Main content

U2 Spy Plane

In May 1960, at the height of the Cold War, an American U2 spy-plane was shot down over Soviet territory. Its pilot, Gary Powers, was lucky to escape alive.

In May 1960, at the height of the Cold War, an American U2 spy-plane was shot down over Soviet territory. Its pilot, Gary Powers, was lucky to escape alive. His son, Gary Powers Jr, tells Witness about the story of his survival, and subsequent trial and imprisonment in Moscow.

(Photo: Pilot Gary Powers appearing before a US Senate Armed Forces Committee in Washington, after his release from the Soviet Union. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Tue 3 May 2016 07:50GMT

Broadcast

  • Tue 3 May 2016 07:50GMT

Featured in...

Podcast