Detachment Brandenstein and Red Finns aviation

[vonkortez]

I’m currently researching the activities of the Red Finnish aviation detachment that was stationed in Kouvola and Utti from 25th February 1918 to late april 1918. The detachment used a couple of Russian licence built Nieport aircraft flown by Russian pilots with Finnish personnel as observers.

 

In Finnish literature there are a couple of mentions about recon flights from Utti air base to observe the movements of German Detachment Brandenstein (Landungabteilung Brandenstein). Detachment Brandenstein arrived from Tallinn, Estonia to Loviisa, Finland by sea transport between 7th and 14th april 1918. They started to advance east towards Kotka and to north towards Lahti. The first parts of the detachment reached Uusikylä, some 60km north of Loviisa on 13th april 1918. The arrival of the detachment to Loviisa came as a total suprise to Reds. It is therefore quite possible that they would have tried to use aviation assets to find out what the detachments intentions were. Utti is roughly 20-25mins from Loviisa by air.

The Finnish writing about Detachment Brandenstein do not mention anything about aerial activities by the Reds. So I haven´t been able to confirm when those recon flights happened or if they happened at all. Is there anyone here who knows about this subject? Any reports by the Germans that they had noticed an enemy recon aircraft?