Exercise Strikeback aka Operation Strikeback was a major

naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...

exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO) that took place over a ten-day period in September 1957. As part of a series of exercises to simulate an all-out

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

attack on

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, Exercise Strikeback was tasked with two objectives. Its initial objective was the deployment of NATO's naval forces (designated the "Blue Fleet") against other NATO forces attempting to simulate an "enemy" navy that featured a large number of submarines (designated the "Orange Fleet"). Its other objective was to have the Blue Fleet execute carrier-based air strikes against "enemy" formations and emplacements along NATO's northern flank in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Exercise Strikeback involved over 200 warships, 650 aircraft, and 75,000 personnel from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

, the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

, the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

, and the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

. As the largest peacetime naval operation up to that time, military reporter Hanson W. Baldwin of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said Exercise Strikeback gathered "the strongest striking fleet assembled since World War II." Strikeback and the other concurrent NATO exercises held during the fall of 1957 would be the most ambitious military undertaking for the alliance to date, involving more than 250,000 men, 300 ships, and 1,500 aircraft operating from Norway to Turkey.

Background

Strategic overview

Faced with the overwhelming numerical superiority of

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

military forces, NATO embraced the concept of the nuclear umbrella to protect

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

from a Soviet ground invasion. This strategy was initially articulated in January 1954 by U.S. Army

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and then-

Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

Alfred Gruenther: This strategic concept reflected the American strategy of

massive retaliation Massive retaliation, also known as a massive response or massive deterrence, is a military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack. It is associated with the U. ...

of the Eisenhower administration as set forth by Secretary of State

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...

NATO military command structure

With the establishment of NATO's Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT) on 30 January 1952, the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) joined the previously-created Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) as one of the alliance's two principal parts of the

NATO Military Command Structure The structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is complex and multi-faceted. The decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and the member state representatives also sit on the Defence Planning Committee (NATO), Defe ...

. In addition,

Allied Command Channel Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) was one of three major North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commands from 1952 to 1994. Commander-in-Chief Channel was a Major NATO Commander (MNC). The Command was established in 1952 to defend the sea areas a ...

was established on 21 February 1952 to control the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

and

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

area and deny it to the enemy, protect the sea lanes of communication, and Support operations conducted by SACEUR and SACLANT. The following key NATO military commands were involved in a series of alliance-wide exercises, including Operation Strikeback, during the Fall of 1957. * Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT) * Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) –

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Jerauld Wright Admiral (United States), Admiral Jerauld Wright (June 4, 1898 – April 27, 1995) was an officer in the United States Navy. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Joint Forces Command, United States Atlantic Command (CINCLAN ...

** Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (DSACLANT) –

Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Sir John Eaton, RN *** Chief of Staff (COFS) –

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Harold Page Smith Admiral Harold Page Smith (February 17, 1904 – January 4, 1993) was a United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is th ...

** Eastern Atlantic Area (EASTLANT) –

Sir John Eccles, RN ** Western Atlantic Area (WESTLANT) –

** Striking Fleet Atlantic (STRIKFLTLANT) –

Robert B. Pirie,

*Allied Command Europe * Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) –

Lauris Norstad,

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

** Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) –

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein,

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

*** Chief of Staff (COFS) –

Courtlandt Van R. Schuyler, USA ** Allied Forces Northern Europe (AFNORTH) –

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

Sir C.S. Sugden,

** Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) –

Général d'Armée is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Jean-Étienne Valluy,

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

*** Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) –

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Sir George Holroyd Mills, RAF *** Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) –

Sir Richard Nelson Gale,

*** Central Army Group (CENTAG) –

Henry I. Hodes, USA ** Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) –

R.P.M. Bristol,

*** Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe (STRIKFORSOUTH) –

Charles R. Brown,

Allied Forces Mediterranean Allied Forces Mediterranean was a NATO command covering all military operations in the Mediterranean Sea from 1952 to 1967. The command was based at Malta. History The British post of Commander in Chief Mediterranean Fleet was given a dual-hatted ...

(AFMED) –

Sir

Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...

, RN *

(CHANCOM) * Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN) –

Sir Guy Grantham, RN

Operational history

As part of the response to a theoretical Soviet attack against NATO on all fronts, Operation Strikeback would test the capabilities of Allied naval forces (''Blue Fleet'') by tasking them to destroy the enemy navy (''Orange Fleet'') and its huge submarine fleet, protect transatlantic shipping, and undertake sustained carrier-based air strikes against the enemy positions. Beginning on 3 September 1957, American and Canadian naval forces got underway to join British, French, Dutch, and Norwegian naval forces in eastern Atlantic and northern European waters under the overall command of

Robert B. Pirie,

, Commander,

United States Second Fleet The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for operations in the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. Established after World War II, Second Fleet was deactivated in 2011, when the United States gov ...

