[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!


Pekuri wrote memories of his PoW time: Spalernajan sotavanki (Prisoner or War of Spalernaya). Book was published in 1999, ISBN 951-0-19062-4. In the foreword Pekuri told the book was written because of the nightmares of prisoner time kept haunting him during nights. Writing it down helped him to get rid of them.

I loaned the book years ago from library and can only rely on my memory regarding it. Don't ritemember anything extraordidary of his evading time after being shot down summer 1944. Interrogations seem to gone more or less with normal routine (including fake executions, though). I don't remember getting the feeling that Pekuri was betrayed by Trontti. Trontti just told openly to his interrogators what he knew about Finnish military. Post war this leak of information has sometimes been put (erroneusly) on Pekuri's shoulders. Understandably he was bitter of this. Actually the book corrected also my view on this issue!

Pekuri was kept isolated from other Finns during most of his early capture. Possibly to guard Trontti who was sent back to Finland to spy. During the early period he got severe diarrhea (IIRC), Russian cell mate advised him to eat coal from oven and not to eat anything. Pekuri got over the disease thanks to this. As an officer he also got cigarettes which he shared with his Russian cell mates. BTW if I remember correctly Pekuri's father had been prisoned in the same prison (Spalernaja) during Czar's time.

Later Pekuri was sent to normal prisoner camp and met also other Finns. Like majority of the Finnish PoW, Pekuri was repatriated quite early (already Dec 1944?).

Pekuri was likely shot down by an Il-2 he passed by (703/448 ShAP). But I would be very interested to hear what was the Soviet fighter unit providing cover for the Il-2 unit(s). A Soviet-era book of Estonian pilots in Soviet service has a short chapter of battle where eskadrille lead by "Estonian" Karl Kerro participated. (I put in the quotation marks because the man likely never set his feet on Estonian soil and judged from his career was active communist from young age). The description of the battle fits best with the battle where Pekuri was shot down. If this is the real match, then the covering fighter unit was detached regiment 283 OIAP. At the time the unit was subordinated directly to 13 VA (or actually army III Leningrad Artillery Corps). I would like much to hear from our Russian colleagues if it is possible to match this battle - date was June 16th, 1944 around 19.20 o'clock (20.20 Moscow time).


Regards,
Kari


PS Of the Trontti shoot down. Papers of the Bf 109 he was flying (MT-434) don't have anything about the cause/battle details. Trontti dissappeared during fight and was assumed to having been shot down. The flight might have been his first mission with Messerschmitt as he was transferred to the unit (at least officially) the day before being shot down. Don't remember if I have looked unit diary. The best would be if some Finnish interrogation document could be found of him. Otherwise we have only Soviet/Russian material.