Researching history of Finnish Lotta units in Reval, 1944

[researcher]

Hello all,

My mother was enlisted in the Finnish women's auxiliary corps, the Lotta Svärd, during the Continuation War with Russia. She was in a communications unit and was sent to Reval Estonia during the summer of 1944. Unfortunately, because of her Alzheimer's, she can't offer me any more information.

I am trying to find out as much as possible about her experiences as a Lotta generally but in particular her experience in Reval with the Luftwaffe. We have a few photographs, on the backs of which are the names of some of the officers. Some of the names written:

• Resech
• Dienst
• Nachtigall
• Hugobert
• Eddy Ries
• Jacki
• Rusche
• Neumayer
• et al

My sister has contacted the Finnish archives and we hope to hear from them soon. Any assistance that you all might be able to provide about these pilots, the Lotta in Estonia or at Malmi near Helsinki, or anything else you think might be relevant, would be deeply appreciated.

I'm not located in Finland, but I am planning a trip there, and hopefully also to Tallinn soon. I'd like to be as prepared as possible.

Thanks in advance,

[Larry deZeng]

Tallinn (EST) (a.k.a. Reval) (c. 59 25 N – 24 43 E)
General: Luftwaffe units stationed in and around the city on a specific date including at the airfields:
Lw. Garrison (on various dates): Koflug 8/VI (Feb, May 44); Werft-Abt. 101/I (1944); Frontreparaturbetrieb GL Reval (Espenlaub) (1943, 15 Mar 44); gem.Flak-Abt. 341 (15 Mar 44); gem.Flak-Abt. 431 (Jun 44); 6./Flak-Abt. 517 (15 Mar 44); 1./Ln.-Rgt. 11 (15 Mar 44); Stab/Ln.-Betr.Abt. (mot) z.b.V. 10 (Nov 41); elements of Flugmelde-Abt. z.b.V. 12 (Sep 44); Flugsicherungs-Kp. 12/I (15 Mar 44); Lw.-Vermittlung (15 Mar 44); Lw.-Schlächt-Kp. 9 and 12 (15 Mar 44); Kfz.Instandsetzungszug d.Lw. 3/IV ( ? – May 42); Kfz.Werkstattzug d.Lw. 102/I ( ? - May 42); Lw.-Verbindungsoffizier beim Frontleitstelle 22 Tallinn (15 Mar 44).
15 Mar 44: total Luftwaffe garrison strength in Tallinn this date: 197.


Flugmelde-Abteilung z.b.V. 12
This was a battalion-size aircraft plotting and reporting unit that belonged to the Luftnachrichtentruppe (Luftwaffe signals branch). In the summer of 1944, its HQ and staff and part of its 4th Company were stationed in Tallinn (Reval), while its other three companies were spread out around Estonia (Tartu, Pärnu, etc.). This unit had a large number of Estonian and Finnish volunteers including female communications specialists. My educated guess is that this is the unit your Mom was assigned to, although she could have been with one of the other units in green above. I don’t think you will be able to pursue the Luftwaffe angle much further until you hear back from the authorities in Helsinki with more concrete information.

[Kari Lumppio]

Hei!

Finnish Air Observation unit 44.Ilmavalvontakomppania was based in Estonia. Headquarters IIRC were at Tallinn and observation posts Letipää etc. You should find at least war diary for 44. Iv.K. digitalized from http://digi.narc.fi/digi/search.ka

Yes. Here is the direct link:
http://digi.narc.fi/digi/slistaus.ka?ay=86114

Kansallisarkisto does have more for the 44. Iv.K. Toimintakertomus for example.

My understanding is that no Finnish Lotta was member of Luftwaffe organization. Co-operation, yes.

Cheers,
Kari

[Larry deZeng]

Kari L. -

The information regarding volunteers came from:

Köhler, Karl, “Der Einsatz der Luftwaffe im Bereich der Heeresgruppe Nord von Ende Juni bis Mitte Oktober 1944”, in Meier-Welcker, Hans (ed.), Abwehrkämpfe am Nordflügel der Ostfront 1944- 1945 (Stuttgart, 1963).

I believe the author said "..........volunteers, mostly Estonian." However, since I already knew about the Finnish service women being in Tallinn, I incorrectly assumed that they were the others. I agree that the Lotta women did not belong to the German Luftwaffe and I never thought that was the case, but they most likely were attached to the Luftwaffe operationally and possibly for rations and accommodations.

We will leave it to "researcher" to read through the 44-page KTB handwritten in Finnish to get to the bottom of it all. I hope "researcher" can read the language, because I sure can't! Finnish and Hungarian are impenetrable to outsiders.

L.

P.S. the Abt.-Kommandeur of Flugmelde-Abteilung z.b.V. 12 in 1943-44 was Obstlt. Karl Krügel.

[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

No worries, Larry. Your post was quite interesting. I do have photocopy of the Kössler's article (IIRC it was only part of the book?).

I do also have photocopies of a book "Õhuseire Eestis 1942-1944" - Air Surveillance in Estonia - published 1999 in Tallinn. No other publisher details. At least in my copies.

The short book (59 pages) tells among other things about the Flugmelde Abteilung z.b.V. 11 and it's four companies. In Estonian only. It also includes list of names for the Estonians who served in the unit and small maps of the observation posts and communication lines for 1942, 1943 and 1944. I believe the maps are not war-time, but the information may be derived from wartime material. I do not know.

There was no females in the name list.

Cheers,
Kari

[Larry deZeng]

Yes, Flugmelde-Abt. z.b.V. 11 and 12 were twin sisters. In 1944, z.b.V. 11 had aircraft observations sections and outposts at Pskov, Luga, Tartu, Rakvere, etc. The 1942 and 1943 locations were Staraya Russa, Nevel, Izhora, Gory, Tuleblya, etc. It seems that z.b.V. 11 was deployed inland while z.b.V. 12 was mostly along the Baltic coast. I don't know about z.b.V. 12, but z.b.V. 11 had quite a few casualties from Russian bombs and artillery fire, so I think it was a little too close to the action for women. Back then, women were generally spared from frontline duty. Today, things are different. We have lost nearly 200 women soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to IEDs and small arms fire.

[SES]

In most western military organizations women were mainly used in rear/HQ organizations.
In this connection this HQ is of interest:
http://www.gyges.dk/Gefechtsstand%20...fu%20Reval.htm
NACHTIGAL was a Flugmeldemess Stellung 3'ord (a single radar) in Northern Norway.
bregds
SES