Skaja airfield Russland - October 1942

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Not being too familiar with the Eastern Front, I have tried but got no joy in finding SKAJA Flugplatz.

Would it be Taman-Skaja on the Kersch area around Krim peninsula ?

Which unit flying He 111 H would be operating on that SKAJA Flugplatz around October 1942?

Sadly I do have no other clue

A.

[Larry deZeng]

Adriano -

ская = skaya (or skaja in German). It means "sky" in English and for some unknown reason is used as a suffix on countless Russian cities, towns and villages. So I doubt if there is a airfield or place that is named just plain "Skaja" or Skaya. There were a number of airfields in North Caucasia that had the "skaja" ending in fall 1942, e.g., Soldatskaya, Abinskaya, Akhtanizovskaya, Andreyevskaya, Arkhangelskaya, and that's just for the letter "A". But no "Skaja". There were 138 other airfields in European Russia during the war that ended in "skaya" (skaja).

L.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Larry, I really didn't know the meaning of this Russian word...always learning here at this Forum.

You are right...a Russian friend just answered me privately about the immense possibility of airfields...but I do have one guess...which could be that one near Krim:

[i]Fiihrerhptqrt., 17. 5. 42. (DNB.) OKW7.: Über die Straße von Kertsch flüchtende sowjetische Kräfte erlitten durch Luftangriffe hohe Verluste. Auf Taman-skaja[/I]

Here is the back of the picture I mentioned....October 1942..S'Kaja or Skaja. Russland.

By the way, your sites and works (LW Officers List and LW Airfields in WW2) have been, during the years a fantastic source. THANK YOU immensely and congratulations for a magnific work which helps sprog-historians like me quite a lot...

A.

[Larry deZeng]

Adriano - first, thanks for the nice complement!

The back of the photo shows: "S'kaja". This tells me that whoever wrote it didn't remember how to spell the full name so he abbreviated it by using an apostrophe to indicate some other letters were left out. Here are some possibilities in North Caucasia that begin with the letter "S":

Sewerskaja I (RUSS) (a.k.a. Severskaya) (ZNr. 4491) (c. 44 54 23 N – 38 40 18 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in North Caucasia 30 km SW Krasnodar and 6.3 km N of Severskaya town center.
Slawjanskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Slavyanskaya and Slavyansk-na-Kubani) (ZNr. 10-3209) (c. 45 14 31 N – 38 05 19 E). General: operational airfield (E-Hafen) in N Caucasia 72.95 km W of Krasnodar and 4.1 km WSW of Slavyansk-na-Kubani town center. Not to be confused with a small postwar sports airstrip c. 3.9 km SSE of Slawjanskaja E-Hafen. History: main transport and cargo glider hub for flights originating in Crimea from late Jan 43.
Soldatskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Soldatskaya) (ZNr. 10-6832) (c. 43 49 N – 43 49 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in N Caucasia 240 km NNW of Tiflis (Tbilisi)/Georgia, 71 (80?) km SE of Mineralnyye Vody and 68 km ESE of Pyatigorsk. History: a busy Luftwaffe airfield from the beginning of October 1942 to late December 1942. By mid-Nov 42, there were two strips: S/Ost and S/Nord.
Staromarjewskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Staromaryevskaya, Staromaryevka) (ZNr. 10-4383) (c. 45 06 33 N – 42 06 48 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in North Caucasia 12.25 km NE of Voroshilovsk (Stavropol) and 9.25 km WNW of Staromaryevka town center.
Staronishesteblijewskaja I (RUSS) (a.k.a. Staronizhestebliyevskaya) (ZNr. 10-3764) (c. 45 23 36 N – 38 27 31 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in North Caucasia 57 km NW of Krasnodar and 2.55 km NE of Staronizhestebliyevskaya town center.
Staro Schtscherbinowskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Staro Shcherbinovskaya, Staroshcherbinovskaya) (ZNr. 10-803) (c. 46 39 21 N – 38 34 22 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in North Caucasia 105 km SW Rostov and 2.85 km WNW of Staroshcherbinovskaya town center.
Suworowskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Suvorovskaya) (ZNr. 10-3717) (c. 44 11 N – 42 38 E). General: field airstrip (Feldflugplatz) in North Caucasia 110 km SE Voroshilovsk (Stavropol).

L.

[kirche]

"-skaya" is the suffix of the relative names of the adjectives "sk" + the ending of the adjective feminine "aya".
Soldatskaya - it's stanitsa (settlement in the southern regions of Russia (usually Cossack) - a feminine word) created, owned, dedicated or named after soldiers (basis of the word - Солдат = Soldat = Soldier).
if you literally translate the name, then:
- "stanitsa Soldatskaya" is "Soldier's village";
- "stanitsa Slavyanskaya" is "Slavic village"

[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

I./KG 53
Seschtschinskaya 8.42 - 12.42
http://www.ww2.dk/air/kampf/kg53.htm

I have absolutely no idea where this Seschtschinskaya is.

