Etiopien

[Peter Maxfield]

Lars - I've had a go at a translation. Any corrections would be most welcome! There does seem to be more information in this article (link in previous post) than I've found anywhere else. I'm puzzled by the usage, twice, of the word: 'miljonär', as in:
'ABA-miljonärerna', and 'signalistmiljonären Rydell' - was the radio operator a millionaire? Does it mean something else? Lucky, perhaps?
And this phrase: 'andre-piloten, som samtidigt är navigatör', which seems to say that the co-pilot was also the navigator?
Best wishes,
Pete.

[Arne M]

Lars - I've had a go at a translation. Any corrections would be most welcome! There does seem to be more information in this article (link in previous post) than I've found anywhere else. I'm puzzled by the usage, twice, of the word: 'miljonär', as in:
'ABA-miljonärerna', and 'signalistmiljonären Rydell' - was the radio operator a millionaire? Does it mean something else? Lucky, perhaps?
And this phrase: 'andre-piloten, som samtidigt är navigatör', which seems to say that the co-pilot was also the navigator?
Best wishes,
Pete.

I might explain the expression 'ABA-miljonärerna'. It's not money but flown kilometres that is inferred. Here is e.g. a link to a page from 'Aktuell årsbok 1945' with information on 'Svenska trafikflygmiljonärer' scanned by Projekt Runeberg. The names of the ABA pilots etc. are listed with portraits and total logged flown kilometres. Quote: 'Antal flugna km vid ABA:s jubileum 2/6 -44'.

http://runeberg.org/nvh/1945/0379.html

[Lars Sundin]

Hello Peter, Arne and everybody else,

I had planned to reply as I had already the pages scanned that showed the experience of the ABA pilots and and other crew, then "radio operators", correponding to what Arne sent. But I had to take a nap.

It seems that at the time there was no navigator title, but there there were "flight mechanics" flying in crews.

Distances (and experience) were not measured in hours but in flown kilometres. Germany had not yet lost WW2! Now we have to live with oddities like "miles", feet, yards, inches, gallons and pounds and whatever.

My documents are are year later than the documents referred to by Arne.

https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... e_1945.jpg

At least the ABA pilots had a military background. von Rosen also flew for ABA during the war years but had a rather "varied" career with "odd jobs" (and also KLM) and also had a special relation to Göring to whom his mother´s sister was married. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustaf_von_Rosen

Among the millionaries, Captain Ernst Roll and wireless operator Helge Nordborg were killed in a crash 4 December 1945 with the civilized Boeing B-17 "Tom", SE-BAM. Among the killed in the crew were also a Second Officer Lars Sundin, but not a relative to me! There were no passengers on board, they had taken a train due to the bad weather between Gothenburg and Stockholm.

https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... sh_svd.jpg

[Peter Maxfield]

Thank you for those informative replies and interesting clippings - now I understand.
Are there any more of those crew photos with von Rosen and Gunnar Eriksson?

[Peter Maxfield]

Arne -
I proofread the page and this should now show like this -

Svenska trafikflygmiljonärer.

(Antal flugna km vid ABA:s jubileum 2/6 -44)

Flygf. A. Lindberg,
1.122.377 km.
Flygmiljonär d.
6/7 -39.

Flygf. M. Lindholm,
1.621.057 km.
Flygmiljonär d.
25/8 -38.

Flygf. G. Lindow
1.828.567 km.
Flygmiljonär d. 9/5 -38.

Flygf. E. Roll,
2.338.670 km.
Flygmiljonär d. 14/12
-36.i

Flygt. Hj. Bosson,
1.592.308 km.
Flygmiljonär d.
22/6 -39.

ABA:s chefspilot K. G.
Lindner, som omkom vid
SE-BAF »Gladans» haveri
över Nordsjön i aug. 1943,
hade vid sin död flugit
1.796.677 km. och blev
flygmiljonär den 13/12 1937.

Flygf. S. Gibson,
1.044.469 km.
Flygmiljonär d. 8/8
-43.

Flygf. S. Åhblom
1.658 865 km.
Flygmiljonär d. 21/3
-39.

Telegr. T. Forsberg,
1.800.083 km.
Flygmiljonäg d.
5/4 -38.

Telegr. H. Nordborg,
1.459 040 km.
Flygmiljonär d.
6/1 -40.

Telegr. S. Piculell,
1.820.271 km.
Flygmiljonär d.
11/5 -39.

i Dubbel flygmiljonär d. 1/7 -42.

