Jump to content

B-52 Data Plate (I think) with an AMAZING story!


Dave
 Share

Recommended Posts

I had forgotten all about my research on this until just now. It was always a dead end...maybe someone can help!

 

From 1992 through 2007, I had an "advanced" Soviet award collection. One of the groups I had was purchased by a picker directly from a veteran's family. This fellow wasn't just ANY veteran...he had been a Soviet advisor in Vietnam! He was a professional generator engineer...he built and maintained power generators for surface to air missile sites. He was decorated by the North Vietnamese (and the Soviets) for shooting down a B-52 during operation Linebacker II (as the story goes). As his daughter told it, multiple generators were destroyed by F-4s (Wild Weasels) in the ring of SAM sites around Hanoi, prior to a B-52 raid. He was able to get the sites back up and operational and as the B-52s were overhead, one of the sites shot down a B-52. The next day, he took this data plate off the wreckage of that B-52, and kept it as a souvenier. My picker acquired this directly from the veteran's family in 2003 in the Ukraine.

 

I unfortunately no longer own the group (it was a very large group with awards, documents, etc.) but it resides in a friend's collection. However, in all of my research I have never been able to pinpoint what this data plate came off of, or even if it WAS off a B-52 (you know how veteran's stories get!)

 

Can anyone out there verify what this data plate was from, and perhaps if it was off a B-52?

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

B52dataplate.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lore has it this photo is somehow related to the data plate. Unfortunately, I don't have a better scan of the photo...

Efimenko18.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave,

I hope someone can help you with the answer.

In the meantime, is there any way we can get a showing of such an interesting group ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave,

I hope someone can help you with the answer.

In the meantime, is there any way we can get a showing of such an interesting group ??

 

 

I don't want to go too far off the reservation (keeping this in a US-militaria theme!) but here's his North Vietnamese ID card...

Efimenko9.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

His plane ticket from Moscow to Hanoi and back. I remember being told in school once that Soviets weren't involved in North Vietnam. Maybe he was just going there to get a tan??? :lol:

Efimenko12.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edit: Did some searching, found the NSN, 1660006253033. These were used on B52 A,B,C, and Ds. Also installed on early C-130s apparently?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
I don't want to go too far off the reservation (keeping this in a US-militaria theme!) but here's his North Vietnamese ID card...

 

Nice catch Dave, this might be of interest, obviously I want to keep this U.S themed, but since you've shown the card, I couldn't resist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efNvVYPopwA

go to 12:40 they're also getting a Tan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...