Soviet MIG shoots-down a US RB-47H reconnaissance plane (303)

Cold War Conversations

On 1 July 1960, a United States RB-47H reconnaissance plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing signals intelligence in the Barents Sea, near the Kola Peninsula, off the Arctic coast of the Soviet Union. Four of the six crew members died. The shootdown occurred exactly two months after the far better-known U-2 shootdown involving Francis Gary Powers and added to the tensions created by that incident. Gary Power and the U2 incident https://coldwarconversations.com/episode23/

I speak with John Mollison, an aviation artist, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. Do check out his website at https://www.johnmollison.com/ John interviewed Captain "Bruce" Olmstead who was co-pilot of the RB47.

As a result of his involvement in the incident, Olmstead received the POW medal in 1996 and Silver Star medals in 2004, as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross.

His Silver Star Citation reads “For 208 days, Colonel Olmstead was interrogated and harassed at length on a continuous basis by numerous top Soviet Secret Police interrogating teams. Although greatly weakened physically by the lack of food, denial of sleep, and the mental rigors of constant interrogation, Colonel Olmstead steadfastly refused all attempts to give sensitive defense information or be exploited for propaganda purposes. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Colonel Olmstead has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”

Bruce died in October 2016.

0:00 Introduction and background of the RB47 incident

6:30 The shift from RB47 to U2 missions and importance of signals intelligence

12:00 Description of the RB47's engagement and defensive armament

17:00 Context of the times, the Gary Powers shoot down, and implications of SIOP

20:00 The tracking, interception, and attack on the RB 47

26:00 Communication between the Ravens and the cockpit, aftermath of the crash and capture

33:00 The American reaction to the loss of the RB 47 and negotiations with the Soviets

36:00 The duration of captivity, trial, and release of the crew

38:00 Meeting with President Kennedy and the zeitgeist of the times

40:00 Importance of the shoot down in Cold War history and other related incidents

43:00 Podcast extras, acknowledgements, and closing remarks

Extra episode information https://coldwarconversations.com/episode303

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