Night of the bombers - the most daring special mission of Finnish bombers in WW2
I thougth this might be of interest, as it is quite precisely 60 years from these missions, so I hastily wrote a little article combining material from a few sources.
- Grendel
In February 1944 the long range Soviet bomber command ADD performed three massive air raid on the Finnish capital Helsinki. The enemy bombers came from airfields in the vicinity of Leningrad, where the aerial reconnaissance flights had observed and photographed dozens of aircraft in each field. During the take offs and landings the runways were fully lit and thus offered an excellent bombing target.
Helsinki was well protected against the enemy bombers and the defenses had been very successful against the three major ADD bombing attacks. ADD flew over 2100 sorties and dropped 20 000 bombs against Helsinki, but only 338 bombs (3 %) hit the city area. This was result from the heavy and skillful anti aircraft artillery. Helsinki was actually the heaviest protected capital at Europe, with largest number of heavy AA guns per protected square kilometer. With good radar targeting and special AA tactics most of the Soviet bombers were forced to drop their bomb loads and turn away before reaching target area.
Picture: Third ADD attack 26-27th February 44. Helsinki area is marked on the map with black. Notice how almost all of the Soviet bomber waves turn back before reaching the target.
This was not enough, though. Finland had no night fighters and no way to intercept the Soviet bombers before they were almost at the gates. The initiative was completely in the Russian hands. Something different was needed to protect Helsinki and other Finnish towns against the night bombers.
There was something Finland had, though. Bombers, four squadrons of bombers, with experienced pilots. Revenge attacks were out of question - Finnish bombers had been forbidden to fly over Leningrad for the whole duration of the war on account of not attacking civilian targets and provoking Soviets. But what about attacking Soviet bombers on their own bases?
Finnish reconnaissance had learned what fields the ADD used, listened the Soviet radio communications and had spied how the Soviet bombers operated. Therefore Finnish intelligence was fully aware on the Soviet tactics.
Keskinen-Stenman:
"On 25th February the air force CO ordered bomber squadrons PLeLv 42 and 46 to attack these bases under suitable conditions. The Russians were to be mislead by the Finnish bombers joining the formations at night over the Gulf of Finland, when returning, say from a mission to Helsinki.
Bomber squadron 46 tested the new tactics on the night of 29th February. Four Dornier Do 17 bombers too off and joined a returning Russian bomber stream over the Gulf of Finland. The bombers flew to Levashovo airfield and invidually bombed the lit airfield at 2230. The bomb rows hit parked aircraft and shelters. Several fires were built up and a strong explosion shook the airfield. The flak opened fire when the Finns were already on their way home."
Each Dornier was equipped with 20 x 50 kg bombs with 0,08 second delay. When the bombers took off and flew towards the Gulf of Finland own AA artillery gave them a goodbye greeting, as they didn't seem to know the identity of the bombers flying in middle of the night.
After joining the Soviet formation it took a lot of skill and nerves to stay in the formation, as the Soviet pilots might recognize the strange looking bombers. After crossing the front lines the Soviet planes turned their navigation lights on, with the Finns following the example. When the bombers arrived to their home field the Finnish pilots kept their place in the landing circuit, circling the Soviet field in middle of the Soviet squadrons, letting the Soviet planes land first. When it was their turn to land the lights of the target airfield shined brightly ahead but instead landing the Finnish planes instead opened their bomb bays, throttled up and filled the field with 80 shrapnel bombs.
Keskinen-Stenman:
"Encouraged by the successes, all regiment squadrons were ordered on March 2nd to participate on large scale attack against Leningrad area airfields.
The opportunity came on March 9th when ADD bombers returned from the bombardment of Tallinn, Estonian's capital. Nineteen Finnish bombers from all four squadrons joined several formations between Seiskari and Kronstadt and followed ADD aircraft to Gorskaya, Levashovo and Kasimovo airfields."
After the huge success of the four bombers the whole bomber regiment was ordered to readiness. It took until March 9th until the weather and other conditions made new attack possible. The four bomber squadrons of Flying Regiment 4 send total of 19 bombers (or 21, depending on source). 10 Blenheims, 5 Dornier Do 17s and 6 Junkers Ju 88s took off.
Once again the bombers infiltrated the Soviet bomber formations. The Blenheims of PLeLv 42 (bomber squadron 42) followed ADD from north of Seiskari.
PLeLv 44 joined the Soviet bombers near Kronstadt fortress island with five Ju-88s.
PLeLv 46 joined the Soviet bombers near Kronstadt with five Dorniers.
And PLeLv 48s Blenheims followed the Soviet bombers from Kronstadt.
Tactics were similar to the previous mission. Either the bombers joined the Soviet formation and flew alongside them, with landing lights on and joining the landing pattern, or the Finns followed slightly behind. Surprise was total both ways, bombs started to rain on the Soviet airfields when the last bombers were still landing or taxiing on the field. Bombs and the shrapnel struck without warning, and the Soviet losses on material and personnel were high, as nobody was sheltered.
Paavo Alava, a Blenheim pilot from Bomber Squadron 42, was on the BL-151 on the attack at March 9th. He describes the mission:
"Our five planes took off with bellies filled with shrapnel- and firebombs. The tension rose in the cockpit when we were over the Gulf of Finland looking for a suitable enemy formation. There they come! Several planes flying at 500 meters east of Seiskari island, flying eastwards. Quick turn and then as silent, as unnoticeably as we can...
I could see clearly how the neighbor's boy sat in his turret, carefree. A small light was on, he must have already dreamed of the coffee waiting on the ground. There they go! Li-2s and so close that I could shoot them with my machinegun. Sure hit! But I must restrain myself - the mission would fail if they recognize us. Another Soviet bomber formation comes towards us from east - they're going to bomb Tallinn...
Here we were - red stars over Gulf of Finland, with blue swastikas in middle of them.
We are over Kronstadt, when the Ruskie planes start flashing signals with red and white lights. We see responding signals from ground. I guess this is permission to come in and land...
The planes turn north towards Gorskaja. It was interesting situation - Soviet lead bomber navigates the formation to their home field, which would soon be bombed by enemy bombers flying in the same formation.
There is the field - all lights on. Large number of planes are in landing pattern and more in ground, when our four Blenheims dropped the bombers from 1200 meters. Best regards from the people of Helsinki, were the bombardiers thinking. I can see the explosions in the rows of bombers and plane shelters. A huge explosion - fuel storage tanks go up in flames and planes are burning on the ground.
This was one of the most successful and cunning missions in the history of our squadron, as everything worked perfectly from the beginning to the end."
Keskinen-Stenman:
"At around 2130 they released the bombs on landing airplanes, parked aircraft and runways, causing huge explosions and numerous fires on all airfields. The attacks came as total surprises and only at Levashovo airfield the AA was on alert, though did not inflict any damage.
The airfield strikes continued on April 4th, when 34 bombers attacked Kähy airfield north-east from Leningrad, where aerial reconnaissance had observed 57 aircraft. Bombs were dropped at 2030 causing huge explosions. 23 large fires were counted by the retreating bombers. Further strikes were flown during May."
