The Tu-16 Badger bombers took off and began the circuitous route to Moscow, assuming close formation before the final turn onto the heading that would take them over Red Square…
Created in response to a Soviet Ministry of Defense demand for a high-speed bomber capable of countering the NATO threat, the Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO reporting name: Badger) represented a breakthrough. It was the first Soviet medium bomber with swept wings and was powered by a pair of turbojet engines that were, at the time, the most powerful jet engines in the world. Making its first flight in 1952, the Tu-16 took on a variety of missions, including nuclear strike, missile attack, reconnaissance, and electronic countermeasures. The design also formed the basis of the Soviet Union’s first jet airliner, the Tu-104. Nearly 1,500 Tu-16s were produced for service with the Soviet Air Force and Navy, and the type enjoyed an exceptionally long career, with the last aircraft finally retired in 1993.
As noted by Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov, and Vladimir Rigmant in their book Tupolev Tu-16: Versatile Cold War Bomber, the Tu-16 frequently took part in the May Day and 7 November parades over Red Square, as well as in Aviation Day (or Air Fleet Day) flypasts held on the third Sunday of August. (7 November marked the anniversary of the October Revolution, one of the Soviet Union’s most significant public holidays. It is worth clarifying that on January 26, 1918, three months after the revolution, Soviet Russia abandoned the old Julian calendar in favor of the Gregorian system. As a result, October 25, the “old style” date of the revolution, corresponds to November 7 in the modern calendar.)
In preparation for the 1956 May Day parade, the huge Tu-16 formation—75 bombers drawn from the 121st, 171st, and 203rd TBAPs—conducted daily training at Chkalovskaya Air Base, east of Moscow. The aircraft were first lined up on the runway, where tape markers were applied to help pilots learn their precise positions in the formation. After that, they flew practice sorties every day to perfect both their spacing and timing. Recovering such a large force posed a challenge of its own: landing intervals had to be cut to 20 seconds, because at standard spacing the last bombers would have been left circling for hours. On one occasion, this nearly resulted in a ground collision when the aircraft ahead developed an engine malfunction and came to a stop on the runway.
The training sorties were filmed on cine film from the ground, and the footage was then used during debriefings. From time to time, the Long-Range Aviation (DA) Commander, Air Marshal Vladimir A. Soodets, would sit in on these sessions; he was notorious for his fiery temper and his readiness to hand out swift punishment. If Soodets spotted anything improper during the review, he would order the ‘movie’ stopped and bark, ‘Aircraft coded by such-and-such! Who’s the aircraft captain?’ A nervous major would stand up and identify himself. Then he would be subjected to a furious outburst: ‘Why didn’t you maintain formation [expletive deleted]?’ ‘I ran into wake turbulence, Comrade ’Marshal’—the culprit would stammer. ‘If a Major can’t maintain formation, then maybe a Captain can [expletive deleted]!’ the marshal would comment, and the ‘movie’ would continue.
When May Day finally arrived, the bomber force, led by 45th TBAD commanding officer Col. Vitaliy A. Gordilovskiy, took off and set out on the winding route toward Moscow. They formed up in tight formation before the last turn onto the heading that would carry them along Leningradskiy Prospekt Avenue, then down Gor’kiy Street and over Red Square. Suddenly, the group flying at 300 m (990 ft) flew straight into a bank of dense cloud that was not supposed to be there at all—the weather reconnaissance flight carried out 90 minutes earlier had reported clear conditions. With no instructions from the leader or ground control, the pilots did the only sensible thing: they spread the bombers out to prevent collisions within the clouds.
When they broke clear of the clouds at 3,000 m (9,840 ft), the beautiful tight formation had gone to the dogs and there was no time to restore it. Someone radioed in clear code, telling the bomber pilots to abort the mission and return to base, the mood was rotten, but at least everyone landed in one piece. At Chkalovskaya the crews waited for the big brass and the inevitable repercussions. At length one of the DA’s Deputy Commanders arrived – a level-headed and businesslike man. He summoned the airmen to the officers’ mess where the tables had been set for the occasion. ‘Well, Comrades pilots- the general said after accepting a glass of vodka, – what will we be celebrating? May Day or your birthday? ‘ Of course, everyone said ‘Birthday, Comrade General!’ The general drank and went on: ‘Happy birthday! Everyone came out of this alive – which means you did the right thing!’ Ironically, the jet fighters that approached Red Square ahead of the bombers followed a different route, taking off from Kubinka AB west of Moscow; they avoided the freak clouds, making the flypast without any trouble.
When they finally emerged from the clouds at 3,000 m (9,840 ft), the beautiful tight formation was completely disrupted, and there was no time to rebuild it. A message was sent in plain language instructing the bomber crews to abort the mission and head back to base. Morale was low, but at least everyone made it down safely. Back at Chkalovskaya, the crews braced themselves for the arrival of the high command and the expected fallout. Eventually, one of Long-Range Aviation’s Deputy Commanders arrived—a calm, pragmatic officer. He called the airmen to the officers’ mess, where tables had already been laid. ‘Well, Comrades pilots- the general said after accepting a glass of vodka, – what will we be celebrating? May Day or your birthday? ‘ Of course, everyone said ‘Birthday, Comrade General!’ The general drank and went on: ‘Happy birthday! Everyone came out of this alive—which means you did the right thing!’ Ironically, the jet fighters that reached Red Square ahead of the bombers used a different route, taking off from Kubinka AB west of Moscow. They missed the unexpected clouds entirely and completed their flypast without incident.
Tupolev Tu-16: Versatile Cold War Bomber is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by VFP-63, Det Bravo / U.S. Navy, Top War, and Pinterest
