handling 747's etc. Aldergrove is 20 or so miles out of Belfast towards Lough Neagh and Antrim. Another port to consider would be Warrenpoint on the border on Carlingford Lough.

I like the work you're doing and please don't take this as a criticism, just a local perspective :)

Hi Tigger,

I'm also from Ireland, although the southern part. Castlereagh and Newtonabbey are typos. I used the stats for cities over 50,000 people but I was in a rush finishing off Northern Ireland so I missed that. St. Angelo and the others are airfields and there are dozens across Britain and Ireland that I didn't include. But I believe Ryanair were recently interested in using Langford Lodge, so I surmised that it would have been capable of flying military aircraft if they could use their aircraft from it. I wasn't sure about the status of George Best Airport at this time. I knew it wasn't a full sized airport and that Shorts had a factory on its grounds. But with the proximity of Belfast International and Aldergrove I just ommited it.

[RN7]

RN7, that's a cracking piece of analysis - very, very well done.

One minor point - the UK does have one onshore oil field, which is operated by BP and located at Wytch Farm in Dorset (relatively close to Bovington Camp).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wytch_Farm

Also, and again from a local point of view (I grew up about five miles from Rosyth) the nuclear deterrent was based on the Clyde - the subs themeselves were (indeed still are) at Faslane, whilst warheads were kept at Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport, approx ten miles away. The US Navy had a separate facility at Holy Loch which was closed in 1992 IRL.

The Subs did go to Rosyth for any refitting that was required until the mid 1990's IRL (when the work moved to Devonport, but that's a whole other story...)

Also, you may want to include Boscombe Down in the list of air bases in South West England (I did have a look, and didn't see it mentioned, although I may have missed it)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoD_Boscombe_Down

Like Tigger said, please don't take any of that as a criticism - I genuinely think what you've put together is an oustanding piece of work - well done.


Hi Rainbow Six,

There are a few things I missed as there is so much to include, Boscome Down and Wytch Farm are a few of them and I will update them. The nuclear deterent is a funny thing. The subs were probably at sea most of the time, but were moored at Clyde/Faslane, maintained at Rosyth, and the warheads were stored at Coulport. Only the British would do this ;). However the Soviets missed Rosyth, Clyde and Coulport in any case. I didn't include Holy Loch as its an American facility, although I would say it would have been still used at this time.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Hi RN7,

I knew you were from here as well - what part are you in? No problems on the typos - I'm more than guilty of those myself by times :) I know there are a load of other airfields kicking around, but Ards and St Angelo are two of the bigger and busier ones I know of, plus there used to be an regular army/UDR base at St Angelo, which would probably still be there in the Twilight world.

I wasn't aware of Ryanairs interest in Langford, and I just looked at it on googlemaps, and I have to say I didn't realise the runways etc were either so big or so well maintained - I can definitely see it being brought into use as an airfield in T2K.

George Best/City Airport has been a fairly major facility for years - I can remember a weather recon Canberra flying from it when I was wee, and I think they assembled and serviced F86 Sabres there when the RAF was operating them. I know they flew Buccaneers in and out of there for maintenance as well - my brother can remember one of them crashing in 1972 and one of the ejecting crew landed in the park at the bottom of my mum and dads street. I reckon it could well be in use as an airbase in T2K as well.

Keep up the good work :)

[RN7]

I noticed you said "Greater Leeds" as someone who lives about 10 miles from Leeds, care to clarify that, as under the same name, Wakefield would be a nuclear dead zone as well.

Also, you missed off retired RAF Elvington, old WWII bomber base, still looked after as its a museum now, but it was officially closed in 1992, which with T2K, I doubt that the RAF would have closed her down with a major war on the horizon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Elvington

Also RAF Leeming is actually in Yorkshire itself, so it depends how you want to divvy up "Yorkshire" and "North East" on your maps.

Hi LBraden,

Is Wakefield not a city in its own right? Bradford could be considered part of Greater Leeds by some measurements but got its very own nuke (although I forgot to incude it), and probably Halifax and Huddersfield as well, but they are still seperarte cities.

I wasn't sure about the status of RAF Elvington. What facilities are at Elvington and what type and size are its runway?

RAF Leeming is in Yorkshire and that's a typo.

