Book Review of
We Were Never There
Vol. 2: CIA U-2 Asia & Worldwide Operations
1957-1974
Author: Kevin Wright
Helion & Co. Ltd.
Europe @ War Series No. 17
ICBN: 978-1-915070-69-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $29.95
Europe @ War Series No. 17
ICBN: 978-1-915070-69-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
Devised by Kelly Johnson and operated by the CIA from 1956 to 1974, the U-2 is the world’s most famous “spy plane”. It flew at unprecedented altitudes and carried the most sophisticated sensors available, all in the greatest secrecy.
This second volume concentrates on the period of operational missions mainly across Asia from 1957 to 1974. The book utilizes a large number of declassified documents to explore some of the remaining secrets of these missions.
The book starts by looking at some of the missions conducted by the CIA’s Detachment “C” U-2s against key targets in the Soviet far east, up to Mayday 1960. It moves on to explore in detail the over-flights of the People’s Republic of China by Nationalist Chinese pilots in conjunction with the CIA.
In particular, the study of Project TACKLE looks at efforts to gain intelligence on the PRC’s expansive nuclear program from the early 1960s. This is supplemented with details of Taiwanese/CIA operations against North Korea and its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.
It presents target images and reveals detailed routes for many of these overflights that have not been publicly seen before.
Whilst the USAF took the lead in operations against Cuba, the book explores the earlier CIA missions against Cuba during the Bay of Pigs landing and the missile crisis.
Another chapter explores the efforts to equip the U-2 for operations from US Navy aircraft carriers. Detachment G, based at Edwards AFB, had a worldwide contingency role, able to quickly deploy anywhere in the world. It undertook missions on targets in Tibet, the PRC, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, British Guiana, Venezuela and elsewhere.
A section of the book examines the development of the U-2R, a major update of the original aircraft, making it larger and much more capable. Its landing characteristics and comparisons with the U-2C are explored with the help of interviews with two former USAF U-2 pilots who flew both models of the aircraft.
The final chapter looks at the return of the U-2 to Europe, in particular the UK, for training missions from the late 1960s. It covers details on operations over the Middle East, monitoring ceasefire arrangements between Israel and its neighbors in 1970 and 1973. It ends with the phasing out of Agency U-2 operations, the closure of projects TACKLE and JACKSON and an evaluation of the U-2’s contribution to aerial intelligence collection.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co.,Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 82 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a U-2 in flight. It is overall black and no markings are shown.
Below it is a color side view illustration of a Taiwanese AF U-2R. It is overall jet black with a Taiwanese AF roundel on the fuselage sides and red serial no. 10331 on the rudder.
The book contains 32 black and white photos. One photo shows a U-2 in an experimental polka-dot pattern.
There are a whopping 39 maps in the book, 17 aerial photos of terrain and buildings, 4 color photos (including the cover), 14 data lists, 4 walk-around photos of the interior and exterior of a U-2 and camera equipment, a photo of a pilot that was captured and later released with his mom.
There are 9 color illustrations of side profiles of U-2s, a color illustration of a pilot wearing a high-altitude suit and 2 illustrations of camera equipment.
Most of the U-2 illustrations are in overall jet black.
The 1st one is a USAF U-2A. It has a small pale gray panel on the side of its nose and a white serial no. 353 on the rudder.
The 2nd one is a U-2G in non-spectacular dark sea-blue. It was Naval Research, It has a large white serial no, O.N.R over N801X over a small OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH.
The 3rd one is a U-2F with the Chinese AF. It has white serial no. N802X on its rudder.
The 4th one is a U-2R stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS America. It has a small Lockheed logo in yellow on its rudder.
The 5th one is the one shown on the cover art. (already described above). Shown with it is a color illustration of an emblem that is a red circle, outlined in white with a black cat’s face on it.
The 6th one is also a U-2R with the USAF, based in Britain. It just has a small US star with bars insignia on the fuselage sides, just in front of the wing root.
Next are two color illustrations of Cessna U-3As.
It is in a dark-blue base with white stripes, a large USAF roundel with bars on the fuselage sides and white serial no. 75859 on the rudder.
Next is an USAF Lockheed C-130A in overall white, with a black nose and spinners, black U.S. AIR FORCE over large black no. 532 on sides of the forward end of the fuselage, USAF roundels with bars on rear end of the fuselage, part of tail and rudder in bright red, with white horizontal stripe across the red with black serial no. 60532 on it.
Final aircraft side profile is of a C-141A , with the USAF, it is overall white with a black nose. It has a U.S. AIR FORCE in black on the forward end of the fuselage, a USAF roundel with bars on rear end of the fuselage. A US flag, over narrow horizontal bars of yellow, red and yellow, with white MAC on the bars, over black serial no. 60170 on the rudder.
Next is the color illustration of the pilot wearing a yellow David Clark S1010 full pressure suit and a white helmet.
The color illustrations end with color profiles of 2 different camera units, shown mounted on carts. One is a B2 version, the other one is an ITEK KA-80 version.
