# Finland Air Force



## gekho (Jan 28, 2011)

The Finnish Air Force was founded on 6th March 1918. There was one exceptional feature in the founding of the FAF, that it was organized right from the start as an independent branch of the armed forces. This foresight created a good basis for its development and made it one of the oldest air forces in the world. The first aircraft was donated by a Swedish count, Erik von Rosen. On the wings of the airplane was painted his personal lucky insignia, the blue swastikas. This was the origin of the first official Finnish Air Force markings. The swastikas, still seen in many FAF traditional markings, as insignias have nothing to do with the Nazi swastikas of the 1930s.

The Winter War was the first real baptism of fire for the Finnish Air Force. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany formed a pact in 1939 which resulted in the German attack on Poland in September of that year. Subsequent to that assault was the Soviet Union's attack on Finland on November of the same year. The Defence Forces of Finland was ill-prepared for the war from a material standpoint. In the Air Force for example the number of fighters was alarmingly small. However, their training and therefore their combat readiness was fairly high. Actually, The Finnish Air Force was the inventor of the modern fighter tactics.

Before and in the beginning of the second World War the ideas of general Douhet were noticed in many air forces and accordingly the fighter forces were rather universally underestimated. Fighter tactics also was hampered by peace time formalities. In Great Britain the two types of fighter formation were either built up from a tight vic of three aircraft or four in line-astern. The vic was a legacy of peace time flying in which the two wingmen had all their work cut out to stay near their leader and little time to search the sky. The high casualty rate of the tail-end Charlies was a grim measure of the vulnerability of the line-astern formations. During the Battle of Britain the RAF renewed both its formation tactics and training.

In Germany the Luftwaffe was founded again in 1933 and the Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff, general Wever, emphasized strategic bombers as the main aircraft of the new organization. After Wever had died in the flight accident in 1936 the new technical chief, Ernst Udet, brought from a trip to USA the idea of dive bombers as the most suitable method for the blitzkrieg philosophy. The German bi-plane fighters, Arado Ar 65/68 and Heinkel He 51, used in the Spanish Civil War, proved to be inferior compared to the adversaries I-15 and I-16 from Soviet Union. However, in 1938 both the fighters and the fighter tactics in Luftwaffe were renewed when Legion Condor got the new Bf 109 B-2 fighters in use.

In the Soviet Union the bombers had the priority in the operational planning of the air forces during the 1930s. Also the Soviet Union participated the Spanish Civil War but its Air Force elements were used as the subordinated support units to the Army and thus for example the fighter tactical lessons were unlearned. The Soviets kept on using the tight three fighters formation as the basic tactical element in air combat and the wingmen were to fire anytime the leader did so. The weapons were lined straight ahead.

Some of the first American fighter combat experiences came via Flying Tigers in China. They started by using eight fighters tight formation but cancelled it soon and changed both tactics and training. Also Japanese first used rather big formations, for example fifteen Mitsubishi 96 Claude fighters in tight Vic-formation in their Chinese campaign. In Finland the Air Force started during the years 1934 and 1935 to use the loose and broad section as the basic formation in fighter aviation. The bigger formations were built so that two sections flying side by side made a finger four division. In a flight formation two divisions flew almost side by side while the top division was much higher than the lower strike division. In divisions, the sections still operated independently. These formations, at that time differing from all international principles, were developed during fighter courses in both theoretical analyses and practical exercises. The Finnish fighter pilots concluded that they would never have such big numbers of fighters that they could build up those great squadron formations which were used abroad to concentrate fighter power to certain areas. They also concluded that big and tight fighter formations were tactically inefficient.

The most important element in the fighter combat was surprise, and that was the goal which always had to be tried to reach for. A big and tight formation could very seldom achieve the surprise because it was easily seen from far away and the pilots couldn't keep good lookout while working to maintain their positions in the formation. On the other hand a section with the two fighters about 100 - 150 yards away from each other, or the division with 300 - 400 yards between the two sections, were found very effective in the search exercises. Every pilot was free to keep a good lookout to every direction and also all the time to check the six of the other pilots. In addition to that this kind of small and loose formation was seen much later because all of its aircraft were not always at the same time in the view of the opponent. The search phase was heavily emphasized in the training and the ability in that was an important factor in the evaluation of the fighter pilots.

When the aerial engagement began every pilot was free to manoeuvre in the most effective way, so, both the attacks and the evasive manoeuvres could be done without any delays. The flying in the small formations meant continuous fighting against bigger numbers but this could be compensated by always attacking regardless of numbers. The fighter combat generally spread quite quickly into section fights and duels where there was no immediate benefit of the bigger numbers. In these separate combats the better pilots always won. However, this philosophy demanded that every pilot was a skilful air combatant. This skill was trained for both in the fighter courses and in the squadrons. 

One of the corner stones in the skill of the fighter pilot was the complete control of his aircraft. This was trained by aerobatics and combat manoeuvres, and also by intentional mis-manoeuvring. In the classic one versus one and two versus two exercises and in the practice attacks on bomber targets the combat manoeuvres were trained as instinctive actions. In practical exercises the simple manoeuvres were found to be the best ones. It was also found in training that one of the most important skills of fighter pilot was the shooting accuracy; the ability to judge the right deflection during manoeuvring, to estimate the right shooting distance and to concentrate the fire on the point target, for example on some vulnerable part of the target airplane. The shooting training became an essential, and in times dominating, part of the fighter training.

When the Winter War started the Finnish fighter tactics differed from almost all other countries` tactical principles. Only the Germans had started to use similar methods during the Spanish Civil War. There was no certainty of how this tactics would do in the merciless test of war. The numbers of the attacking Soviet Union seemed to be crushingly overwhelming. However, there was no hesitation about the defence task in the flying units. At least in that sense the training had succeeded; it had created a fighter pilot cadre with high motivation and self-confidence.


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## gekho (Jan 28, 2011)

The war experiences proved both the tactics and the training to be right and as a result, the main fighters Fokker D.XXIs were able to achieve an exchange ratio (kills in air combat versus losses in air combat) of 16:1 against Soviet combat aircraft. This was spectacular considering that the Fokkers had fixed undercarriages, making them slow for the bomber interceptor missions and clumsy against fighters in aerial combat. The Soviet order of battle in the Finnish campaign enjoyed a tenfold superiority against the Finnish Defence Forces. As a consequence Finland was forced to yield certain areas in Karelia. However, they were able to stop the Soviet offensive inflicting heavy losses on their enemy. The ineffectiveness of the Soviet offensive became an embarrassment to the Soviet superpower and they considered suing for a temporary peace agreement. On the other hand, Germany being hostile, official Sweden strictly neutral and the support plans of France and Great Britain proving to be inadequate, Finland had not resources enough to continue the fight alone. The peace treaty was thus signed on the evening of 12th March 1940 and came into effect the following day. This included a revision of the national border west of Lake Ladoga.

When the war started the lack of fighters was quickly realized within the nation at large, and prompt measures were initiated to increase the fighter force. Thus 92 fighters were purchased or received as donations during the Winter War, including Fiat G.50, Gloster Gladiator II and Morane Saulnier M.S. 406 types. The best fighter acquired during the war, a Brewster B 239, came too late to participate in combat missions, and the same applied to the 10 Hawker Hurricane I fighters. So, all in all, the Finnish fighter force was in much better shape in the end of the war than what it had been in the beginning of the war. Finland's strategic position stayed difficult after the Winter War. The Soviet Union continued its diplomatic pressure and Foreign Minister Molotov, on a trip to Germany in November 1940, demanded that the "Finland problem" must be resolved for good. The supporters, France and Great Britain, were themselves embroiled in the war and in an ironic twist of fate, the Finns found that the only nearby country with whom they could trade to improve their defence status was the Soviet Union's former ally, Germany, which was at that time prepared its eastern offensive.

From a political point of view Finland did not want to be involved in an alliance with Nazi Germany, but from a military standpoint cooperation seemed to be the only possible solution. But despite numerous requests by Germany to advance their forces beyond the demarcation line drawn through Eastern Karelia, for an attack on Leningrad, the Finns refused to do this. When Germany began its eastern offensive against the Soviet Union in June 1941, Finland had already given that country permission to stage units through Lapland, and after Soviet bombers had attacked various targets in Finland on 25th June 1941, the Finns officially entered into military cooperation with Germany, marking the beginning of the Continuation War.

At the beginning of the Continuation War the Soviet forces enjoyed only a two-to-one superiority over the Finns, and this permitted the Finns to advance fairly quickly to establish a defensive line where trench warfare network were ultimately located. The FAF had about 120 fighters in its flying units at that time, including Brewsters (BW), Fiats (FA), Morane Saulniers (MS), Curtisses (CU) and some Hurricanes (HC), 21 bombers, mainly Blenheims (BL) and some war booty planes, and 58 reconnaissance and liaison planes of various types, mainly obsolete. During this initial phase of the campaign the FAF achieved air superiority, and the Brewsters in particular excelled themselves, achieving a remarkable exchange ratio of 32:1. They added to the Winter War formation tactics and shooting accuracy a vertical energy-speed manoeuvre which was very effective against their main adversaries of that time, the I-153 Chaikas and I-16 Ratas, which were more agile but a little slower.

During the trench war period the most important air operations were carried out in the Gulf of Finland. These were partly the outcome of naval operations, and gradually the process evolved into the Battle of the Gulf of Finland, which culminated in Soviet air raids on Kotka and Helsinki. Finnish fighter pilots carried the main defensive burden in this battle, and were quite successful in this. The FAF strategy of concentrating on aerial combat instead of attacks on the well-defended enemy bases proved correct. The numbers of enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground didn't mean much because the Soviet superpower's own aircraft production plus lend-lease support from Great Britain and the United States meant that there was no shortage of aircraft. The shortage of trained pilots, however, became a problem for the Soviets, as became apparent in the final phase of the Battle of the Gulf of Finland. After the major aerial engagements of May 1944, the People's Commissar for the Navy, Admiral N. G. Kutznetsov, had to withdraw a whole regiment from front line duties because of the lack of pilots.

When the tide of war changed and the German forces began to retreat westwards, Soviet pressure on Finland increased. In spring of 1944 the Soviets decided to take Finland before beginning their advance towards Berlin. They amassed a tenfold superiority in troops and aircraft on the Karelian Isthmus and began their strategic offensive on 9th June 1944. Their advance achieved initial success, forcing the withdrawal of Finnish forces along the Isthmus, but in July 1944 the Finns were able to stabilize the front at the Vuoksi River and further attempts by the Soviet forces to advance beyond this line were repelled. The process seen in the Winter War was repeated.

