Incident during siege of Leningrad
Incident during siege of Leningrad
I was reading about siege on http://www.wikipedia.org and one caption says: " The Finnish headquarters rejected however German pleas for aerial attacks against Leningrad (with the exception of a sole incident by a single aircraft which killed a lone elephant at the Leningrad Zoo) ".
Is that true or pure fantasy that some lost finnish pilot bombed accidentally Leningrad zoo? Personally never heard a such incident.
Regards,
Tuomo A.
Is that true or pure fantasy that some lost finnish pilot bombed accidentally Leningrad zoo? Personally never heard a such incident.
Regards,
Tuomo A.
I'm strongly inclined to think that this story about bomb killing the only elephant in the zoo is urban legend; it's usually being told as 'the first bomb to fall in the city x killed the only elephant in the zoo'. In addition to Leningrad, I've read the exact same story being told about Berlin, Moscow and (IIRC) London.
What was the FAF bombing effort on Leningrad anayway ? We have to remember Paasikivi had prepared a speech at the festivities when Leningrad had surrendered and passed over to finns ?
Mannerheim had refused to attack Leningrad via Carelian Straits, but let for instance Italian torpedoboats interefere convoys trying to reach Leningrad on Lake Ladoga.
I am inclined to think a few bombs were dropped by finns to Leningrad as a revenge to the Helsinki bombings during the Winter War. I mean it would seem odd if finns did not bomb Leningrad at all.
Mannerheim had refused to attack Leningrad via Carelian Straits, but let for instance Italian torpedoboats interefere convoys trying to reach Leningrad on Lake Ladoga.
I am inclined to think a few bombs were dropped by finns to Leningrad as a revenge to the Helsinki bombings during the Winter War. I mean it would seem odd if finns did not bomb Leningrad at all.
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Deine-Zukunft wrote:
Think the explanation is:
1. Cause this is a forum where English is used, the Latin of the 21st century.
2. Yes there are others here. There are hundreds, if not thousends, of non Finnish speaking visitors at the AHF-forums.
regards
Esa K
translates to: "Why are you not speking Finnish? There are no others here.Miksi ette puhu suomeksi?Eihän täällä muita olekkaan.
Think the explanation is:
1. Cause this is a forum where English is used, the Latin of the 21st century.
2. Yes there are others here. There are hundreds, if not thousends, of non Finnish speaking visitors at the AHF-forums.
regards
Esa K
thanks Esa for standing up for us! I'm a non-Finnish speaker and am one of the many (i suppose) members who mainly read information posted by others instead of replying. No replies from non-finnish speakers (or in other subforums any other language could be filled in) doesn't mean we're not reading and not interestedEsa K wrote:
2. Yes there are others here. There are hundreds, if not thousends, of non Finnish speaking visitors at the AHF-forums.
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I remember seeing a documentary of a Finnish fighter pilot [was it Wind or Juutilainen, don't remember] where he described how he followed a Soviet pilot all the way to over Leningrad. Stubbornly the Soviet plane's armour held together, and somewhere over Leningrad the Finnish pilot shot the last burst for a goodbye and turned homewards, and the Soviet plane still continued its path....
Re: Incident during siege of Leningrad
1942 after-action report by a Finnish Dornier Do 17Z regarding the bombing of the City of Leningrad instead of intended target of Toksovo Airfield:
"8 December 1942. [....] A. Bombing: The City of Leningrad was bombed at 6.40 a.m. The direction of bombing was c. 360 degrees, altitude 2200 metres. Given target [of Toksovo Airfield] was impossible to locate due to poor visibility."
"8 December 1942. [....] A. Bombing: The City of Leningrad was bombed at 6.40 a.m. The direction of bombing was c. 360 degrees, altitude 2200 metres. Given target [of Toksovo Airfield] was impossible to locate due to poor visibility."
Re: Incident during siege of Leningrad
The Curtiss 75 Hawk equipped Lentolaivue 32 was based near the front line on the Karelian isthmus in autumn 1941. The related incident above, when a Finnish fighter pilot followed an escaping Soviet fighter to the outskirts of Leningrad, may well have been a Curtiss of LeLv 32.
Eg. Serg J. Kajanto (CU-570) fought 3 September 1941 at 10.55-11.10 hours against two Soviet I-153 in the Mainila-Rajajoki-Siestarjoki (Sestroretsk) region, and reported both enemy aircraft damaged - the first disappeared south of Rajajoki, and Kajanto followed the other I-153 until it apparently landed at an airfield north of Leningrad.
Eg. Serg J. Kajanto (CU-570) fought 3 September 1941 at 10.55-11.10 hours against two Soviet I-153 in the Mainila-Rajajoki-Siestarjoki (Sestroretsk) region, and reported both enemy aircraft damaged - the first disappeared south of Rajajoki, and Kajanto followed the other I-153 until it apparently landed at an airfield north of Leningrad.
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Re: Incident during siege of Leningrad
Colonel Somerto, commander of Flying Regiment 4 (FAF’s sole bombing Regiment), gave 14.12.1939 a very clear order: “Cities may not be bombed”.
Airfield on Leningrad area anyhow got some bombs. At least Levasovo airfield was bombed 16.12.1942 with one Dornier bomber on reconnaissance flight. In the beginning of 1944, soon after Helsinki’s terror bombings, there was a well known operation against military airfields on Leningrad area.
Airfield on Leningrad area anyhow got some bombs. At least Levasovo airfield was bombed 16.12.1942 with one Dornier bomber on reconnaissance flight. In the beginning of 1944, soon after Helsinki’s terror bombings, there was a well known operation against military airfields on Leningrad area.
A word irony is baked into the word history.