[RN7]

Hi RN7,

I knew you were from here as well - what part are you in? No problems on the typos - I'm more than guilty of those myself by times :) I know there are a load of other airfields kicking around, but Ards and St Angelo are two of the bigger and busier ones I know of, plus there used to be an regular army/UDR base at St Angelo, which would probably still be there in the Twilight world.

I wasn't aware of Ryanairs interest in Langford, and I just looked at it on googlemaps, and I have to say I didn't realise the runways etc were either so big or so well maintained - I can definitely see it being brought into use as an airfield in T2K.

George Best/City Airport has been a fairly major facility for years - I can remember a weather recon Canberra flying from it when I was wee, and I think they assembled and serviced F86 Sabres there when the RAF was operating them. I know they flew Buccaneers in and out of there for maintenance as well - my brother can remember one of them crashing in 1972 and one of the ejecting crew landed in the park at the bottom of my mum and dads street. I reckon it could well be in use as an airbase in T2K as well.

Keep up the good work :)


I'm from Dublin.

There seems to be a lot of spare air capacity in Northern Ireland, but how much of it would be used in T2K. RAF and British military usage seems to be restricted to helicopters and the odd fixed wing transport or recon aircraft.

[Rainbow Six]

Hi Rainbow Six,

There are a few things I missed as there is so much to include

Hi RN7

There certainly is, and I'd just stress again that I think you've done an absolutely outstanding job creating such a comprehensive listing.

Cheers

[RN7]

Part III

UK NUCLEAR TARGET LIST

England: Aldershot, Barnsley, Bedford, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Bury, Coventry, Derby, Dover, Folkestone, Gloucester, Grimsby, Hereford, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Luton, Manchester, Nottingham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Stockport, Warrington, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Yeovil, York
Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth
Wales: Cardiff, Milford Haven, Newport, Port Talbot, Swansea

Although Britain got a right pounding and the Soviets knocked out most of Britain’s major cities, industrial centres and oil refining capabilities, they didn’t get it all. British nuclear weapon and nuclear power capabilities were not directly targeted, and besides targeting Aldershot and Hereford they seem to have missed most British military bases. The British nuclear deterrent at Rosyth, the nuclear weapons factory at Aldermaston, and the nuclear submarine yard at Barrow were not targeted, or were the Royal Navy bases (Portsmouth, Devonport, Clyde). Some bases near cities that were nuked were indirectly destroyed or damaged, but many important ones such as Northwood HQ, Porton Down, Winterbourne-Gunner and RAF High Wycombe were not targeted, and most if not all RAF and USAF bases across Britain seem to have survived.

Also some of Britain’s military industrial infrastructure would be intact. The British shipyards at Glasgow, Liverpool, Southampton and Bristol are all destroyed or heavily damaged, but the nuclear submarine yard at Barrow and major shipyards at Newcastle and Belfast have survived, as have repair docks at Middlesbrough and the naval bases in the south. The aerospace, military vehicle and small weapons industry would have been severely disrupted through the destruction of industry in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry, Gloucester, Leeds, Hull, Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and Southampton, while the Rolls Royce engine factory in Derby and the Westland helicopter plant at Yeovil were also targeted. However some industry has survived at Leicester, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Preston, Samlesbury, Telford, Warton, Belfast, Alsager, Isle of Wight and at other locations.


Oil Refineries
England
Coryton (Probable damage from nuclear strike on nearby London)
Fawley (Destroyed)
Humber (Damaged from nuclear strike on Grimsby but likely to be operational)
Lindsey (Probably destroyed from nuclear strike on nearby Grimsby)
Shell Haven (Probable damage from nuclear strike on London) (* Closed in 1999)
Stanlow (Probable damage from nuclear strike on Liverpool)
Teeside (Operational)
Scotland
Grangemouth (Destroyed)
Wales
Milford Haven (Destroyed)
Pembroke (Possible damage from nuclear strike on South Wales but likely to be operational)

Oil Storage Facilities
England
Eastham (Destroyed from nuclear strike on nearby Liverpool)
Hertfordshire (Operational)
Kingsbury (Possible damage from nuclear strike on nearby Grimsby but likely to be operational)
Tranmere (Probable heavy damage from nuclear strike on nearby Liverpool)
Shetland Islands
Sullom Voe (Operational)
Irish Sea
Offshore Storage Installation (Operational)

Oil Fields
All British oil fields are located offshore in North Sea, except for Wytch Farm in Dorset.

