"Petsamo Scramble"

Sheet Size: 21.5" x 34" • © 2002

Me­109's of JG­5 struggle valiantly to get airborned as Russian aircraft attack their airfield.

Specially painted to commemorate the actions of JG­5 while based in Northern Finland. Individually signed by pilots of that squadron.

Companion Print

Each edition* of PETSAMO SCRAMBLE is accompanied by a matching number print of FINAL ASSAULT.

Signatures

Oberleutnant Kurt Schulze began service as a cadet in 1939. As a wireless operator, he flew in Me­110's over southern Russia with 3.(F)11. From 1942-1944 he was Communications and Navigation Officer of 1/KG­2, and flew night missions to England as a navigator in Do­217's. While with KG­2, he became a pilot and in 1944, flew Me­109G's with III/JG­5 from Northern Finland and Norway. There, he participated in photo reconnaissance missions over Murmansk, (F)124. In early 1945 he commanded l/JG­51 in Gdansk, where he flew the last of his 103 missions and ended the war commanding 13/JG­5 in Norway. He was credited with 3 victories and holds the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, Flight Clasps, etc. After the war, he spent two years as a POW in France.

Oberleutnant Walter Schuck joined the Luftwaffe in 1937. He scored his first victory while with 7./JG­5 based at Petsamo on the Polar Sea. On June 5, 1942, he shot down 4 Russian fighters. His rate of victories increased steadily. During March 1944, he downed 7 Boston bombers and by April had 84 victories. On June 15th he scored 6 more, and on the 17th, 12 more victories in 24 hours! By August he had 150. Later in the war he flew the Me­262 jet with JG­7. He shot down four B­17's in the 262, with 8 victories total on the jet. His all-up score was 206 confirmed aerial victories. Awards include the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

Unteroffizier Heinz Kern was born in 1922 on a farm in the Taunus region of Germany. He was interested in aviation from his childhood on reading books about famous pilots like the Red Baron. After flying gliders, receiving his pilots licence (1943) and fighter pilot training, he flew the Me­109 and FW­190 in France, Austria, Finland and Norway. He owns a hotel north of Frankfurt where his old friends of JG­5 meet for their annual reunion.

Feldwebel Dieter Weinitschke was born in 1920 in Berlin. He volunteered for the Luftwaffe in 1941 and was stationed in Finland with JG­5. He was soon recognized as an excellent fighter pilot in the Me­109. He also flew reconnaissance missions for Ju-87 and Ju-88 strikes against the Russian harbor of Murmansk. In 1942 he was shot down behind Russian lines, but three days later was rescued by a Fiessler Storch. A year later he parachuted from his Me­109 and became a POW in Russia. He is credited with 19 victories. With his many poems and writings he still has a special place in the hearts of his old friends of the JG­5 Eismeerjager.

Leutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Podewils joined the Luftwaffe in 1939. He flew Me­109's and FW-l90's in Bulgaria, Norway, Finland and in the 'Home Defence' (Reichsverteidigung). His victories include a Hurricane, a B­17 and a Beaufighter. He was shot down twice, including once over Germany by a P­47 Thunderbolt. In 1945 he commanded 8./JG­5 in Norway, where he became a POW of the Americans. He was turned over to the French. In January 1947, he escaped from a POW camp in France but was caught near the German border. He remained a prisoner in France until June 1947, two years after the end of the war.

Oberleutnant Ernst Scheufele was born in Walldorf, Germany. He joined the Luftwaffe in October 1940 and later flew the Me­109 with 4./JG­4, on 'Defense of the Reich' missions. He also flew the Me­109 with JG­5 from Norway. On December 3, 1944, he was shot down by American ground fire near Aachen. He has a total of 18 victories, including 3 four-engined bombers and 2 Mustangs. Ernst Scheufele flew 200 missions and holds the Frontflugspange in Gold.

The Story

Far to the north of Germany in one of the most inhospitable regions on the earth, stands Petsamo, Finland. In February 1944, a very closely knit unit of pilots and ground personnel of the Luftwaffe's JG­5 (also known as Eismeer Jager) manned this remote and isolated airfield 300 miles above the arctic circle and approximately 50 miles from the Russian port of Murmansk. The unit was one of the few defenders of German occupied airspace in this sector. It also often worked to protect General Dietl's mountain troops, who were guarding the German supply convoys on their way to the harbors of Kirkenes, Norway and Petsamo. They also protected other Luftwaffe bases near Petsamo and Kirkenes harbor, necessitating constant air patrols. Such close proximity to her adversary on the eastern front resulted in predictable violent encounters with the Russian Air Force who flew Sturmoviks and a variety of lend-lease aircraft from Britain and the USA, including Hawker Hurricanes and Bell P­39 Airacobras.

In Robert Bailey's painting, PETSAMO SCRAMBLE, Me­109's of JG­5 struggle valiantly to get airborne as Russian aircraft attack their airfield. The ensuing aerial maelstrom will be brief and deadly as yet another confrontation of adversaries is played out in this frigid battlescape.

© 2007 Bailey Art & Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

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