[Lars Sundin]

Thank you for those informative replies and interesting clippings - now I understand.
Are there any more of those crew photos with von Rosen and Gunnar Eriksson?

I did not find any more photos with von Rosen and Gunnar as crew members, even if I searched the web and my bookshelves.

von Rosen´s name is often seen in newspaper´s reports about the flights for the Swedish missionaires who had been separated from Sweden during the WW2 years. International flights were of general interest those days, in the aftermath of WW2. Two clippings on https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... nsflyg.jpg

(Note that names of some passengers are given. Then von Rosen hade been asked by the Emperor to buy shoes for his wife in Stockholm, and a well-known columnist gives this a humorous twist.)

Here is von Rosen just before the war, in the cockpit of a KLM plane.This web page is from the Finnish national broadcasting company.

https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2018/04/ ... gnades-ner


Gunnar Eriksson was interviewed 2005 in a newspaper when he was 85 (he passed away in 2009 or so): https://www.dt.se/artikel/dalarna/gunna ... -och-trivs

An excerpt:" Strax före andra världskriget utbildade sig Gunnar till radiotelegrafist. Han fick tjänst som flygradiotelegrafist hos ABA, före detta SAS, och utbildade sig även till navigatör.
Åren 1945-1947 lånades en ABA-besättning ut till Nordiskt Missionsflyg, med Carl Gustav von Rosen som kapten vid de första flygningarna.
De resorna gick till ställen som Madagaskar, Kongo, Indien och Hongkong, där missionärer kunde behöva hjälp med transport.
Senare, mellan 1950-1954 provflög han och levererade Saab:s Scandia flygplan, fick göra allt från värmeprov i Sudan och föra plan till Brasilien.
Efter 5 000 flygtimmar landade Gunnar Eriksson år 1954 och tog över faderns trävarubutik inne i Falun."

Translation: "Just before WW 2 Gunnnar trained to become a wireless operator. He got a job for ABA, that later became a part of SAS, and also trained as a navigator.
1945-1947 an ABA-crew was leased to Nordic Misionary Flights, with Carl Gustav von Rosen as captain for the first flights.
Flights were made to Madagascar, Congo, India and Hongkong, where missionaries were in need of transportation home. Later, during 1950-1954 he was involved in testing and delivery of the Saab Scandia airliners, and this included high temperature tests in Sudan and delivery flights to Brazil.
After 5000 hours in the air, he took over his father´s timber shop in the town of Falun."

5000 hours means more than a Million flown kilometres!

In https://www.flickr.com/photos/sas-museu ... 803551370/ ,for example https://www.flickr.com/photos/sas-museum/35803551300 , you see other Felix crews involved in the first Felix Swedish/Nordic flights 1945 across the Atlantic to USA. Also other early SAS activities.

[Peter Maxfield]

Thank you Lars! I've been trying to translate the three articles about SE-BAH and the other Felix's. The technical one (on Projekt Runeberg) is a little difficult, but my Norwegian daughter-in-law (Marte-Marie Forsberg), has offered to help. I'm thinking to merge all three into one large source!
Here's the Swedish text from the article you posted, and added in English (rough version!):

Den fredliga fästningen Felix

Den fredliga fästningen Felix hade en föraroch navigationsavdelning uppdelad i en främre och en bakra del. I den främre delen, där golvet var något högre, fanns två förarstolar plus styrrattar, reglage och instrument. Stolarna hade lösa sits- och ryggdynor klädda med gult skinn.
I bakra delen fanns en stol för färdmekanikern plus instrument och reglage för övervakning under flygning, samt en stol och ett bord för navigatören. Navigatörens stol kunde svängas fram mellan förarplatserna.
Förar- och navigationsavdelningen hade en V-formad vindruta som bakåt övergick i två fönster vilka sträckte sig i höjd med mekanikerns och navigatörens platser. I taket ovanför förarplatserna fanns två fönster försedda med draggardiner, i taket ovanför bakre avdelningen fanns en astrodom.
Ytterväggarna i förar- och navigationsavdelningen var isolerade med en omkring 20 mm tjock pressfilt som bestod av en blandning av kapock, bomull och ylle och som var klistrad direkt på skalplåten. För att minska brännbarheten var filten Guwenit-impregnerad. För att skydda isolermaterialet var taket och större delen av väggarna klädda med grön smärting (i SE-BAH grönt tyg). Vissa delar av väggarna var klädda med plåt och målade i samma färg som tyget. Golvet i främre delen var utfört av plåt och i bakre delen av björkfanér.
Två telegrafister satt i ett radiorum placerat i planets nos omedelbart akter om främre lastrummet. Till radiorummet kom man genom en gång under främre delen av förarrummet. Telegrafisterna satt på för två stolar i färdriktningen, i vardera sidväggen fanns två fönster.

