The Air Warfare School Guild's annual meeting and celebration was arranged at the Air Force Air Warfare School at Kauhava in May 24th-25th, 2003. Jukka "Grendel" Kauppinen and Olli "OK" Korhonen of the Virtual Flight Squadron Icebreakers took part on behalf of the Virtuaalilentäjät ry.
During the occasion, we interviewed veterans and actively discussed with Aaro Siro, who flew Fiat G.50, Hurricane and Brewster in Fighter Squadron (HävittäjäLentoLaivue) 26, and Pentti Aro, Blenheim pilot in the Bomber Squadron (PommitusLentoLaivue) 42.
"I remember it was Brewster. I was patrolling between Pitkäranta and Ägläjärvi-Tolvajärvi in a group of four or five. I don't remember who was in charge, but he told me to go and check out some long-nosed planes in the north. I did, they were our own Moranes. On my way back I noticed I was all alone, damn it. The cloud cover was close. I started to climb up, thinking I had no worries, my pals were close at Pitkäranta.
All of a sudden there was a flash of tracers, coming right at me. Of course I shot back. We never went for head-to-head, we usually lost those. But I pulled the trigger and, to be honest, it did no good (missed below). It circled from below and came up again (climbed from six o'clock low to a new attack). I kept an eye on it all the time, come on if you want. It came closer, and I kept turning the plane.
At the end it was so close that its trackers went right under my belly...
I was here, the plane passed like this, went quite low and began climbing from there. I turned a bit – waited and watched – watched until I saw the eye; saw that it couldn't hit my hull. It came closer, closer, closer, I pulled the stick just enough so it missed by that much. Had I known the pilot before, I'd have recognised him. It went so close by. Then it turned to dive to the left, and I shot a couple of good bursts after it. I think it got a couple of hits. I guess the pilot was fresh and inexperienced, or then an old colonel who hasn't seen real action.
I think it was a Yak-7. Those I have seen had dark paint scheme. But I don't know any more of it. I made no demand for a kill, I had no evidence and there was nobody to certify it. Personally I believe it dropped. Not that it really matters."
Article here:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/
