Finland Air Force

**gekho** · 02-04-2011 05:32 AM

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** · 02-07-2011 04:48 AM

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** · 02-07-2011 04:51 AM

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** · 02-07-2011 04:57 AM

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** · 02-07-2011 06:02 AM

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

**Lucky13** · 02-07-2011 10:08 AM

Great stuff!

**Gnomey** · 02-07-2011 06:48 PM

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

Good stuff!

**gekho** · 02-08-2011 05:08 AM

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** · 02-08-2011 05:09 AM

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** · 02-08-2011 05:17 AM

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.

**gekho** · 02-09-2011 06:27 AM

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.

**gekho** · 02-09-2011 06:30 AM

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.