Despite the Soviet superiority in numbers of aircraft, the FAF was able to concentrate its air forces and continue to achieve good results. The Brewsters, along with the Morane, Fiat and Curtiss fighters, although continuing their operations, became obsolete in terms of performance from 1943 on, and new fighters, Messerschmitt 109 G (MT)s, were received, although once again only in small numbers. When the Soviet offensive began, the units had about 40 Messerschmitts. Fortunately, the FAF was able to get 74 more fighters from Germany during the campaign, so that despite the fierce battles, the number of Messerschmitt fighters actually increased during the summer of 1944. The number of bombers in the flying units at the beginning of June 1944 was 66.

One good example of the ability to achieve local and temporal air superiority was the fact that the FAF bombers and a German support unit known as Kuhlmey were able to continue their effective air raids, which were vital contributions to the war effort, as the bombings could be concentrated on Soviet massed troops just before their preplanned attack times. Warnings of impending troop movements were usually captured by radio intelligence. It is also significant that no bombers in the formations escorted by the Messerschmitts were lost to enemy fighters during this period. The Messerschmitt fighters achieved an exchange ratio of 25:1.

Again the Finnish fighter force was stronger in the end of the war than it had been in the beginning of that. Also, during the wars the number of Finnish fighter aces had become a world record in relation to population. And almost all the Finnish top aces were fighting at the end of the war just as they had been at the beginning. Also the bomber and reconnaissance units were able to carry on their missions throughout. When it became obvious that the Soviets had failed in their plan to take Finland, they began to move their troops from the Karelian front for the race to Berlin. This failure on the Karelian Front was the only Soviet strategic defeat during their advance westward. The Soviets signed a temporary peace agreement with the Finns on 4th September 1944 with the stipulation that the Finns push the cooperative German forces out of Lapland.

Furthermore, the Finns ceded certain areas in Karelia and Petsamo and retired to the 1940 border. Nevertheless, the results of both the Winter War and the Continuation War were considered major victories for Finland. From the opening shots of the Winter War to the end of the Continuation War the Finnish objective was to save Finland and guarantee her independence. This was done and also one interesting point was made. Of all the countries in the European theatre participating the Second World War there were only two which never were occupied: Finland and Great Britain.


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## gekho (Jan 28, 2011)

The VL Pyörremyrsky (Hurricane) was a Finnish fighter, designed by DI Torsti Verkkola at the State Aircraft Factory (Valtion lentokonetehdas) for service with the Finnish Air Force in World War II. The war ended before the type's first flight and only a single prototype was built. On November 26, 1942 the Finnish Air Force ordered two Pyörremyrsky prototypes to be built. The aircraft were to be ready by May 1944. One prototype was later cancelled and only one aircraft was ever built. The aircraft designation VMT Pyörremyrsky is also sometimes used, as the factory had been formed into the State Metal Factories (Valtion Metalli Tehtaat) during the construction of the aircraft.

The use of wood in the construction of the aircraft was maximised due to the sparseness of metals. The goal was to create a fighter with similar flight qualities to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109G. The engine and the propeller were taken from the Bf 109G. The landing gear was significantly widened in order to address one of the German fighter's most noteworthy shortcomings. This significantly eased ground control, as well as take off and landing.

The Pyörremyrsky prototype PM-1 made its first flight on November 21, 1945 at Härmälä, piloted by Esko Halme. After 25 minutes of flying, a piece from the hood fell off and Halme had to land when fumes from the engine started to enter the cockpit. The pilot was saved by his oxygen mask. The aircraft was to fly only three test flights in Tampere, the third time being a transfer flight to Kuorivesi on January 16, 1946. There it flew an additional 31 test flights, the total flight time being 27 hours by 1947. The aircraft was flown by eight pilots: Esko Halme, Lauri Hämäläinen, Erkki Itävuori, Osmo Kauppinen, Lasse Heikinaro, Martti Laitinen, Heikki Keso and Lauri Lautamäki. The last flight lasted only 20 minutes and was made by captain Osmo Kauppinen on July 22, 1947.

The Pyörremyrsky design was considered quite successful. It could outclimb the Bf 109G-6 and it was very manoeuvrable. The only major problem with the design was found to be the low-quality glue used in the joints. The aircraft was still in the prototype stage when the war ended and this also meant that the funds allocated for the project decreased. The Pyörremyrsky prototype was grounded after only some 30 hours of flying and the programme terminated as no funds were available for the purchase of new aircraft for the Finnish Air Force and sufficient Bf 109Gs remained in service to equip the fighter force that was permitted under the Armistice terms. The PM-1 was removed from FAF lists on April 1, 1953. The wing construction was later used in another Finnish aircraft, the Valmet Vihuri trainer.


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## gekho (Jan 28, 2011)

The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a British carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane which first flew in 1926. It was used by the Fleet Air Arm as a torpedo bomber from 1930 until 1935. Ripons were also sold to Finland, where they continued to be used in action in the Winter War and the Continuation War until 1944. The Blackburn Ripon was also ordered for use by the Finnish Air Force, with one example for Finland being built by Blackburn, before 25 were produced under licence at the Finnish Aircraft Factory. These were powered with a number of different radial engines; the pattern aircraft had a 530 hp (400 kW) Bristol Jupiter VII, the next seven had 480 hp (360 kW) Gnome Rhone Jupiter VI, followed by eight with 535 hp (399 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Panther engines and the final ten with 580 hp (430 kW) Bristol Pegasus engines[2]. The Finnish Air Force used Ripons as reconnaissance aircraft against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War. After losing an aircraft to Soviet fighters in 1939, the Ripon was limited to night missions. The last missions were flown in 1944. One Ripon coded RI-140 was stored and has been reassembled and put on display in the Päijänne Tavastia Aviation Museum recently. It is the only preserved example.


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## gekho (Jan 28, 2011)

Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers. The aircraft was developed from the Junkers W 33. Further development led to the Junkers Ju 46.


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## Thorlifter (Jan 28, 2011)

Good pics Gekho


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## Gnomey (Jan 28, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 28, 2011)

I'd never heard of the VL Pyörremyrsky, what a great looking plane!


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## gekho (Jan 31, 2011)

VL Viima, constructed by the State Aircraft Factory (Valtion lentokonetehdas or VL) is a Finnish two-seat, biplane trainer used by the Finnish Air Force from the late 1930s to the end of the 1940s. After military service, several were released into civil use.The Viima II was a single engined, tandem seater biplane. Viima means Wind in English. Post war, VL was eventually absorbed into Valmet, so the aircraft is often referred to as the Valmet Viima. It had unequal span, staggered single bay wings built around two box spars with plywood ribs. The interplane struts were N shaped. The wings were fabric covered and carried four ailerons in all; the upper and lower ailerons were externally linked.

The fuselage and tail unit were constructed of chrome-molybdenum steel and fabric covered. The tailplane, mounted on the top of the fuselage, was wire braced to the small triangular fin. Both fin and tailplane were adjustable on the ground. The wide chord, deep rudder reached to the bottom of the fuselage between divided elevators. The rudder carried a trim tab and the elevators a Flettner flap. The cockpits were close together, the forward one at mid-chord with a cut-out in the upper wing to enhance visibility. Dual control was fitted. The undercarriage was of the split axle type, with the faired main legs attached to the fuselage forward of the wings and braced by rearward struts. It used low pressure tyres and rubber in compression springing.[2] A tailwheel was fitted. The Viima was powered by an uncowled Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine. 20 Viimas served with the Finnish Air Force until the late 1940s. They were then released for civil use, 14 appearing on the Finnish civil register, several of them fitted with a framed enclosed cockpit.


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## gekho (Jan 31, 2011)

Development of the three-seat Dornier Do 22 floatplane was the responsibility of Dornier's Altenrhein factory in Switzerland, where.two prototypes were built. Of all-metal construction with fabric covering throughout, except for the metal-skinned forward fuselage, the Do 22 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine driving a three-bladed propeller. The Do 22 carried a crew of three, the rear cockpit providing accommodation for a gunner, and a radio operator whose position in the front half of the cockpit was protected by a glazed canopy. Four 7.92mm MG 15 machine-guns were fitted, one in the forward fuselage above the engine, one in a ventral position and two in the rear cockpit. Although not ordered by the Luftwaffe, approximately 30 were built at Friedrichshafen in Germany and the first production aircraft was flown on 15 July 1938. Do 22s were supplied to the Greek, Yugoslav and Latvian air forces as the Do 22Kg, Do 22Kj and Do 22Kl respectively. The four Latvian aircraft had not been delivered when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1940 and were retained by Germany. In 1942 they were transferred to Finland, being used on floats or skis until the end of the war.


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## Wayne Little (Jan 31, 2011)

Excellent look forward to more Finnish stuff!


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## B-17engineer (Jan 31, 2011)

Junkes K-43 is a cool bird!


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## gekho (Jan 31, 2011)

In November 1941, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring decided to give 15 Dornier Do 17Z aircraft to the Finnish Air Force. No. 46 Squadron operated the Dorniers. The Finns used their Do 17 aircraft mainly for night bombing and against "soft" targets at the front, since the aircraft were considered obsolete – the speed and climbing abilities of the Do 17 were deemed inadequate by 1942 standards. Fifteen Do 17s (three Z-1, three Z-2 and nine Z-3) saw service with the Finns. Ten were lost between January 1943 and January 1945, the remaining five were not scrapped until in 1952.


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## Gnomey (Jan 31, 2011)

Good shots!


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## muggs (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks very much for this thread !


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## gekho (Feb 1, 2011)

In April 1943, as Finland was fighting its Continuation War against the USSR, the Finnish Air Force bought 24 Ju 88s from Germany. The aircraft were used to equip No. 44 Sqn which had previously operated Bristol Blenheims, but these were instead transferred to No. 42 Sqn. Due to the complexity of the Ju 88, most of 1943 was used for training the crews on the aircraft, and only a handful of bombing missions were undertaken. The most notable was a raid on the Lehto partisan village on 20 August 1943 (in which the whole squadron participated), and a raid on the Lavansaari air field (leaving seven Ju 88 damaged from forced landing in inclement weather). In the summer of 1943, the Finns noted stress damage on the wings. This had occurred when the aircraft were used in dive bombing. Restrictions followed: the dive brakes were removed and it was only allowed to dive at a 45 degree angle (compared to 60-80 degrees previously). In this way, they tried to spare the aircraft from unnecessary wear.