Nuclear Power Stations
England
Berkeley (276mw) (Decommissioned in 1989)
Bradwell (246mw) (Operational)
Dungeness A (450mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strikes on Dover & Folkestone but likely to be operational)
Dungeness B (1,110mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strikes on Dover & Folkestone but likely to be operational)
Hartlepool (1,210mw) (Operational)
Hinkley Point A (470mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Bristol but likely to be operational)
Hinkley Point B (1,220mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Bristol but likely to be operational)
Heysham 1 (1,150mw) (Operational)
Heysham 2 (1,250mw) (Operational)
Oldbury (434mw) (Probable heavy damage from nuclear strikes on Bristol and Gloucester)
Sizwell A (420mw) (Operational)
Sizwell B (1,188mw) (Operational)
Scotland
Chapelcross (240mw) (Operational)
Dounreay (250mw) (Decommissioned in 1994)
Hunterston A (300mw) (Decommissioned in 1990)
Hunterston B (1,190mw) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Glasgow but probably operational)
Torness (1,254mw) (Probably destroyed or heavily damaged from nuclear strike on Edinburgh)
Wales
Trawsfynydd (390mw) (Decommissioned in 1991)
Wylfa (980mw) (Operational)

Nuclear Weapons & Reactor Factories
England
Aldermaston (Nuclear weapons design and manufacture) (Possible damage from nuclear strike on Aldershot but probably operational)
Burghfield (Nuclear weapons assembly) (Operational)
Raynesway (Rolls Royce Marine Nuclear Fuel and Fabrication) (Destroyed from nuclear strike on Derby)

Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing & Examination Facilities
England
Capenhurst (Operational)
Sellafield (Operational)
Winfrith (Operational)

Nuclear Research Reactors
England
Chilton (Rutherford-Appleton nuclear research laboratory) (Operational)
Culham (Operational)
Harwell (Operational)
Greenwich (Decommissioned in 1991)
London (UCL research reactor) (Destroyed)
Risley (Decommissioned in 1991)



UNITED KINGDOM
ENGLAND
GREATER LONDON (25 miles from central London)
Nuclear Targets: London
Surviving Towns and Ports: Dartford, Gravesend, Guilford, Maidenhead, Slough, Staines, Tilbury, Watford, Windsor, Woking and some London suburbs
Airports: Biggin Hill (Damaged), Gatwick (Destroyed), Heathrow (Damaged), London City (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: UCL Research Reactor (Destroyed)
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Northolt
Military Bases: London barracks destroyed or heavily damaged, RAF West Drayton (Destroyed), Whitehall (Destroyed), Windsor Castle

EAST OF ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Bedford, Luton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Bury, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Felixstowe, Harlow, Harwich, Hemel Hempstead, Ipswich, Lowestoft, King’s Lynn, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend, St. Albans, Stevenage, Thurrock, Yarmouth
Airports: Cranfield, Luton (Destroyed), North Weald, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend, Stanstead
Nuclear Power Stations: Bradwell
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Coryton (Damaged), Shell Haven (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: Hertfordshire
Air Bases: Bassingbourne, RAF Alconbury, RAF Barkway, RAF Brampton, RAF Coltishall, RAF Feltwell, RAF Henlow, RAF Honington, RAF Lakenheath, RAF Marham, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Molesworth, RAF Sculthorpe, RAF Stanbridge, RAF Upwood, RAF Wattisham, RAF Wittering, RAF Wyton, Wethersfield
Military Bases: Bury St. Edmunds, Carver, Chicksands, Colchester, Debden, Luton (Destroyed), Northwood HQ, Peterborough, Stanford, Swanton Morley, Thetford

SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Aldershot, Dover, Folkestone, Southampton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Ashford, Andover, Aylesbury, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Brighton, Canterbury, Chatham, Cherwell, Chichester, Crawley, Eastbourne, Farnborough, Gillingham, Gosport, Hastings, High Wycombe, Maidstone, Margate, Milton Keynes, Newhaven, Oxford, Portsmouth, Ramsgate, Reading, Sheerness, Sittingbourne, Swale, Tunbridge Wells, Winchester
Airports: Bembridge, Lydd, Manston, Membury, Oxford, Shoreham, Southampton (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: Dungeness A & B
Nuclear Facilities: Aldermaston, Burghfield, Chilton, Culham, Harwell
Oil Refineries: Fawley (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: Andover, AAC Middle Wallop, Farnborough, RAF Benson, RAF Brize Norton, RAF Greenham Common, RAF Halton,RAF Oakhanger, RAF Odiham, RAF Welford, RAF Weston, RAF Woodley
Naval Bases: Portsmouth, Sheerness
Military Bases: Abingdon, Aldershot (Destroyed), Arborfield, Bicester, Bordon, Bramley, Canterbury, Chatham, Didcot, Dover (Destroyed), Longmoor, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Pirbright, Reading, RAF High Wycombe, Sandhurst, Shorncliff, Thorney Island, Winchester, Worthy Down

SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Bristol, Gloucester, Yeovil
Surviving Towns and Ports: Bath, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Poole, Plymouth, Salisbury, Swindon, Torbay, Weymouth
Airports: Bournemouth, Bristol (Destroyed), Dunkeswell, Exeter, Gloucester (Destroyed), Plymouth, St. Marys (Scilly)
Nuclear Power Stations: Oldbury (Damaged), Hinkley Point A (Possible damage), Hinkley Point B (Possible damage)
Nuclear Facilities: Winfrith
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: AAC Netheravon, Boscombe Down, RAF Fairwood, RAF Lyneham, RAF St. Mawgan, RNAS Culdrose, RNAS Merryfield, RNAS Predannack, RNAS Yeovilton (Damaged)
Naval Bases: Devonport
Military Bases: Barnstable, Beachley, Blandford, Bovington, Bristol (Destroyed), Bulford, Cirencester, Corsham, Exeter, Fort Halstead, Fugglestone, Larkhill, Ludgershall, Lympstone, Norton Manor, Porton Down, Plymouth, RM Chivenor, Tidworth, Warminster, Wilton, Winterbourne-Gunner

EAST-MIDLANDS
Nuclear Targets: Derby, Nottingham
Surviving Towns and Ports: Boston, Corby, Grantham, Leicester, Lincoln, Kettering, Mansfield, Northampton, Rutland, Wellingborough
Airports: Bruntingthorpe, Castle Donington, Nottingham (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: Raynesway (Destroyed)
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Barkston Heath, RAF Binbrook, RAF Coningsby, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Cranwell, RAF Croughton, RAF Digby, RAF Scampton, RAF Syerston, RAF Waddington
Military Bases: Chilwell (Damaged), Copthorne, Leicester, Nottingham (Destroyed), Rutland, Shewsbury

WEST-MIDLANDS
Nuclear Targets: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Wolverhampton
Surviving Towns and Ports: Burton, Dudley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Nuneaton, Redditch, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Stoke, Stratford, Tamworth, Telford, Warwick, Worcester
Airports: Birmingham (Destroyed), Coventry (Destroyed), Wolverhampton (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Cosford, RAF Shawbury, RAF Stafford, RAF Ternhill
Military Bases: Donington, Dudley, Hereford (Destroyed), Lichfield, Redditch, Shrewsbury, Telford, Ternhill, Wolverhampton (Destroyed)

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER
Nuclear Targets: Barnsley, Bradford, Grimsby, Hull, Greater Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield, York
Surviving Towns and Ports: Doncaster, Halifax, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Immingham, Scarborough, Scunthorpe, Wakefield
Airports: Brough, Doncaster (Damaged), Humberside (Damaged), Leeds (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Humber (Damaged), Lindsey (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: Kingsbury (Damaged)
Air Bases: RAF Dishforth, RAF Holmpton, RAF Leconfield, RAF Leeming, RAF Topcliffe
Military Bases: Catterick, Fulford, Hillsborough (Destroyed), Hull (Destroyed), Kirton, Pontefract, Pudsey, Ripon, Sheffield (Destroyed), York (Destroyed)

NORTH-EAST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Stockton, Sunderland
Airports: Newcastle, Teeside International
Nuclear Power Stations: Hartlepool
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Teeside
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Boulmer, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Flyngdales, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Topcliffe
Military Bases: Durham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Otterburn, Stockton

