Inscription on reverse of photo? Place name?

[Ian Jewison]

Thanks all.....these are the only Ju 52 with +MT and locations that I can find

[ghostwriter]

hello

Originally Posted by edwest2

Bolzi is the place name. And that is some highly stylized handwriting.

can't it just be the photographer's name?!
for example ...

regards
ghostwriter

[edwest2]

That is the best answer so far. Such a name may be Italian or Swiss.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

IAN,

I can not see snow or a typical winter sky on the photograph...on the contrary...a bright sky (sun) and it seems to be summer, wherever the place is on the Russian Front.

So we can probably rule out those losses you posted, on winter (December, January); what do you think?

With a shorter list, maybe you or another helper can track down the crews and fate of the machine (on those LW losses list).

Apparently (watching the Picture, some crewmembers may have survived the crash landing).

A. Baumgartner

[Ian Jewison]

The name of the photographer crossed my mind as did locations.....it may or may not be a makeshift airfield and it may not have been shot down but shot up on the ground.......many options.....we may never know.....


Thanks all for input
Ian

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear IAN,

Just found a guy named PIETRO BOLZI (4° Reggimento Genio Pontieri) here: www.piacenzaprimogenita150.it/getFile.php?id=877

Maybe the 11/04/1943 did have some Italians on board?

Adriano Baumgartner

[Adriano Baumgartner]

But I should have read before...WW1...my mistake...

[Larry deZeng]

"...…."Ju 52 vom ruß.(ische) jäger im Brand geschossen. Bolzi"

Hi Ian -

It could be SolzySolzi - there were two Ju 52 units there in August and September 1941 - these are in BOLD below:

Solzy (RUSS) (a.k.a. Soltsy, Solzi) (ZNr. 10-1304) (c. 58 08 08 N – 30 19 47 E) ((AFHRA)
General: operational airfield (E-Hafen) in NW Russia 36 km N of Dno, 36 km W of Lake Ilmen and 2.3 km NE of Soltsy town center. History: a permanent prewar Soviet base for long range bombers. Surface and Dimensions: natural surface measuring approx. 3000 x 2400 meters (3280 x 2625 yards) from boundary-to-boundary. According to Russian sources, the runway(s) were still under construction on 22 June 1941. Infrastructure: see below under Remarks. Dispersal: see below under Remarks. Defenses: no details found.
Remarks:
Jan 41: Soviet 2 BAP here.
22 Jun 41: Soviet 7 TBAP (TB-3 bombers) based here.
14 Jul 41: Soltsy captured by German troops advancing toward Leningrad and Novgorod, retaken by the Russians on 17 July and then recaptured by the Germans on 22 July.
29 Aug 41: attacked by Pe-2s and Il-2s with an escort of MiG-3s - results not stated.
2 Oct 42: bombed – 1 x Fw 189 A-2 from 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 31 damaged on the ground.
4 Oct 42: air attack – III./St.G. 77 reported 6 ground personnel KIA during a Russian air raid on the field and 7 more WIA.
30 Oct 42: bombed – 1 x Hs 126 B-1 from 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 13 (or 31?) damaged on the ground.
15 Mar 43: bombed – 1 x Ar 66 belonging to 2/Störkampfgruppe Luftflotte 1 destroyed on the ground.
21 Feb 44: Soltsy liberated by Soviet forces.
9 Mar 44: aerial photo taken - snow-covered and no aircraft present.
13 May 44: a Luftwaffe aerial photo taken this date by 3.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 22 shows an irregular-shaped airfield with a landing area measuring 1800 x 970 meters (1970 x 1060 yards). There were two separate permanent runways (paved?) that were at right angles to each other, one 1200 meters (1310 yards) in length and aligned SW/NE, the other 1100 meters (1205 yards) in length and aligned NW/SE. The runways were not concrete, but rather tarmacadam (tarmac) or perhaps gravel with heavy oil poured on top and then rolled. The ends of both runways were connected to the hangar/workshop area by taxiways, part of which were paved. The buildings were in a group 1 km N of the Shelon River and included 3 hangars, 10 workshops and operations buildings, and roughly 100 technical services, support and barrack buildings. The airfield was served by a rail spur with a siding. Aircraft parked in at least 75 shrapnel-proof open shelters and hardstands that were around the runways and along the W boundary. All of the infrastructure had been demolished by the retreating Germans and part of the landing area plowed up. No Soviet aircraft were seen here on this date.
Operational Units: Stab/JG 27 (Aug 41); III./JG 27 (Aug 41); II./JG 52 (Aug 41); IV./KG z.b.V. 1 (Aug-Sep 41); Transportstaffel VIII. Fliegerkorps (Aug-Sep 41); 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 13 (Jan-Nov 42); 4.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 23 (Jan-Mar 42); III./JG 3 (Feb-Apr 42); Stab/NAGr. 11 (Apr 42 – c. Oct 43); 15.(kroat.)/KG 53 (Jul 42); III./St.G. 77 (Sep-Oct 42); II./JG 3 (Sep-Nov 42); 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 31 (Sep 42 – c. Feb 43); Störkampfgruppe Luftflotte 1 (Oct 42 – Mar 43); Nahaufkl.St. 11./13 (Nov 42 – Oct 43).
Station Commands: Fl.H.Kdtr. E 3/XI (1942-43).
Station Units (on various dates – not complete): part of I/Feldwerftverband 60 (Jan-Dec 42); Res.Flak-Abt. 323 (Aug 41); elements of le.Res.Flak-Abt. 994 (c.Feb-Oct 42); 3.(Fern.Verb.)/Ln.-Betr.Abt. (mot) z.b.V. 10 (Oct 42); Ln.-Betr.Kp. (mot)/NAGr. 11 (Nov 42); Lw.-Bau-Stamm-Abt. 4 (Nov 41, Feb 42); Lw.-Bau-Gerätezug 6/XI (May 42 - ? ).
[Sources: chronologies; AFHRA, BA-MA; NARA incl. T-321 roll 239/OKL 903; OKL Flugplatzatlas d. Sowjetunion; PRO/NA; web site ww2.dk; NARA Aerial Photographs at College Park/MD (9.3.44, 13.5.44)]

[edwest2]

Thank you Larry. This is the problem with Russian/Slavic place names.

[Ian Jewison]

Thanks gents,

Dénes Bernád contacted me:

"Belzi, in other words Bâlti. I published this photo in "From Barbarossa to Odessa", by Midland Publ, Vol. 1."

I do not have this book unfortunately.

/Ian