RAF pilot training, 1940

[Juha]

Hello Timothy
not sure who you mean but Rall was born on 10 March 1918.

Juha

[timothy]

Guessed so - those extra 2 3/4 years beyond mine made all the difference in those days.

There weren't many boy Aces?

I mean - just look back on my photograph - do I look like a killer?

= Tim

PS Meant to add that we had no briefing on Tactics, effect of our Weapons, survival in France, Luftwaffe intentions.............etc.

[Juha]

Hello Timothy
I agree, many of the RAF and Finnish AF aces were those pre-war regulars, on Finns probably most. On the younger ones; our No. 2, Wind (64½+10+2 confirmed+prob+dam) was born in 1919 as was also No. 8 Katajainen (30½+4+6). The youngest ones, born in 1921 or later were at least No. 10 Karhila (30¼+2+4) born in 1921, as were Alakoski (22+6+3), Leino (5+6+1), Pasila (8+1+2), Virtanen (6+2+0), Hillo (7⅓+1+0) and Trontti (5+1+1). Laitinen (9+1+0) and Nyman (6+0+0) were born in 1922 and Hattinen (4+2+3) and Keskinummi (4½+1+0) in 1923.

Juha

On 24 June 41 the Flight Leutenant of 2./LLv 24 (Brewster Buffalos) noticed that one of his pilots, Corporal Heimo Lampi, hasn't yet done his gunnery excercises so they began to build some ground targets for him and asked for an army co-op Fokker C.X to fly a target towing mission for Lampi on late afternoon 25 June 41, but Soviet SBs arrived earlier that day, Lampi got 2½ SBs of 201 SAP and other pilots and the F/Ltn decided that that will do and the F/Ltn phoned to the Army Co-op sqn to cancel the request for a target towing sortie.

Juha

[timothy]

Nice one!

Finland? We almost got to Petsamo escorting the Russian Pe2s from Vaenga.

= Tim

[Kutscha]

Thank you very much Tim for all your info.

[Juha]

Hello Tim
at that time troops in Northern Finland were mostly German ones even if there were also some Finnish units, for ex some AA units, and the civilians were of course Finns. Also air defence was in German hands even IIRC just the 2./LLv 24 made a few missions up to White Sea,

Juha

[timothy]

Thanks.

You may not have seen this one - good music!!

http://www.2gvsap.org/video/151_0805.wmv

= Tim

[Juha]

Excellent Tim!
music was great but IMHO even better was those shots on your logbook and on that combat report. I should be able to visit Murmansk before this summer is over.

Juha