Finland Air Force

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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..

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting shots!

 

[B-17engineer]

Nice info and pictures! Appreciate it!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent thread Gekho! Excellent work sir, thank you!

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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

 

[gekho]

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

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[Wayne Little]

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

 

[Lucky13]

Great stuff!

 

[Gnomey]

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

Good stuff!

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.