4 downed U-2 Spy Planes flown by a CIA-sponsored Taiwanese

[Michel Lemieux]

4 downed U-2 Spy Planes flown by a CIA-sponsored Taiwanese unit called 'the Black Cat Squadron' on display in Peking, China. 1960.

Interesting story! And picture....

https://imgur.com/r/HistoryPorn/byyJjho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2#Republic_of_China

By the end of ROC's U-2 operations, a total of 19 U-2C/F/G/R aircraft had been operated by the 35th Squadron from 1959 to 1974.[157] The squadron flew some 220 missions,[158] with about half over mainland China, resulting in five aircraft shot down, with three fatalities and two pilots captured; one aircraft lost while performing an operational mission off the Chinese coast, with the pilot killed; and another seven aircraft lost in training with six pilots killed.[159][157] On 29 July 1974, the two remaining U-2R aircraft in ROC possession were flown from Taoyuan Air Base in Taiwan to Edwards AFB, California, US, and turned over to the USAF.[156][160][161]

[Joe Scheil]

56-6691...Lost on 10 January 1965 near Peking, China. U-2C, Took off from "K-8", Korea Shot down by SA-2, ROCAF Pilot Major Li-Yi Chang survived, he broke both legs. Chang was released with Yei (who crashed Nov 1963, see #6688) in 1983. Wreckage on display at Peoples Republic of China Military Museum, Beijing, China

Attachments

56-6691.jpg (11.43 KiB) Viewed 2279 times

[bdk]

BTW, a point of Chinese language for those that may not know, as it is interpreted by English speakers. Peking and Beijing are the same thing, just different pronunciations from different dialects.

[sandiego89]

BTW...….Peking and Beijing are the same thing, just different pronunciations.....

Never knew/realized that, thank you!

The U-2's operated by other users make for some very interesting stories.

[maxum96]

The U-2's operated by other users make for some very interesting stories.

Yes, it is an interesting story. But in reality it was still the CIA running the show. They just stuck Taiwanese pilots in the aircraft so the U.S. could claim ignorance of the flights. Ben Rich's book Skunk Works goes in some detail about these flights.

[ffuries]

I'm surprised at the rather complete status of the wreckage's, depending on altitude lost I would think there wouldn't be that much recoverable.

Wow total of 13 AC lost, 5 shot down over China, 1 lost during an mission, 7 lost on training missions, according to Wikipedia, which the article is an interesting read.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_Squadron

List of ROC U-2 aircraft lost

Shot down over mainland China
September 9, 1962: U-2C N.378 - Major Chen Huai (killed)
November 1, 1963: U-2C N.355 - Major Yeh Changti (captured, released in 1982), shot down by Yue Zhenghua and his Second Battalion
July 7, 1964: U-2G N.362 - Lt. Colonel Lee Nanpin (killed), shot down over Fujian by Yue Zhenghua and his Second Battalion
January 10, 1965: U-2C N.358 (56-6691) - Major Chang Liyi (captured, released in 1982), shot down over Baotou by Wang Lin and his First Battalion
September 8, 1967: U-2A N.373 - Captain Huang Jungpei (killed), shot down over Jiaxing by Xia Cunfeng and the 14th Battalion, first success by a Chinese-made surface-to-air missile

Lost due to technical failure during operational missions:

May 16, 1969: model and number unknown - Major Chang Hsieh (killed)

Lost during training missions:

March 19, 1961: U-2C N.351 - Major Chih Yaohua (killed)
March 23, 1964: U-2F N.356 - Captain Liang Tehpei (killed)
October 22, 1965: U-2A N.352 - Major Wang Chengwen (killed)
February 17, 1966: U-2F N.372 - Captain Wu Tsaishi (killed)
March 22, 1966: model and number unknown - Captain Fan Hungdi (survived)
June 21, 1966: U-2C N.384 - Major Yu Chingchang (killed)
November 24, 1970: U-2R N.057 - Major Huang Chihsien (killed)

[Ken]

I'm also amazed at the apparent "intactness" of the airframes. Would like to know more about the shootdown incidents.

My former college professor, Robert "Deke" Hall was an early U-2 pilot and was involved with Black Cat. There is a little more info about him in our Gone West forum. Sure wish he were here to show him these photos, I can only imagine what he'd say.

Ken

[Adam Kline]

it is also interesting to see the line of people that are walking past them.

[sandiego89]

I imagine part of the wreckage intactness is due to the U-2's structure, especially with the wings. Everything was designed to be as light as possible, and with any kind of upset the wings would sheer off due to the aerodynamic forces, and fuel quickly dissipated at high altitude during the break up. Granted the engine is a good chunk of weight. I recall Powers in his book thinking the wings snapped off pretty quickly after the SAM damage- he felt a push from behind, likely with the SAM exploding behind him likely severing the horizontal stabilizer. The wings would likely then drift down like a spinning leaf- also seem to recall Powers seeing some debris floating down while he was in his chute. But yes it seems the Chinese (and Russians and Cubans) did a good job at wreak recovery and display.

[Kyleb]

I imagine part of the wreckage intactness is due to the U-2's structure, especially with the wings. Everything was designed to be as light as possible, and with any kind of upset the wings would sheer off due to the aerodynamic forces, and fuel quickly dissipated at high altitude during the break up. Granted the engine is a good chunk of weight. I recall Powers in his book thinking the wings snapped off pretty quickly after the SAM damage- he felt a push from behind, likely with the SAM exploding behind him likely severing the horizontal stabilizer. The wings would likely then drift down like a spinning leaf- also seem to recall Powers seeing some debris floating down while he was in his chute. But yes it seems the Chinese (and Russians and Cubans) did a good job at wreak recovery and display.

I think you're right. The wings (mostly) came off early and came down relatively slowly. The fuselages seem to have come down much harder, which makes sense when you think about a wingless fuselage falling from high altitude.

[old iron]

Ken wrote:

My former college professor, Robert "Deke" Hall was an early U-2 pilot and was involved with Black Cat. There is a little more info about him in our Gone West forum. Sure wish he were here to show him these photos, I can only imagine what he'd say.

Your college prof surely saw this picture. I remember seeing this photo as a child, probably from LIFE magazine, so these are not photos just recently discovered.