Aircraft of World War II

Fokker D.XXI

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:31:22 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:31:21 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Fokker D.XXI

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:30:28 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Fokker D.XXI

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:30:28 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:30:28 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:28:08 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Fokker D.XXI

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:28:08 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Bristol Bulldog (MK IV)

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:28:07 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

537189_272653816203805_343876094_n

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:28:07 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:28:07 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

JU-120 Junkers

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:39 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Description: Air force staff JU-120 Junkers F13

Fokker D.XXI

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:39 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gamecock

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:39 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:38 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Westland Lysander I

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:38 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:20:45 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gamecock

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:20:45 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Viima II

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:20:45 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gamecock

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:20:44 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Gloster Gladiator

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:20:44 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

37383_459543212488_6662615_n

SvenFokker D.XXI — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:36:18 -0400

by: SvenFokker D.XXI

Description: Gloster Gladiator II used by the Ilmavoimat (Finish Air force) during the "Winter War" of 1939-1940.

Major_Eino_Luukkanen

johnbr — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:02:30 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: Major Eino Luukkanen The Commander of the Finnish 34 Squadron (Lentolaivue-34) major general Eino Luukkanen) at Utti airfield for fighter of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 g-2. According to official data from 1939 in Finland 1944 Gg. Luukkanen flew sortie, 441 (more than any other Finnish pilots) which scored 56 victories photo taken in April 1943.

Finnish_Waffen-SS_troops_have_returned_home

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:39:35 -0500

by: johnbr

Finnish_fighter_pilots_with_a_Messerschmitt_Bf_109G-2_

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:33:44 -0500

by: johnbr

ww2history-lasseaaltonen2

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:29:02 -0500

by: johnbr

Description: Some pilots of the LeLv 26: Kalkkinen, H�m�l�inen, Bruun, Aaltonen and Helenius

juutilainen

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:24:09 -0500

by: johnbr

Description: Born on the 21 February 1914 at Lieksa, Finland, Eino "Illu" Juutilainen read the book by Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Fighter Pilot" which made him dream about becoming a pilot. Juutilainen did his military service in Signal Corpsduring 1932-1933 and was trained as a telegraphist. After having fulfilled his compulsory service Juutilainen acquired a private pilote's licence from the Karhumaki Brothers' Flying School. Then, in 1935, he became an enlisted NCO in the Armed Forces. Finally, in 1936 he applied for an Air Force NCO pilot course. He was accepted and due to his pilot's licence and telegraphist's skill he was made the elder of the course. Juutilainen did very well, but he spent a lot of time in custody - 27 days in a four-month course. The reason was that as the elder he was responsible for the misdeeds of his course - mostly excessive drinking. Personally he earned only one week for flying too low. After the course was completed, "Illu" had to sit in the "jug" for another week to serve the custody ordered to him. Juutilainen started his career as a NCO pilot in a Reconnaisance Squadron in Suur-Merijoki in May 1937. He was considered a good and reliable pilot, much liked by the officer-observers. He was married in the same year with Miss Anni Nurmi, and their first son was born in 1938. Sgt. Juutilainen was transferred to Sqn.24 to fly the Fokker D XXI's in March 1939. In a few weeks he became a good fighter pilot: his shooting skill was excellent. No wonder, hunting with dog and shotgun was his favourite hobby when the season was in. Juutilainen was fit as a professional athlete, he was also a teetotaller and non-smoker, staying like that during the whole of the war and also afterwards. In the Winter War he flew as the wingman of the 3rd flight commander, Lt. Eino Luukkanen. He scored two proven victories. However, he fired his first angry shots with a pole-mounted Lewis gun from the ground against SB-2 bombers attacking the Immola Air Base on the 1st of December 1939. The 3rd Flight was commanded to defend the area NE of the lake Ladoga. There, at the front section Kollaa, was fighting Illu's brother, Lt. Aarne Juutilainen - a distinguished infantry company commander( a.k.a the "Terror of Morocco" because he had served in the French Foreign Legion in N. Africa). The Fokker squadron carried out ground strafing raids on the ice covering the Bay of Viipuri against the Red Army columns the 1. to 12. March 1940. Those missions were hard for the Finnish fighter pilots because they really saw the lethal effect of their bullets. The enemy columns were initially without white camouflage clothing, and always marching in tight file formations. Shooting at aircraft was in a sense symbolic, a fighter pilot mostly did not see what happens to the crew of the victim aircraft. Illu did not feel good to see in his sighting scope how defenseless Red Army infantrymen flopped in the snow upon impact of his bullets. But he had to do his duty, the pilots knew that every enemy soldier left on the ice as casualty would relieve the pressure of the Finnish infantrymen defending the coastline. He flew eleven ground attack sorties. In the Winter War Juutilainen scored two confirmed victories. When the war against Soviet Union started again on 25 June 1941, Juutilainen was flying a Brewster in the 3st flight of LeLv 24(Sqn.24). The 3rd Flight became later known as the "Knight Flight" because of the three holders of the Mannerheim Cross serving in it.