NORTH-WEST ENGLAND
Nuclear Targets: Blackburn, Bolton, Bury, Greater Liverpool, Greater Manchester, Rochdale, Stockport, Warrington, Wigan
Surviving Towns and Ports: Barrow, Birkenhead (Damaged), Blackpool, Bootle, Burnley, Carlisle, Chester, Chorley, Crewe, Ellesmere Port (Damaged), Fleetwood, Lancaster, Leyland, Macclesfield, Morcambe, Preston, Southport
Airports: Barrow, Blackpool, Carlisle, Liverpool (Destroyed), Manchester (Destroyed), Warton, Woodford
Nuclear Power Stations: Heysham 1 & 2, Sizwell A & B
Nuclear Facilities: Capenhurst, Sellafield
Oil Refineries: Stanlow (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: Eastham (Destroyed), Tranmere (Damaged), Offshore Storage Installation
Air Bases: RAF Woodvale
Military Bases: Blackpool, Bolton (Destroyed), Chester, Manchester (Destroyed), Preston, Warcop, Warrington, Weeton, Wigan (Destroyed)

SCOTLAND
CENTRAL LOWLANDS & BORDER
Nuclear Targets: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth
Surviving Towns and Ports: Cairnryan, Dumfries, Dunfermline, East Kilbride, Falkirk, Glenrothes, Hamilton (Damaged), Irving, Livingston, Paisley, Perth, Stirling
Airports: Aberdeen (Destroyed), Campbeltown, Dundee (Destroyed), Edinburgh (Destroyed), Glasgow (Destroyed), Perth, Prestwick
Nuclear Power Stations: Chapelcross, Hunterston B (Possible damage), Torness (Damaged)
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Grangemouth (Destroyed)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Buchan, RAF Leuchars,
Naval Bases: Clyde, Rosyth
Military Bases: Ayr, Barry Buddon, Cupar, Dumbarton, Dundee (Destroyed), Dunfermline, Glasgow (Destroyed), Edinburgh Castle (Damaged), Forfar, Garelochhead, Penicuik, Perth, RM Condor, Stirling

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Inverness, Kirkwall
Airports: Benbecula, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Scatsta, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Wick
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: Sullom Voe
Air Bases: RAF Campbeltown, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss
Naval Bases: Loch Ewe
Military Bases: Fort George, Inverness, Peterhead

WALES
Nuclear Targets: Cardiff, Milford Haven, Newport, Port Talbot, Swansea
Surviving Towns and Ports: Barry, Holyhead, Rhonda
Airports: Cardiff (Destroyed), Hawarden, Swansea (Destroyed)
Nuclear Power Stations: Wylfa
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: Milford Haven (Destroyed), Pembroke (Damaged)
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF St. Athan, RAF Sealand, RAF Valley
Military Bases: Brecon, Cardiff (Destroyed), Chepstow, Newport (Destroyed), Sennybridge, Wrexham

NORTHERN IRELAND
Nuclear Targets: None
Surviving Towns and Ports: Bangor, Belfast, Craigavon, Derry, Larne, Lisburn
Airports: Belfast International, Belfast City, Derry, Langford Lodge
Nuclear Power Stations: None
Nuclear Facilities: None
Oil Refineries: None
Oil Storage Facilities: None
Air Bases: RAF Aldergrove, RAF Bishopscourt
Military Bases: Balykinler, Ballykelly, Ballymena, Belfast, Derry, Holywood, Lisburn, Omagh, Portadown

[TiggerCCW UK]

There seems to be a lot of spare air capacity in Northern Ireland, but how much of it would be used in T2K. RAF and British military usage seems to be restricted to helicopters and the odd fixed wing transport or recon aircraft.

Yeah, theres a fair amount of runway space, but I agree that little of it would be pressed into to much service. All the RAF and army have ever used over here has been lighter stuff - Gazelles, Lynx, Puma, Chinook, Scout and Sioux on the rotary side, the occasional C130 on the fixed wing side and the Army Air Corps used to fly Beavers as spotter aircraft. There was the old Queens University Air Squadron as well, operating Chipmunks and later Bulldogs, based at Sydenham using the City Airport runways, but relocated to RAF Aldergrove in 1992. In the real world the squadron was disbanded in 1996, but in a Twilight timeline it might still be acive.

