Cold war shoot-downs

Air Classics, Aug 2001 by Bottom, Raymond Jr, Bouffard, Gil, Weber, Jack, Hall, Marty

Regarding Col. George Larson's "Cold War Shoot-Downs" in the current Air Classics, I have the following comments: On page 18 of July issue, the author refers to the Powers shoot-down in his U-2 in May 1960 then he recites in brief the shoot-down in July of the same year of a Boeing RB-47E. The airplane was not an RB-47E. It was an RB-47H, 100 percent equipped and dedicated to collection of electronic intelligence (FLINT).

The airplane was correctly identified as belonging to the 55th Reconnaissance Wing. In those days, the 55th was home-based at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas. It was composed of three squadrons of RB-47 aircraft, some of which were equipped for photo intelligence (PHOTOINT). In the 1955-56 period, however, the last models of Boeing's highly successful B-- 47s were delivered to the 55th. They were H models equipped solely for the purpose of collection of electronic intelligence. The crews numbered six - three primary crew members and three "Ravens," or ECM specialists. They were all officers. Those three were in the ECM compartment which was the bomb bay in the bomber models. The H had a specialized compartment with three ECM stations. Elaborate collection and jamming equipment (then highly classified) was configured in that compartment. In the event of an emergency, escape was by way of downward ejection seats.

During this time period, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) was tasked with nearly all of the strategic documentation of the Soviet Order of Battle including assignments for photo intelligence and especially FLINT, as mentioned. The Navy did have its own airplanes (recited by the author) in the mid-late 1950s and later as he mentioned even the Army and the CIA were engaged in similar airborne collection/interdiction of the Soviet Order of Battle.

Larson's brief recitation of the Berents Sea shoot-down may not have had room to go into the programs) that existed in the 1950s and 1960s for such intelligence collection, but it was quite large. SAC alone had several wings and several programs devoted to that collection effort which, at the time, was, the highest priority in the DoD budgeting process. The RB-47 was one of the state-of-the-art platforms that provided this capability.

Col. Larson did not mention the other four people aboard the Berents Sea RB-47H. It was commanded by Major Willard Palm. The three up front - Palm and Captains McKone and Olmstead - all ejected safely and landed in the sea. Obviously, McCone and Olmstead lived (ultimately serving out their full careers in the USAF) but Maj. Palm apparently drowned after he (reportedly) became tangled in his parachute after landing in the ocean. His body was later shipped back to the US.

McKone and Olmstead were, in fact, put in prison. Their ordeal was vastly overshadowed by the U-2 incident which drew world attention and heated discussions between the highest level of government both here and in the Soviet Union. It was a major embarrassment for the Eisenhower administration and a major propaganda coup for Kruschev.

Except for the local Topeka newspaper, little publicity was generated about the RB-47H loss. The vast publicity gained by the Soviets by displaying not only Powers and the U-2 wreckage to the world media, had a tendency to push aside the two ultimately captured from the RB-47H. What is interesting - and to this day inconclusive - was what happened to the three Ravens in the back of the airplane. There have been several stories, even one that claimed at least one of these men was captured alive and interrogated, even tortured and died there, his body never returned. Other stories concluded the three perished by the cannon fire from the MiGs which attacked and downed the airplane. Yet others concluded that, even if alive on impact, those three perished from being unable to eject from the stricken aircraft. To my knowledge, no authentic documentation of what really happened to those three has even been made known.

I have spoken to McKone and Olmstead and both attend the semiannual reunions staged by the 55th SRW Association. In the mid-1950s, I served as the Target Materials Officer for the 55th at Forbes, AFB. Some years later, the wing was moved to Offut AFB,, Nebraska, where it still operates. Neither McKone nor Olmstead seemed to know with preci-, sion what happened to the three Ravens. Common sense would indicate that all three died in the crash or from wounds from the MiG cannon fire.

In 1956, 1 briefed Palm's crew including the three presumed dead Ravens - in the SAC vault where all crews had to undergo periodic briefings on their "M-Day" missions. Palm's crew was later sent TDY to various places in the friendly world along with numerous other all-ECM crews. At least two other RB-47s encountered enemy fire but were not downed.

The latest revelation of the ongoing collection by the US of unfriendly FLINT - the Navy EP-3C Orion -- is a confirmation that the seeking of electronic intelligence by manned airplanes is and has been a year-round effort by various elements of the DoD.