U-2. Spyplane.

Russian history Black Lady.


On may 1st,1960, a lot of people were on Red Square. It was a holiday demonstration. Suddenly the fine spring mood of Mr. Khrushchev was spoilt by the message of a colonel of the KGB. The antiaircraft defence subdivisions informed that unidentified aircraft had violated the USSR border. The height of the aircraft fly was inaccessible for russian fighters. Mr. Khrushchev was upset. The day was spoilt.
American politicians and the military were satisfied. At last a spyplane excelling all modern analogies had been created. It had already flown over the territories of different countries for several years with great success. Up to now it had flown in perfect security anywhere. Neither fighter nor missile could reach this invulnerable aircraft. It was the time to use the spyplane over Russian territory.
Dwight D.Eisenhower was delighted with his new possibility to tease his political adversary Nikita S. Khruchshev. When signing the order about illegal crossing of the USSR frontier by U-2 his face of professional poker player was impenetrable, but at heart he was happy . Krushchev could bang two shoes on the table at the same time, but he couldn`t prove anything. For the Russian the U-2 spyplane would only be a dot on the radar screen. It would be indiscernible to the eyes of fighter pilot. It was able to take photo of all secret objects without difficulties and returned to base.
On may 1st, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was the pilot of the U-2. The route was elaborated beforehand. It included all of secret factories and objects in the western part of the USSR. The reconnaissance flight promised much. For Powers it was everyday work. It the evening he had to have supper with his fiancee.


The aircraft U-2 had been followed by soviet "MIGs" at an inaccessible height. It looked as if "imperialist" provocation was to go unpunished. But Politics is a game you must win at any price. Therefore the KGB and the VAD (air defense) decided to use the most up-to-date "ground-to-air". This meant removing the security, but Russians got their way. The first missile was launched. In five minutes the report had been received: "A soviet "MIG" has been shot down, the remained clearing off". The second missile went a little sideways and slowly disappeared slowly in clouds. In ten minutes a message had been received: "The target has been beenhit. The pilot has baled out".


From then the fate of F.G Powers and the spyplane U-2 "Black Lady" parted. F.G. Powers was jailed as a political prisoner in "Matrosskaya Tishina". He was sentenced to solitary confinement for 10 years. I two years he had been changed for Russian spy Rudolf Abel who had bee exposed by the CIA. Supper with his fiancee had been failed. The fiance had since become a wife and mother.


The fate of the plane is also extriemly interestiny, although know to very few. The plane crashed near Sverdlovsk. Its remains were collected and sent for examination at factory N 16. Following a careful examination the plane was destroyed on the orders of the KGB. This ended the existence of the most scandalous known U-2 spy-plane. All that remain of it are the memories of F.G. Powers and a single engine part, saved from destruction by an engineer who worked at the factory. This part of the U-2 engine is the last fragment of history.

Author Mikhail U. Romashoff

Translation V. Ozmidova

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