Bremerhaven Photo Memory INDEX

Click on any photo below to link to a Photo Album of several memorable photos in that category.

Museum der 50er Jahre - Photos from
       Ursula Műssigbrodt - (Langen, Germany)

European Travels: 1. Copenhagen, 1A. Holland, 2. Berlin,
     2A. Cuxhaven, 3. Paris/Belgium/Italy,
     4. UK/Scotland/Norway, 5. Garmisch
Professional USAFSS Video (DVD or CD ROM)
      by Ralph McDonald

Car Toys of Don Hassenbein - 2007
Couples/Dates

'Fishtown' Historical Summary and Interesting
German Website
A Spy Returns to Berlin and Russia - Jim Reusch
Cruise 2006 - (1955-59)
"A Few Good Men" - Poem by 'Mac' McCarville
"Blutsbrüder für dei Ewigkeit"
AUTOMOBILES of Bremerhaveners
SPECKENBÜTEL Stadtpark
2002 Reunion Photos
Reunion History
FUN with the Bremerhaven Clowns
Brig. Gen Paul Tibbets - Pilot of "Enola Gay"
Distinguished Flying Cross - J. Weiss
USAF in Germany Website
Lackland AFB -  Basic Trng. Classes
                          Album #1.  #2.  #3. - Need ID Help!
Brant Cramer & Edith - (Bremerhaven Snack Bar, Leesburg,FL-Bakery)

C-E Maintenance Photo (1964)
LACKLAND AFB - Historical Memories

NORDSEE-ZEITUNG 6913th Website Article (2006)

CALENDAR - from Elfi-Bar

News Article about RB-47 "Spy Flights"
Armed Forces Day Parade in Bremerhaven - Great Photos

USAFSS No longer exists - Read The Transformation.

USAFSS Info on Wikipedia - (Submitted by Leo Walls)

WHO is Arlen Trapp? - (1955-62) (We've All Heard From Him!)U

"Deception - Fraud - Omissions - Concealments - Partial Knowledge - Poor Judgment"

These are words to describe situations that occasionally surface, for whatever personal reason, to
describe occurrences in some people's lives, or in their thoughts, minds, dreams etc...

Remember Don Garlock, a couple of years ago, made up some ridiculous stories about his adventures
and got a lot of publicity that was later proved to be false.

The newspaper article below is another example of "A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing!" and
A gross exaggeration! I should have done some investigation before putting it on this website.

----------------------------------------------- Some E-mail comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------

"Cold War Gone Hot" - Hypothetical engagement, Soviet Airforce MIG-19 shoots down a USAF RB-47
Stratofortress during the 1960s. Painted by David Pentland - Limited Edition prints may still be available
at www.military-art.com/gallery_2.htm

------------------------------(RB-47 Aircraft) --  Excerpts from this Website:

                                      http://www.silent-warriors.com/shootdown_list.html

8 May 1954 Three US Air Force RB-47E Stratojet reconnaissance planes took off from RAF Fairford in England. Two of the Stratojets flew as airborne spares and turned back before the overflight began. The remaining plane penetrated Soviet airspace near Murmansk. The plane flew over numerous Soviet air fields and naval facilities conducting photographic reconnaissance and making radar scope images of the various facilities. The RB-47E continued to Arkhangelsk before turning west and heading back to England. The USAF plane was intercepted by MiG fighters after being over Soviet territory for about 50 miles. Initially, MiG-15 Fagots were spotted, but a short time later a flight of MiG-17 Frescos appeared. The operational deployment of the MiG-17 was a significant surprise to the crew of the RB-47. When the MiG-17s climbed to approximately the same altitude as the reconnaissance plane (38,000 feet) they opened fire. The Soviet fighters each made single shooting passes at the USAF plane. The RB-47 was equipped with a tail gun controlled by the copilot and returned fire but did not hit any of the Soviet planes. One MiG was able to hit the Stratojet with several rounds and caused moderate damage to the wing and fuselage. Before the MiGs were able to shoot down the USAF plane, it crossed the border into Finland and the MiGs broke off the attack. However, during the attack the RB-47's fuel tanks were hit and the plane nearly ran out of fuel before it was met by a Boeing KC-97 tanker for in-flight refueling. The RB-47E landed safely in England a short time later.

