Roy Gummeson was a Sabre pilot with 421 Squadron, located at 2 (F) Wing, Grostenquin France, between December 1952 and November 1956.
There was an incident with the U-2 flights involving the RCAF in September 1956, (Reference "Operation Overflight" by Gary Powers, page 51) in which he claims that the loss of a U-2 was caused by wake turbulence after being buzzed by some RCAF Sabres.
When these flights started they were top secret and we (pilots) were not even advised that they were taking place. Many pilots had seen them and reported them in the normal pilot jargon "one bogie very high at 12 o'clock" etc. This had gone on for several months before the Yanks told us it was top secret and not to report any sightings! The cat was long out of the bag by then.
The U-2s would take off and head west to gain altitude before turning east. By the time they were in the general area of 3(F) Wing they were well over 40,000 feet and still climbing. I was on a solo trip one day when I spotted one and I followed him for several miles. I was at 45,000 feet and he was well above me and was just a silhouette before he turned east.
The incident mentioned in Power's book involved four Sabres from 421 (F) Squadron. The story as I was told by the pilots at the time was that they spotted the U-2 as they were cruising north-easterly and that it was flying in the opposite direction and was above them and that as it passed overhead it exploded!
This incident was discussed at our last SPAADS reunion in Halifax and I have attached a letter from John Farnham. It seems that after nearly 50 years our collective memories differ on some of the facts but the gist is the same, there was no buzzing!
It was an interestinig time for all nevertheless.
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Updated: May 11, 2004
