Europe - Diplomatic Relations with the U.S., 20th Century American History - Relations - General & Miscellaneous, International Relations - General & Miscellaneous, 20th Century American History - Cold War, Soviet History - Political Aspects, Military Avi

Shadow Flights

Name: Shadow Flights
Author: Curtis Peebles
ISBN: 9780891417002

by Curtis Peebles

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Overview

Taking advantage of the end of the Cold War, noted aerospace historian Curtis Peebles has investigated America's secret airwar against the Soviet Union. He tells a compelling story of Cold War "combat" aviation that ranges from Roswell to Area 51 to the skies over the evil empire itself.

Starting in the late '40s, American and allied aircrews flew alongside and even across the borders of the Soviet Union and its satellites. These covert intelligence-gathering missions were planned and flown under a shroud of deepest secrecy, subterfuge, disinformation, and, when necessary, outright denial. When an aircraft was lost, sometimes from the guns of an attacking flight of MiGs (inside is a Red Air Force gun-camera picture of an American aircraft being shot down) the plane and crew were officially written off as victims of a training accident. Shadow Flights: the full, dramatic story of America's long top secret war against Russia.

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Editorials

Library Journal

It has been over 40 years since the Lockheed U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile while flying though Soviet airspace. This new book recounts the secret efforts of the United States and the United Kingdom to fly over the USSR and China from 1949 to 1960, when these risky reconnaissance flights were ended because of the international scandal this incident caused. Aerospace historian Peebles (The Moby Dick Project: Reconnaissance Balloons Over Russia) addresses the vital behind-the-scenes technical development of aircraft and photographic equipment as well as the bureaucratic negotiations. The book also touches on the immediate post-World War II efforts to collect information on the Communist bloc, a topic ripe for further exploration. There are a lot of details regarding each individual flight, the aircraft and pilot used, its targets, and the results. These were long, difficult, and dangerous missions, but the West needed reliable intelligence on what was happening behind the Iron Curtain. For public, academic, and special collections.--Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Historian Peebles draws on previously top secret documents from both countries and the recollections of participants on both sides to recount the US spy plane program against the Soviet Union after World War II. The lid was blown off and the program ended with the downing of Francis Gary Powers in his U-2 spyplane. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

From The Critics

Curtis Peebles' Shadow Flights deserves ongoing mention as an exceptional, in-depth military history coverage of America's secret air war against the Soviets at the beginning of the Cold War. Pilots sought information on how the USSR might be preparing to attack the West: Shadow Flights follows the history of the secret, dangerous missions which were numerous and risky.