Hi Schooner
Officers married or single quite often lived off base. The USAF prefered enlisted men (privates) to be married with their spouse with them before letting them live off base.
It was thought that those married would be more law abiding and would not cause trouble such as in local pubs etc. It was taken for granted that officers would behave off base.
There was also a protocol on this subject as it was at the height of the cold war and even though they were in a 'friendly' NATO country, your level of security clearence dictated as to whether you were allowed off base or not to live. We had a Master sergeant living with us as a lodger for 6 months. What i am saying is, it was not unusual to find USAF personel living off base at all ranks and many lodged with English families.
They also loved living in old English cottages.
Deben council and Ipswich council had a housing policy for US airmen under a NATO aggreement.
As for the Halt episode being a decoy to the earlier events, i just don't know. I have a gut feeling that it wasn't.
You mention UAV's. They were under development in the 70's and 80's as they are today, but the technology of that period to my mind was not any where developed enough to do what was witnessed. Today UAV's can hover amongst trees and climb vertically but you will hear the electric motor or petrol engine working. On board computers today are so micro miniturised and sophysticated that its possible. 1980, i don't think so.
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