Två passagerarkabiner

Passagerarutrymmet var uppdelat i två kabiner, en främre för sex och en bakre för åtta passagerare. Skottet mellan dem hade en genomgångsöppning utan dörr. Väggarna var isolerade med samma pressfilt som i förarkabinen. I främre passagerarkabinen var de sex platserna fördelade på två väggfasta längsgående soffor med ryggstödden mot ytterväggarna. Platserna i sofforna åtskiljdes av upfällbara armstöd samt tvärställda axelstöd och huvudstöd som var dimensionerade för att uppta accelerationskrafter i flygriktningen. Sofforna var klädda med grått tyg, och i alla flygplan utom SE-BAH fanns i det tvärställdaaxelstödet mellan platserna en tryckknapp för stewardsignal. Ovanför sofforna fanns två fönster, och ovanför vart och ett av dessa en i väggen infälld lampa.

Hatthyllor fanns på skottet mellan kabinerna. I taket fanns en nödutgångslucka som kunde nås med hjälp av en stege som var stuvad i överbyggnaden ovanför huvudlastrummets tak. På samma ställ förvarades också rep med knutar på, vilka kunde kastas ut genom nödutgångsluckan och bli hängande på flygkroppens utsida. Med hjälp av dessa kunde man, "utan svårighet från nödutgången komma ned på flygplanets vingar".

I bakre passagerarutrymmet var de åtta platserna fördelade på fem enkelfåtöljer på vänstra sidan och tre på högra sidan av kabinen, placerade i färdriktningen. I plåtar under stolarna fanns värmesystemets luftkanaler, vid varje stol fanns ett fönster och i taket ovanför mittgången fem infällda lampor.
Ingångsdörren var på bakre högra delen av kabinen.

Sporrhjulet blockerade torrmuggen

Toalettutrymmet låg i bakre kabinen i höjd med ingångsdörren. Det hade ett tvättfat as rostfri plat till vilket hörde en vattentank som rymde cirka 11 liter. Toaletten utgjordes av en torrmugg i ungefär samma utförande som i DC-3:an, latrinbehållaren måste bäras ut genom kabinen när den skulle tömmas.
I toalettutrymmet fanns en lucka genom vilken mekanismen sporrhjulet kom in när sporrhjulet fälldes in. Luckan och sporrhjulsmekanismen barrikaderade då toalettstollen så att den inte kunde användas.
Under flygning var sporren normalt utfälld...
Flygplan Felix hade tre lastrum. Ett i nosen för högst 400 kg, ett mellan förar/navigationsavdelningen för högst 4,000 kg (huvudlastrummet) och ett bakra lastrum i flygplanets stjärt.

Felix-data

Huvudmått
Spännvidd 31,64 m. Längd 21,49 m. Höjd i flygäge 7,49 m. Höjd i markläge (fenan är högst) 5,82 m. Spårvidd 6,44 m. Hjulbas 11,68 m.

Vinge
Profil vid vingroten NACA 0018, vid vingspetsen NACA 0010. Area (inkl. skevroder och vingklaffar) 132 m2. Rotkorda (mätt vid fogen innervinge-kropp) 5,79 m. Spetskorda (mätt vid fogen yttervinge-vingspets) 2,71 m. Monteringsvinkel 3,5°. V-form 4,5°. Pilform 8,15°.

Skevroder
Area inkl. trimroder (mätt frän vridningscentrum) vardera 5,59m2. Balansarea 0,86 m2. Total area 6,45 m2. Trimroderarea (finns endast på vänster vinge) 0,25 m2. Max. roderutslag uppåt 12°, nedåt 12°.

Vingklaffar
Total area 12,96 m2. Korda 0,86 m. Längd (i vingens plan) 7,44 m. Max vingklaffsutslag 45°.

