Flugplatz Krissicha

[wit661owl]

Good morning to all
Here is another strange name on the road of II./JG53 during Barbarossa:
Krissicha. Does someon any idea where exactly the place could/can be?
All the best

[Larry deZeng]

Is Krissicha a Flugplatz and do you have a date when II./JG 53 was there? I will see what I can find out later today.

There are 4 or 5 places in Latvia and 1 or 2 in Lithuania that begin with the letter “Kris…..” But there is none in Estonia.

Possibly Krzewica/70 km W of Brest?

L.

[Larry deZeng]

Okay, the closest I could get on this is:

Krassucha, Feldflugplatz, 170 km WNW of Kalinin, 1020 x 233 meters.

Unfortunately, the distance is too far east to be considered.

There is nothing else in the German SU Airfields Directory that comes close to the spelling "Krissicha."

Larry

[andrus]

Hello,

http://ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg53.htm speaks about Krussicha.

[Larry deZeng]

Or perhaps this one?

Kuusiku (EST) (58 59 30 N – 24 42 57 E)
Einsatzhafen in NW Estonia c. 51 km S Tallinn and 2.25 km N of the village of Kuusiku; ZNr. 931; 1170 x 2210 meters.



L.

[wit661owl]

Yes, looks interesting. On July 15th German offensive in the direction of Tallin was stoped approx 60 km south of the town but command of Armee Gruppen Nord planed to restart it in third decade of July and probably for that reason II./JG53 was transfered to Estonia, very likely to Kuusiku
Thanks for that all the best

[andrus]

No, this Kuusiku near Rapla is not very likely. It was taken by German troops only in mid-August.

Prien 6/II pg. 129 gives note: "another name for place [Krussischa] is Cazucher".

[oquaig]

My suggestion here is that Krussischa is Raadi-Kruusamae on the northeast side of Tartu (Dorpat) Estonia (58.401385N, 26.746977E) It was a soviet airfield (home of OKAE 65). The only other Soviet airfield in Estonia occupied by the Germans at this time was Parnu. Kruusamae was the name of the Suburb of Tartu next to the airfield. Tartu had only been cleared of Soviet troops a few days before. II./JG 53 may have flown there to support 18th Army's drive to clear eastern Estonia which began on 17 July.

[andrus]

Unfortunately, Raadi was in soviet hand at least until 22. July.

After defeat in Lithuania and in Latvia, soviet forces took in the the beginning of July defence line lake Peipsi (Peipussee) - Pärnu (Pernau). Between lake Peipsi and lake Võrtsjärv (Wirzsee) defence line was on northern side of river Emajõgi (Embach in german, another name used in Estonia is Suur-Emajõgi).
Tartu is town on both sides of river Emajõgi and Raadi is on northern side of river: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raadi-Kruusam%C3%A4e (blue line - river Emajõgi)

Southern part of Tartu was free of soviets on 11. July.
Soviet forces bean retreat from northern part of Tartu only after germans (XXVI. Armeekorps) lauched attack on 22.July from northern tip of Võrtsjärv to the NW coast of lake Peipsi.

short overview of fighting around Tartu in 1941 is in Baltic Defence Review 9: http://www.baltdefcol.org/files/files/BSDR/BDR_09.pdf pages 165ff. (today it's little bit outdated, after plenty of soviet and german primary sources become available).

[gilles collaveri]

In one of Matti's record, I had :

Kraciai/Litauen

GC