Ju 88 cockpit hood preserved at the Finnish Aviation Museum in VantaaOne of the more remarkable missions was a bombing raid on 9 March 1944 against Soviet Long Range Aviation bases near Saint Petersburg, when the Finnish aircraft, including Ju 88s, followed Soviet bombers returning from a night raid on Tallinn, catching the Soviets unprepared and destroying many Soviet bombers and their fuel reserves, and a raid against the Aerosan base at Petsnajoki on 22 March 1944. The whole bomber regiment took part in the defence against the Soviets during the fourth strategic offensive. All aircraft flew several missions per day, day and night, when the weather permitted.

No. 44 Sqn was subordinated Lentoryhmä Sarko during the Lapland War (now against Germany), and the Ju 88s were used both for reconnaissance and bombing. The targets were mostly vehicle columns. Reconnaissance flights were also made over northern Norway. The last war mission was flown on 4 April 1945. After the wars, Finland was prohibited from using bomber aircraft with internal bomb stores. Consequently, the Finnish Ju 88s were used for training until 1948. The aircraft were then scrapped over the following years. No Finnish Ju 88s have survived, but an engine is on display at the Central Finland Aviation Museum, and the structure of a German Ju 88 cockpit hood is preserved at the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa.

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## Snautzer01 (Feb 1, 2011)

As always very interesting Keep up the good work !!


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## gekho (Feb 1, 2011)

In July 1924, Gloucestershire Aircraft began work on an improved Grebe single-seat fighter to Specification 37/23 and intended to be powered by the 398hp Bristol Jupiter IV nine-cylinder radial engine. Of wooden construction with fabric skinning and retaining the then-standard armament of two synchronised 7.7mm Vickers guns, and to receive the appellation of Gamecock, the prototype was delivered to Martlesham Heath on 20 February 1925. In the following September, an initial order was placed on behalf of the RAF for 30 Gamecock Is powered by the 425hp Jupiter VI. In the event, a further 60 Gamecock Is were built for the RAF (1925-27), one of these (unofficially known as the Gamecock III) at one time flying with a lengthened fuselage, new and enlarged fm-and-rudder assembly and narrow-chord ailerons. A developed version, the Gamecock II, with a steel-tube upper wing centre section, narrow-chord ailerons and a larger rudder, appeared in 1928. This was adopted by Finland, two pattern aircraft and a manufacturing licence being acquired. Fifteen Gamecock IIs were built for the Finnish air arm 1929-30 by the State Aircraft Factory (Valtion Lentokonenetehdas), these having the lengthened fuselage tested earlier in the UK by the so-called Gamecock III and being powered initially by the 420hp Gnome-Rhone Jupiter (IV) 9Ab or 9Ak and later by the 480hp Jupiter (IV) 9Ag. The last Gamecock Is were withdrawn from first-line RAF service mid-1931, Gamecock IIs remaining first-line Finnish equipment until 1935. 

Source: Gloster Gamecock - fighter

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## Lucky13 (Feb 1, 2011)

Cool stuff!


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## gekho (Feb 2, 2011)

In April 1939, the Finnish government contacted the Roosevelt administration in a search to hastily acquire modern combat aircraft for its air force. On 17 October that same year, the Finnish Embassy in Washington, DC, received a telegram clearing the purchase of fighter aircraft. Prompt availability, and compatibility with 87-octane fuel, were the only requirements stipulated by the Finns. [35] The U.S. Navy and State Department arranged to divert the remaining F2A-1 fighter aircraft,[N 4] in exchange for its order of F2A-2 Buffalos scheduled to be delivered later (and hence sent to the U.S. Navy, instead). Consequently, on 16 December, Finnish signed a contract for the provision of 44 Model 239 fighters. The total price to be paid was US $3.4 million, and the deal included the provision of spare parts, 10 replacement engines and 20 Hamilton Standard propellers. The Buffalo fighters that were sent to Finland were de-navalized; before these fighters were placed onto ships for delivery to Finland, Brewster Company employees removed all the naval equipment on the fighters, such as their tailhooks and life-raft containers, resulting in a somewhat lighter aircraft. The Finnish F2A-1s further lacked self-sealing fuel tanks and cockpit armor.

These F2A-1 Buffalos given the export number Model B-239, were equipped with an export-approved Wright R-1820-G5 nine-cylinder radial engine of 950 hp (708 kW). After delivery to Finland, the Finnish Air Force added armored backrests for their pilots, metric flight instruments, the Finnish Väisälä T.h.m.40 gunsight, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns. The top speed of the Finnish Buffalos, as modified, was 297 mph (478 km/h) at 15,675 ft (4,750 m), and their loaded weight was 5,820 lb (2,640 kg). Built in four batches, the "Finnish" Brewster were loaded aboard four merchant ships in New York and shipped for Bergen, in Norway, in January-February 1940. The crates with the fighter were sent by railway to Sweden and assembled by SAAB, near Gothenburg. 

In February 1940, the Finnish Air Force pilot Lt. Jorma "Joppe" Karhunen flight tested the first Buffalo. Unfamiliar with the aircraft, he accidentally burned out the engine while flying very low at high speed; crashing on a snow-covered field, damaging the propeller and some belly panels. Initially unimpressed, the Finns later witnessed a demonstration by a Brewster Company factory test pilot Robrt A. Winston, who was able to stay on the tail of an Finnish Fiat G.50 Freccia fighter from Italy; although the Fiat fighter was slightly faster in level flight, the Brewster could out-turn it. The Finns were overjoyed, and they began flying their new fighter. Of the six Buffalo B-239 fighters delivered to Finland before the end of the Winter War of 1939–1940, five of them became combat-ready, but they did not enter combat before this war ended. The Brewster B-239E fighter aircraft was never referred to as the "Buffalo" in Finland; it was known simply as the "Brewster" or sometimes by the nicknames Taivaan helmi ("Sky Pearl") or Pohjoisten taivaiden helmi ("Pearl of the Northern Skies"). Other nicknames were Pylly-Valtteri ("Butt-Walter"), Amerikanrauta ("American hardware" or "American car") and Lentävä kaljapullo ("flying beer-bottle"). The 44 Buffalo Model B-239(export) fighters used by the FAF received serial numbers BW-351 to BW-394.

Finnish Air Force's Brewster B-239 formation during the Continuation WarIn Finnish Air Force service, the B-239s were regarded as being very easy to fly, a "gentleman's plane". The Buffalo was also popular within the FAF because of their relatively long range and flight endurance, and also because of their low-trouble maintenance record. This was in part due to the efforts of the Finnish engine mechanics, who solved a problem that plagued the Wright Cyclone engine simply by inverting one of the piston rings in each cylinder. This had a positive effect on engine reliability. The cooler weather of Finland was also a plus for the engine. In the end, the Brewster Buffalo gained a reputation in Finnish Air Force service as one of their more successful fighter aircraft. In service during 1941–1945, Buffalos of Lentolaivue 24 (Fighter Squadron 24) claimed with 477 Soviet Air Force warplanes destroyed, with the combat loss of just 19 Buffalos; an outstanding victory ratio of 26:1. However, substantiation of this claim from Luftwaffe and Soviet Air Force records (matching Finnish reported kills to the enemy's acknowledged losses) has not been completed as of 2007. These figures also do not specify the number of bombers and the number of fighter aircraft destroyed. During the Continuation War, Lentolaivue 24 (Fighter Squadron 24) was equipped with the B-239s until May 1944, when the Buffalos were transferred to Hävittäjälentolaivue 26 (Fighter Squadron 26). The Brewsters had their baptism of fire in Finland on 25 June 1941 when a pair of Buffalos from 2/LLv24 intercepted 27 Soviet SBs from 201st SBAP over Turku. Cpl Heimo Lampi and SSgt Kinnunen shot down five Tupolev SBs. Subsequent attacks were repelled by LLv24 pilots that, by dusk, had flown 77 missions.


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## gekho (Feb 2, 2011)

Attacking Soviet Air Force pilots using formulaic defensive tactics, many Finnish pilots racked up enormous scores on the Finnish front. The default tactic was the four-plane "parvi" (swarm) with a pair flying low (but visible, not too close to the terrain) as the bait and a pair flying high to dive on the eventual interceptors. In the long run, the Soviet Air Force on the Finnish front never developed an efficient approach to counter this tactic. According to some reports, this tactic also inspired the German Luftwaffe's kette.[citation needed] Most of the pilots of Lentolaivue 24 were Winter War combat veterans. This squadron achieved total of 459 Soviet aircraft kills with B-239s, while losing 15 Buffalos in combat. While the remarkable Finnish accomplishments in the Buffalo are undeniable, aviation historian Dan Ford points out that Stalin's purges and recent expansion of the Soviet Air Force resulted in many new inexperienced pilots while simultaneously discouraging combat initiative. The result was pilots who failed to scan the airspace behind them, and also Soviet air formations that held their positions in defensive circles while the diving Finnish pilots picked them off one-by-one. The Soviet fighter aircraft used in the early years on the Finnish front also included some obsolescent models such as the Polikarpov I-15 and I-153. After the end of hostilities, Karhunen, the captain and commander of the 3rd flight of LeLv 24, recalled:

"The Brewster model 239 was good against the older Russian fighters, Polikarpov I-153 Chaika (Gull) and I-16. Hence the period 1941–42 was the best time for us. In 1943 it was already significantly more difficult when the Russians began to use their newer fighters against us... Later, with the Yaks, Hurricanes, Tomahawks, LaGG-3 and MiGs, it became a fight to the death."