Cheers,
Kari

[Urusut]

Hello Adriano,

Станица Тамань (Таманьская) – в 234 км западнее города Краснодар. Немецкий аэродром находился на юго-западной окраине станицы (ныне город Тамань). От мыса Тузла до западного края аэродрома 5-6 километров на восток. Летное поле – 1300х600 метров, вытянуто с востока на запад.

Regards
Oleg

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Thank you all guys for helping me with Russian language, Russian Flugplatz knowledge and possibly matching the unit of the enclosed Heinkel He 111 H crew.

As you can see, there is NO indication of Squadron Code Letters and it seems rather end of summer, rather than October 1942 (it is sunny, etc.); unless this is a part of Russia (possibly near Krim Peninsula) where the climate may be different (rather more hot than in the Leningrad Front, for instance).

I guess that KARI may have given me a good road or advice to the unit in question...Maybe the German aircrew just simplified the full name of the Flugplatz with the S'kaja

It is indeed a good road....I Gruppe KG 53...and me too am now trying to find out about that Seschtschinskaya that apparently was also used by SKG 210 and JG 3 previously (1941).

MY GRATITUDE to you ALL who have given me a light and a North, so far...THANK YOU indeed...I learned quite a lot about much more than Military History.

Adriano

[kirche]

Adriano,
in the background you can see the forest and grass is more characteristic of Central Russia. Perhaps the version about the airfield "bahnhof Sseschtschinskaya" (or Sseschtscha = Сеща, ст. Сещинская) may be true. the pilots are also dressed quite warmly for October in southern Russia. Perhaps this is the end of September or the beginning of October in the Bryansk region.
Best regards,
Kirill

[Larry deZeng]

A bit more:

Seschtscha (RUSS) (a.k.a. Seshcha) (ZNr. 10-304) (village coordinates 53 44 07 N – 33 20 33 E)
General: village and airfield (Fliegerhorst) complex in W Russia 88.95 km NW Bryansk and 39.35 km SE of Roslavl. Seschtscha (Seshcha) was the name of Seshchinskaya village and airfield as it appeared in Führungsstab Ic/Ob.d.L. Nr. 6189/43 (IV), “Übersichtsliste der Flugplätze SU”. There was no separate listing for Seschtschinskaja. See immediately below under Seschtschinskaja.
Seschtschinskaja (RUSS) (a.k.a. Seshchinskaya, Setschinskaja, Seschtscha, Seshcha, Sesha) (ZNr. 10-304) (53 44 07 N – 33 20 33 E)
General: see above under Seschtscha.
Operational Units: (includes all Luftwaffe flying units known to have been based at Seschtschinskaja/Ost and Seschtschinskaja/West, 1941-43):
Stab/St.G. 1 (Aug-Sep 41); elements of II./St.G. 1 (Aug 41 – Feb 42); Stab/SKG 210 (Aug-Sep 41); I./SKG 210 (Aug 41); II./SKG 210 (Ses/West, Sep-Oct 41); Stab, I. and II./JG 51 (Ses/West, Sep 41); KGr. z.b.V. 102 (Sep 41); Wekusta 26 (Ses/West, Sep 41); 5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 12 (Ses/Ost, Sep-Oct 41); 5.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 23 (Sep-Oct 41); 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr. 14 (Oct 41); II./JG 3 (Ses/West, Oct 41); KGr. 100 (Oct-Nov 41); Stab/KG 28 (Oct-Dec 41); I./KG 28 (Oct-Dec 41); KGr. z.b.V. 106 (Nov-Dec 41); II./KG 4 (Dec 41 – Mar 42, Jun 42 – Jul 43); Stab/KG 26 (Dec 41 – Jan 42); III./KG 26 (Dec 41); II./KG 100 (Dec 41 – Feb 42); 4.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 11 (Ses/Ost, Jan 42 – Jul/Aug 43); Verb.Staffel 54 (Ses/West. May, Aug 42); II./KG 54 (Jun 42); Stab/KG 4 (Jun 42 – Jul 43); I./KG 4 (Jun-Dec 42); IV./JG 51 (Jul 42); Stab/KG 53 (Aug-Sep 42); I./KG 53 (Aug-Sep 42); II./KG 53 (Aug-Sep 42); III./KG 1 (Apr-Aug 43); 3.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 100 (Feb-May 43); 4.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 121 (Ses/Ost, May/Jun-Aug 43); Panzerjägerstaffel/ZG 1 (Ses/Ost, Jun 43); II./KG 55 (Jun 43); II./KG 27 (Jul-Aug 43); Stab/KG 51 (Jul-Aug 43); II./KG 51 (Jul-Aug 43); III./KG 51 (Jul-Aug 43); 15.(span.)/JG 51 (Jul-Aug 43); elements of 1./NJG 100 (Aug 43); III./St.G. 1 (Aug 43).

This was a very large bomber base with concrete runways and all. It was one of the 4 or 5 key airfields on the Central Sector of the Eastern Front until the Luftwaffe abandoned it in September 1943.

L.