Stjärtparti
a/Stabilisator: Total area 26,34 m2. Monteringsvinkel (fast) 0°. Rotkorda (mätt vid kroppens centrumlinje 3,41 m. Spännvidd 13,10 m.

b/Höjdroder:
Area inkl. trimroder (mätt från vridningscentrum) 7,48 m2. Balansarea 3,18 m2. Total area 10,66 m2. Trimroderarea 0,92 m2. Max. roderutslag uppåt 23°, nedåt 14°.

c/Fena:
Total area 15,85 m2. Monteringsvinkel (fast) 0°. Maximikorda (mätt i höjd med sidtrimrodrets nedre kant)
4,16 m.

d/Sidroder:
Area inkl. trimroder (mätt från vridningscentrum) 2,57 m2. Balansarea 0,94 m2. Total area 3,51 m2. Trimroderarea 0,32 m2. Max. roderutslag åt vardera sidan 22°.

Övriga mått
Avstånd markyta-propellerdomspets i flygläge: för innerpropellrarna 2,20 m, för ytterpropellrarna 2,51 m. I markläge: för innerpropellrarna 2,58 m, för ytterpropellrarna 2,82 m. Avstånd markyta-propellerspets i flygläge: för innerpropellrarna 0,43 m, för ytterpropellrarna 0,74 m. Avstånd kroppssidan-propellerspets
0,21 m.

Vikter
Tomvikt enligt standardutrustningslistan T 117/1 (medelvärde) 16.400 kg. Komplett vinge enligt standardutrustningslistan (med motorer och propellrar) vardera (ungefärligt värde) 5.300-5.700 kg.

Uppgifterna hämtade ur ABA:s mekanikerhandbok, vilken ställts till vårt förforgande av Mike Widell, själv en gång mekaniker på flygplan Felix.

Something like:

The civilian ‘Felix’ Fortress had a cockpit divided into a front and a rear. In the front, where the floor was slightly higher, there were two pilot’s seats, the steering columns, controls and instruments. The chairs had loose seat and back cushions lined with yellow leather.
In the rear part there was a chair for the flight mechanic with instruments and controls for in-flight monitoring, as well as a chair and a table for the navigator. The navigator's chair could be swung forward between the pilot's seats.
The cockpit had a V-shaped windscreen which turned back on itself into two windows which stretched above the mechanic's and navigator's positions. In the roof above the pilot's seats there were two windows fitted with shades, and in the ceiling above the rear compartment there was an astrodome.
The outer walls of the cockpit were insulated with about a 20 mm thick felt blanket consisting of a mixture of kapock [Ceiba pentandra silk-cotton fibre], cotton and wool, which was glued directly onto the hull plate. To reduce flammability, the felt was impregnated with ‘Guwenit’. To protect the insulation material, the roof and most of the walls were covered with green canvas (in SE-BAH it was green fabric). Some parts of the walls were covered with sheet metal and painted in the same colour as the fabric. The floor in the front was made of sheet metal, and in the rear part of birch veneer.
Space for two radio operators was placed in the plane's nose immediately behind the front cargo hold. The radio room protruded partly under the front of the cockpit. They were installed on two chairs facing in the direction of travel, and there were two windows in each side wall.

Two passenger cabins

The passenger compartment was divided into two cabins, one front one for six, and one rear for eight passengers. The bulkhead between them had a through opening without a door. The walls were insulated with the same pressed felt as in the cockpit. In the front passenger cabin, the six seats were distributed along two wall-mounted longitudinal sofas with the backrests against the outer walls. The seats in the sofas were separated by folding armrests and transverse shoulder supports and headrests, which were designed to absorb acceleration forces in the direction of flight. The sofas were covered with gray fabric, and in all aircraft except SE-BAH, there was a push button for the steward call alarm in the transverse axis support between the seats. Above the couches were two windows, and above each one of these, a lamp was recessed in the wall.
Hat shelves were on the bulkhead between the cabins. In the roof there was an emergency escape hatch which could be reached by means of a ladder which was stowed in the superstructure over the roof of the main cargo compartment. In the same place, knotted rope ladders were also stored, which could be thrown out through the emergency exit door to hang down on the outside of the fuselage. With the help of these, one could, ‘get down from the emergency exit without any difficulty, and onto the aircraft's wings’.
In the rear passenger compartment, the eight seats were divided into five single seats on the left side, and three on the right side of the cabin, facing in the direction of travel. In the sheet metal plates under the chairs there were heating system air ducts, by each chair there was a window, and in the ceiling above the aisle five recessed lamps.
The entrance door was on the rear right part of the cabin.

The tailwheel blocked the dry toilet.

