Hajo Herrmann

[Chris Goss]

Can anyone identify where this photo was taken and who is to Herrmann's left

[SES]

Hi Chris,
On the map I can make out Estonia, the Finish Bay and the southern part of Finland. But Herrmann never served in this area. So ????
bregds
SES

[edNorth]

So .. is Poland area (1939) if clothing fits that period.. just guessing..

Maps seems have bad folds and have been wet at some point.

[Chris Goss]

Herman did not get his RK until 1940 & promoted to Hptm 1941?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Chris,

Could the Officer on his left be a member of KG 30, from the period this unit was in Norway (Mid 1942), just before Herrmann got the DKiG or relinquished the command? Maybe by checking the Officers that served that unit (III Gruppe), we can find a Picture that matches...mostly a Hauptmann. This is my guess...from May up to early June 1942.

Adriano B.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

by the way, he looks like Hauptmann Willi Flechner, from 5./KG 30 doesn't him ??

[Adriano Baumgartner]

At the extreme left of Herrmann, does the Officer looks like Hptm Konrad Kahl, Kommandeur of I Gruppe KG 30...maybe they met for anti-shipping operations around March-April 1942 (at Banak ??). My knowledge of the airfield of Banak is ZERO...so maybe on other pictures we can find this wooden Planning Barrack or another feature of the field...Again, this is just a guess looking at other pictures of those 2 mentioned KG 30 officers (later RK-Trägers like Herrmann).

[Chris Goss]

Would disagree and in any case chap far left is an NCO

[Larry deZeng]

Almost certainly North Norway where wooden buildings identical to the one in the photo were the order of the day:

III./KG 30
……………..
North Norway and Finland - Operations against the USSR and Convoys. (Jan 42 - Nov 42)
24.1.42: transferred from Gilze-Rijen to Bardufoss/N Norway, with 7.Staffel detached at times at Trondheim-Vaernes and 8.Staffel at Kemi/Finland (Balke-II:74; OIC/SI; RL 40/Kart).
26.2.42: (Lfl.5) - Ju 88A-4 (4D+KR) FTR and reported missing over the sea, 100%, 4 MIA; a second A-4, probably on the same mission, crash landed at Trondheim-Vaernes due to bad weather, 40%. (LRs).
17.3.42: (Lfl.5) - Stab III Ju 88A-4 belly landed at Bardufoss due to engine failure, 20%.
17.3.42: (Lfl.5) - 8.St. Ju 88A-4 damaged taxying at Bardufoss, 30%.
20.3.42: (Lfl.5) - 7.St. Ju 88A-4 (4D+NR) FTR – no details, 100%, 2 KIA, 2 MIA.
28.3.42: attacked and sank the freighters "Raceland" (4815 tons) and "Empire Ranger" (7007 tons) off North Norway. Both ships were part of the badly scattered 19-ship convoy PQ 13 that was en-route to Murmansk. (Rohwer-Chron:131).
11-13.4.42: flew two attacks on convoy QP 10 off N Norway sinking the freighters "Empire Cowper" (7164 tons) and "Harpalion" (5486 tons) .The convoy had departed the Kola Inlet on 10 April with 16 ships. (Rohwer-Chron:134).
14.5.42: dive-bombed and set on fire the British light cruiser "Trinidad", which had just completed emergency repairs at Murmansk after being torpedoed on 29 March. The fire raged out of control and a British destroyer had to finish off "Trinidad" the next day (Rohwer-Chron:140).
25.5.42: out of a formation of 6 Ju 88s taking part in the initial air attack on convoy PQ 16, one A-4 was believed shot down by ship's AA-fire and another failed to return - both crews MIA (LRs).
27-30.5.42: several follow-up attacks were made on PQ 16, and on 27 May the Gruppe shared in the sinking of 4 freighters SE of Bear Island. (Rohwer-Chron:141).
10.6.42: 8.Staffel at Kemi flying missions against the Murmansk railway line (OIC/SI:232).
4.7.42: transferred temporarily to Banak and commenced air operations against convoy PQ 17.
Over the course of the next 4 days flew numerous sorties against the convoy, sharing in the sinking of at least 8 ships. (Rohwer-Chron:148). There are no entries for the Gruppe in the LRs for the balance of Jul and most of Aug leading to the conclusion that it probably was on stand down for rest and refit due to a lack of further convoys to attack, PQ-18 not sailing north from Loch Ewe until 2 September (Bergström - Black Cross/Red Star, vol. 3, pp.189-90).

L.