The course of the U-2 falling event

1 960 May1day (before the Paris Summit 15 days), a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane was launched by Gary Bowles from Peshawar Air Force Base in Pakistan, and planned to fly over Soviet airspace and then land at Bode Airport in Norway. The target of this mission is the intercontinental missile research and development base near Sverdlovsk and Plesetsk in the Soviet Union. Because U-2 was flying at an extremely high altitude (70,000 feet), Soviet fighter planes failed to intercept it, and Soviet air defense forces fired 14 SA-2 air defense missiles, one of which hit Gary Bowles.

The specific process is as follows: the Soviet Union first sent a Su -9 interceptor passing by here to intercept U-2, which may have been ordered to intercept U-2 by impact without ammunition, but the pilot failed to find the target; Then U-2 entered the ground-to-air missile defense zone. An SA-2 injured U-2 in the first launch of the ground-to-air missile unit, forcing the pilot to skydive. The ground-to-air missile unit failed to confirm whether the U-2 was hit in time, and launched several air defense missiles. Because of the weak cooperative combat capability between different Soviet forces, the ground guidance commander of the interceptors of the air defense forces ordered two MIG-19P interceptors to continue tracking the U-2 without knowing that there were surface-to-air missiles in the area to carry out air defense combat missions. Then an anti-aircraft missile hit one of them and the pilot died. According to belenko, a Soviet pilot who fled to the west, a Soviet fighter plane that was monitoring Bowles was also hit by an anti-aircraft missile. Bowles' plane was badly damaged and crashed near Catherine Castle. Bowers was captured after parachuting and landing.

Four days after Bowles disappeared, NASA issued a very detailed press release, referring to the disappearance of a plane in northern Turkey. It is inferred that the driver may have lost consciousness, but the autopilot is still running. He also claimed that the driver had said on the emergency channel that he had a problem with oxygen. In order to make the above events more convincing, a U-2 reconnaissance plane was painted in the color of NASA and displayed to the media.

When Soviet Prime Minister Khrushchev learned of this incident, he announced to supreme soviet of the ussr that he had shot down a spy plane, but did not disclose whether the pilot survived or whether the wreckage was found. Since the United States has determined that "the pilot is dead and the plane has a self-explosive device, even if it falls, it will not leave any evidence." So the United States issued a statement, claiming that the plane was a "weather investigation plane", and the pilot's oxygen system had problems when flying over Turkey and got lost in Soviet airspace. And claimed that there was absolutely no plan to violate Soviet airspace, and all U-2s were grounded for oxygen system inspection.

On May 7th, Khrushchev made an amazing remark:

I have to tell you a secret. When I first reported it, I deliberately didn't say that the driver was still alive ... Now look at how many stupid things Americans have said.

Not only Bowles survived, but also the wreckage of the plane was basically intact. The Soviet side successfully recycled the camera and developed the photos. Bowles' life-saving bag, including 7500 rubles and some women's jewelry, was also found. Most of the wreckage and some items in the rescue kit were exhibited in Moscow.