The top-scoring Buffalo pilot was Hans Wind, with 39 kills in B-239s. Wind scored 26 of his kills while flying aircraft BW-393, while Eino Luukkanen scored seven more in the same aircraft. After evaluation of claims against Soviet actual losses, aircraft No. BW-364 was credited with 42½ kills in total by all pilots operating it, possibly making it the highest-scoring fighter airframe in the history of air warfare. The top scoring Finnish ace, Ilmari Juutilainen, scored 34 of his 94½ kills in B-239s, including 28 in BW-364. Capt. Jorma Karhunen was another of the top-scoring Buffalo pilots. By 4 May 1943 he had achieved 25½ aerial victories in the Buffalo B-239 fighter, out of his 31½ total kills. One of his major missions took place on 17 December 1941, when two sections of Brewsters encountered nine Soviet Hurricanes and I-153s in reconnaissance over Maaselkä isthmus. The Hawker fighters were from 152ndIAP. The Finns shot down five aircraft, two of which fell to Karhunen in BW-366. On 18 August 1942 he was involved in one of the most successful sorties involving the Buffalo fighter. Lt Hans Wind with six other Buffalos of LeLv 24 intercepted some 60 Soviet aircraft near Kronstad. Two Russian Pe-2 bombers, one Soviet Hurricane fighter, and 12 I-16s were shot down with the loss of just one Buffalo B-239 (BW-378).

During the Continuation War, Finnish designers devised a new aircraft, the Humu, based on the Brewster Buffalo, which was to be produced in Finland from cheaper materials such as plywood, instead of costly aluuminum alloys. Only a single prototype was ever built, since it had become clear that this fighter was already obsolete in 1943. By late 1943, the lack of spare parts, aircraft wear-and-tear, and the improvement of Soviet fighters greatly reduced the effectiveness of the Finnish Buffalo. LeLv 26 pilots still scored some 35 victories against Soviet aircraft in mid-1944. The last aerial victory by a Buffalo against the Soviet Union was scored over the Karelian Isthmus on 17 June 1944. After Finland made a separate peace with the Soviet Union, they were forced to drive out the former ally, Nazi Germany from the country. During the so-called "Lapland War," the only clash with the Luftwaffe took place on 3 October 1944 when HLeLV 26 intercepted a formation of Junkers Ju 87s, heading for a Finnish convoy in the Bay of Bothnia. A Buffalo pilot, Lt. Erik Teromaa (with 11 kills), claimed a Ju 87, and SSgt Oiva Hietala was credited with the second Stuka to fall to the unit. These two victories were the last to be made by Brewster pilots in World War II. Only eight Buffalo B-239s were left at the end of that war in Lapland. Before Finland had swapped sides in the war, its air force had received some Messerschmitt Bf 109s from Germany, and this much-superior fighter aircraft was subsequently used to equip most of the Finnish Air Force fighter squadrons. The five remaining Brewster Buffalos flew until the autumn of 1948, when they were returned to storage. The last flights of the type by the Finnish Air Force were performed on 14 September 1948 by BW-377 and BW-382. They were all scrapped in 1953.


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## gekho (Feb 2, 2011)

The G.50 saw its longest and most successful service in the two Finnish wars against the Soviet Union, the Winter War 1939-1940 and the Continuation War 1941-1944. Before the outbreak of hostilities, Finland ordered 35 Fiat G.50s at the end of 1939. The first 10 aircraft were to be delivered before February 1940, consequently a group of Finnish pilots arrived in Rome for a training course of 10 hours at Guidonia airport and later at Fiat Aviazione in Turin. On a training flight, Lieutenant Tapani Harmaja during a dive from 3,500 meters, reached an estimated speed of 780 km/h, considered excessive for the structural integrity of the aircraft (the windscreen was damaged in the process) Germany hindered the transit of the aircraft, consequently, the Fiats were disassembled and embarked in La Spezia on the Norwegian ship Braga, that set sail on 20 January, bound for Turku, Finland. Due to this delay the first Fiat fighters did not reach HLevLv 26 at Utti, until February 1940, too late to affect the course of the winter battles that year. The first kill was achivied on 26 February.

The Fiat fighters saw little action although on 27 February 1940, Lieutenant Malmivuo was the first Finnish pilot to be killed in a G.50 (FA.12), when his fighter crashed after a combat with Soviet aircraft. At this stage, Finnish pilots preferred the Hurricane, the French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and even the Brewster Buffalo to the Fiat G.50. Overall, HLeLv 26 archivied 11 kills vs one loss (plus another in a accident, as there were two Finnish pilots killed). Freccia's were numbered FA-1/FA-35, but it seems that only 33 were delivered (13 in February, 17 in March an one in June). The G.50s were taken from the 235 made by CMSA, both Serie I and Serie II aircraft but all had the open cockpit of the Serie II, a feature that Finnish pilots didn't like, especially in the winter. There were some attempts to improve the aircraft; one was tested with an enclosed cockpit, another with a D.XXI ski-undercarriage, but none of the modifications were accepted in service. Better protection for the propellers (with problems at extremely low temperatures) and few other changes were introduced. The speed of the Finnish G.50s was around 430–450 km/h, much lower than the standard series could achieve. The first demonstration of the Finnish Air Force's effectiveness came on 25 June 1941, thanks to the Fiat G.50 fighters from HLeLv 26, downing 13 out of 15 Soviet SB bombers. A total of 13 aerial victories were achieved, with Captain O. Ehrnrooth, Lieutenant Olli Puhakka and Sergeant L. Aaltonen being the most successful Fiat pilots with two victories each.

During the Continuation War, the Fiat fighters were most successful during the Finnish offensive of 1941, after that they became increasingly less effective. In 1941, the Fiat squadron, LLv 26, claimed 52 victories against the loss of only two fighters. The Soviets were able to bring better, newer fighter types into the front lines during 1942 and 1943, while the Fiats were becoming old and run-down, and the lack of spare parts meant that pilots were restricted to only a minimal number of sorties. Nevertheless, between 30 November 1939 and 4 September 1944, HLeLv 26's G.50s shot down 99 enemy aircraft, shooting down more modern aircraft, such as the British fighters sent to URSS. In the same period, Finnish squadrons lost 41 aircraft (12 were G.50s and 10 more lost flak and non combat causes), including Bulldog IIAs, Fokker D.XXIs, Gloster Gladiators and Brewster B-239s. The most successful Fiat G.50 fighter pilots were O. Tuominen (23 victories with G.50s), Capt Risto O. Puhakka (11), N. Trontti (six), O. Paronen (four), U. Nieminen (four) and L. Lautamäki (four). The Finnish Fiats were finally phased out of front line duty in summer 1944. They were not more than 10-12 and, even as trainers, they lasted not too long, since lacked spare parts. Differently than the older MS.406, there was no effort to change their engine making them better and faster, and probably at the end of the war they were already phased-out..


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## Wayne Little (Feb 2, 2011)




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## gekho (Feb 3, 2011)

Myrsky II were in the Finnish Air Force in the number of 15 have been delivered in the struggle against the Soviet Union and made 66 sorties, served as průszkumné machines and apart from the Bf 109G was the fastest machine FAF. Finland takes a positive view of their properties and equipment to participate as a battlefield reconnaissance and combat in Lapland. MyrskyI flaws and subsequent machines předsérie, the Myrsky II was not expressed. Aircraft used for reconnaissance squadrons and TLe.Lv.12 TLe.Lv.16. Machines were built in addition to the first 4 even codes mesly 47 and MY-MY-5 to 51 (the first number was used for a prototype machine předsérie). The problem has always remained in the conduct of a dive where there was a flutter tail. After the war machine met the fate of the majority of Finnish aircraft in 1948 were scrapped. still maintain the only remnants of the hulls in three Finnish museums.


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## gekho (Feb 3, 2011)

The Polikarpov I-153 was the last of Nikolai Polikarpov's biplane fighter aircraft to enter service, and despite being the most advanced entry in the series was already obsolete when it first entered service in 1939. The I-153 was developed as a result of a misreading of the results of the aerial combat during the Spanish Civil War. In July 1937 a meeting chaired by Stalin concluded that the Fiat CR.32 biplane was superior to the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane. The nimble Fiat fighter had achieved impressive results against the Soviet fighter, but partly because the I-16 pilots had attempted to dogfight rather than use their superior speed to break off combat. The successful introduction of the Bf 109 was ignored, and instead of focusing on producing a superior monoplane the Soviet authorities decided to work on an improved biplane. The new aircraft needed to maintain the manoeuvrability of the I-15 and I-152 while also increasing in speed. This presented Polikarpov with a problem, for he had already argued that any increase in speed came at the cost of an increase in weight (from the heavier more powerful engine and stronger fuselage needed to support it). The heavier aircraft would then be less manoeuvrable. 

Work on the I-153 (or I-15ter) was officially approved on 11 October 1937. Polikarpov's main aim was to reduce drag and weight in an attempt to compensate for the weight of a heavier engine. He did this in two main ways - first by introducing a retractable undercarriage, and second by returning to the 'gull wing' configuration of the I-15, in which the upper wing was linked to the fuselage by diagonal sections, eliminating its central section. This had worked on the I-15, but had been unpopular with some pilots and higher authorities, and had been removed from the I-152. As a result that aircraft had been less manoeuvrable than its precursor. The 'gull wing' on the I-152 was an improved version of that on the I-15, with a bigger gap between the wing roots, which improved the pilot's forward view when landing and taking off.

Finnish Air Force operated 21 captured aircraft, 11 of which were bought from Germany, of which 10 were actually delivered. They flew with the serial numbers IT-11 to IT-31.


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## Gnomey (Feb 3, 2011)

Interesting shots!


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## B-17engineer (Feb 3, 2011)

Nice info and pictures! Appreciate it!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Feb 3, 2011)

Excellent thread Gekho! Excellent work sir, thank you!


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## gekho (Feb 4, 2011)

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although largely overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60% of the RAF's air victories in the battle, and served in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The 1930s design evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of aircraft which acted as interceptor-fighters, fighter-bombers (also called "Hurribombers"), and ground support aircraft. Further versions known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications which enabled operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts, known as "Hurricats". More than 14,000 Hurricanes were built by the end of 1944 (including about 1,200 converted to Sea Hurricanes and some 1,400 built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry).

Finland bought 12 Mk I Hurricanes at the end of the Winter War, but lost two during the transit flight. The aircraft did not have much success (only 5½ kills). When hostilities began again on 25 June 1941, their use was quite limited, partially because they were worn out due to the scarcity of replacement parts available during the Interim Peace (13 March 1940- 25 June 1941) and subsequent combat flying. One Hurricane Mk IIB was captured from the Soviets during the war and flown by the Finnish Air Force.


