Posts

GARY POWERS JR MAKES A EUROPEAN TOUR

The son of the U-2 pilot made famous on 1st May 1960 when he was shot down over the Soviet Union, is on a European lecture tour. Gary Powers Jr is visiting the Czech republic, Denmark, Germany and the UK. I had the pleasure of escorting Gary on the UK portion of his tour last … Continue reading GARY POWERS JR MAKES A EUROPEAN TOUR →

R.I.P TIGER WANG – ORIGINAL ROCAF U-2 PILOT

Wang Tai Yu, known “Tiger”, died in Los Angeles on 8th July, aged 95. He was the last survivor of the six original pilots from the Republic of China Air Force on Taiwan, who trained on the Dragon Lady in 1959 and began flying over mainland China in 1962 in a joint managed by … Continue reading R.I.P TIGER WANG – ORIGINAL ROCAF U-2 PILOT →

BRITISH U-2 FLIGHTS: AT LAST, THE DECLASSIFIED FILES!

It took a very long time, but the UK Ministry of Defence finally released the Royal Air Force files on British participation in the CIA’s U-2 program to overfly the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. And fascinating they are, containing everything from operational cables and reports, to policy deliberations within the Air Ministry and … Continue reading BRITISH U-2 FLIGHTS: AT LAST, THE DECLASSIFIED FILES! →

THE U-2 IN DESERT STORM

The February 2021 edition of COMBAT AIRCRAFT magazine marks the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm. I have contributed a seven-page article that describes the U-2’s important role in the conflict.

THE STRANGE STORY OF THE GREEK U-2 PILOTS

This is the last untold episode from the early U-2 days. How the CIA attempted to train some Greek air force pilots to fly the U-2 over the Soviet Union, instead of Americans. Even today, the story is obscured by misinformation and continuing secrecy. The CIA has declassified two histories of the U-2 project, but … Continue reading THE STRANGE STORY OF THE GREEK U-2 PILOTS →

THE MAYDAY SHOOTDOWN – WAS IT A DOOMED MISSION?

I recently posted some new information about the U-2 shootdown on 1st May 1960. Here is some more information, from documents and imagery that was declassified by the CIA after I wrote 50 YEARS OF THE U-2 in 2005. It throws new light on an old question: should Gary Powers have been sent on that … Continue reading THE MAYDAY SHOOTDOWN – WAS IT A DOOMED MISSION? →

THE MAYDAY SHOOTDOWN: SOME NEW TWISTS FROM RUSSIAN SOURCES

It is the 60th anniversary of the shootdown of Gary Powers. This was a seminal event in the Cold War, that prompted massive media coverage at the time, and a steady stream of articles, books, and documentaries since then. Much misinformation has been peddled. I am not going to rehash most of that here. I … Continue reading THE MAYDAY SHOOTDOWN: SOME NEW TWISTS FROM RUSSIAN SOURCES →

MY NEXT BOOK – AN APPEAL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

I need your help to produce another book about the Dragon Lady. But this time, my role will only be that of editor. YOU will be the authors. I seek your personal reminiscences for DRAGON TALES – PERSONAL STORIES OF THE U-2 SPYPLANE. There are so many interesting stories out there, most of which have … Continue reading MY NEXT BOOK – AN APPEAL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS →

SILENT HEROES OF THE COLD WAR

On 17th November 1955, a USAF C-54 that was ferrying U-2 project personnel from Lockheed’s Burbank airfield to the test site at Watertown Strip crashed onto the peak of Mount Charleston near Las Vegas in bad weather. All fourteen people on board were killed: the five aircrew, two each from Lockheed and camera makers Hycon, … Continue reading SILENT HEROES OF THE COLD WAR →