Luftwaffe air recon flights in very late May – early June 1944 to southern Karelia Isthmus/Lenigrad area

[Juha]

Hello
does anybody have some concrete information about these recon flights, IIRC made at night by Do 217 recon a/c? IIRC Finns got intelligence reports on these flights but not pictures.

TIA
Juha

[Matti Salonen]

At least the following from Riga and back:
1944-05-13, Do 217, 21.45 - 02.30, 7000 m, route Riika-94b-142a-170d-115-94b-Riika
1944-05-15, Do 217, 21.45 - 02.00, route Riika-118-120-167-142-169-144-Riika
1944-05-18, Do 217, 21.45 - 02.00, 2000 m, route Riika-118-119-120-142-143-144-Riika
1944-06-02, Do 217, 22.00 - 02.00, 5000 m, route Riika-118-119-120-167-142-168-143-169-144-Riika

Matti

[Juha]

Hello Matti
thanks a lot for the instant reply!

Thankfully
Juha

Ps. the one that might have given some early warning about the Soviet troop concentrations is the last one, 1944-06-02. Have you any info on the places behind the codes 118-...-144?

TIA
Juha

[Matti Salonen]

The codes are the numbers of the grid squares used in the war-time air surveillance map of Finland. Size of a square was one degree in longitude and half a degree in latitude. 143 was between 28 and 29 E, 60 and 60.30 N. 144 was the next square east of it and 142 next square west of it etc. 118 was east of Tallinn on the south coast of Gulf of Finland. I am sure that if you pay a visit to the Air Force museum you will see the original map.

Matti

[Juha]

Hello Matti
again, thank a lot for the info!
And thanks for the tip. Now I must only get my wife to accept a stop at the museum when we will drive past it next time. She has not a slightest interest in old military a/c and has spent 2 – 3 hours in the museum café while I have wandered around the museum during our previous visits there.

Thankfully
Juha