– WWII plane shot down by Soviet bombers
– Finnish WWII plane shot down by Soviet bombers.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
The Mystery of the Downed Finnish Passenger Plane Finally Solved
The long-standing World War II mystery surrounding the fate of a Finnish passenger plane that was shot down over the Baltic Sea by Soviet bombers appears to have been solved after more than eight decades.
The aircraft, named Kaleva, was carrying American and French diplomatic couriers in June 1940 when it was downed just days before Moscow annexed the Baltic states.
All nine people on board the plane, including the two-member Finnish crew and the seven passengers, were killed in the tragic incident. The passengers included an American diplomat, two French individuals, two Germans, a Swede, and a dual Estonian-Finnish national.
A diving and salvage team in Estonia recently announced that they had located well-preserved parts and debris from the Junkers Ju 52 plane, which was operated by Finnish airline Aero, now known as Finnair. The wreckage was found off the tiny island of Keri near Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, at a depth of approximately 70m.
Kaido Peremees, a spokesperson for the Estonian diving and underwater survey company Tuukritoode OU, credited the group’s success in finding the plane’s remains to their innovative search approach.
The civilian plane was shot down on June 14, 1940, just three months after Finland had signed a peace treaty with Moscow following the Winter War. The news of the plane’s destruction came as a shock to authorities in Helsinki, who were initially informed that it had crashed mysteriously over the Baltic Sea.
Finnish aviation historian Carl-Fredrik Geust, who has been investigating the Kaleva case since the 1980s, described the incident as unique, as it was rare for a passenger plane to be shot down during peacetime on a regular scheduled flight.
Despite being well-documented through books, research, and television documentaries, the 84-year-old mystery has continued to captivate the Finnish public. The case holds significant historical importance in shedding light on Finland’s complex World War II history and its strained relationship with Moscow.
The downing of the plane occurred at a critical juncture, just days before the Soviet Union’s annexation of the Baltic states, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This event marked the beginning of a tumultuous period for the region, lasting until the Baltic states regained independence in 1991.
Among the passengers on board Kaleva was American diplomat Henry W. Antheil Jr., who is now recognized as one of the first US casualties of World War II. Antheil was on a mission to evacuate sensitive diplomatic pouches from US missions in Tallinn and Riga, Latvia, as tensions with Moscow escalated.
The US Embassy in Tallinn has extensively researched the incident over the years, uncovering details about the diplomatic post carried on the ill-fated flight. Speculation has arisen about the contents of the pouches and Moscow’s motives for shooting down the plane.
Geust acknowledged the various theories surrounding the cargo aboard Kaleva, suggesting that Moscow may have been keen to prevent sensitive materials from leaving Estonia. However, he also considered the possibility that the incident could have been a tragic mistake on the part of the Soviet bomber pilots.
Despite several attempts to locate the wreckage over the years, it was only recently that the diving team in Estonia succeeded in finding parts of the plane. The discovery was made possible through advanced underwater technology and a fresh approach to the search.
New video footage captured by underwater robots provides clear images of the Junkers Ju 52’s landing gear, one of the engines, and sections of the wings. Peremees and his team are confident that the identified parts belong to Kaleva based on the distinctive design of the German-made aircraft.
The significance of this discovery extends beyond closure for the families of the victims. It represents a crucial chapter in Finland’s wartime history and offers valuable insights into the country’s complex relationship with its Soviet neighbour.
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– Divers find remains of Finnish WWII plane shot down by Soviet bombers
– Divers find remains of Finnish WWII plane shot down by Soviet bombers shot down by Soviet bombers.
