Oberleutnant Walter Schuck passes

[Raimo Malkamäki]

Dear Mr Peterburs,

this was very sad news.

I had a special honour spending 3 days with Mr Schuck when he was visiting Finland together with Hans-Ekkehard Bob and Peter Spoden in March 2009. Walter appeared at least 10–15 years younger than his real age (89) back then. He was very eager to tell about his experiences in northern Finland and Norway during the war. That visit in March 2009 was his first and last visit to Finland after the war. During our flight with the Finnish Air Force CASA C-295M from Helsinki to Jyväskylä Walter absolutely wanted to take a look in the cockpit and also see the Finnish winter landscape from the air, after 65 years. The young Finnish pilots had no objections after they heard about his background.

Of those three wonderful gentlemen, only Peter is still with us today.

I will remember the rest of my life the moment when these three veterans were laying flowers on the grave of their former German comrades at the Hietaniemi cemetery, Helsinki.

Horrido!

Raimo Malkamäki