Lt_Hans_Wind_Le_Cne_Karhunen

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:18:16 -0500

by: johnbr

Eino_Luukkanen_Brewster

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:12:25 -0500

by: johnbr

Description: Eino Luukkanen(1909-1961) was Finnish fighter ace of WWII and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross number 127. He achieved 56 aerial victories during his career. He flew Fokker D.XXI (2 1/2 victories) in Winter War and Brewster Buffalo(14 1/2 victories) and Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 (39 victories) in Continuation War. Luukkanen had somewhat unique way to mark each victory with a pilsner bottle label instead of painted mark.

Hans_wind

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:09:09 -0500

by: johnbr

Description: Hans Henrik Wind was born on 30 July 1919 in Tammisaari. He served in LLv 24. In air combat on 27 September 1941 "Hasse" scored his first victory - Soviet I-15bis. First 39 kills he achieved flown on Brewster B-239 fighter. In 1944 Wind achieved 25 kills in 10 days during the great Soviet offensive with his personal plane - a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 numbered "MT-439". Wind scored 36 kills with the Messers. After dramatic combat on 28 June 1944, Wind didn't return to front duty, he was hospitalized for the rest of the war. Totally he finished 302 combat sorties, scoring 75 kills. He is ranked on second position on WWII FAF top aces list. FAF service he left on 10 October 1945 in rank of captain. "Hasse" Wind died on 24 July 1995 in Tampere.

Ilmari_Juutilainen1

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:08:33 -0500

by: johnbr

Description: Juutilainen entered the Finnish military on 9 September 1932 for his compulsory military service, serving as a pilot in the Finnish Air Force starting from 1935. On 1 May 1935, Juutilainen was promoted to sergeant. He was transferred to LeLv 24, operating from Utti, on March 3, 1939. In October 1939, with the situation worsening, the squadron moved to Immola, closer to the Finnish-Soviet frontier. During the Winter War (that broke on 30 November 1939) he flew the Fokker D.XXI. Juutilainen scored his first victory on 19 December 1939, shooting down an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber and damaging two more.[3] At the end of the Winter War, he had achieved one shared and two individual victories.[4] During the Continuation War, he served in 3/LeLv 24, flying a Brewster B-239 "Buffalo". On 21 July 1941, he and five other Buffaloes scrambled to intercept Soviet fighters from 65th ShAP that were strafing Finnish troops near K�kisalmi. During that sortie, he destroyed a Polikarpov I-153 'Chaika', making him an "ace" on the Brewster Buffalo.[5] Few days later, on 1 August, seven fighters under command of Ist Lt Karhunen destroyed six I-16s near Rautjarvi, and Juutilainen (having been promoted to Warrant Officer in the meantime) claimed two of them.[6] On the morning of 6 February 1942, while reconnoitring the Petrovkiy-Jam region with other LLv 24 pilots, he intercepted seven Tupolev SB bombers escorted by 12 MiG-3s. Juutilainen claimed two SBs. Finnish Air Force's Brewster B-239 formation during the Continuation War. Flying this type of aircraft, Juutilainen scored 34 out of 94 kills He later recalled: � I noticed the bombers at 3000 metres, and radioed the boys about them. As we intercepted the Soviet aircraft, I spotted a formation of three SBs heading for a nearby railway line and dived after them. Targeting the aircraft to the left of the formation, my fire set its port wing aflame. The SB crashed next to the railway line. Just as I started after the lead bomber, I observed a MiG fighter closing in on me. In spite of the threat posed by the latter, I managed to hit the bomber in the starboard engine, which poured out smoke and oil. Moments later the aeroplane rolled over to the right and plunged into the forest close to the railway line. Turning my attention to the MiG, which was above me, I managed to shoot at it as we raced towards each other. My aim was good and the fighter started to trail black smoke from the engine. He banked away to the east, losing altitude as it went.[7] � On 27�28 March 1942, 3/LLv 24 moved to Immola in preparation for a Finnish Army offensive on Suursaari, in the Gulf of Finland. Although being grossly outnumbered over the Gulf of Finland, LeLv 24 pilots were more experienced than their Soviet opponents from Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Even when they had the advantage of surprise and height, Soviet pilots did not succeed in shooting down Finnish pilots.[8] On 28 March, WO Juutilainen, in patrol with Sgt Huotari, attacked some "Chaikas" of 11 IAP over the Suurkyla shoreline, at Gogland, and shot down two of them. These air victories took Juutilainen's tally to 22. A month later, on 26 April, he became his unit's first recipient of the Mannerheim Cross.[9] On 20 September, he took off with Capt Jorma Karhunen and 3/LeLv 24 pilots for a patrol of the Kronstadt-Tolbukhin[disambiguation needed]-Seiskari region. Near the Estonian coast, they were bounced by ten Soviet fighters. But the Finnish quickly reacted and managed to down three of their opponents. WO Juutilainen was credited with two kills.[8] All in all, Juutilainen scored 34 victories in Brewster B-239, 28 of them (including three triple kills) between 9 July 1941 and 22 November 1942, in his BW-364 "Orange 4".[4] In 1943, he was transferred to LeLv 34, which used new Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2s.[3] With the Bf 109, he shot down a further 58 enemy planes. He refused an officer commission, fearing it would keep him from flying. His 94th and last victory was a Li-2, the Russian version of the Douglas C-47, shot down on 3 September 1944 over the Karelian Isthmus.[3] After the wars, he served in the air force until 1947. He worked as a professional pilot until 1956, flying people in his De Havilland Moth. His last flight was in 1997, in a double-seated F-18 Hornet of the Finnish Air Force. Juutilainen died on his 85th birthday on 21 February 1999.