[Sanjuro]

I used to have an overlay of all the UK airfields there have ever been- including fakes built during WW2 to divert attacks from real airfields. I haven't checked this link http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/06airfields/UK/ukmenu.htmfor safety, but it claims to be the zip file required.
Another personal favourite airfield was RAF Binbrook, in Lincolnshire- home of the Lightning until its retirement in the 80s. As an optimised Air Defence station, it might have returned to use in the run-up to the Twilight War.
Some of the RAF stations you have listed are not actually airbases- High Wycombe is an admin support station (although there is an airfield nearby, at Booker on the western side of High Wycombe). West Drayton, although not an airfield, would have been a valid target, as it was the main Air Traffic Control Centre for military aircraft in England and Wales (and was colocated with the civilian London ATCC).
All this is just nitpicking though- an excellent piece of work, and if I can ever find a GM I'll point him at this thread (and pretend I never read it). ;)

[Matt W]

Minor details

1. Exeter is not really much of a military base. There is a TA barracks, but the big one is a few miles south: the Royal Marines' training facility at Lympstone

2. There are (former) military airfields all over South West England. My personal favourite is Dunkeswell, in Devon, the only US Navy airbase set up in Britain during WW2. It''s a fairly busy civilian airport

3. Never forget the collectors like this Devon businessman http://www.cobbatoncombat.co.uk/

[RN7]

I used to have an overlay of all the UK airfields there have ever been- including fakes built during WW2 to divert attacks from real airfields. I haven't checked this link http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/06airfields/UK/ukmenu.htmfor safety, but it claims to be the zip file required.
Another personal favourite airfield was RAF Binbrook, in Lincolnshire- home of the Lightning until its retirement in the 80s. As an optimised Air Defence station, it might have returned to use in the run-up to the Twilight War.
Some of the RAF stations you have listed are not actually airbases- High Wycombe is an admin support station (although there is an airfield nearby, at Booker on the western side of High Wycombe). West Drayton, although not an airfield, would have been a valid target, as it was the main Air Traffic Control Centre for military aircraft in England and Wales (and was colocated with the civilian London ATCC).
All this is just nitpicking though- an excellent piece of work, and if I can ever find a GM I'll point him at this thread (and pretend I never read it). ;)


Hi Sanjuro,

I'm aware that High Wycombe and West Drayton are not flying bases, but as their RAF I was unsure wither to classify them as military or air bases, so I just went with air bases in the end. Both bases were fairly important during the Cold War. High Wycombe was and still is the main RAF control base with a lot of powerful communication equipment, and West Drayton monitored all air traffic coming into UK airspace.

RAF Binbrook would probably be a legitimate RAF air base in 2TK, in fact even today the base and runway still largely stands and could be quickly reconverted. There are a few other former RAF bases that might be included, but their is so much to cover its hard to its hard to get it 100% the first time, but I will be happy to update it for anyone.

High Wycombe itself would also be a legitimate surving town in its own right with a population close to 100,000, so I must update that to.

On a side note; through looking more deeply at British military bases there are a lot of little known bunkers complexes that have turned up across the UK that's worth a mention. Makes you wonder what the British government was up to during the Cold War, and what's still out there. I can't find any information on it at the moment, but I saw something on TV a while back about a top secret base beneath an RAF air base with its own underground railway system. Does anyone know about it?

[RN7]

Minor details

1. Exeter is not really much of a military base. There is a TA barracks, but the big one is a few miles south: the Royal Marines' training facility at Lympstone

2. There are (former) military airfields all over South West England. My personal favourite is Dunkeswell, in Devon, the only US Navy airbase set up in Britain during WW2. It''s a fairly busy civilian airport

3. Never forget the collectors like this Devon businessman http://www.cobbatoncombat.co.uk/


Hi Mat,

I just tried to include every existant military base I could find, and I know I missed a few. Exeter might be a bit busier in T2k than it is now. I missed Lympstone and Dunkeswell, thanks I will update that.

[Rainbow Six]

On a side note; through looking more deeply at British military bases there are a lot of little known bunkers complexes that have turned up across the UK that's worth a mention. Makes you wonder what the British government was up to during the Cold War, and what's still out there. I can't find any information on it at the moment, but I saw something on TV a while back about a top secret base beneath an RAF air base with its own underground railway system. Does anyone know about it?