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## gekho (Feb 4, 2011)

The Heinkel He 115 was a World War II Luftwaffe seaplane with three seats. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as reconnaissance and minelaying. The plane was powered by two 720 kW (960 hp) BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. Some later models could seat four, had different engines, or used different weapon setups. One Norwegian aircraft (F.50) escaped to Finland, where it was interned, and later used by the Finnish Air Force's LLv.44 to ferry sissi troops. In this role, it proved valuable as it did not require a vast open space to land on, but instead could touch down on lakes. It served in this role until it crashed on enemy fire behind Soviet lines in East Karelia on 4 July 1943. Two others were leased from Germany for similar purposes in 1943 - 44.


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## gekho (Feb 4, 2011)

The He 59 first appeared in 1931 and was a large twin-float biplane powered by two 492kW BMW VI engines. It was produced in limited numbers as a two- or four-seat reconnaissance and torpedo bomber, although numbers were operated as air-crew and armament trainers and for air-sea rescue. In the latter role it survived into World War II. Maximum level speed was 240km/h. The Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) rented four aircraft from Germany in August 1943. These were used to ferry long-range reconnaissance patrols behind enemy lines. They were returned to Germany four months later


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2011)

After the fall of France, Germany agreed to sell captured Curtiss Hawk fighters to Finland in October 1940. In total, 44 captured aircraft of five subtypes were sold to Finland with three deliveries from 23 June 1941 to 5 January 1944. Not all were from the French stocks, but some were initially sold to Norway and captured in their wooden crates when the Germans conquered the country. The aircraft were given serial codes CU-551 to CU-585. In Finnish service, the Hawk was well-liked, affectionately called Sussu ("Sweetheart"). The Finnish Air Force enjoyed success with the type, credited with 190⅓ kills by 58 pilots, between 16 July 1941 and 27 July 1944, for the loss of 15 of their own.[8] Finnish ace Kyösti Karhila scored 13¼ of his 32 victories in the Hawk, while the top Hawk ace K. Tervo scored 15¾ victories. The Hawks were flown by Lentolaivue 32 throughout their wartime operational service.

The Finnish Hawks were initially armed with either four or six 0.295 in (7.5 mm) machine guns. While sufficient during the early phase of the Continuation War, the increasing speeds and armor of Soviet aircraft soon showed this armament was not powerful enough. From 1942, the State Aircraft Factory replaced the fuselage machine guns with either one or two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Colt machine guns and installed two or four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in each wing. The 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Berezin UB or LKk/42 heavy machine guns were also used. The installation of heavier armament did not change the very good flying characteristics of the fighter, but the armament was much more effective against Soviet aircraft. The Finnish Hawks were also equipped with Revi 3D or C/12D gunsight. Surviving Finnish aircraft remained in service with the FAF aviation units HLeLv 13, HLeLv 11 and LeSK until 1948


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2011)

The original prototype of this low-wing twin-engine bomber, was designated the TsKB-26. It started its flying in 1935, was developed through the TsKB-30. It entered into actual production in 1937 as the DB-3B. DB was a Russian acronym for Long Range Bomber. Earlier versions were carrying 571kW M-85 engines, but got replaced by 716kW M-86s in 1938. It had a tough and simple design but the aircraft suffered from a poor defensive mechanism of a single nose, dorsal and ventral 7.62mm guns. In 1939 a modified version with lengthened nose and as more armored version (the DB-3F) appeared. In 1940, it was designated as IL-4. Each wing had engines, and the cockpit was located right between them. The nose section offered good visibility that helped its cause. Crew accommodated four personnel. Armaments were mounted in the nose, the dorsal turret position and a ventral gun position. Though where the defensive side of the IL-4 failed, the offensive nature of the system was just unbeatable with up to three 1,102lb torpedoes which could carry a standard limit of 2,205 pounds of drop bombs. The aircraft in service took part in the attack on Berlin. Few variants existed but all were pretty identical to the original production. Each variant had improved armament capabilities.

Finland bought four captured DB-3Fs from German stocks. These were given the Finnish Air Force serials DF-22 to DF-25 and flown from Bryansk, Russia to Finland (one aircraft, DF-22, was destroyed en route and crashed near Syeschtschinskaya airfield). The aircraft were later flown by No. 48 Sqn during 1943 (DF-23, DF-24 and DF-25), No. 46 Sqn during 1944 (DF-23 and DF-24) and No. 45 Sqn for a short time in 1945 (DF-23), until the last remaining serviceable aircraft went into depot, February 23, 1945.


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2011)

The LaGG-3 was a piston-engine powered pursuit fighter made by Soviets during World War 2. In 1938 Soviets Semyon Lavochkin, Vladimir Gorbunov and Mikhail Gudkov established a design bureau named LaGG where the LaGG in the designation came from "Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov". Initially, they came up with an air-superiority fighter, aimed at the altitudes of up to 16,405 ft (5.000 m) in the form of the LaGG-1, built largely of impregnated wood and Dural. Being powered by a Vee engine, it showed indifferent handling and bad performance. LaGG-3’s design which started in 1939 was an improved version of the LaGG-1. The LaGG-3 proved successful at the time when the Soviet Union was in desperate need of a versatile and robust performer. 

LaGG-3 had revised outer wing incorporating fuel tanks whose main purpose was to increase its speed. An armament of one 20mm and two 7.62mm weapons made it a powerful competitor. It initially had fixed wing slats which were later replaced by automatic slats. Balance weights were added on the elevators and rudder. They were later discarded to make the surfaces statically and dynamically balanced. The weight of the aircraft was further reduced. LaGG-3 finally arrived in the spring of 1941. LaGG-3’s production was completed in the late summer of 1942 and a total of 6,528 models were manufactured. The LaGG-3 was a reasonably successful design and it was made at the time when Soviets were trying to do anything to combat the Nazi incursion. Although, the LaGG-3 was still not unbeatable so further attempts were made to make a better aircraft. The LaGG-3 was well-liked by both its pilots and ground crew.


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## Wayne Little (Feb 7, 2011)

Wonder whether I should do a Finnish bird for the eastern front GB!??


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## Lucky13 (Feb 7, 2011)

Great stuff!


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## Gnomey (Feb 7, 2011)

That wouldn't be a bad idea Wayne, would make a nice change.

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Feb 8, 2011)

The Finnish Air Force had already operated the Fokker D-10 and the Fokker CVE and CVD. The CX model was used as a dive bomber. The Air Force had continuous connections with the Fokker factory in the 1930's. The Fokker D.XXI was half the price of the German Messerschmitt Me-109. When the Fokker D.XXI flew the first fligh, Me-109, Heinkel He-112, Hurricane and Spitfire had already flown with much higher max speeds. Fokker D.XXI had a fixed gear and an underpowered engine for interceptions, it lacked armour and the effectiveness of the weapons was questionable. The radios were limited in the beginning and the max level speed was only 420 - 440 km/h. Finland was the first export customer for the Fokker D.XXI and signed a deal for seven aircraft and license for 14 more on the 18th of November 1937.

The Fokker factory tried the so-called E-model wing with FR-76 in 1937. The wingtip was narrower and it had been "twisted" upwards from the main gear. Flight tests were disappointing and the regular wing was reattached. The max. sea level speed for II Series Fokkers was (performance for the Twin Wasp Fokker from Series IV in parenthesis) 342 km/h (354), at 2000 m 370 km/h (375) and at 5000 m 418 km/h (350). Climb to 3000 m (10.000 ft) was 3 min 27 sec (5 min 02 sec) and to 5000 m (17.000 ft) 6 min 23 sec (10 min 12 sec). Service ceiling 10100 m (9600 m) and range 950 km (800 km). It is easy to judge that the Twin Wasp Fokker had a slightly better sea level performance, but clearly lost at altitude. The Mercury Fokkers were armed with two 7,7 mm Vickers machine guns in the forward fuselage and one in each wing whereas the Wasp Fokkers didn't have fuselage weapons because of the twin radial engine. They were equipped with two 7,7 mm Browning machine guns in each wing. FR-76 had two 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, but experiences in the Winter War were negative and the aircraft was re-equipped with machine guns. The gunsight for the Fokkers was the optical tube-sight Goertz or the reflector sight Revi 3C or D.

When the seven Fokkers were ready in the Netherlands, Finnish Air Force Capt. G. E. Magnusson flew nine acceptance test flights on Fokker D.XXI FR-76 between August 27 - 31, 1937. On the right Lt Col Magnusson as the commander of LeLv 24, Squadron 24, Finland's highest scoring fighter squadron in World War II (877 victories with 29 losses). Capt. Magnusson had been for five months in the best French fighter regiment in 1933 and had flown in the "Georges Guynmer" squadron. In 1938 he had been months in the best German fighter unit "Geschwader Richthofen" and had taken part in a large Luftwaffe exercise. 

The Finnish Air Force was looking for an interceptor to fight against Soviet bomber formations. Capt. Magnusson thought that it was as important to check the capabilities for possible fighter-to-fighter combat so he flew a rigorous test profile for the Fokker. He noticed that it was possible to disengage the fighter fight against faster fighters by diving with the Fokker. This observation turned out to be very important in the Winter War against the faster Soviet fighters. Capt. Magnusson wasn't happy with the idea of using long range gun shooting in the Fokkers. He thought that the aircraft would succeed in close-range machine gun intercepts. Test flights with the 20 mm guns in FR-76 proved that he was right. The guns deteriorated the Fokker flying performances and their fire was inaccurate. The Dutch participants were happy with the co-operation with Capt. Magnusson. They mentioned that usually they gave a chance for the foreign test pilots to "look through their fingers", but Capt. Magnusson was the first one who didn't give up his principles.


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## gekho (Feb 8, 2011)

The first Finnish Fokker, FR-76 at Amsterdam in summer 1937. This is the aircraft Capt. G. Magnusson used during the test flights. Note the blue swastika, which is Swedish count Eric von Rosen's lucky sign from 1918 when he donated the first aircraft (Morane Thulin Parasol) for the Finnish Air Force. The fighters were delivered in Amsterdam October 12, 1937 and they arrived in Finland between the 4th and 13th of November. The serial numbers for the aircraft were: 5438, 5439, 5440, 5441, 5442, 5443 and 5444. In Finland they were designated FR-76 - FR-82. According to the license Finnish Air Force ordered 14 more Fokkers from the local Aircraft Factory on the 7th of May 1937. The aircraft belonged to the so-called Series II and they were delivered between November 11, 1938 and March 18, 1939. They were designated FR-83 - FR-96. On the 15th of June 1937 Finnish Government acquired an unlimited license for the Fokker production and a 21-aircraft Series III was ordered from the local State Aircraft Factory. The fighters were delivered between March 16 and July 27, 1939 and designated FR-97 - FR-117. On May 9, 1939 Finnish Government ordered 50 Series IV Fokkers with the Twin Wasp engines because the Mercury engines were used to the Finnish Blenheim bombers. All the aircraft (except one) were delivered just before the Continuation war and they were designated FR-118 - FR-167.