Ilmari_Juutilainen

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:04:24 -0500

skiisandguns

johnbr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 01:57:32 -0500

by: johnbr

JormaKarhunen

johnbr — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:50:11 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: oppe karhunen finnish ww2 fighter ace

w26_10190123

johnbr — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:53:16 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: A Finnish troop train passes through a scene of an earlier explosion which wrecked one train, tearing up the rails and embankment, on October 19, 1941. (AP Photo) #

Simo H�yh�, �White Death�, Sniped Over 542 Soviet Soldiers in WWII

johnbr — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:03:42 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: Swedish volunteer, "somewhere in Northern Finland," protects himself from the sub-zero arctic cold with a mask over his face on February 20, 1940, while on duty against the Russian Invaders. (AP Photo) #Simo H�yh�, arguably the greatest sniper to ever live, sniped over 542 invading Soviet soldiers in World War II using nothing but a bolt action rifle that had no scope. He also has the distinction of having recorded the highest known number of confirmed kills by any sniper in any major war; with the runner up being Soviet Ivan Sidorenko with 500 in WWII. In addition to his 542 confirmed sniper kills, he also managed another couple hundred kills with a Suomi 9mm machine gun bringing his total for the �Winter War� to just under 800 kills. Even more amazing is that he did all of this in under 100 days with his personal best sniping 25 Soviet soldiers in one day. Read more at http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/01/simo-hayha-white-death-sniped-over-542-soviet-soldiers-in-wwii

w29_00119046

johnbr — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:01:52 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: n a frozen, wooded battlefront "somewhere in Finland," Finnish troops scatter to take shelter as Soviet planes fly over on an air raid on January 19, 1940. (AP Photo) #

w31_0018369u

johnbr — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:55:10 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: Spoils of war -- captured Soviet tanks and cars, along a road in a snow covered forest on January 17, 1940. Finnish troops had just overpowered an entire Soviet division.

w27_91228054

johnbr — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:53:22 -0400

by: johnbr

Description: On November 30, 1939, after Soviet demands made to Finland went unmet -- they were asking the Finns to give them land concessions and to destroy fortifications along the border -- the USSR invaded Finland. Some 450,000 Soviet soldiers crossed the border, starting a brutal, frozen battle that would be called the Winter War. In this image, a member of a Finnish anti-aircraft detachment, wearing his white camouflage uniform, works with a range-finder on December 28, 1939, during a Russian aerial attack. (AP Photo) #

Lahti L-39 20 mm Anti-Tank rifle in action

Cyrano — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:47:31 -0400

by: Cyrano

Lahti L-39 20 mm Anti-Tank rifle

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:57:40 -0400

by: Cyrano

1 comment

Victory parade in Viipuri

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:57:39 -0400

by: Cyrano

Wintertime MG position

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:57:39 -0400

by: Cyrano

Finnish anti-tank team summer 1944

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:54:32 -0400

by: Cyrano

Marching through a forest

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:54:32 -0400

by: Cyrano

Skull troopers

Cyrano — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:54:32 -0400

by: Cyrano

1 comment

Finnish Ski Troops

Administrator — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 16:12:43 -0500

by: Administrator

Description: Shown here are Finnish ski troops in winter camouflage suits waiting for the Russian invaders to appear, sometime in late 1939 early 1940.

Finnish Infantry

Administrator — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 16:12:42 -0500

by: Administrator

Description: Shown here are two Finnish Infantrymen waiting for the Russians to attack. The man in the foreground is armed with a Suomi M/1931 sub-machine gun.

1 comment

Finnish soldiers

Administrator — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 16:12:41 -0500

by: Administrator

Description: Shown here are Panzerfaust-armed Finnish soldiers, one with a 9 mm (0.354 in) Suomi sub-machine gun, walk past the remains of a Soviet heavy tank.

1 comment