The toilet compartment was in the rear cabin by the entrance door. It had a stainless steel washbasin which had a water tank that held about 11 litres. The toilet was a dry one of about the same design as in the DC-3, the latrine container had to be carried out through the cabin when it was to be emptied.
In the toilet there was a gap through which the mechanism for the tail wheel entered when the tail wheel was retracted. The door and the tail wheel mechanism then blocked the toilet seat so that it could not be used.
During flight, the spurs were normally precipitated ... [?]
Felix aircraft had three holds. One in the nose for a maximum of 400 kg, one below the cockpit with a maximum of 4,000 kg (main cargo compartment), and a rear cargo space in the aircraft's tail.

Felix data

Main dimensions
Length of 31.64 m. Length 21.49 m. Height in flight position 7.49 m. Height in ground position (fin highest) 5.82 m. Track width 6.44 m. Wheel base 11.68 m.
Wing
Profile at the wing root NACA 0018, at the wing tip NACA 0010. Area (incl. ailerons and wing flaps) 132 m2. Root chord (measured at joint inner wing with body) 5.79 m. Tip chord (measured at joint outer wing tip) 2.71 m. Mounting angle 3.5 °. V-shape 4.5 °. Arrow shape 8.15 °.
Ailerons
Area incl. trim rudder (measured from centre of rotation) each 5.59m2. Balance area 0.86 m2. Total area 6.45 m2. Trim rudder area (only available on left wing) 0.25 m2. Max. rudder stroke up 12 °, down 12 °.
Flaps
Total area 12.96 m2. Corded 0.86 m. Length (in wing plane) 7.44 m. Max wing flap 45 °.

Tail section
a / Stabilizer: Total area 26.34 m2. Mounting angle (fixed) 0°. Root chord (measured at the centre line of the body 3.41 m. Spans 13.10 m.
b / Elevator:
Area incl. trim rudder (measured from the centre of rotation) 7.48 m2. Balance area 3,18 m2. Total area 10.66 m2. Trim rudder area 0.92 m2. Max. rudder stroke up 23 °, down 14 °.
c / Fin:
Total area 15.85 m2. Mounting angle (fixed) 0°. Maximum order (measured in height with the side trim of the lower edge) 4.16 m.
d / Rudder:
Area incl. trim rudder (measured from the centre of rotation) 2.57 m2. Balance area 0.94 m2. Total area 3.51 m2. Trim rudder area 0.32 m2. Max. rudder stroke on each side 22 °.
Other dimensions
Distance from ground surface to propeller tip in flight mode: for inner propellers 2.20 m, for outer propellers 2.51 m. In ground position: for the inner propellers 2.58 m, for the outer propellers 2.82 m. Distance from the ground surface to propeller tip in flight mode: for the inner propellers 0,43 m, for the outer propellers 0,74 m. Distance from the body to side propeller tip 0.21 m.
Weights
Empty weight according to standard equipment list T 117/1 (mean weight) 16,400 kg. Complete wing according to the standard equipment list (with motors and propellers) each (approximate weight) 5,300-5,700 kg.

The data came from ABA's mechanic’s manual, which was given to our predecessors by Mike Widell, himself, once a mechanic on Felix aircraft.

[Peter Maxfield]

Copyright C.G. von Rosen Family.
Courtesy of Eric and Heli von Rosen.
Please give the proper credits for any use of this wonderful shot taken by Carl Gustaf von Rosen of SE-BAH 'Sam', (most probably taken on Saturday 8th December 1945) at Lideta, Addis Ababa. ልደታ አዲስ አበባ

[Peter Maxfield]

