Soviet Military Archives.
U-2 Shootdown program at Cold War Museum
The model type of the “Dragon Lady” can be seen at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.1
The Cold War Museum was founded by Francis Gary Powers Jr, son of Francis Gary "Frank” Powers, the U-2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union May 1, 1960.2
"Secrets Revealed: Untranslated Russian Sources & the Powers U-2 Shootdown" - Sunday, 10 October 2021, 2 - 3:30 pm EDT - Virtual -
The Cold War Museum.Think You Understand the May 1, 1960 U-2 Shootdown Over the Soviet Union of Francis Gary Powers? The Soviet Sources Reveal A Different Picture.
We think we know how Francis Gary Powers was shot down in a U-2 on May 1st, 1960. Many books and articles have been written on this since the event.
What we did not know until recently was the additional information contained in the Soviet records of the investigation of the shootdown which were immediately classified and sent to the Soviet Military Archives. In 2002, they were retrieved and declassified.
Since 2012, several new articles based on the recovered records have been written and published in Russia. Some of these were by officers who were involved in the event but were sworn to secrecy during the investigation that followed.
John Schell has used translations based on those records in his research, which has resulted in a recent cover article in Air Power History 3 Drawing from that article, "Secrets Revealed" provides a more complete account of the shoot-down as it appears to have occurred.
John begins his presentation with a Cold War overflight summary, including early U-2 overflights with sample images, a description of the SA-2 system operation, and the events leading to 1 May 1960. He follows with a timeline of the shootdown, which involved eight missiles from four sites bringing down a U-2 and a MiG-19 in about 30 minutes. His presentation concludes with a summary of the Soviet official investigation and provides a reason why the information was immediately classified and buried—hidden from public view for over 50 years.
Sunday, 10 October 2021, 2 - 3:30 pm EDT - Virtual -
Cost: $20, 100% of which is a contribution to the Cold War Museum.
REGISTER: Register here on Eventbrite. Ticket buyers will receive a link to the virtual room on the Zoom platform where this event will take place.
Questions? Call or email Jason Hall, 703-283-4124 (cell), jason@coldwar.org
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The Srategic Air Command Aerospace Museum is located at 28210 West Park Highway, Ashland, NE 68003.Just off I-80 between Lincoln and Omaha at Exit 426. The U-2 “Dragon Lady” gained notoriety when one- flown by Francis Gary Powers, a former SAC F-84 pilot- was shot down during and intelligence gathering mission over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. The U-2 is still considered today to be one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built. It’s development in 1954 was shrouded in great secrecy since it’s primary role was strategic reconnaissance. Designed to fly for long periods at very high altitudes, it is essentially a powered glider with a sail-plane-like wing and lightweight structure.
Cold War Museum. The Cold War Museum was founded in 1996 by Francis Gary Powers Jr., son of the famed U-2 Pilot, and John Welch to preserve Cold War history, honor Cold War veterans, and educate future generations about the Cold War and its legacy.
Since 2011, the Museum has been located at Vint Hill, Virginia, on the grounds of the former Vint Hill Farms Station, also known as Monitoring Station No. 1, which was a Top Secret Army signals intelligence base during WWII and the Cold War. The Museum shares a campus with Old Bust Head Brewery, our partner for our Presentation Series events, and the Vint Hill Winery.
Collections are particularly strong in signals intelligence (SIGINT), image intelligence (IMINT), the history of Vint Hill during both WWII and the Cold War, Cold War Berlin, Civil Defense, atomic weapons, the Liberty and Pueblo incidents, Cold War cultural and Olympic competitions, Strategic Air Command, submarine detection (SOSUS), the Cuban Missile Crisis, the STASI (East German secret police), and Soviet and East German disinformation campaigns.
Schell, John. (summer, 2021). “The SA-2 and U-2: Secrets Revealed.” Air Power History. (68:2, pp. 33-42, Summer 2021).
To the best of my knowledge
A friend told me 40 years ago that the U2 was almost impossible to get off the ground. It leaked fuel until it warmed up as it gained speed. Plus the wings needed support to keep them from dragging on the ground