He 115 info wanted

[petertheswede]

Hi to you all.Heinkel 115N werknr 3038 was delivered to Norway 7 of july 1939.
Later it flew to finland and flew in the finnish airforce.Does anybody know who flew to finland and who flew when it was written off?I think it was 4 of july 1943.Any other info?I have a tag from this aircraft.

Thanks,
Peter

[Adam]

The aircraft was coded F.50 in Norwegian service and was flown out to Finland shortly before the official ceasefire on 7 June 1940. It was lost when it crashed behind enemy lines in the eastern Karelen area on 4 July 1943

Sorry, this is all I have

[petertheswede]

Thanks Adam
In the swedish wikipeda it tells a little different ending.It says that the aircraft came under enemy fire when it landed on the lake Tugasjärvi to pickup a recognosance patrol.The aircrew tried to escape but was captured by sovjet troops.The firedamaged He115 that was still afloat was attacked and shot to pieces by two finnish Morane-Saulnier MS 406 two days later.

The plot thickens.
Peter

[Adam]

Hi Peter,

thanks for the update

[Seaplanes]

I can add the following:
He 115N W.Nr. 3038 was the first of six such aircraft ordered by the Norwegian Naval Air Service. It first flew in Marienehe/Rostock (the Heinkel factory) on 27.06.1939 and was taken over by the Norwegians on 14.07.1939 and flown to the Horten air station at the Oslofjord the same day. To allow the aircraft transit through Swedish air space, it was nominally registered LN-MAB for this flight only. Its Naval Air Service serial number was F.50. After some initial tests after arrival in Horten, F.50 was handed over to No. 1 Air Group at the same location. Transferred to No. 2 Air Group at the island of Bergen-Flatöy on 04.10.1939 and then to No. 3 Air Group at Tromsö-Skattöra on 17.10.1939. At the time of the Norwegian surrender in Northern Norway, F.50 experienced som engine problems and could not be flown to UK as the other Heinkels did. It was decided to evacuate to Finland and F.50 left Tromsö on 08.06.1940 with Ltn. Helge Dahl at the controls. Who else that went with him, I do not know. The arrived the same day at Salmijärvi in Finland. The crew and aircraft were interned.

The loss of the aircraft on 04.07.1943 was more or less as described by you. However, my information says that the attack of the two MS.406 aircraft was negative. A Finnish long-range recce team claim to have seen a dismantled He 115 at Sekee railway station on 03.10.1943. If this was the remains of F.50 has yet to be confirmed.

[petertheswede]

Hi
Great info.
Thanks
Peter

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Seaplanes

Not sure if you have Marinens Flygevåpen 1912-1944 by Hafsten/Arheim (one of the most detailed books I ever come across!!)
On page 157 they say that the crew of the F.50 evacuated to Finland was crewed by, besides Dahl as you say, also Ltn Knut Skavhaugen.

This book is so full of details, that it actually can be difficult to see the trees because of the forest, but both Dahl and Skavhaugen were pilots.

Skavhaugen would later loose his life in Mosquito HR141 25.3.1945 with 333 Sq, so close of making it to the end....

All the Best
Stig

[Raimo Malkamäki]

Hi all,

I just want to confirm what Seaplanes and Peter wrote above.
According to Kavo Laurila in his book "Jatkosodan kaukopartiolennot" by Koala Kustannus Oy, 2002 ("Long Distance Patrol Flights in the Continuation War"), pages 78-79, this He 115 was really shot down by Russian ground troops at Tugasjärvi (Lake Tugas) on 4th of July, 1943.

It was supposed to get a Finnish patrol back to own lines. The Finns were waiting at another lake close by, Koutsajärvi, but the plane overflew without seeing the fires they had made (in July the nights are not dark in this part of the world!) and landed on the wrong lake.

The crew; pilot, lieutenant Yrjö Lemminki, gunner, sergeant Veikko Rinne and mechanic Armas Väistö were captured and returned only in November 1944. Moranes shot the wreck on the lake, but the remaining parts were later seen by another Finnish patrol, in an open railway car.
The loss of this valuable plane was a big setback for the small FAF, especially regarding this kind of special flights.

Best regards,
Raimo

[Martti Kujansuu]

http://digi.narc.fi/digi/fullpic.ka?kuid=4891408

To CO of Lentorykmentti 4,
Due of the disappearing of HE-115, Lentorykmentti 2 carried out a reconnaissance flight to Kouzajärvi terrain at 09.45 - 11.00 a.m. on July 5th. The plane was spotted partially sunken at the south end of Tugasjärvi around 25 meters from the shore. No movement was seen near the plane. [...] Tugasjärvi, map leaf P-37-111, coordinates x = 6000, y = 1400, is different as seen on the map as it is formed by three different, joined by a stream, ponds. The terrain between them is brownish swamp. The plane had probably landed from north to the southern pond (c. 800 m in length). The left landing gear had probably broken off since left wing was submerged and the right was higher. Fuselage was half submerged. Nose was facing west, towards the shore. Canopy was partly broken, some of it was seen on the left wing. A fire was seen c. 150 meters from the plane in a thick forest, but no people were seen. [...] According to our calculations our pilots have had time to left the scene of accident, so I'm giving an order to shoot the plane on fire on the morning of July 6th.
The HE started from the base in 9.45 p.m. at July 4th. The mission was to fetch a LRRP from a bay east of Kouzajärvi. According to calculations the return flight was to began c. 00.45 a.m. [...]

CO of Lentorykmentti 2
Everstiluutnantti J.W.R Harju-Jeanty

Liaison Officer for the General Staff
Kapteeni S. Blomqvist

http://digi.narc.fi/digi/fullpic.ka?kuid=4891415

When travelling to the pickup point the patrol was caught in a fight and thus was unable to arrive at the point in time. Patrol heard the plane but did not see it. Plane came from the east, as planned. Patrol heard also series of bursts from a machine gun. [...]

http://digi.narc.fi/digi/fullpic.ka?kuid=2903169

July 6th. [...] 9.20 - 10.40 a.m. Two planes destroyed the HE at grid 177 according to an order received at 11.25 p.m. on July 5th.

[petertheswede]

Hi.
Big thanks to Martti,Raimo and Stig for final info.What a great forum with so much knowledge everywhere.
Peter