A previous comment:
SE-BAH 'Sam' (F-17), left Bromma on the 4th December and arrived on the 6th:
Tues 4th Dec 1945 - Bromma 0700 - Naples 1538, Naples 1717 - Cairo 2320.
Weds 5th Dec 1945 - Rest Day.
Thurs 6th Dec 1945 - Cairo - Addis Ababa 1400.
Sat 8th Dec 1945 - 37 minute morning test flight (including RAF Sergeants: Peter Maxfield, Johnny Wakefield and George Kay).
Sun 9th Dec 1945 - Addis late evening - Cairo.
Tues 11th Dec 1945 - Bromma.
SE-BAH was halfway between two liveries at this time. Photos show that the 1944/45 olive green camouflage has been begun to be stripped off. The tail, dorsal fin and upper wing surfaces are bare metal (with new black registration lettering), while the main fuselage is still green with the standard yellow writing. Half and half on the engines - the outboard two, have the natural metal and three stripes (blue, or possibly red) on the propeller tips of the 1946/47 livery, while the inboard pair have the earlier style propellers still in matt black with the yellow tips. The paint is well worn and chipped, especially on the nose, and on a vertical line adjacent to the No.3, starboard inner propeller - it must have been blowing grit and dust at the fuselage. The previous assumption that SE-BAO was unique in having a half and half livery is therefore not correct - presumably all five of the Felix class would have been stripped in the same way, probably (guessing) due to the use of scaffolding to reach the top of the vertical stabiliser, and without taking them out of service while this was done.
So this shot is between 6th and 9th of December 1945. Film appears to be dated as 3rd of December- presume that to be the start date of using the film. Other shots were almost definitely taken on the day of the test flight - the 8th.

[Lars Sundin]

I took a very brief look at old Swedish aviation magazines which can be found on https://modellflygnytt.se/

In the first issue of "Flyg" for 1946, https://modellflygnytt.se/gamla/1946/flyg_1946-1.pdf , is a column of recent events (page 26) and here the Africa flights of Carl Gustaf von Rosen are mentioned with some details:

https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... 1_1946.jpg

[Peter Maxfield]

Thanks Lars, looks interesting - will translate! I've had a quick look at some of the magazines, and it's a great historic source. Best wishes, Pete.

[Peter Maxfield]

Svensk Flygtidning 1/1946
LANGFLYGNINGAR är numera vardagsmat för aba-sila:s piloter. I julnumret1945 berättade vi om hur C.-G. von Rosen startat med »fästningen» Sam den 4/12 och första dagen flog Bromma – Neapel nonstop samt samma dag vidare till Kairo – sammanlagt 4 274 km. Flygningen dit tog nästen på minute 16 timmar, varav 1¾ timme tillbringades I Neapel, där det var så dåligt väder att intet flygplan startat därifrån på tre dygn. Carl-Gustaf stack dock iväg – han kände sin egen och sin besättnings förmåga. Dagen därpå fortsatte man till Addis Abeba, som man åter lämnade den 7/12 kl, 04.10 med landing I Kairo kl. 15.20 samti Neapel kl. 22.45. Landningen där var en smula dramatisk, ty »Sam» fick »flyga serpentin» ned runt ett ljusknippe, som bildades av flera samordnade strålkastare. På grund av det urusla vädret måste han – trots at than hade mycket bråttom hem till Stockholm – stanna därända till den 10/12, då han flog via Corsica och utmed Alperna I det mest strålande väder till Bromma nonstop på 8 h 40 min.
Den flitige Abessinien – flygaren von Rosen var redan den 12/12 färdig att starta igen till Madagaskar, denna gang med DC-3: an SE-BAW »Svalan» [»Svanen» – Svalan (Swallow) was a Junkers 86Z-7, SE-BAE] med start från Bromma kl. 06.18 och landing i Göteborg kl. 07.46, Amsterdam 11.52, Lyon 14.19 och Marseille 16.19. Därifrån startade han återigen den 13/12 kl. 07.40 och landade I Neapel 11.40, startade från Atén 16.23 och anlände till Kairo kl. 20.07. Därifrån startade SE-BAW den 14/12 kl. 04.26 och anlände till Addis Abeba kl. 15.10 och till Madagaskar den 16/12 kl. 15.03 Greenwichtid. På Madagaskar hämtade han en del norska missionärer och är när detta läses säkert hemma igen. Kapten von Rosen kommer fr. o. m. [från och med] januari att gå I etiopiske kejsarens tjänst och bosätta sig i Addis Abeba.
Addis Abeba flygfält har endast en hårdgjord landningsbana. Bilden tagen mot väster med masker i startriktningen.
Kapten Carl-Gustaf von Rosen i Nairobi.



Swedish Flight Journal Jan/1946
LONG FLIGHTS are now commonplace for ABA-SILA's pilots. In the Christmas 1945 issue we recounted how C.-G. von Rosen had left in the Fortress: ‘Sam’ on 4/12/45, and on that first day flew Bromma - Naples nonstop, and then went on to fly on the same day to Cairo - a total of 4,274 km. The flight there took almost 16 hours, of which 1¾ hours were spent in Naples, where the weather was so bad that no aircraft left from there for three days. However, Carl-Gustaf did - he well knew his own, and his crew's, ability. The next day they went on to Addis Ababa, which they left again on 7/12/45 [9th Dec!] at 04:10, landing in Cairo at 3:20 pm and to Naples at 22:45. The landing there was a bit dramatic, because ‘Sam’ had to "fly the serpentine" down around a bunch of lights formed by several coordinated vehicle headlights. Due to the inclement weather, he had to stay there until 10/12/45, after which he was in a hurry to get to Stockholm, when he flew via Corsica and through the Alps in brilliant weather and to Bromma, nonstop, in 8h 40min.

