Attention to all Finns! Mr Spoden & Mr Scheer in Finland

[Raimo Malkamäki]

Hello all fellow countrymen,

I would like to use the opportunity and remind all Finns about the lectures during the next weekend:

After Generalleutnant Günther Rall, Wing Commander Robert Foster and General Vasilj Reshetnikov, The Aviation Museum Society, Finland is proud to present our next foreign guests, Mr Peter Spoden (NJG 5 & 6) and Mr Klaus J Scheer (NJG 100). Both gentlemen flew nightfighters during the WW II and worked later as Lufthansa captains. As you know, Mr Spoden is an active member of this board.

Mr Spoden and Mr Scheer will give two lectures in Finland, the first one at Tikkakoski on Saturday, May 28th and the second one at Vantaa on Sunday, May 29th. I have been in regular contact with these two gentlemen during the last months, and I can assure you that they will have some very interesting stories to tell us.

If you are coming to Vantaa, it is highly recommended to make a reservation in advance. The auditorium of the Finnish Aviation Museum has a limited number of seats.

Please read more details here: http://www.ilmailumuseo.fi/ajankohta...n_suomeen.html

Don´t miss this unique event!

Best regards,

Raimo Malkamäki
Treasurer
Aviation Museum Society, Finand

[Anders]

hello Raimo,,

I need more info on the event/lecture at Tikkakoski...

Time,,location and so on

colud you plz contact me ASAP...

///Anders

flash799@hotmail.com

[Juha]

Thanks a lot Raimo et al who arranged this visit. And the greatest thanks of course to the two German Gentlemen, who made possible this most pleasant and rewarding occasion.

Both German Gentlemen were very vivid and gave excellent lectures on night fighting on Western and Eastern Fronts and answered the numerous questions.

Juha

[Erich]

So Juha what did you learn from the two veterans ? Did they bring some private photos with them in the form of a slide show to present ? Please inform us

many thanks E ~

[Juha]

Hello Eric

put it short, they showed a slide on Spoden's Bf 110 with Lichtenstein taken during a daytime training flight and a slide on Scheer's Ju 88 C, also with a Lichtenstein set, and also a slide where Scheer was standing aside of the tail of a Fw 189 modified to a night fighter.
Spoden mostly told on the general technical and tactical matters and developments of LW night fighter force during the war which You know already well if You are the Eric I assume You are. But he also told his daytime attack on B-17 box after which he was forced to make a belly landing because of hits from return fire, his feelings during the Battle of Hamburg etc.
Scheer told for example on his first combat mission during which he got his first victory, on the night when he got 5 victories during 2 sorties. He also told that the German radio intelligence was very good on Eastern Front. How they even got right radio beacon maps on Soviet radio beacons for long range night fighter missions against Soviet bomber fields even if Soviet changed the locations of their beacons very often.
Both think that Ju 88 was a better night fighter than Bf 110, and both liked Boeing 747. The most dangerous enemy was Mosquito. When asked both agreed that Locheed Constellation was a nice plane for pilot's point of view, even if it had its pecularities and this in spite of its engines. Scheer repeated the common oppinion that it was the best 3 engine passager plane of its time. They talked 1½ - 2 hours and then answered to questions over a ½ hour and then began their signing session during which they also answered to many questions. The whole occasion took almost 4 hours.

HT gave something on that very interesting occasion
Juha

[Peter Spoden]

hello our friends in Finland,

Klaus and I were very impressed by the hospitality and friendship the Finns gave us. Guenther Rall was lecturing before in Finland and had told us already.
The Finns had not forgotten that German troops under von der Goltz helped Mannerheim after WW I to reach their independence.
They remembered us about the German flyers in the Kohlmey group in 1944:

http://www.pelastamalmi.org/en/news/mass_offensive.html

But mostly Klaus and I were touched and moved when young Finns after the lectures came to us and thanked us that we had risked our young lives for protection of their hometown Helsinki against Sowjet nightbombers.

Thank you Finns Klaus and Peter

[Jan Bobek]

I as a Czech citizen duly agree about opinion of Finns,


I was to Helsinki Model Expo in April (visited also Tikkakoski and Helsinki museums which I fully reccomend) and as soon as I mentioned that I know some pilots from Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey, Finns immediately asked me to give them regards and thanks.

For breakfast or cofee break I reccomend small cafe in Old market hall in Helsinki´s south port close to Esplanada. You will see there nice color paintings signed by Finnish and German aircrews

Horrido

Jan Bobek

[Juha]

Mr Spoden
I would like thank You and Herr Scheer once more for a most wonderful lectures and answers. You were so energic and vivid!

Thankfully
Juha Vaittinen

[Grendel]

Herr Scheer, Herr Spoden,

So my thanks for visiting us and giving us a view into your careers and experiences. I'm the journalist who chatted with You gentlemen after the first lecture at Tikkakoski, at the museum. The experience was unforgettable for me, and my friends have praised your "show" highly. I must say that there were many details I had never heard about, and it was fascinating how well you were able to tell about them - even going into the very small details at times.

Unfortunately we were in such a hurry in the end of the interview and the last quick tour at the museum that I completely forgot, in the rush, to give both my own thanks and thanks from people who were not able to come to the lectures to Herr Scheer for his part in the defence of our small country. We are thankful for that.
Unfortunate, even more on personal level, is that I completely forgot to ask for a photo of myself with you two Gentlemen. But at least I got the signatures.

As you Gentlemen noticed, I was hurrying around with a video camera and you'll both receive a DVD of your lecture when I've processed the videos. And printed photographs as well.

Again, many thanks for giving us the honor of listening to You. It was magnificient event.

Kindest regards,
Jukka Kauppinen
Journalist
Finnish Virtual Pilots Association

PS. If anyone taped the lecture at Helsinki in ANY form, please contact me. I would like to have at least the questions & answers part, for adding it to the compilation DVD. My email is jkauppin@jmp.fi.

[Anders]

Hallo Herr spoden,,

a much appreciated and warm THANK YOU,,
to you Herr Spoden and Herr Scheer, for
your lecture at Tikkakoski,,
only one complaint tho..
It was all to short

All the best
Anders
http://medlem.spray.se/jabs/Nachtjagd.html