Runway Luftwaffe airfield site the World War II

 airport, Second World War 1939-1945, military, place with historical importance

During the World War II (1942-43 biennium.) Deep in the Soviet rear, was a secret German airfield, used to be able to interrupt the allied communication in the North.
It was discovered by the "Search" in 1989.

Early in the morning of November 5, 1942 from the air "berries" that, under the Archangel, the fighter took off two Pe-3, Lieutenant Alexander Ustimenko and Victor Gorbuntsova.
The lead went Ustimenko, as most prepared and had military experience, as evidenced by the Order of Lenin on his blouse. Along with the flying pilot Lieutenant Kuzma Bantsev and a passenger - the Chief of Staff White aviagruppy Northern Fleet Colonel Fyodor Popov. He had to supervise the actions of naval aviation against enemy ships, are increasingly appearing in our Arctic waters.
The point is that after the defeat of the Union convoy RQ-17 in July 1942 goda Englishmen and Americans have been detained following RQ -18 until September, and then is suspended deliveries of military goods to our country by sea. Almost simultaneously, the enemy stepped up operations against the Soviet ships, not only in the Barents Sea, as has been until now, but in Kara. Only in August, a heavy cruiser "Admiral Sheer" committed the raid on Dixon, sunk with the icebreaking steamer "A. Sibiriakov, the submarine U-209 at the New Earth attacked a tug and two barges - the deaths of 305 people, German bombers were increasingly engaged in raids on Arkhangelsk. Our commanders in September reinforced the defense of the port, by sending to the nearest airfields aviadiviziyu 104 th, 95 th fighter aviation regiment, equipped with twin, double distant fighter Pe-3, and Part 78 aircraft on aviation. Several previously established Novozemelskaya naval base, and seaplanes began reconnaissance of enemy submarines in the Straits and the Kara Sea. This is for the coordination of aviation in this theater of war, and has seconded an experienced shtabista Popova, that meant the utmost secrecy, and a pair of flight Pe-3. Up to a certain route points with the crew is not even supported by radio. But when it set, then almost immediately it was interrupted - permanently ...

Forty-six years, the mystery of the death of the two aircraft remained unrevealed.
During the summer of 1988 during the expedition of the "Search" in the area Okulovo lakes were found fragments of Pe-3 number 40415 and the remains of three airmen. Once the plane was pulled out dead on a dry place on the documents found with the dead was able to establish that the search engine based on the crew of Lieutenant Alexander Ustimenko.

amazing discovery has brought a detailed examination of search engines is shot down «petlyakova».
Both aircraft were excised cannon-burst. Thus, virtually all the holes have been an unusually large diameter (not less than 30 millimeters). Immediately it was evident that the plane fell to the ground not because of engine failure or pilot error. But who is so far from the best, in this godforsaken tundra Arkhangelsk deep Soviet rear, cannon, machine-gun fire can shoot one of the best Soviet planes? Most of all - long-German fighter Me-110 or a modified Z-88.
However, for all calculations is that for the appearance here «110-X» or «88's», he was required, say from Luostari or Louhov straight fly the entire Kola Peninsula, White Sea and throat go to the Soviet territory, quickly find Here Soviet aircraft very quickly destroy it and immediately put on a reverse course. And this is without calculating the circumvention of the Soviet air defense zones or areas where engines were used in the forced mode.
So, either the German pilots, knew exactly what time and at what point the route will be the Soviet fighters, or the Germans had the opportunity a long time to expect the appearance of the area controlled by Soviet planes, and then suddenly out of the ambush attack them.

To test this version in July 1989, the pilots made the aerial photography of one of the "suspicious" areas and near lakes Okulova found abandoned, long space, reminiscent of the airfield.

The survey found, WFP has confirmed that this is indeed the airfield, not ours, namely the German, as evidenced by coverage of the runway rurskry steel plates. Were found dilapidated residential buildings and facilities for military equipment.
Later geologists Yurasskoy razvedekspeditsii was told that in the area to find the barrel out of fuel, in which there was a swastika marking. They were met by the old hunters, fishermen, seen here during the war German soldiers.

So far there is no consensus about the true purpose of secret German airfield in the Arkhangelsk region.
There are several versions:
-Secret airfield was really designed to intercept Soviet aircraft.
-Airport in Okulova lake was used by German pilots as airfield «podskoka» special aircraft and aircraft-level meteorological range aviation PV-200 ( «Condor» or «Kurier»), providing the lifting of the German meteorological parties from the regions of the western sector of Northern Sea Route.
-At the airport Leshukonskom and Mezenskom areas in the Arkhangelsk region airfield Okulova lakes provide zabrosku subversive groups «Companies« Zeppelin ». Zabroska small groups and individual agents in the front line, as a rule, front abverkomandami and meldekopfami (advanced branches abverkomand) on aircraft with a special air Pskov, Smolensk and Riga airports.
-It was a secret airfield for aircraft-specific intelligence, Colonel Group Rovelya.

Despite all this, some Russian historians and experts on German aircraft, and at times, and the German Luftwaffe history researchers cast doubt on the existence of secret German airfield in the Arkhangelsk earth.
www.russ-flot.narod.ru/27_avia-01.htm
zhurnal.lib.ru/s/shewljakow_m_w/pe-3.shtml