This is a very interesting book about U-2 operations.
It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of a U-2 and to aviation enthusiasts alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Helion & Co.,Ltd. books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Devised by Kelly Johnson and operated by the CIA from 1956 to 1974, the U-2 is the world’s most famous “spy plane”. It flew at unprecedented altitudes and carried the most sophisticated sensors available, all in the greatest secrecy.
This second volume concentrates on the period of operational missions mainly across Asia from 1957 to 1974. The book utilizes a large number of declassified documents to explore some of the remaining secrets of these missions.
The book starts by looking at some of the missions conducted by the CIA’s Detachment “C” U-2s against key targets in the Soviet far east, up to Mayday 1960. It moves on to explore in detail the over-flights of the People’s Republic of China by Nationalist Chinese pilots in conjunction with the CIA.
In particular, the study of Project TACKLE looks at efforts to gain intelligence on the PRC’s expansive nuclear program from the early 1960s. This is supplemented with details of Taiwanese/CIA operations against North Korea and its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.
It presents target images and reveals detailed routes for many of these overflights that have not been publicly seen before.
Whilst the USAF took the lead in operations against Cuba, the book explores the earlier CIA missions against Cuba during the Bay of Pigs landing and the missile crisis.
Another chapter explores the efforts to equip the U-2 for operations from US Navy aircraft carriers. Detachment G, based at Edwards AFB, had a worldwide contingency role, able to quickly deploy anywhere in the world. It undertook missions on targets in Tibet, the PRC, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, British Guiana, Venezuela and elsewhere.
A section of the book examines the development of the U-2R, a major update of the original aircraft, making it larger and much more capable. Its landing characteristics and comparisons with the U-2C are explored with the help of interviews with two former USAF U-2 pilots who flew both models of the aircraft.
The final chapter looks at the return of the U-2 to Europe, in particular the UK, for training missions from the late 1960s. It covers details on operations over the Middle East, monitoring ceasefire arrangements between Israel and its neighbors in 1970 and 1973. It ends with the phasing out of Agency U-2 operations, the closure of projects TACKLE and JACKSON and an evaluation of the U-2’s contribution to aerial intelligence collection.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co.,Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 82 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a U-2 in flight. It is overall black and no markings are shown.
Below it is a color side view illustration of a Taiwanese AF U-2R. It is overall jet black with a Taiwanese AF roundel on the fuselage sides and red serial no. 10331 on the rudder.
The book contains 32 black and white photos. One photo shows a U-2 in an experimental polka-dot pattern.
There are a whopping 39 maps in the book, 17 aerial photos of terrain and buildings, 4 color photos (including the cover), 14 data lists, 4 walk-around photos of the interior and exterior of a U-2 and camera equipment, a photo of a pilot that was captured and later released with his mom.
There are 9 color illustrations of side profiles of U-2s, a color illustration of a pilot wearing a high-altitude suit and 2 illustrations of camera equipment.
Most of the U-2 illustrations are in overall jet black.
The 1st one is a USAF U-2A. It has a small pale gray panel on the side of its nose and a white serial no. 353 on the rudder.
The 2nd one is a U-2G in non-spectacular dark sea-blue. It was Naval Research, It has a large white serial no, O.N.R over N801X over a small OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH.
The 3rd one is a U-2F with the Chinese AF. It has white serial no. N802X on its rudder.
The 4th one is a U-2R stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS America. It has a small Lockheed logo in yellow on its rudder.
The 5th one is the one shown on the cover art. (already described above). Shown with it is a color illustration of an emblem that is a red circle, outlined in white with a black cat’s face on it.
The 6th one is also a U-2R with the USAF, based in Britain. It just has a small US star with bars insignia on the fuselage sides, just in front of the wing root.
Next are two color illustrations of Cessna U-3As.
It is in a dark-blue base with white stripes, a large USAF roundel with bars on the fuselage sides and white serial no. 75859 on the rudder.
Next is an USAF Lockheed C-130A in overall white, with a black nose and spinners, black U.S. AIR FORCE over large black no. 532 on sides of the forward end of the fuselage, USAF roundels with bars on rear end of the fuselage, part of tail and rudder in bright red, with white horizontal stripe across the red with black serial no. 60532 on it.
Final aircraft side profile is of a C-141A , with the USAF, it is overall white with a black nose. It has a U.S. AIR FORCE in black on the forward end of the fuselage, a USAF roundel with bars on rear end of the fuselage. A US flag, over narrow horizontal bars of yellow, red and yellow, with white MAC on the bars, over black serial no. 60170 on the rudder.
Next is the color illustration of the pilot wearing a yellow David Clark S1010 full pressure suit and a white helmet.
The color illustrations end with color profiles of 2 different camera units, shown mounted on carts. One is a B2 version, the other one is an ITEK KA-80 version.
This is a very interesting book about U-2 operations.
It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of a U-2 and to aviation enthusiasts alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Helion & Co.,Ltd. books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.