Francis Gary Powers & the U2 Incident: Cold War Clash | War Tales & Legacies

This video delves into the famous U2 spy plane incident during the Cold War. The story begins on May 1, 1960, when the Soviet Union was celebrating International Workers' Day, and radar detected an American U2 spy plane intruding into Soviet airspace. Determined to shoot down the aircraft, Soviet high-ranking officials launched a tense interception operation. American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down while conducting a high-altitude reconnaissance mission, subsequently captured by the Soviets and released in a prisoner exchange after prolonged interrogation. The video meticulously portrays the impact of this incident on US-Soviet relations, as well as the decisions and actions of the key individuals involved during the crisis, highlighting the complexity and tension of espionage activities during the Cold War era.