Hi RN7,

Several locations were set up as Contingency Centres for Continuation of Government in the event that Central Government was taken out. The specific locations changed a few times throughout the years...there's an overview on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Seat_of_Government

There was also a bunker at Corsham in Wiltshire, which was intended for use by central Government (provided there was enough time for them to get out of London). However, as far as I know by the end of the 1960's British Intelligence believed that their Soviet counterparts knew of the Corsham bunker's existence and it would have been a likely target in any nuclear exchange. As it was thought it was unlikely that it could have survived a direct hit (dependent on the size of the weapon), plans were changed, but the bunker remained in existence. I believe the new plan called for members of central Government to "scatter" to different places rather than all congregate in one place. Those different places would include (but not be limited to) the Regional Seats of Government.

The Corsham bunker may have had an underground rail network (although I suspect it would be similar to that found in a mine!) I have also read various pieces on the web speculating that there is some sort of secret underground rail network underneath London linking Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Parliament etc, but Government Ministers have gone on record as stating this is not the case (of course if it's secret they're not going to say otherwise!). I've never heard anything about an RAF base with a rail network underneath it, but the most likely candidate would probably be High Wycombe.

Other useful links on the subject are here (for info about the bunkers themselves)

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/

And here (a set of articles on HMG's plans in the event of nuclear war)

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/features/sfs/new_page_1.htm

And here (The Government's London Command Centre)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_citadels_under_London#Pindar

Hope this helps...

[RN7]

Thanks for the info there Raindbow Six.

I would say for certain that there are secret underground rail links under London. Probably some of it was just done by reopening/retunnelling and extending existant tunnels that have been closed over the past century or more, as the London underground is vast by any standard.

I know from an ex-girl friend who worked for a county council in southern England that underground operations centres exist beneath many council offices in cities across Britain, as she worked out of one during a drill the local council had. I don't know if they are all nuclear shelters but they are well equipped for emergency situations.

Here are another few links including some more information on Corsham.

http://www.burlingtonbunker.co.uk/

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread61322/pg1

http://www.studysupport.info/bunkers.htm

http://www.secretbunker.co.uk/explore_the_bunker.asp

http://www.undergroundkent.co.uk/index.htm

http://website.lineone.net/~civildefence/atom1.htm

[pilot25dmc]

Hi folks

Came across this post on google and I thought I would add my own 2p worth.

I am from Northern Ireland and own and run a Cold War museum so I want your section on N.I to be right!

Air Bases: RAF Aldergrove (Closed 2009), RAF Bishopscourt (Closed 1990)
Military Bases: Balykinler, Ballykelly (Closed 2008), Ballymena (Closed 2008), Belfast, Derry, Holywood, Lisburn, Omagh, Portadown (Now a Police Facility)

During the Cold War N.I would have been targeted by no less than 8 ICBM's.

Langford Lodge's runway is in decent condition and could easily land military aircraft, Aldergrove is now JHC Flying Station Aldergrove (Army Air Corps).

RAF Ballykelly closed in 1972 and became Shackleton Barracks, the RAF did still look after the runways until the base closed.

Northern Irelands Government Bunker is located in Ballymena - room for about 250 people.

Hope some of this info helps.

[Legbreaker]

Always good to have the opinion of somebody who actually knows! :P
Welcome!

Do you know the reasons behind the closure of RAF Bishopscourt?
Do you have any more info on the Northern Irelands Government Bunker - for example how long it was expected to be in use, what the supply situation was for it, etc?

[pilot25dmc]

Always good to have the opinion of somebody who actually knows! :P
Welcome!

Do you know the reasons behind the closure of RAF Bishopscourt?
Do you have any more info on the Northern Irelands Government Bunker - for example how long it was expected to be in use, what the supply situation was for it, etc?

Bishopscourt was the site of 'Ulster Radar' until the mid-70's, any aircraft entering UK airspace from the Atlantic would have been monitored from there, this was all closed and moved to Prestwick in Scotland. Bishopscourt was then used primarily by the Army for a while, the runways where kept in good condition but had not been in proper use since the 50's. Around 1980 a new surface bunker was built to house a mobile radar, very soon after the need for so many radar stations was simply not required, Bishopscourt was far to big a site for what little RAF staff lived there and the Radar station was out of date after only 8 years. It closed in 1989 and sold off around 1991, most of the original RAF housing is now used as civilian housing. Its is still an impressive place today, its is fairly run down but you can still tell it was a massive military base in its day.

