Rudolf Anderson.html



Rudolf Anderson, Jr.
September 15, 1927(1927-09-15) – October 27, 1962 (aged 35)
Place of birth	Greenville, South Carolina
Place of burial	Greenville, South Carolina
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	U.S. Air Force
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis
Awards	Air Force Cross Air Force Distinguished Service Purple Heart Cheney Award

Rudolf Anderson, Jr. (September 15, 1927 – October 27, 1962) was a pilot and officer in the United States Air Force, and the first recipient of the Air Force Cross. Anderson was killed when his U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down during the Cuban Missile Crisis; he was the only casualty that occurred as a result of enemy fire during the confrontation.

Cuban Mission Crisis

Originally flown by the CIA, the USAF took over the U-2 Cuba overflight missions on October 14, 1962. On October 15, as CIA analysts pored over reconnaissance film, they found SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles. These pictures triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On October 27, Major Anderson took off in his U-2 from McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida, and was shot down by a Soviet-supplied S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile near Banes, Cuba. "The loss of the U-2 over Banes was probably caused by intercept by an SA-2 from the Banes site, or pilot hypoxia, with the former appearing more likely on the basis of present information," stated a CIA document dated 0200 hrs, 28 October 1962. ¹ Anderson was killed when shrapnel punctured his pressure suit causing it to decompress at high altitude. On October 31, Acting United Nations Secretary U Thant, returning from a visit with Premier Fidel Castro, announced that Major Anderson was dead.

By order of President John F. Kennedy Major Anderson was posthumously awarded the first Air Force Cross as well as the Distinguished Service Medal, Purple Heart and the Cheney Award.

It should be noted that although Major Anderson was the only combat fatality during the crisis, eleven crew of three reconnaissance Boeing B-47 Stratojets of the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing were killed in crashes during the period between September 27 and November 11, 1962. ²

Personal life

Anderson was born in Greenville, South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University in 1948.³ His body was interred in Greenville on November 6, 1962 at Woodlawn Memorial Park.⁴

Memorial

A memorial to Major Anderson can be seen at Cleveland Park in Greenville. The memorial includes an F-86 Sabre, the type of plane Anderson flew in the Korean War. The F-86 was used for the Memorial because there were no surplus U-2 planes available at the time when it was erected in the 1960s.

Every year a memorial service is held in his honor.

Wreckage

Some of the wreckage of Major Anderson's U-2 can be found in two museums in Havana, Cuba. The engine and portion of the tail assembly from the U-2 is on display at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana. The right wing, a portion of the tail assembly, and front landing gear are on display at the Museo del Aire, also in Havana. One of the engine intakes is visible at the Playa Giron Museum in Giron.

The engine of the Lockheed U-2 which was brought down above Cuba in Museum of the Revolution in Havana. One of the engine air intakes of the U-2 which was brought down above Cuba in the Playa Giron Museum.

Popular culture

The shooting down of Anderson's reconnaissance flight over Cuba is featured in the film Thirteen Days, with Chip Esten playing the role of Major Anderson.

References

Specific references:

General references:

This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (October 2008)

External links

• Air Force Link: Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr. from the official USAF website
• 'The Twelfth Day' by Liz Newell from the Clemson University alumni magazine website