Questions for Erich and others - German high-altitude recon

[Witch-King of Angmar]

Dear Gentlemen,

I would like to know more about the German "forebearers of the U-2", the high-altitude reconnaissance-bombing aircraft of the Ju 86P and Ju 86R series. Most Internet sites around give the technical data and a few pictures, but almost nothing about their missions

1. On which fronts did they served, and when?

2. What kind of recon missions did they perform?

3. How effective were they, according to recalls of pilots and commanders?

4. What photographic equipment did they use?

5. What place did their missions have in the German strategy?

~Thank you

The White Trash

[varjag]

I was trawling the net a year ago on the same subject and found some paydirt around the name Rowehl - a Col. who was in command of what I believe was called Aufklärungsgruppe der Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (Göring) or more commonly Kommando Rowehl, or Rowehl Gruppe. They certainly used the exotic Ju 86P's but I found no operational use of the R-version but a plethora of Do 215's, Ju 88's and lesser a/c - used for the same purpose.

[lisset]

Type was used to fly recon. over Belfast / Londonderry in 1941.

[Erich]

Still searching WT !

The Ju 's you speak of were suppose to have been replaced by the high altitude Ju 388's but this didn't materialize. Erik E might have some information tucked somewhere in his files in Norway ... ?

Herr Rowehl actaully became the instigator of the ground protection unit 20mm flakvierling for JV 44's Me 262's while in southern Germany and in Austria, if he is the same man.

will be back with more soon hopefully.....

Erich

[Cantankerous]

There was a prototype German reconnaissance aircraft called the Messerschmitt Me 261. Info on it is available at these links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_261
http://www.luftarchiv.de/index.htm?/flu ... /me261.htm
http://histaviation.com/me_261.html