The frequent Abyssinia pilot, von Rosen, was already prepared on 12/12/45 to take off again for Madagascar, this time in DC-3, SE-BAW, ‘The Swan’, starting from Bromma at 06:18 and landing in Gothenburg at 07:46, Amsterdam 11:52, Lyon 14:19 and Marseille 16:19. From there he left again on 13/12/45 at 07:40, landed in Naples at 11:40, left Athens at 16:23, and arrived in Cairo at 19:20. From there, SE-BAW left on 14/12/45 at 04:26 and arrived in Addis Ababa at 15:10, and on to Madagascar on 16/12/45 at 15:03 Greenwich Mean Time. In Madagascar, he picked up some Norwegian missionaries and when safely taken back home, Captain von Rosen then went back to join the Emperor's service and to settle in Addis Ababa at the start of January 1946.
Addis Ababa airfield has only one hard runway. The picture taken to the west with markings in the starting direction.
Captain Carl-Gustaf von Rosen in Nairobi.

[Lars Sundin]

Thank you for this translation whih I have saved.

Carl Gustaf von Rosen was a special character, maybe a bit "too big". Going his own way, like his sister Birgitta Wolf. The result may be good or bad. An "upper class" childhood. Like Etonians...

Maybe the long address below works, it leads to an excerpt of a book in English about him. The excerpt stops before WW2 but covers activities in Ethiopia during the 30-ties. I guess you may have the full paper version of the book.

It contains pictures which could be of interest to those interested in early Swedish aviation history.

https://books.google.se/books?id=ET9aDg ... ty&f=false

[Peter Maxfield]

Thanks Lars. Yes, I do have a copy - it was me that did the proof-reading for the English version for Heli. There's another very long and technical SE-BAH article that I see I haven't had a go at translating yet. I'll start soon! Pete.

[Peter Maxfield]

Copyright C.G. von Rosen Family.
Courtesy of Eric and Heli von Rosen.
Please give the proper credits for any use of this wonderful shot taken by Carl Gustaf von Rosen of SE-BAH 'Sam', (most probably taken on Saturday 8th December 1945) at Lideta, Addis Ababa. ልደታ አዲስ አበባ
An attempt at colourisation by myself. Central figure in uniform looks to me to be Gunnar Eriksson, the Radio Operator - at that time living at DROTTNINGHOLMSVÄGEN 348, STOCKHOLM. My father's Stevenson Screen is visible below the starboard wingtip. The figure looking out from the Terminal Building, extreme middle right with black background, could well be my father. He would've been out in the 'garden' taking observations from early morning onwards. His office was that end of the building - you can see the steps down to the garden between the fence posts. If this is indeed the 8th December 1945 then Gunnar had arranged for my father and two of his B.M.M.E. friends to come up with them for a test flight in SE-BAH (Sgt. Johnny Wakefield and Sgt. George Kay): Saturday 8th. 37 mins with Johnny and George in the Swedish Flying Fort this morning, thus bringing my time up to 28hrs 7 mins.

Copyright C.G. von Rosen Family.

[Lars Sundin]

A very nice picture! There was an interest in Ethiopia from Sweden these days, missionaries and military persons. When looking in archived newspapers this can be noted. I did not found anything about this early flight it seems, maybe because the ABA airline had a crash with a sister B-17 ship just these very days which was the most severe one in Sweden up to that date, all crew perished. No passengers though.

In spring 1946 the ABA DC-3 "Svanen" SE-BAW left for Ethiopia with von Rosen as captain. https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... mars46.jpg

It carried 19 passengers (which was more than a rebuilt B-17 could take). A later flight with Svanen was made by captain Hjalmar Bosson.