, acting as NATO's Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic. While en route, the U.S.-Canadian naval forces executed ''Operation Seaspray'', a bilateral naval exercise to protect Blue Fleet's vitally-important underway replenishment group (URG) from enemy submarine attacks. The nuclear submarine and the conventional submarine completed operations in the Arctic and joined 34 other U.S. and allied submarines temporarily assigned to the Orange Fleet. USS ''Mount McKinley'' was based in

Portsmouth Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

as the command communications base for the Orange forces controlling Comsuborangelant/Comphiborangelant for the duration of the Exercise. Operation Strikeback itself began on 19 September 1957, involving over 200 warships, 650 aircraft, and 65,000 personnel. To provide a more realistic simulation of protecting transatlantic shipping, over 200 merchant marine vessels, including the

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

s and , also participated as duly-flagged target ships for the exercise. Blue Fleet hunter-killer (HUK) groups centered around the carriers , , and , as well as submarines and land-based anti-submarine patrol aircraft, executed ''Operation Fend Off/Operation Fishplay'' to identify, track, and contain the breakout of the enemy Orange Fleet's submarine force along the

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

-UK gap (

GIUK gap The GIUK gap (sometimes written G-I-UK) is an area in the northern Atlantic Ocean that forms a naval choke point. Its name is an acronym for ''Greenland, Iceland'', and the ''United Kingdom'', the gap being the two stretches of open ocean amo ...

"). Operating above the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

in the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...

, the Blue Fleet, which included the new aircraft carriers and , launched carried-based air strikes against enemy positions in

. ''Time'' magazine provided the following contemporary coverage of Operation Strikeback: USS Nautilus SSN-571 -underway

Following the conclusion of Operation Strikeback, U.S. naval forces conducted ''Operation Pipedown'', involving the protection of its underway replenishment group while en route back the United States. SACLANT

, described Operation Strikeback as being "remarkably successful" while also noting "

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

there is considerable scarcity of both naval and air forces in the eastern Atlantic." Wright's Eastern Atlantic allied commander,

Sir John Eccles, RN, also noted: Particularly significant was the performance of

nuclear-powered submarines A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear weapons, nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically Marine diesel engine, diesel-elect ...

with the U.S. Navy's first two such vessels, the and , participating in Operation Strikeback. According to naval analyst-historian Norman Friedman, ''Nautilus'' "presented a greater threat than all 21 snorkel submarines combined" during Operation Strikeback, making 16 successful attacks against various naval formations while maintaining effective on-station tactical and high-speed pursuit capabilities. ''Nautilus'' cruised 3,384 nautical miles (6,267 km) with an average speed of 14.4 knots (26.7 km/h). In addition to the ''Nautilus'', the ''Seawolf'' departed New London on 3 September for Operation Strikeback. Before she surfaced off

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, on 25 September, ''Seawolf'' had remained submerged for 16 days, cruising a total of 6,331 miles (10,189 km). Recognizing the need to meet this

Anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

(ASW) challenge, the following actions were taken: * Task Force Alfa was created by the U.S. Navy to develop improved ASW tactics and technology by integrating carrier-based ASW aircraft, land-based patrol aircraft, refitted destroyers, and hunter-killer submarines. * NATO Undersea Research Centre was established by SACLANT on 2 May 1959 in La Spezia, Italy, to serve as a clearinghouse for NATO's anti-submarine efforts. Operation Strikeback was the final deployment for the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s and until their re-activation in the 1980s by the

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...

. Finally, on the technical level, Operation Strikeback saw the first use of

single sideband In radio communications, single-sideband modulation (SSB) or single-sideband suppressed-carrier modulation (SSB-SC) is a type of signal modulation used to transmit information, such as an audio signal, by radio waves. A refinement of amplitud ...

(SSB) voice communications for tactical operations by the

, and was the first

carrier to use a magnetic loop communication system. In addition to Operation Strikeback, which concentrated on its eastern Atlantic/northern European flank, NATO also conducted two other major military exercises in September 1957, Operation Counter Punch involving

Allied Forces Central Europe Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) is a NATO command with its headquarters at Brunssum, the Netherlands. It was established in 2004, as part of a reorganisation that reduced the number of NATO Military Command Structure headquarters. ...

on the European mainland and Operation Deep Water involving NATO's southern flank in the Mediterranean Sea.

Naval forces

The following is a partial listing of naval forces known to have participated in Operation Strikeback.

