This is an important first step for us, and I'm grateful for the wise advice, Larry. both of my brothers are fluent in German and one of them knows Russian and Polish, so I hope they can help me navigate the archives. If anyone has advice about German bulletin boards related to Luftwaffe personnel and their families, I'd be grateful to know. In addition to the two Heinkels shot down on January 24, on the following day, a lone Junkers JU88 D-1 appeared over Convoy JW 52. It was also based in Kirkenes, Norway, as a member of the first squadron of Aufklarungsstaffel 124. It made it back to base, some 40% destroyed by ship's fire. Its pilot was Oberlfeldwebel Schmidt. Other crew members are not listed. 1.(F)/AGr 124 was a long range reconnaissance unit. The National Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø is well along in restoring a similar Ju88 D-1 (W.No.1203 4N+EH) that flew out of Kirkenes to attack the next convoy and which crash landed with no loss at the northernmost tip of Europe's mainland. The D-1's carried cameras in its bomb bay, but Convoy JW52 all along believed they had roughed up a bomber. For the JU88 project, go to:
http://luftfart.museum.no Will