Aerial Recon Behind Enemy Lines
The Air Force reconnaissance planes, including the plane flown by the one Armas Eskola featured in this article, crossed the eastern border even before the Winter War photographing the Soviet bases and Leningrad. During the War Aimo E. Juhola gained reputation as capable recon pilot, who photographed Leningrad as well as the Soviet spearheads in the summer battles of 1944. This article tells about two less known operations by the reconnaissance pilots.
"On the second day of the Winter War, December 1, 1939, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, General J.F.Lundqvist, came to Luonetjärvi, Tikkakoski, and showed the staff HQ "a terribly big bunch of photographs we had taken", as Eskola put it. According to the General, the time of secrets was over."
Full article:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-AerialRecon.htmlThis and more WW2 aviation related articles from Finnish Virtual Pilots Association:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/
