Bombing at Röyttä

[Vaeltaja]

Though not strictly under Winter & Continuation War header its close enough... There are some reports, namely in Osmo Hyvönen's book 'Tornio 1944' that 'large German bombers' - according to eyewitness accounts, probably referring to bombers larger than Stukas - would have dropped devices described by Finns as something like 'winged rocket propelled aerial torpedoes' - which would seem to indicate use of German glide bombs at the area (aerial torpedo & rocket engine descriptions probably equals Henschel Hs 293). In addition to the widely known Stuka bombing which sunk Bore IX and Maininki. Is there more information on what exactly took place with the emphasis on the other bombers than Stukas at the location beyond what is already described in the aforementioned book.

[Mangrove]

Is there more information on what exactly took place with the emphasis on the other bombers than Stukas at the location beyond what is already described in the aforementioned book.

Check Hannu Valtonen's Pohjoinen ilmasota: Suomeen liittyviä sotatoimia syksystä 1944 kevääseen 1945.

[Juha Tompuri]

devices described by Finns as something like 'winged rocket propelled aerial torpedoes' - which would seem to indicate use of German glide bombs at the area (aerial torpedo & rocket engine descriptions probably equals Henschel Hs 293)

First time I remember reading about the Fw 200 Condor and their missiles from book "Suomen Laivasto 1918-1968 part II"

Regards, Juha

[Seppo Koivisto]

Here is a photo of the Hs 293 taken at the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin few days ago.

[Juha Tompuri]

The F8+HT, mentioned being photographed at Kemi 1944,is supposed to have been the another one of the Condors that fired the missiles at Röyttä.
http://asisbiz.com/il2/Fw-200C/Fw-200C- ... 8+HT).html

Regards, Juha

[Vaeltaja]

Thank you from the sources and the information. So there were several Fw 200 Condors with Hs 293 missiles/glide bombs at Röyttä.

Then there remains only one mystery, why didn't the bombers hit anything with such an advanced weapon system? Well, anything meaningful.

That is Hs 293 was designed specifically as anti-shipping weapon and the new wave of Finnish transports as well as the first warships had just arrived to Röyttä so there should have been plenty of targets as well. Finnish ships did not have heavy anti-aircraft artillery, all were unarmored, they were unlikely to have been equipped with jamming devices, and since they were unloading some of the ships had to have been stationary. Yet not a single ship was lost (or damaged) due to these weapons - while elsewhere in combat (without opposing jammers) German glide bombs have been stated of reaching 50% level in achieving hit or a near miss (which can coincidentally cause more damage than direct impact).

[Panssari Salama]

Perhaps worth repeating here is the - quite lively! - eye witness account of Lt Colonel Wolf Halsti, from his book Lapin Sota (Otava 1972).

From Chapter 10, Decisive battles for Tornio on October 5 and 6, 1944; pp 141-142

As we were watching the fires burn while waiting for the next attack at Pentti's (note: Major Valkonen of III/JR 11) new HQ we became the witnesses of a strange phenomenom. From Northeast appeared a few big, slow four engine bombers. They started to circle just above us at an elevation of ca 3 kms, when suddenly a big black lump detached itself from under one of the planes.

We assumed we would be hit with a real earthquakebomb, and started to look for cover, when suddenly a new twist appeared to the situation. The lump spit out a monsterous black tail of smoke behind it, and started to glide forward, first descending in an angle but then leveling and rising again. Then the smoke disappeared from behind this piece of furniture, and a evil-looking red eye gleamed from the rear. Huffing and puffing, in a pulsating manner, it raised up its speed and dashed towards Röyttä, coming finally down somewhere with huge noise.

As we were still wondering what that was all about, its brother was soon under way, and then another, and then another. Propably what we saw were some kind of rocket weapons, or aearial torpedoes. Poor people at Röyttä, that's all they needed, in addition to the bombing and artillery fire! But, as my liaison officer [...] said, "better several bombs into woods than one on top of us!".

They were situated some 4 to 5 kilometers northeast from Röyttä, on a vanguard towards Kemi. It is unclear whether the comment was out of the joy that they were not the target, or were they actually able to observe the rockets were a miss.

Edit: The eye witness report was from October 5 1944.