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## gekho (Feb 8, 2011)

The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II. The diminutive fighter prominently featured in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Spanish Civil War where it was called the Rata or Mosca, and the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Like many nations, Finland was not opposed to refurbishing and utilizing captured and repairable enemy equipment. The I-16 was one of several types used by the Finns in their wars against the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Thanks to the simplicity and ruggedness of the I-16, they were perfect for fighter trainers and used as such.


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## gekho (Feb 9, 2011)

The journey to get the Messerschmitt Me-109s to Finland started on the 10th of February 1943 and took one month. The first seventeen pilots to ferry the fighters to Finland were: Ehrnrooth, Lahtela, Ervi, Puhakka, Pekuri, Euramo, Pokela, Tervo, Myllylä, Lehtonen, Nyholm, Juutilainen, Tuominen, Fräntilä, Lönnfors, Mäittälä and Peltola. The Finnish team traveled by air with a DC-2 from Helsinki to Berlin and from there to Werneuchen Air Base close to Berlin for Messerschmitt conversion training. Pokela was hurt during the conversion training, when the engine of his Me-109 caught fire at 200 m altitude after a touch-and-go landing and he had to make a forced landing. He had to be flown to Finland in the transport plane. "Manu" Fräntilä flew during the next three weeks 1 h 25 min with the Me-109E and 2 h 30 min with the Me-109G. The Germans had planned for more training, but the leader of the group, squadron commander Maj. Erkki "Immeli" Ehrnrooth thought that they had already spent enough time at Werneuchen and it was time to move on. In the beginning of March the Finnish team traveled by rail to Vienna and arrived there on the 9th of March 1943. The Finns waited a few days in Vienna for the word from the large Messerschmitt factory at Wiener-Neustadt that the fighters for Finland were ready for the acceptance test flights. The Finns flew the test flights over the Alps with great scenery.

The Finnish group took of from Wiener-Neustadt on the 10th of March 1943 and headed to Breslau. All aircraft had not been test-flown and the plan was that if there were any trouble with them they should land after circling the airfield. All fighters worked well so the group headed to the first destination. The Finns flew in four independent four-ship groups led by Ehrnrooth, Ervi, Lahtela and Puhakka. The visibility deteriorated immediately after takeoff and Fräntilä noticed that his fuel tanks weren't as full as they were supposed to be. They strayed left from their course and found a divert field short of their destination. With red "fuel low" lights on Fräntilä and Nyholm landed Rosenborn airfield, refueled and took off for a 10 min flight to Schöngarten Air Base at Breslau and joined Lahtela and Euramo there. Also Puhakka's group had landed on the way for refueling. From Schöngarten the groups flew via Thorn and Königsberg to Riga. When they took off from Riga Capt. Lahtela's canopy opened and his leather flight jacket was lost. The group landed at Riga to fix the aircraft and to fish Lahtela's jacket from the sea. They couldn't fix the canopy and so Lahtela, Ervi and Euramo stayed at Riga until March 14. On the 13th of March 1943 thirteen Messerschmitt Me-109-G-2s landed at Helsinki Malmi airfield.


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## gekho (Feb 9, 2011)

The new Me-109s were used immediately for alert duties from Malmi airfield in the eastern suburbs of Helsinki. Only ten days after the arrival at Malmi Ilmari Juutilainen and Capt. "Pive" Ervi scrambled with the Me-109s and "Illu" Juutilainen shot down a PE-2 bomber over the Gulf of Finland close to the island of Suursaari. When the group was flying from Thorn to Königsberg Euramo had problems with his engine and he had to leave his Messerschmitt at Königsberg. The DC-2 "Hanssin Jukka" was again escorting the Messerschmitt team and Euramo hitchhiked a ride to Finland in the transport plane. When the team landed at Riga an order had arrived from the Finnish Air Force HQ telling Euramo to go back to Königsberg by rail to wait for the repairs. He was to fly the fighter immediately to Finland when it was ready. Euramo had to wait a week at Königsberg before he could fly the aircraft to Finland. The other Messerschmitts landed at Helsinki on the 16th of May 1943. These planes were mainly used ones while the first 16 Messerschmitts were new. The total number of Messerschmitt Me-109s that the Finnish Air Force purchased during 1943 - 44 was 162.


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## Crimea_River (Feb 9, 2011)

Great stuff here!


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## Gnomey (Feb 9, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## Wayne Little (Feb 10, 2011)

Gnomey said:


> That wouldn't be a bad idea Wayne, would make a nice change.
> 
> Good stuff!



If I can get a certain scarce decal sheet I will...!!


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## gekho (Feb 15, 2011)

VL Pyry was a Finnish low-winged, two-seated fighter trainer aircraft, built by the State Aircraft Factory (Valtion lentokonetehdas) for use with the Finnish Air Force. The Pyry was in use from 1939 to 1962. The aircraft was a mixed construction of wood, steel, fabric, and duraluminium. The Finnish Air Force ordered a prototype of the aircraft in 1937. It was to be called VL Pyry I and carried the identification number PY-1.

The chief designer was Arvo Ylinen, and the other persons of the design team were Martti Vainio, Torsti Verkkola, and Edward Wegelius. The first flight was made on March 29 1939 by the factory test pilot, Lieutenant Jorma Visapää. The FAF ordered 40 aircraft in May and the aircraft were quickly constructed and were ready in spring of 1941. These aircraft were known as VL Pyry II and their identification numbers were PY-2 - PY-41. The first unit to be equipped with Pyrys was the Air Force School in Kauhava, in 1941. The aircraft was used to train pilots for 20 years and it was one of the most successful Finnish airplane constructions. Around 700 pilots were trained in the aircraft and the type accumulated over 56,000 flying hours. The first accident with a Pyry happened in March 1943, when major E.O. Ehrnrooth stressed the aircraft too hard. Ehrnooth, who was the commander of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 squadron, died in the accident. The last flight with the Pyry was made in Härmälä on 7 September 1962. Captain Veikko Hietamies was the pilot of the PY-1 and senior lieutenant Keijo Elio piloted the PY-27.


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## gekho (Feb 15, 2011)

The Finnish Air Force signed an agreement on 24 March 1934 for the purchase of seventeen Bristol Bulldog Mk.IVA fighters. The aircraft were to be used as front-line fighters and were delivered to the country in February 1935. The serial numbers were 7810 to 7826 and they were coded from BU-59 to BU-75. After the outbreak of the Winter War, the Swedish State donated two Bulldog Mk.IIAs, which were received on 15 December 1939, and coded BU-214 and BU-216. The Swedish Air Force called the Bulldog for J7 (J=jaktflygplan which means fighter) and used twelve between 1931 and 1940. On 7 November 1938 the Finnish Bulldogs were transferred to LLv 26 of Lentorykmentti 2 (2nd Flying Regiment) and this were they were in service at the time of the outbreak of the Winter War on 30 November 1939. The Squadron was at the time under the command of kapteeni (Captain) Erkki Heinilä and based at Heinjoki (Heinilä was to leave command to majuri Raoul Harju-Jeanty during December). The 2nd and 3rd Flights (these Flights were flying Fokker D.XXIs) of the squadron were subordinate to LLv 24. The remaining of the squadron was called Osasto (Detachment) Heinilä and tasked with interception and protection duties in the rear lines of the Karelian Isthmus with ten remaining Bulldogs. The first contact between Soviet aircraft and Finnish fighters happened at 11:45-11:55 on 1 December 1939 when six Polikarpov I-16s from 7 IAP jumped a Bulldog pair of LLv 26. While the other Bulldog was separated, BU-64 piloted by ylikersantti Toivo Uuttu was left alone to fight the Russians. After scoring hits on one I-16, he himself was also shot down and he crashed at Muolaanjärvi getting injured in the process. Uuttu’s victim also crashed and became the first aerial victory ever over Finland. Since the claim wasn’t witnessed it was only credited to his as a probable. 

The fighters of 7 IAP claimed one reconnaissance aircraft shot down. On 6 December, the detachment moved to Mensuvaara and three days later on to Käkisalmi. On 23 December, a patrol led by luutnantti Pentti Tevä took off on an interception mission towards Lake Laatokka (Ladoga). Over Käkisalmi at 11:55, they encountered a formation of 6 to 7 SBs from 24 SBAP, which were bombing from the altitude of 1700 m and 100 meters above clouds. Tevä shot one down and it crashed into the Lake Ladoga confirmed by the coastal units. Lentomestari Lennart Mildh dove after the formation but could not gain enough speed until surprisingly one SB passed beneath him. He had an opportunity to fire at the SB for several minutes. The SB received hits and dove steep into a low-lying cloud and Mildh was credited with a damaged aircraft. 

On 25 December, a formation of forty SBs escorted by twenty I-16s approached to bombard Käkisalmi. A swarm of Heinilä’s Bulldogs took off in defence and shot down one of the escorting fighters while the bombers managed to escape. At 12:00 on 27 December 1939, kersantti Valio Porvari claimed a damaged I-16 over Käkisalmi. On 28 December the detachment moved with five Bulldogs to Immola and on to Parola. On the last day of 1939, the unit moved to the ice-covered Lake Littoinen for protection of the city of Turku (Åbo) in Western Finland. 

22 bombers were reported over Turku on 31 December, dropping 105 bombs without human losses. The port tug Vetäjä III was sunk by a direct bomb hit, and the mud-lifter Karhu was damaged and sank later. Several buildings were damaged. The Bulldogs of Osasto Heinilä attempted to intercept the bombers and reported some hits. This was fifteen SBs of 10 AB flying in waves at 3,500 – 4,000 meters altitude, which returned reporting that they had bombed seven transports in the port. On 14 January 1940 Turku was bombed again and several buildings were destroyed. Six Bulldogs of the Osasto Heinilä/LLv 26 took off from Littoinen. One SB was shot down jointly by lentomestari Lauri Lautamäki (BU-72) and AA artillery. The bomber crashed at Perniö. 
The bomber was from 10 AB, which reported that ten SB2 bombed fuel stores in the port of Turku. 