The bunker in Ballymena is in Woodside Ind Estate just to the north of Ballymena, it was built in 1989 and would have housed all the government officials needed to run the country after a nuclear exchange. Everything would have been run from here, Police, Fire Service, Hospitals, ministry for welfare and food, etc.
Approx 250 people would have lived there for around 1 month, supplies inside where basic rations, the bunker has its own pumping station so fresh water was not a problem. Power was supplied by two massive generators. It was never used in any capacity, some equipment was stored there but nothing substantial, I have visited it a few times now to obtain some items for my museum and found it an amazing place. Its on 2 levels and about the size of a football pitch on each level.

It was mothballed in 1990 and is not used in any way now, the NI Government tried to sell it a few years ago and got no offers, I think the rates to keep it going are about £250,000 a year and the a/c system has to be kept running to keep the place at a constant temperature so the electric bill would not be cheap!

There is not many pictures of it floating about but here is one to wet your appetites....

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4625033293_d289cb63cd_z.jpg

My museums website for anyone interested... www.nibunker.co.uk

[RN7]

Hi folks

I am from Northern Ireland and own and run a Cold War museum so I want your section on N.I to be right!

Air Bases: RAF Aldergrove (Closed 2009), RAF Bishopscourt (Closed 1990)
Military Bases: Balykinler, Ballykelly (Closed 2008), Ballymena (Closed 2008), Belfast, Derry, Holywood, Lisburn, Omagh, Portadown (Now a Police Facility)

During the Cold War N.I would have been targeted by no less than 8 ICBM's.

Langford Lodge's runway is in decent condition and could easily land military aircraft, Aldergrove is now JHC Flying Station Aldergrove (Army Air Corps).

RAF Ballykelly closed in 1972 and became Shackleton Barracks, the RAF did still look after the runways until the base closed.

Northern Irelands Government Bunker is located in Ballymena - room for about 250 people.

Hope some of this info helps.


Hi pilot25dmc,

In the Twilight War time period all of the RAF bases and military bases exist, with the exception of RAF Bishopcourt. But as Bishopcourt was only closed in the early 1990's it could easily be reactivated, as even today the runway is intact.

In T2K Northern Ireland wasn't targeted by nuclear weapons, even though there are potential targets. Shackelton Barracks is covered under Ballykelly, and it and Ballymena is under military bases.

[Legbreaker]

...it could easily be reactivated, as even today the runway is intact.
True, it probably could, but as it's usefulness as a base expired even before the end of the cold war, it's original use is extremely unlikely to be reinstated.
As an airstrip on the otherhand....

[helbent4]

Hi folks

Came across this post on google and I thought I would add my own 2p worth.

I am from Northern Ireland and own and run a Cold War museum so I want your section on N.I to be right!



Pilot,

On behalf of everyone on the list, please accept our deep thanks for your input. We're grateful you decided to contribute some real world information and photos.

One of the cool things is we're talking about the background of a game where the Cold War didn't end but continued into the mid 90's before WWIII broke out (called the "Twilight War" and petering out in 2000-2001). Therefore it's possible that bases that closed during the UK's Options for Change and the Peace Dividend were kept active, even upgraded in some cases (as long as there was still a need).

Tony

[pilot25dmc]

Hi guys

Very interesting, I have done some reading into the history of the game since last night and have become a bit of a fan!

If the Cold War had in fact continued after 1989 then Northern Ireland would still have been a major target even today.

Lisburn was (in your timeline probably still is) the HQ of 31 Group Royal Observer Corps who operated out of a bunker in Thiepval Barracks. They would have monitored the effect of any nuclear explosion in the UK (There was 1400 smaller monitoring posts dotted all over the UK, my museum is in one of them!)

The US Navy had a major base in Derry and Bishopscourt was a Master Radar Station.

You can probably add Armagh to the list too as it also had a Regional Government Bunker inside Gough Barracks, there is also another Army base in Armagh called Drumadd Barracks.

Anything else you want to know then let me know.

Going to have another read at the history of twilight war now, very interesting indeed.