Theodor Rowehl and Metzner

[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

Does anyone know a LW officer by name Metzner, who may have visited Finland in 1939 together with Obstlt. Theodor Rowehl (well-known high-altitude recce photo expert, C.O. of Versuchsstelle für Höhenflug in 1939, later Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L.).

All info concerning Metzner (unit, personal career etc) are welcome,
Carl

[RossGmann]

Found 3 Metzner’s who served with the Luftwaffe. One of them may be the person you are seeking.

www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7886 Günther Metzner

http://users.accesscomm.ca/magnusfamily/ww2ger.htm
Metzner Günther Luftwaffe JG52 & 11; Injured 9/Feb/1945,
DOW 11/Feb/1945; (5 victory count is approximate)

www.luftwaffe.no/SIG/Losses/tap421.html Walter Metzner

www.luftwaffe.no/SIG/Losses/tap43.html Rudolf Metzner



Kind regards
Ross

[Günther Ott]

Hi Carl,

This appears referrring to Paul Mitzner, d.o.b. 15.11.1898, of Rowehl's Aufkl.Gr. Ob.d.L. (formerly Hansa Luftbild-Erprobung and Fliegerstaffel z.b.V. Staaken). V.f.H. was just a Sonderformation within Aufkl.Gr. Ob.d.L.

I wonder when he and Theodor Rowehl had visited Finland.

Regards,

Günther

[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

Günther,
thank you for your answer: Rowehl and "Metzner" arrived in Helsinki, Finland 11 May 1939. Next day they possibly met Finnish AF Captain Armas Eskola, who made several clandestine recce flights over Soviet territory in summer 1939 with a specially equipped Blenheim. The first camera used was an English Eagle IV (which functioned unreliably). From 8 August 1939 a German Rb 3030/50 was used. The last recce mission of Eskola was flown 29 August 1939. The area covered included Leningrad and Kronstadt, and also Soviet Karelia (River Svir, Olonets, Petrozavodsk and Medvezhegorsk).
Carl

I enclose the English summary of an article which I published in the Finnish Journal of Military History Vol.25 (2006); main text in Finnish only:

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Photo recconnaissance flights of the Finnish Air Force before the Winter war 1939-1940

In summer 1939 a number of clandestine photo recconnaissance flights over north-western Soviet Union was performed by Finnish Air Force Captain Armas Eskola, who was one of the most experienced Finnish bomber pilots. From 1937 Finnish AF had aquired modern British-made Bristol Blenheim bombers, of which six aircraft had been ferry-flown to Finland by Eskola.

In mid-April 1939 Eskola (then serving in Air Regiment 4 at Immola in south-east Finland) was summoned to the Finnish General Staff in Helsinki. He was unexpectedly asked whether air photography from an altitude of 7 000 metres was possible with the new aircraft. After answering affirmatively, Eskola was requested to perform practical experiments. He made his first test flight (with hand-picked crew) near Immola on April 21, 1939. Already next day Eskola reported the positive results to the General Staff, and was subsequently asked whether he was ready to continue his photo recce activities over Soviet territory.

In case of technical malfunctions and possible other problems when in Soviet airspace, Eskola and his crew would be entirely on their own. The camera equipment was to be thrown away (which was virtually impossible). Regardless of the challenging and dangerous conditions Eskola and his crew volunteered, and were given further detailled top-secret instructions.

From April 26 to August 29, 1939 a total of 12 flights over Soviet territory was performed without any major technical problems. Only in 1979 the first spurious information of Eskola´s top secret flights was published, with only reference being his own flight diaries and recollections. As up till now no independent documentary evidence has been available, Eskola´s recollections did clearly not get approproate.

Regardless of almost total annihilation of Finnish military intelligence files, sufficient documentary evidence have recently been found in the Finnish Military Archives for verification and qualification of Eskola´s reminiscences.

Eskola´s first nine flights were made using a British made Eagle IV camera, while an RMK P50/30x30 Reihenbildner camera (”on loan” from Germany!) was used during his last three flights from August 11 to 29, 1939. While the British camera was unreliable in sub-zero temperatures, the German RMK functioned perfectly in all conditions.

Exact routes of Eskola´s first five flights (with take-off from Immola) are still unknown, but were apparently rather short intrusions in the Soviet airspace on the Karelian Isthmus. On the contrary original sketches of the next five routes (performed between June 29 and August 11, 1939 from Värtsilä and Onttola) indicate that most important locations and roads of East Karelia (including Petrozavodsk, Karhumäki, Aunus), and the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga were photographed.

On the last two flights (19 and 29 August 1939) Eskola photographed the southern part of Karelian Isthmus (including Leningrad and Kronstadt). Several tens of photos taken during these two flights have been found (including pictures of Shuvalovo, Levashovo and Kasimovo AF bases north of Leningrad).

Quite paradoxically, Eskola´s flights can also be verified in the archives of the Foreign Ministry. Despite the fact that his commissioneers apparently were convinced that his flights could not be observed from the ground, both Finnish and Soviet frontier guards detected many of his border crossings. Some of the Finnish observations of Eskola´s border crossings led even the Finnish Foreign Ministry to file diplomatic protests to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, as it was assumed that Soviet aircraft were in fact observed!

It is still not clear why Eskola´s daring flights were undertaken, and on which level decisions required were taken. The German camera used on his last three flights in August 1939 may indicate a secret cooperation with German intelligence authorities. However, only a few days after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact (August 23, 1939) Eskola´s last photo flight in Soviet air space before the Winter war was performed on August 29, 1939.

Had similar recconnaissance flights been performed in October-November 1939 Soviet preparations for the attack to come on November 30, 1939 would certainly have been detected. Now Eskola´s top secret photos were primarily used for training of photogrammetric analysts, and corrections of Finnish topographical maps of the Soviet border areas.

During the last days of the Winter war arrival of Anglo-French bomber squadrons was expected in Finland, and preparation of ”target files” for the long-range bombers (including strategic objects in Leningrad oblast, East Karelia etc), explicitely based on Eskola´s photos was initiated on 9 March 1940. Apparently no ”target files” were handed over to Anglo-French representatives before the peace treaty was signed at night 12-13 March 1940.