During January there were numerous combat engagements but the detachment didn’t manage to claim any further victories. On 2 February the detachment’s remaining Bulldogs were submitted to Täydennyslentorykmentti 2 (2nd Conversion Regiment) and the personnel returned to LLv 26. After the end of the Winter War in April, the Bulldogs were transferred to T-LLv 35 and LLv 34. At the outbreak of the Continuation War on 22 June 1941, these units still had eight Bulldogs in working order. Some of them were later in service in T-LLv 17, before all the remaining seven Bulldogs were submitted to LeSK (Air Fighting School) in the summer of 1942. Three Bulldogs broke down during the rest of that year, two during the following year. The very last mission with a Finnish Bulldog ended when BU-59 overturned during landing on 22 February 1944. During the Winter War Finnish Air Force claimed 2 victories with Bulldogs (all with pilots from LLv 26). During the same period, LLv 26 lost one Bulldog in combat (on 01/12/39).


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## Gnomey (Feb 15, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## AARP Hurricane (Feb 18, 2011)

Blenhiem Mk 1


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## AARP Hurricane (Feb 18, 2011)

Blenhiem Mk IV


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## Gnomey (Feb 25, 2011)

Good shots!


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## Wayne Little (Feb 27, 2011)

Cool!


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## rochie (Feb 27, 2011)

some amazing picture there !


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## Wayne Little (Mar 5, 2011)

Expecting to see some more pics mate!


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## gekho (Mar 30, 2011)

During the Winter War, the Finnish Air Force (FAF) obtained 30 Mk II fighters from the UK. Ten of the aircraft were donated while the other 20 were bought by the FAF; all were delivered between 18 January and 16 February 1940. The Finnish Gladiators served until 1945, but they were outclassed by the more modern Soviet fighters during the Continuation War. The aircraft was mostly used for reconnaissance from 1941 onwards. The Finnish Air Force obtained 45 aerial victories by 22 pilots with the aircraft type during the Winter War and one victory during the Continuation War. Twelve Gladiators were lost in combat during the Winter War and three during the Continuation War. Two pilots became aces with this aircraft: Oiva Tuominen (6.5 victories with Gladiators) and Paavo Berg (five victories).

Besides the FAF Gladiators, the Swedish Voluntary Air Force, responsible for the air defence of northern Finland during the later part of the war, was also equipped with Gladiator fighters, designated as J8s (Mk Is) and J8As (Mk IIs) by the Swedes. The Flying Regiment F 19 arrived in Finnish Lapland on 10 January 1940, and remained there until the end of the hostilities. It fielded 12 Gladiator Mk II fighters, two of which were lost during the fighting, and five Hawker Hart dive bombers, plus a Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 liaison aircraft and a Junkers F.13 transport aircraft. The aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force, but flew with Finnish nationality markings. The Swedish Gladiators scored eight aerial victories and destroyed a further four aircraft on the ground. One concern was expressed when F 19's executive officer Captain Björn Bjuggren wrote in his memoirs that the tracer rounds of the Gladiator's machine guns would not ignite the gasoline when penetrating the fuel tanks of Soviet bombers.


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## Wayne Little (Mar 30, 2011)

Good stuff! keep it coming...


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## Gnomey (Apr 9, 2011)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Feb 24, 2012)

5 SB-2s had been salvaged from aircraft shot down over Finland during the Winter War by 25 June 1941. They were assigned to LeLv 6 for anti-shipping missions. Most of these had M-103 engines and were, commonly, but incorrectly, called SB-2bis. 3 more were delivered during the late summer of 1941 while one crashed on 2 August. 16 were purchased from Germany, but delivery was very protracted and almost all needed thorough overhaul before they were usuable. All were brought up to the same standard, even the sole SB-2 with M-100 engines. During 1942 they were on anti-submarine patrols, sinking 2 and damaging several others. The first flight of LeLv 6 was converted to the SB-2 by October 1942. Occasionally they were flown on ordinary bombing missions, but not very often. Not one was lost on operations, but 7 were lost through accidents during the Continuation War. They ended their service by hunting German U-boats in the Baltic, not suprisingly without success.

- SB-2M-100A, Unit: 2/LeLv 6, Serial: VP-8 (SB-8). Numella, Summer 1941. Aircraft was captured by Finn during Winter War. Three markings of the sink ship (on 10 July, 25 July and 24 August of 1941.). In the Winter 1943 SB-6 and SB-8 were converted to the type USB, the trainer version of the aircraft.
- SB-2M-103, Unit: 2/LeLv 6, Serial: SB-1. Pilot - Lt.Erkki Forsten. Helsinki-Malmi, Finland, October 1942.
- SB-2M-103, Unit: 2/LeLv 6, Serial: SB-10. Autumn 1942. Finns got this aircraft on 5 November 1941. Since 13 August 1942 this plane operated in 2/LeLv 6. 
- SB-2M-103,Unit: 2/LeLv 6, Serial: SB-10. Autumn 1942. Finns got this aircraft on 5 November 1941. Since 13 August 1942 this plane operated in 2/LeLv 6. 
- SB-2M-103, Unit: 1/LeLv 6, Serial: SB-19. Turku, Spring-Summer 1943. Finns got this aircraft in April of 1942.

Source: WINGS PALETTE - Tupolev SB/B.71 - Finland


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## Wayne Little (Feb 25, 2012)




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## 4trade (Feb 27, 2012)

Great presentation, Gekho!

I put here a link to the museum, that have some of those Finnish planes: Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseo

Go Exhibitions...and Main Exhibition....you see some of those planes. There is that Pyörremyrsky (Tornado) too, shame that camera don´t show it. If you go WW2, it is just behind that Messerschmitt


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## futuredogfight (Jun 1, 2012)

Great Thread!


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## mrscale (Oct 25, 2012)

I AM NEW TO THIS SITE AND I BUILD 1/5 SCALE RADIO CONROL MODELS AND DOING A FOKKER XXI IN FINNISH MARKINGS.I SEE THESE AIRCRAFT WITH THE BLUE SAWSTICKA ON WHITE BACKGROUND BUT WHEN DID THEY ROATE THE SWASTICKA AS SEEN ON GERMAN AIRCRAFT.
I READ WHERE THEY HAD CHANGED THEIR ORIGINAL MARKINGS AFTER THE GERMANS INVADED FINLAND.


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## futuredogfight (Oct 25, 2012)

The Finns never changed their insignia, sometimes the white was removed but the swastika's was never rotated.


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## Wurger (Oct 27, 2012)

futuredogfight said:


> The Finns never changed their insignia, sometimes the white was removed but the swastika's was never rotated.



To be honest I can agree with that to a certain extent only. The swastika was used as the notional marking on the finnish aircraft at the 1918-1944 period. Then it was replaced with the white-blue roundel.


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## michaelmaltby (Oct 27, 2012)

"... I READ WHERE THEY HAD CHANGED THEIR ORIGINAL MARKINGS AFTER THE GERMANS INVADED FINLAND."


Say WHAT ....?  

The Germans never "invaded" Finland. Check it out mrscale

MM


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## Wayne Little (Oct 27, 2012)

mrscale, The germans actually provided the Finns with Messerschmitts to fight the Russians...


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## michaelmaltby (Oct 27, 2012)

".... provided ". As in "sold", IIFC. 

MM


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## futuredogfight (Oct 27, 2012)

All so true. Wurger, I read rotated not changed.


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## tyrodtom (Oct 27, 2012)

When the Finns made peace with Russia, the Germans, mostly in Lapland, couldn't exit fast enough to suit the Russians.
The Russians demanded that the Finns expell the Germans with force, thus the Lapland war. 
Even though the Finns had used the swastica as their air force's insignia since 1918, before any other nation, in 1944 they decided to distance themselves from anything that could give any appearance of association with the 3rd Reich, so they got rid of the swastica.


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## Rogi (Oct 27, 2012)

Sorry for interviening but I think I should set the record a little straighter as to the Finnish Swastika. The symbol has been around itself since ancient times (19th to 20th century in arts) for the Finnish.

Now the Swastika for the air force ( and defence force) was used as a family symbol by Count Von Rosen, he donated to the Finish air force its first plane in 1918 It was adapted as the national symbol of the air force and later the army (along with a host of other organizations) it has nothing to do with the Nazi Swastika, at least before the war it was adopted not out of Nazi ideoligy but for Finnish national pride. 

Later after the war, Finland changed the symbol to the Blue roundel. 

I hope that clears things up a bit....

P.S. The swastika didn't originate with the Finns, just to make that clear in case someone misunderstands my point  

and another thing Count Eric Von Rosen, he was a Swedish hon. Doctor, explorer his father was Count Carl Gustaf von Rosen from where his title originated. He adopted the swastika from Gotland, hearing that the Vikings had used it for good luck (so the story goes) he used the symbol during his expedition to Africa in 1901.

He and Goring are brothers in law (Goring marrying Eric's wife's sister ) they met a good time after Count Von Rosen adopted the swastika.


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2013)

mORE PICS


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2013)

More pics


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## michaelmaltby (Mar 16, 2013)

Great collection, Gekho .... love the operations in the bush. Corduroy dispersal pads etc.

MM


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## vikingBerserker (Mar 16, 2013)

I agree!


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## Lucky13 (Mar 16, 2013)

Diorama ideas!!


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## futuredogfight (Mar 16, 2013)

Great Photos, What MT is that with the underwing 20mm cannons? Is it MT-461?


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## md1shp (Apr 19, 2013)

I do not think that these are Finnish Gladiators. The Finnish ones had standard RAF colours then standard FAF Black/ Green. The Swedish ones had White Green colours. I beleive that the photo is of Latvian aircraft. The Latvian Airforce used a Maroon swastika from the 20's until 1940. Again nothing to do with the Nazis.
Steve


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## Wurger (Apr 20, 2013)

I have to agree. The swastika is of darker colour than the Finnish on. It indicates another paint than the light blue one used for the Finnish national marking. Also the emblem that can be noticed on fins can be found on these Latvian planes.
















A link to a site with the top picture..... Hkans Aviation page - Latvian Air Force use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War


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## 4trade (Apr 28, 2013)

Finnish swastica do not stand on a "tip" of swastica, it is always shown "flat" area at top/ bottom


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## gekho (May 9, 2013)

In 1936, the Finnish Air Force ordered 18 Blenheim Mk Is from Britain and two years later, they obtained a manufacturing license for the aircraft. Before any aircraft could be manufactured at the Valtion lentokonetehdas (State Airplane Factory) in Finland, the Winter War broke out, forcing the Finns to order more aircraft from the UK. A further 24 British-manufactured Blenheims were ordered during the Winter War. After the Winter War, 55 Blenheims were constructed in Finland, bringing the total number to 97 aircraft (75 Mk Is and 22 Mk IVs).

