German tri-engine long-range recce shot up on June 29, 1941

[ChrisMAg2]

Denes,
I found this:

...The 2.(F)/Staffel was transferred to Orly near Paris and the 3. / to Bucharest-Baneasa?. The 1.(F)/Staffel operated from Seerappen with the He 111 and covered the area of White Russia. The 2.(F)/Staffel later followed from Insterburg and covered the Baltic States and the direction of Lake Ilmen. Operating from Bucharest, the 3.(F)/Staffel covered the Black Sea and coast and as farther north as possible.
The V.f.H. flew from Cracow and Budapest towards the region of Kiev and Minsk. These missions were carried out using He 111s with special high-altitude engines, as well as Do 215s, Ju 88Bs and the Ju 86P, using pressure cabins and specially adapted engines. ...

From here:
http://www.wiki.luftwaffedata.co.uk/...hp?articleId=1

Maybe one of the He 111? I remember seeing photos of He 111 for high atitude use, but where and what type?

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by ChrisMAg2

Denes,
I found this: (...)

Well, this contradicts what I found on the unit:

For pre-invasion reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union, 4./Aufkl. St. (F)/ Ob. d. L. was temporarily based in Bucharest, Romania, and Krakow, Poland. However, on 21 June 1941, it was relocated to Berlin-Rangsdorf for operations against western targets.

In support of Unternehmen Barbarossa, the:

1./Aufkl. St. (F)/Ob. d. L. operated from Krakow, Poland (operational targets included the Baltic States and the Leningrad area);
2./Aufkl. St. (F)/Ob. d. L. operated from Bucharest, Romania (operational targets included Moscow and industrial/mining areas of the USSR); and,
3./Aufkl. St. (F)/Ob. d. L. operated from Hamina, Finland (operational targets included Murmansk and nothern regions of the USSR).

[Source: Arvo L. V. , Luftwaffe's "Kommando Rowehl"]

Now, which internet source is right? Unfortunately, I cannot access any of my sources, as they are packed in boxes

[Dénes Bernád]

The fact that it was a tri-engine airplane intrigues me. Apart of the Ju 52/3m - clearly unsuitable for long-range reconnaissance missions over enemy territory - no other aircraft type, in service in 1941, comes to my mind.
Any suggestions?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád

The fact that it was a tri-engine airplane intrigues me. Apart of the Ju 52/3m - clearly unsuitable for long-range reconnaissance missions over enemy territory - no other aircraft type, in service in 1941, comes to my mind.
Any suggestions?

Bv 138? Could have been operating over the Black Sea I suppose but more likey to have landed on water than an airfield.

[ChrisMAg2]

Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád

The fact that it was a tri-engine airplane intrigues me. Apart of the Ju 52/3m - clearly unsuitable for long-range reconnaissance missions over enemy territory - no other aircraft type, in service in 1941, comes to my mind.
Any suggestions?

What about testbed a/c with two original engines and a third in the fuselage for the high altitude boost (i.e. a He 111)? I remember that there was something like that, but don't remember details.