A rather recent picture of the preserved aircraft can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/70364571@ ... 700389678/

See also https://kringla.nu/kringla/objekt?refer ... oto/605285

The radio operator Gunnar Eriksson was living here, quite close to the Bromma airport like many others active in aviation: https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... vagen2.jpg
https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... svagen.jpg

[Peter Maxfield]

Thank you Lars! It is indeed a very nice picture. Imagine how pleased I was to be sent a group of excellent photos showing the exact event I was interested in! We're pretty sure that CG von Rosen was using a Leica (one of the III models, I guess - maybe a IIIc) thus explaining the good quality of the images. I'll post my father's only photo of SE-BAH for comparison - not from the best camera!

[Peter Maxfield]

My father's only shot of SE-BAH, December 1945 - again my attempt at adding some colour. Copyright: Sgt. P. E. Maxfield. See what I mean about the camera quality?

[Lars Sundin]

When I strolled on the internet this morning I found a text on von Rosen's grave but also one another Swedish pilot, Dan Andersson, and a missionary nurse. I choose to put a comment/recommended reading here.

https://gustavsviksflygfalt.se/text/ovr ... 79qnlCacO8

[Rodell]

Hi Lars
Im new to the forum but stumbled across your posts.
My Father was a captain in the NMF and flew regularly with Ansgar to several african destinations, in 1948-49 and perhaps even earlier,( Captain Bertil Rodell 1918-2000)
He also told me wonderful stories of which is only remember too few.

I still have his timetables for miles and dates and other odd stuff of the early pioneering times.
Best regards Anders Rodell (Aarhus Denmark)

[Lars Sundin]

Hej Anders!

I go on in this thread which was mainly based on young British Boy´s memories from his stay in Addis Abeba. Now and then Ansgar flights are mentioned, maybe also links given.

The registration of the plane was SE-APG which could assist you in any further googling. It is listed in another subforum here for civil aircraft. You may meet the aircraft on other blogss or elsewhere on the internet.

The early years of the missionary flights by Ansgar/NMF are described in anarticle by Torild Backe in an aviation year-book on https://larsan13.files.wordpress.com/20 ... n_1956.jpg

Two sites of interest are: https://sff.nu/hembygdsfilatelisterna/f ... ission.php and https://danjakob.se/ansgar/

I attach two newspaper clippings.

[Mats Averkvist]

There is a new book about the Ansgar flights, in Swedish unfortunatley...

SE-APG Ansgar
av Eric Knutson
Kartonnage Svenska, 2022-11-15, 112 sidor

http://www.narinforlag.se/

Det nordiska missionsflyget började dramatiskt. En grupp norska missionärer satt fast på Madagaskar efter andra världskriget. Det gick inte att sända något fartyg för att hämta dem eftersom kusterna var fortsatt minerade. Jakten på ett lämpligt flygplan startade. Planet SE-APG Ansgar kom att göra 95 flygningar varav 54 flygningar till Afrika och 24 till Indien och Kina under åren 1945-1950.
Mer än 1 200 passagerare transporterats till och från de olika missionsfälten. Företrädare från över 32 missionssamfund över hela världen har begagnat sig av Ansgar. Efter fem år fick flygplanet andra uppgifter.
Eric Knutson har hela sitt liv samlat på information om det flygplan med vilket han som liten reste till Indien tillsammans med sina föräldrar.
Som filatelist har han även samlat på brev som skickades med planet till Afrika och Indien.

[Peter Maxfield]

Thanks Lars, Anders and Mats!

Looks like an interesting book.

Google translate gives me:
The Nordic mission flight began dramatically. A group of Norwegian missionaries were stuck in Madagascar after World War II. No ship could be sent to pick them up because the coasts were still mined. The search for a suitable aircraft began. The (DC-3) aircraft SE-APG 'Ansgar' made 95 flights of which 54 were to Africa and 24 to India and China during the years 1945-1950.
More than 1,200 passengers were transported to and from the various mission areas. Representatives from over 32 mission communities worldwide used 'Ansgar.' After five years, the aircraft received other tasks.
Throughout his life, Eric Knutson has been gathering information about the plane on which he travelled to India with his parents as a child.
As a philatelist, he has also collected letters that were sent by plane to Africa and India.

Best wishes all!

Pete.

[Peter Maxfield]

History of owners here: http://www.dc-3.co.za/dc-3-individual-a ... 11746.html

[Lars Sundin]

Jag forskade litet efter Eric Knutsons bok och fann en del Eric har intresse i både filateli och mission som man förstår av sajten http://netex.se/ansgar/ Man kan på den bl a se en sammanställning av SE-APG Ansgars resor som jag här lånar: