This part of the site deals with one of two very special aircraft wrecks on Kola that according to research by air combat historian Rune Rautio both belonged to the first squadron of the Luftwaffe´s Long Range Reconnaissance Group No. 124, or in German: 1. Staffel, Fernaufklärungsgruppe 124, abbreviated 1.(F)/124.
The below pictured Ju 88 was found in the Laplandsky zapovednik (Lapland nature park) by park ranger Aleks Gilyazov, author Lars Gyllenhaal and computer engineer Filipp Kuznetsov in September 1996. The search for the wreck took three long treks during three years, as it was virtually impossible to see it from a distance of more than 15 metres.
The "Laplandsky Ju 88" flew its last mission during the heat of the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, on October 17 1944. It took off from Kaamanen airfield in Finland to reconnoitre the Kirov railway line (today called the October railway) between Murmansk and Kandalaksha. From that day the plane was listed as missing and not until 2001 did it become known in the West that the crew had died in the plane (presumably on impact) and that they had been buried beside their plane by Soviet park guards. The evidence uncovered by Rune Rautio and a 2001 Russian expedition conclusively points to that the plane we found must be G2+LH, in spite of the fact that the wreckage showed traces of another marking: 1R+FH. The wreckage was salvaged in September 2001 to Severomorsk by a Russian team with the help of a Ka-32 helicopter. The Werknummer 430784 was discovered in the tail section. Eyewitness reports have also since emerged: saying that the aircraft crashed due to low visibility and low clouds. The wreckage has been taken to Moscow, to the Poklonnaja Gora museum as parts for the reconstruction of another Ju 88.
The crew that still lies buried in a yet unmarked grave by the spot where the wreck once was consisted of: pilot Feldwebel Gerhard Turley, observer Leutnant Gottfried Reuther, signaller Unteroffizier Heinrich Steitz and mechanical engineer Unteroffizier Bruno Urbanczyk. Perhaps some day a German relative or war grave commission will move them to the German war cemetery in Pechenga?
We believed that the wreck lied in one place but in many segments and small pieces. The most complete part was the tail. Few insignia and little paint remained. Some previous visitors had taken away most of the instruments. However, we found a flare gun ammo tube made in March 1942 (to be used before April 1945). Also we found some numbers on several electrical and motor items, but no Werknummer for the whole aircraft - which, however, was found in 2001 by the new Russian expedition. The engines were pretty much complete. One landing gear was almost too good to be true. The tyres very clearly exclaimed in English: "CONTINENTAL - Made in Germany".
(Click on the picture to see a larger version)
1. Ju 88: tail section: After three two-day hikes over mostly swampy ground Aleks Gilyazov and Filipp Kuznetsov are relieved to have found the mystery German plane that last was sighted by the nature park staff in the 1970´s.
2. Ju 88: part of the canopy.
3. Ju 88: landing gear. Truly stainless steel after all these years...amazing.
4. Ju 88: landing gear. Details on the tyre: "C.C. & G.P.Co" with a horse in the middle. Also on the tyre: "CONTINENTAL, Made in Germany". Why in English one may wonder?
5. Ju 88: engine. If you happen to be an expert on airplane engines and if you recognize the one in the picture, please write to me at the address below :-).
In October 2000, Bill Eggering wrote: "I'm not an expert, but the engine in your picture appears to be an 12 cylinder, liquid-cooled, inverted V Junkers Jumo 211 engine, of approximately 1410 PS. If the top of the rudder was rounded instead of square, the Ju88 was most likely of the A series. The Ju88 variants had primarily liquid-cooled engines, although some (the B variant and the C-3 variant plus maybe others) had BMW 801 radial engines. There were at least 2 different models of the JJ211 engine (e.g., J and G).The Ju88 variants almost all had the 211J."
6. Ju 88: propeller
7. Ju 88: Probably part of the instruments recording RPM and what might be a piece of paracord?
8. Ju 88: Section of the instrument panel. It could be the right side of the pilots panel (then the picture should be turned 90 degres to the left)
9. Ju 88: oxygen tubes?
10. The tail
If you want to read more about this aircraft wreck, then find the historical journal After the Battle issue number 99: Soviet Victory in the Arctic. (1998).
Any questions or comments? Write to Lars.Gyllenhaal@home.se
This page was originally made and hosted by Klaus Velschow - thank you, Klaus!
First appearence: 10-10-1996
Revised 05-06-2002