Operation Overflight, Francis Gary Powers
Operation Overflight, Francis Gary Powers
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Operation Overflight
A Memoir of the U-2 Incident

Author: Francis Gary Powers, Curt Gentry

Narrator: Jon Lindstrom

Unabridged: 14 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/15/2015

Synopsis

U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is a central character in the movie “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks.  In his classic 1970 memoir, Powers reveals the full story behind what happened in the most sensational espionage case in Cold War history.  After his U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down, Powers was captured on May 1, 1960 and endured 61 days of rigorous interrogation by the KGB, a public trial, a conviction for espionage, and the start of a 10-year sentence. After nearly two years, the US government obtained his release from prison in a dramatic exchange for convicted Soviet spy Rudolph Abel.

The narrative is a tremendously exciting suspense story about a man who was labeled a traitor by many of his countrymen but who emerged a Cold War hero.

About The Author

Francis Gary Powers (1929–1977) was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident. On June 15, 2012, Powers was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for "demonstrating 'exceptional loyalty' while enduring harsh interrogation in the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow for almost two years."Curt Gentry (1931–2014), an Edgar Award winner, was the author of J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets and Frame-Up: The Incredible Case of Tom Mooney and Warren Billings, and the coauthor of Helter Skelter with Vincent Bugliosi.Jon Lindstrom is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated actor, director, and screenwriter, well known for his work on ABC’s General Hospital and HBO's True Detective. He's been honored with numerous acting accolades, including the Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in A Drama Series.

Reviews

Goodreads review by RANGER on January 30, 2025

Memorable, Well-Written Cold War Relic that should be read as a classic Operation Overflight, sometimes subtitled, "Memoirs of the U2 Incident", is the personal memoir of Francis Gary Powers, a USAF pilot who was operating as a contract civilian CIA pilot when his U2 was shot down over the Soviet Uni......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on August 31, 2013

This was a neat book for a whole bunch of reasons. It was an incredibly fascinating and well-written memoir about the pilot of a super awesome, top-secret reconnaissance plane who gets trapped in Soviet Russia after a near-fatal crash landing. What’s not to love? I realize that this is insanely tang......more

Goodreads review by Alice on October 12, 2018

The U2 Incident sits right at the nexus of two of my interests - aviation and espionage - so I was keen to read this. The background to the overflights, Powers's time in USSR and the consequences on his return to the US were all fascinating.......more

Goodreads review by Grant on May 27, 2024

Francis Gary Powers was a great American with a fascinating story to tell. A U-2 reconnaissance pilot, he was shot down during an overflight of the Soviet Union in 1960 and faced austere, yet humane, conditions in Russian prison. What surprised me the most about his book was the lukewarm attitude th......more

Goodreads review by jj on April 17, 2018

This is an autobiography. I enjoyed it as I did not know much about this event. Of course, being an autobiography, it will be very one sided, but it is important for the pilot to get out his side of the story. This book was out 10 years after his flight. At the end he gave his opinions on the good a......more

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