Aircraft carriers and embarked air groups

* – Blue Fleet flagship ** Carrier Air Group Seven *** Fighter Squadron 61 (VF-61) *** Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72) *** Attack Squadron 75 (VA-75) *** All-Weather Attack Squadron 33 (VA(AW)-33) Det. *** Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62) Det. *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (HU-2) Det. * ** Carrier Air Group One *** Fighter Squadron 14 (VF-14) *** Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84) *** Attack Squadron 15 (VA-15) *** Attack Squadron 76 (VA-76) *** Heavy Attack Squadron 1 (VAH-1) *** Airborne Early Warning Squadron 12 (VAW-12) Det. *** All-Weather Attack Squadron 33 (AV(AW)-33) Det. *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (HU-2) Det. * ** Carrier Air Group Six: *** Fighter Squadron 33 (VF-33) *** Fighter Squadron 71 (VF-71) *** Attack Squadron 25 (VA-25) *** Attack Squadron 66 (VA-66) *** Heavy Attack Squadron 11 (VAH-11) *** All-Weather Attack Squadron 33 (VA(AW)-33) Det. *** Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62) Det. *** Airborne Early Warning Squadron 12 (VAW-12) Det. *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (UH-2) Det. * ** Squadrons embarked: *** Air Anti-submarine Squadron 36 (VS-36) *** Anti-submarine Helicopter Squadron 3 (HS-7) *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (HU-2) Det. * ** Squadrons embarked: *** Air Anti-submarine Squadron 32 (VS-32) *** Anti-submarine Helicopter Squadron 1 (HS-1) *** Attack Squadron 172 (VA-172) *** All-Weather Fighter Squadron 4 (VF(AW)-4) Det. *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (HU-2) Det. * ** Squadrons embarked: *** Attack Squadron 44 (VA-44) *** Air Anti-submarine Squadron 27 (VS-27) *** Air Anti-submarine Squadron 30 (VS-30) *** Anti-submarine Helicopter Squadron 5 (HS-5) *** Utility Helicopter Squadron 2 (HU-2) Det. * – Orange Fleet flagship ** Squadrons embarked:

802 Year 802 ( DCCCII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 802nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 802nd year of the 1st millennium, the 2nd year of the 9th century, and the 3rd yea ...

, 804, 815,

831 __NOTOC__ Year 831 (Roman numerals, DCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Arab wars (780–1180)#Period of 780–842, Byzantine–Arab W ...

, 849B, 898 * ** Squadrons embarked: 820, 845, 849D, 891 * ** Squadrons embarked: 803, 806, 813, 814, 848A

Naval aircraft

Aircraft losses

* 24 September 1957 – An

F4D Skyray The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based supersonic Fighter aircraft, fighter/Interceptor aircraft, interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was th ...

jet fighter crashed into the sea while attempting to land back on board the . During the subsequent

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

, two S2F-2 ASW aircraft of VS-36 off the collided in mid-air and crashed into the sea. Two additional F4D Skyray aircraft crashed following a mid-air collision off Andøya,

. The total loss of life was 11. *26 September 1957 – An A3D-1 Skywarrior attack bomber crashed into the stern

flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface on which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...

ramp while attempting to land on board the (''pictured''). The aircraft was lost at sea, but the three-man crew was recovered.

Surface warships

Submarine forces

Naval auxiliaries

Land-based ASW patrol aircraft

U.S. Navy Fleet Air Wing 3

The United States Navy deployed two patrol squadron from Fleet Air Wing Three (FAW-3) to participate in Operation Strikeback: * Patrol Squadron 8 (VP-8) operated out of

Argentia Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. * Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10) operated out of Keflavik,

. Both squadrons flew Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune ASW patrol aircraft.

RAF Coastal Command

The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

assigned two squadrons from

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

to participate in Operation Strikeback. Both squadrons flew Avro Shackleton patrol bombers: * No. 204 Squadron deployed to RAF Kinloss * No. 269 Squadron deployed to

RAF Wick Wick John O' Groats Airport () is located north of the town of Wick, at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport provides commercial air travel ...

U.S. Marine Corps units

The following units of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

participated in Operation Strikeback in September 1957 are listed below. * Regimental Landing Team 8 (RLT-8) * Battalion Landing Team 1/2

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bibliography

* * * * * * *Lord Ismay
''NATO the first five years 1949-1954''
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, 1954 * * * * * * * * *

''Time'' — 30 September 1957

''Time'' — 7 October 1957

''Time'' — 7 April 1958

''Time'' — 1 September 1958

A-3 Skywarrior Association

A-3 Skywarrior Association

''Chronological History — U.S. Naval Communications''

The National Association of Destroyer Veterans

Project Get Out and Walk

HMCS ''Iroquois''
*
GlobalSecurity.org

Go Navy

-

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

''Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Volume 1 The History of VA, VAH, VAK, VAL, VAP and VFA Squadrons''

* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/02/11.htm#strike_back USS ''Intrepid'' — Operation Strikeback— Navsource.org
Senior officials in the NATO military structure, from 1949 to 2001

- No. 269 Squadron RAF

- USS ''Essex'' Association

External links

GlobalSecurity.org

Go Navy

"Trained to 'Strike Back'"
- ''Naval Aviation News'' - December 1957 {{Cold War Strikeback 1957 in military history 1957 in Europe

Background

Strategic overview

NATO military command structure

Operational history

Naval forces

Aircraft carriers and embarked air groups

Naval aircraft

Aircraft losses

Surface warships

Submarine forces

Naval auxiliaries

Land-based ASW patrol aircraft

U.S. Navy Fleet Air Wing 3

RAF Coastal Command

U.S. Marine Corps units

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links