8 May 1954 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet of the 51st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flying a photo reconnaissance mission over the Northern USSR exchanged gunfire with MiG-17 Frescos. The RB-47 was lightly damaged, but the crew of Hal Austin, Carl Holt and Vance Heavilin got home safely.

26 July 1958 A US Air Force RB-47, flying from Iran, was intercepted by Soviet fighters over the Caspian Sea 130 miles east-southeast of Astara. The RB-47 evaded the fighters and fled to safety.

31 October 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked by Soviet fighters over the Black Sea. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

7 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked by Soviet fighters, east of Gotland Island over the Baltic Sea. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

17 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked over the Sea of Japan by Soviet fighters. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

1 May 1960 A CIA Lockheed U-2C (Article 360, 56-6693), flown by Francis Gary Powers from Peshawar Pakistan, was shot down by an SA-2 Guideline missile, near Sverdlovsk, USSR. Recent evidence says that Powers was shot down by the first of three missiles fired by a battery commanded by Mikhail Voronov. A Soviet MiG-19 Farmer pilot, Sergei Safronov, was shot down and killed by another SA-2 Guideline fired later in the incident. Powers bailed out and parachuted to safety. He was then taken captive and later tried in a Soviet court. After serving some time in prison, he was released, in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel on February 10th, 1962 in Berlin.

25 May 1960 A US Air Force C-47 was forced to land in East Germany by Soviet MiGs. The nine crew members were held captive until July 19th 1960.

1 July 1960 A US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet (53-4281) of the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, flying over the Barents Sea was downed by Soviet pilot Vasili Poliakov, flying a MiG-15 Fagot. Co-pilot Bruce Olmstead and navigator John McKone survived and were taken captive. The pilot, Bill Palm and ELINT operators Eugene Posa, Oscar Goforth and Dean Phillips were killed. Olmstead and McKone were released from Soviet captivity on January 25th, 1961. Bill Palm's remains were returned to the US on July 25, 1960. Eugene Posa's remains were recovered by the Soviets, but never returned to the US.

---- Many other aircraft incidents listed on this Website ----

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        E-mails received about the  "Secret War" Article below:

"Interesting article, but grossly exaggerated... Some factoids give it a ring of truth... Ferret flights were real
and common, but rarely ventured 'hundreds of miles' inside the Soviet border... "

"...we never lost 10 aircraft in 10 days. Other than the U-2 on 1 July 1960, only one RB-47 was downed in
the Barents Sea off the Kola Peninsula."   (excerpt from Ralph McDonald's book): "Effects of the Magnetic
North Pole"

"One of the best sources of information about U.S. Military Aircraft shot down by the Soviets is a book by
Larry Tart and Robert Keefe: "The Price of Vigilance", which includes a list of such 'incidents' in Appendix D
listing eight losses of aircraft and crews from 1951-1960."

"...don't know this guy at all... I put in over 3 years in Bremerhaven and never once heard of the 8--8-8
part of it. And I was a ditty bopper."

"...Len Spangler's information is not reliable -- too much of it was not factual.  I spoke with Len Spangler
about his recollection of his Wash. D.C. visit to tell his story to Congress."

"His story has been discussed over many years, and until or unless we get a declassified version of this
story from the Pentagon or the Congressional Committee, we won't know 'The Rest Of The Story!"

"Len Spangler, Morse Intercept Operator, Dog Flight (1956-57) died at the age of 64 on 19 February 2004."

This news article was published in the Fresno, California newspaper:"Fresno Bee" in
March, 1993 and submitted by Fritz Stiftinger (Bremerhaven 1960-63).