Memorial for veteran ATCs, Brewster model presented to public + more aviation history

[Grendel]

Memorial for veteran ATCs, Brewster model presented to public + more aviation history

Memorial for veteran ATCs, Brewster model presented to public
Finnish air-traffic controllers built a 1:5 scale model airplane to honor their veteran colleagues, the air-traffic controllers of the post World War II generation. Large portion of the first controllers were war pilots, who practically hand-built the Finnish air-traffic control system from scratch when during the late 1940s and 1950s. The airplane modeled was Brewster fighter BW-384 "White seven", the personal airplane ensign Aarno Siro flew in the last battles of Continuation War against Soviet Union, during summer 1944. Post-war Aarno Siro was one of the first air-traffic controllers and worked as such for 22 years.
BW-384 flew its first flight 5.4.1940 and was delivered to LLv 24 6 days later. During its career BW-384 was flown by for example I. Törrönen, L. Nissinen, L. Pekuri and Aarno Siro. The total flight time of BW-384 was 729 hours and it was removed from operational use in 1952. The plane is credited with 18 aerial victories. Its most successful pilot was Lauri Nissinen with 10 victories in BW-384.
The whole article:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/photoreports/bw384/


Other recent articles from Finnish Virtual Pilots Association

Photos from Kyösti Karhila's memoirs publishing event.
Kyösti Karhila is the highest scoring living Finnish WW2 fighter pilot, with 32 credited victories. Recent research has him credited with 10 more victories, that were originally non confirmed but have been since verified from Soviet archives. Mr. Karhila has now published his memoirs from the wartime. Karhila gained ace status flying Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters and was later a highly successful Messerschmitt 109 pilot.
The whole article:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/img/albums/karhila_2007/
The book:
http://www.apali.fi/kauppa/product_details.php?p=52
http://www.apali.fi/kauppa/images/karhila_kansi_net_0702_00e.jpg

Aarne Vuopohja - Pe-2 Mechanic
During the World War II mr. Aarne Vuopohja served in the Finnish Air Force as assistant mechanic, at LentoRykmentti 4 (Flight Regiment 4), which was the bomber arm of the FiAF. Vuopohja worked for example with the Pe-2 planes. He was interviewed in the Virtual Pilots' summer camp Mosquito Meeting 2004, at Oulu.
"Let's say that I was frighten to see the first time the aeroplane goes to an engine change and none than the chief mechanic knows what to do. Three of us were just came from the mechanic training and haven't seen much aeroplanes before."
The whole article:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-AarneVuopohjaEnglish.html

The Honourable Finnish Swastika
In Finland the Swastika was first used by the government in 1918, in the Cross of Liberty decoration designed by Gallen-Kallela, and as the national insignia of the Finnish Air Force. Swedish Count Eric von Rosen had donated the first FiAF aircraft, decorated by swastikas painted on the wings. Thus the Swastika was introduced by two sources by two men in two different manifestations. The other national symbols of the young Finnish state included the national coat of arms from the 1500's, the national anthem and the blue cross flag from the year 1918. Only later, The Nazi Swastika also tainted the Finnish Swastika, a honorable symbol still used as a symbol in the Finnish Armed Forces.
The whole article:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/articles/honorable_swastika/

More from the Association:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/en/news/
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/

[Grendel]

Punt for Brewster

[BBBB]

I care this <-> much.


-BB

[Excel1]

Good read Grendel,

Yup, she's a beauty:

but:
January 12th 1942
  "Meanwhile, New Zealand's 488 Squadron has its first encounter with
  Japanese aircraft. 488 operates the Brewster Buffalo, and the Japanese
  are flying the Mitsubishi Zero. The battles are foregone conclusions."

and:
January 13th 1942
      "488 RNZAF Squadron's Brewster Buffalos try to intercept attacking
       Japanese bombers. The Buffalo turns out to be slower than the
       bombers. 488 loses five planes for no enemy damage.
       The squadron's diary records, "No blame can be attached to the pilots,
       who have done their best with Buffaloes.
       Until we fly as Wings of 36 aircraft, we shall be unable to inflict heavy
       damage to the enemy."

And just to throw in to doubt my theory that the Spit won WW2, and just to generally confuse things, there's this:
The notion of "best fighter of WWII" came up again recently on rec.aviation.military. The Buffalo was nominated because it created one ace for every 13 airframes. To which somebody replied: "But weren't they all Finns?" The answer:
"Not all.... Three British Empire pilots became aces flying the Buff. Geoffrey Fisken (a New Zealander with No. 243 Squadron) had six victories in the Brewster, and two others had five." -- Tim Noble (tn@bendnet.com)

For that claim to have any credence there must have have been a ton of Finnish Buffalo aces.

[Panzzer]

Originally posted by Excel1
For that claim to have any credence there must have have been a ton of Finnish Buffalo aces.

Counting everyone with 5+ kills in Brewsters, I'm getting 36 Finnish pilots, using Brewster air-to-air victory credits as the source. I'll have to double-check that as I am at work now and got a bit distracted while counting them.

edit: Recount gave me 35 Finnish pilots with 5 or more kills in a Brewster.

[Excel1]

35 aces is impressive. There's no doubt the FAF and it's pilots got the best out of their Buffaloes and flew them to the max.

In contrast it was a bit of struggle in Singapore for the Buffaloe squardrens. When 488 RNZAF sqn set up shop a Kallang none of the 21 Buffaloes they inherited from the RAF were combat ready, most wern't even in flying condition. They had no spares or tools, the Brits took them when they left. To get the Buffaloes ready and the pilots some air time in them before facing the Japs was a major mission.

But one thing all Brewster Buaffalo pilots have in common is balls of steel.  

[Grendel]

Excel1, you mention very well the problems the Allied Buffaloes had in their struggle against the Japanese. RAF, Dutch etc operated in very hostile hot environment, far away from supply lines and repair shops, with no air warning system, against superior foe.

Finnish pilots had had good time to get familiar with the Brewsters, were well trained and started the Continuation War fighting offensive aerial war, instead sitting and waiting for enemy to come. And the factories and repair shops were relatively close.

Quite the opposite situation. