Artifact Details
Specially designed beer stein has a painted scene of an outhouse and a pewter lid topped with a small aircraft representing a U-2.
During the Cold War, CIA strategically positioned its detachments of U-2 aircraft and crews around the world. In September 1956, CIA placed U-2 Detachment B at Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey, where it became the primary detachment for Middle East overflights. Francis Gary Powers was a member of Detachment B and began his ill-fated flight from Adana on 1 May 1960. After the Soviet Union shot down his aircraft, Detachment B’s operations out of Turkey ceased.
According to reminiscences of an officer stationed at Incirlik, the detachment members wanted a memento of their time in Turkey, but it had to be something that wouldn’t jeopardize the classified nature of their work. Because Wiesbaden was their normal destination for rest and relaxation, the members chose a specially designed beer stein, which is also a common practice for military units. Each member of Detachment B acquired a stein.
The Detachment B stein has a painted scene of an outhouse and a pewter lid topped with a small airplane representing a U-2. Originally, there was a small circular crest with the words “The World’s Biggest Cuckoo Clock WIESBADEN” on the back of the stein indicating it was made in Wiesbaden, a town famous for having the world’s largest cuckoo clock. The decoration has mostly worn away, but part of the clock is still visible; online stories of other Turkey Trotters mugs describe what the full emblem looked like. The word “handgemalt” is printed on the bottom of the stein and indicates the piece is hand painted.
What can’t be seen on the stein is as interesting as the visible decoration. Like many such steins, the Turkey Trotters steins have a lithophane in the base of the porcelain vessel. This lithophane is a three-dimensional image molded into the stein. It can only be seen when the piece is backlit with a strong light source.
Artifact Specs
9 in x 6 in
(H x Diameter)
Additional Photos
