Rudolf Anderson
Rudolf Anderson Jr. (born September 15, 1927 in Greenville , South Carolina, † October 27, 1962 over Cuba ) was an American pilot and officer in the United States Air Force and the only person killed in the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.
Life
Anderson graduated from Clemson University in 1948 and joined the Air Force. During the Korean War , he was a pilot in an F-86 Saber squadron. In the 1950s he was transferred to a reconnaissance unit as a pilot and trained on the Lockheed U-2 .
On October 27, Anderson took off from McCoy Air Force Base near Orlando , Florida , on a reconnaissance flight over Cuba . During the overflight, his U-2 was detected by Soviet anti-aircraft radar, and an S-75 anti-aircraft missile was fired from Moscow despite orders to the contrary. The warhead exploded in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft, fragments penetrated the pressure suit Anderson, who lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen. He was killed when he hit the ground.
On October 31, UN Secretary-General Sithu U Thant , who had traveled to Havana for talks, said on his return to New York that the previously missing Major Anderson had been killed. The US pilot's body was transferred to the United States and buried in Greenville on November 6th.
President Kennedy posthumously awarded Anderson the Air Force Cross , the Distinguished Service Medal , the Purple Heart, and the Cheney Awards . A school at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska was named after Anderson . A memorial was erected in his hometown of Greenville.
Web links
- Confesiones del militar soviético que derribó el avión U-2 durante la Crisis de Octubre de 1962. In: Juventud Rebelde of October 27, 2007 (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ USAF Museum , as of June 6, 2007
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Anderson, Rudolf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anderson, Rudolf Jr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pilot and officer (United States Air Force) and the only dead person in the Cuban Missile Crisis |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 15, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenville , South Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 27, 1962 |
| Place of death | Cuba |