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Bf 109G-6, WNr. 165267, Majuri Eino Luukkanen, 1/HleLv 34,
Taipalsaari airfield, Finland, July 1944
Bf 109G-14, Oblt. Rolf Schlegel, 10./JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm,
Germany, March 1945
Eino Altero Luukkanen was born in 1909 in
Jaakkima and started his military aviation
service in 1930. In January 1938, he became
Adjutant of Lentorikmentti 1. During the Winter
War he commanded 3/LLv 24 and achieved
2.5 victories in Fokker D.XXI. From the beginning
of the Continuation War, he commanded 1/LLv
24 on Brewsters and achieved 14.5 victories. From
March 1943 he led LeLv 34 with Messerschmitt
Bf 109Gs at the rank of Major. Luukkanen was
awarded the Mannerheim Cross on June 18, 1944.
In the Bf 109G-6 (WNr. 165267) Eino Luukkanen
achieved his last, 56th confirmed victory.
His victim was a Soviet Yak-7 over Narvi, Karelia,
on August 5, 1944, during a battle with a formation
of six Il-2s and six Yak-7s from the 12 KIAP, KBF.
It was the only kill achieved with this aircraft,
which was delivered to Finland on June 23, 1943.
The original German WNr. is visible on the rudder.
At that time, it also carried wing nacelles with
MG 151/20 guns. It was written off after a crash
on August 25, 1947.
After completing his fighter training, he was
assigned to 11./JG 2. With this unit, he soon moved
to the African battlefield, and before the end of
1942, he was reassigned to II./JG 53. Here, he
suffered an injury, and after recuperation, he was
directed to EKdo 16, a test unit designed to test
the Me 163 rocket fighter. By the summer of 1944,
he was already serving with JG 4, specifically
its Sturmgruppe (II./JG 4), flying heavily armed
Fw 190A-8/R2s. Later, he flew with JG 4’s
III. Gruppe in Bf 109s. Before the end of the war,
he was transferred to III./EJG 2, flying the Me
262 jet, and his next unit was to be JG 7. In total,
he achieved nine victories. The aircraft, in the
typical camouflage of the late Bf 109G-14s
produced in Leipzig at the Erla factory, had the
original markings repainted in fresh RLM 74 and
bore the emblem of JG 4 on the nose. The wide
bands around the rear of the aircraft were an
element for quick identification of JG 4 within the
units fighting in Western Europe.
KITS 04/2024
INFO Eduard
47
April 2024