[Juha]

Hello Brian
In Finland we have saying ”better late than never” so here the story of the Do 17Z hit by ”friendly” bombs.
Date: 30.09.1942 after midnight
A/c: DN-52 (Dornier Do 17 Z-3 W.Nr. 2608 ) / LeLv 46

Four DNs of LeLv 46 has taken off from Noljakka a/f to bomb Sekehe a/f in East-Karelia when the accident happened. The target was under fog so the leader kapteeni (Captain) Uotinen ordered attack against the secondary target, Murmansk railway North of Sekehe. The four bombers approached the new target at 1400m in line formation and DN-52 was the last one. Its observer luutn. Kaarlo Mauno Holger RUNDQVIST (* 20.05.1920 in Viipuri) dropped the bombs and the pilot luutn. Jorma Turpeinen pushed the plane in a shallow dive. Then he unexpectedly shouted “Bail out!”. A moment later the plane rocked violently and something crashed into nose and howling air stream filled the cockpit. The observer Rundqvist, who was nearest to the bottom hatch, immediately opened the hatch and jumped. The pilot opened his harness and moved towards the hatch and saw that Rundqvist’s parachute opened when W/O kers. (Sgt) Osmo Rautavaara shouted that they were too low for jump and shouted that Turpeinen ought to pull the stick. Turpeinen went back to his seat and pulled and the Dornier straightened out. Then the gunner alik (Corporal) Väinö Nousiainen acknowledged than also he was still in plane. The air stream had pinned him down and he had been unable to bail out. After minutes silence Turpeinen told to others that their plane had not hit by AA but by two 50kg bombs. The nose was smashed and there was a big hole in the right wing. Engines worked normally but all maps had gone. All they could do was to take a rough course to West. Turpeinen decided to break radio silence and ordered the W/O to inform the leading plane. So Rautavaara send the message:”Arska (the pet name of the W/O in the leading plane), here Osku” (pet name of Rautavaara). Answer came fast “Cannot be Osku, he is dead.” In the leading plane they believed that DN-52 had crashed and the message was some sort Soviet trick. Rautavaara answered:”We will follow behind, we have some damage. Over” When they got nearer a bigger base Onttola Turpeinen suggested to others that they should bail out and that he would try to land the plane alone but the other refused. And so they made a normal landing at Onttola base. Later a Soviet PoW told to Finns that Rundqvist had survived and was held in a PoW camp. Rundqvist returned to Finland after war on 26.12.1944. When the crews figured how DN-52 had gone under the Dornier front of it they draw a conclusion that Rundqvist had dropped DN-52’s bombs before the observer of the Dornier in front had dropped his. When Turpeinen had after Rundqvist’s “Bombs away” had followed the normal procedure and pushed the plane in a dive DN-52 had moved under slower moving DN-54.
It took a little over 2 weeks to repair the damages in DN-52.


Sources: Jaakko Hyvönen's Kohtalokkaat lennot 1939-1944 Toinen painos (1st reprint) Hämeenlinna 2001 ISBN 952-5026-21-3
Matti Hämäläinen's Pommituslentolaivue 46. 1. painos. Hämeenlinna 2005.
Pertti Manninen: Dornier Do 17 Z tuttu tuntematon in Suomen Ilmailuhistoriallinen Lehti 4/2006

Juha