The Finns also received 20 half-completed ex-Yugoslavian Mk IV Blenheims captured by Germany, together with manufacturing tools and production equipment, as well as a huge variety of spare parts. Yugoslavia had ceased production of the Mk I and commenced a production run of Mk IVs just prior to the April 1941 invasion. The Finnish Blenheims flew 423 missions during the Winter War, and close to 3,000 missions during the Continuation War and Lapland War. Blenheim machine gunners also shot down eight Soviet aircraft. Thirty-seven Blenheims were lost in combat during the wars. After the war, Finland was prohibited from flying bomber aircraft. However, some of the Finnish Blenheims continued in service as target tugs until 1958.

Source: Wikipedia


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## gekho (May 9, 2013)

Four captured Polikarov U-2 light elementary trainers were repaired during the Continuation War. Although obsolete and slow they were used as liaison planes. The first one, coded VU-2, was used in Le.Lv.30 (Flying Squadron 30) since 29.6.1942 until it crashed on 31.5.1943. Another plane coded VU-2 as well was used in HLe.Lv.28 (Fighter Squadron 28) between 4.2.1944 - 13.7.1944. The other two were at first in TLe.Lv.12 (Reconnaissance Squadron 12) since 7.3.1944 (VU-3) and 8.4.1944 (VU-4). The latter one was handed over to HLe.Lv.32 (Fighter Squadron 32) on 20.6.1944 and was destroyed on 23.6.1944.

Source: FMP - Finnish Air Force Liaison Aircraft and Trainers 1939 - 1945


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## gekho (May 9, 2013)

Three Avro Anson Is were bought together with BLs in the late 1930's and served mainly in liaison and training duties. During Winter War all ANs were in T-LentoR 4 (Supplement Flying Regiment 4). On 26.2.1940 AN-103 crashed in take-off and was never repaired. At the beginning of Continuation War the remaining two served in Le.R 4 (Flying Regiment 4). In July 1942 AN-101 was handed over to FAF Staff (Ilmav.E) as a liaison aircraft for the rest of the war. AN-102 was damaged badly on 3.3.1943 and was written off.


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## Wayne Little (May 11, 2013)




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## futuredogfight (Jul 6, 2013)

YES! even more great shots


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## Gnomey (Jul 6, 2013)

Good stuff!


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## kt45264 (Apr 16, 2014)

All pics are from sa-kuva.fi

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## vikingBerserker (Apr 16, 2014)

Those are great!


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## kt45264 (Apr 17, 2014)

Source for these pics is sa-kuva.fi


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 17, 2014)

Very cool! 8)


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## Wayne Little (Apr 17, 2014)

Fantastic series of Pics!!


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## kt45264 (Apr 17, 2014)

Next batch from sa-kuva.fi

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## kt45264 (Apr 17, 2014)

Final batch of photos from sa-kuvat.fi


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## Bernhart (Apr 17, 2014)

Wow some really cool exciting pics


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## kt45264 (Apr 17, 2014)

State aircraft factory (SA-kuva.fi)


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## kt45264 (Apr 17, 2014)

Couple pics more from SA-kuva.fi


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## Wayne Little (Apr 18, 2014)

fantastic pics...Thanks!


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## kt45264 (Apr 18, 2014)

One more time..

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## Wurger (Apr 19, 2014)




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## Wayne Little (Apr 19, 2014)

excellent pics..


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## kt45264 (Apr 19, 2014)

All photos are from SA-kuva.fi


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## kt45264 (Apr 19, 2014)

Once again...


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## le_steph40 (Apr 20, 2014)

great pics !!! Thank you


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## Wildcat (Apr 20, 2014)

Great set of pictures!


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## kt45264 (Apr 20, 2014)

Three pics from flightforum.fi, originally from facebook


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## kt45264 (Apr 20, 2014)

From SA-kuva.fi


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## Wayne Little (Apr 21, 2014)

excellent yet again!


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## Wurger (Apr 21, 2014)




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## kt45264 (Apr 24, 2014)

From sa-kuva.fi


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## Wurger (Apr 24, 2014)




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## 4trade (Apr 24, 2014)

Next Sunday there will be 800+ new color photo release at SA archive.

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## vikingBerserker (Apr 24, 2014)

Awesome pics and great news!


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## kt45264 (Apr 25, 2014)

From sa-kuva.fi


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## Wayne Little (Apr 26, 2014)

great shots yet again...!


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## Gnomey (Apr 27, 2014)

Good stuff!


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## kt45264 (Aug 10, 2014)

couple older images

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## Gnomey (Aug 10, 2014)

Lovely shots!


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## Wayne Little (Aug 11, 2014)




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## Lucky13 (Aug 11, 2014)




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## VERSUCH (Aug 12, 2014)

Brilliant thread...


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## at6 (Aug 12, 2014)

Lots of great pictures. Based on what Finland had for equipment and the size of Finland's Air force, Finland had one kick a$$ group of pilots.


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## kt45264 (Aug 19, 2014)



Reactions: Bacon Bacon:
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## Wurger (Aug 19, 2014)




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## Gnomey (Aug 20, 2014)

Good shots!


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## kt45264 (Aug 31, 2014)




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## Wayne Little (Sep 1, 2014)

NICE!


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## Wurger (Sep 1, 2014)




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## Marcel (Sep 1, 2014)

Does anybody know if there are still any Finnish C.X left in one piece?


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## vikingBerserker (Sep 1, 2014)

Very nice! What aircraft is photo 19 in Post 124? It looks French but the canopy is throwing me off.


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## kt45264 (Sep 4, 2014)

vikingBerserker said:


> Very nice! What aircraft is photo 19 in Post 124? It looks French but the canopy is throwing me off.


Hanriot H.232/2


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## kt45264 (Sep 13, 2014)




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## Wurger (Sep 13, 2014)




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## GrauGeist (Sep 13, 2014)

Marcel said:


> Does anybody know if there are still any Finnish C.X left in one piece?


Doesn't look like it, Marcel.

The only reference I have to the fate of the last known Fokker X.Cs, are the ones that were in Finnish service. And this is from wiki:


> The last of the seven Finnish C.Xs that survived the war crashed in 1958. The craft, designated FK-111, served as a target-towing craft in the Finnish Air Force. The plane crashed into a forest on 21 January 1958, killing the pilot (Second Lieutenant Aimo Allinen) and the winch-operator (2nd Ltn Antti Kukkonen)


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## GrauGeist (Sep 13, 2014)

server error...nothing to see here, keep moving along.


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## Wayne Little (Sep 14, 2014)




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## Lucky13 (Sep 14, 2014)

Great pics!


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## Marcel (Sep 14, 2014)

GrauGeist said:


> Doesn't look like it, Marcel.
> 
> The only reference I have to the fate of the last known Fokker X.Cs, are the ones that were in Finnish service. And this is from wiki:


Thanks, a pitty. I hoped there would be one left of these important aircraft.


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## GrauGeist (Sep 14, 2014)

I recall reading somewhere that C.X was licensed to Airspeed in Britain, but I don't know if any were ever built. It might be worth looking into.


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## kt45264 (Sep 14, 2014)




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## Gnomey (Sep 14, 2014)

Nice shots!


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## kt45264 (Sep 21, 2014)




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## Wurger (Sep 21, 2014)




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## Wayne Little (Sep 21, 2014)

great Pics!


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## Gnomey (Sep 21, 2014)

Good stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (Sep 21, 2014)

Excellent!


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## Lucky13 (Sep 22, 2014)

I think a handful of Finnish decals is a must, '109, Buffalo....oh dear!


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## kt45264 (Sep 23, 2014)




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## Wurger (Sep 23, 2014)




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## kt45264 (Sep 27, 2014)



Reactions: Like Like:
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## Wurger (Sep 27, 2014)




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## kt45264 (Sep 27, 2014)



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## Wurger (Sep 27, 2014)




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## ArmouredSprue (Oct 15, 2014)

Amazing post and photos!
Thanks for sharing!

I'm building a Me 109G-6 in Finnish markings and I would like to know if you have any photo for the night fighter sqdr (the one with a Bat and Moon emblem on the side of the fuselage.
Cheers


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## Alex Smart (Dec 31, 2020)

gekho said:


> The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although largely overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60% of the RAF's air victories in the battle, and served in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The 1930s design evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of aircraft which acted as interceptor-fighters, fighter-bombers (also called "Hurribombers"), and ground support aircraft. Further versions known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications which enabled operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts, known as "Hurricats". More than 14,000 Hurricanes were built by the end of 1944 (including about 1,200 converted to Sea Hurricanes and some 1,400 built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry).
> 
> Finland bought 12 Mk I Hurricanes at the end of the Winter War, but lost two during the transit flight. The aircraft did not have much success (only 5½ kills). When hostilities began again on 25 June 1941, their use was quite limited, partially because they were worn out due to the scarcity of replacement parts available during the Interim Peace (13 March 1940- 25 June 1941) and subsequent combat flying. One Hurricane Mk IIB was captured from the Soviets during the war and flown by the Finnish Air Force.


Hello
The first picture HC-452 was taken during the Continuation War. Earlier serial numbers started with HU-.
Photo 5 is a Frenchaircraft, the serial starts MS-.
Also of great interest isthe photo of an early Hurricane which shows part of its delivery civil code OH-IPL, these codes OH-IPA to OH-IPL were used by the Finns for delivery of Blenheim's, Lysander's and Hurricanes.
Anyone have serial numbers of the to Hurricane a/c that never made it to Finland ?


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 31, 2020)

Alex Smart said:


> Hello
> The first picture HC-452 was taken during the Continuation War. Earlier serial numbers started with HU-.
> Photo 5 is a Frenchaircraft, the serial starts MS-.
> Also of great interest isthe photo of an early Hurricane which shows part of its delivery civil code OH-IPL, these codes OH-IPA to OH-IPL were used by the Finns for delivery of Blenheim's, Lysander's and Hurricanes.
> Anyone have serial numbers of the to Hurricane a/c that never made it to Finland ?



FYI - that post is over 6 years old, don't know if the op will reply.


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## Gnomey (Jan 2, 2021)

Good shots!


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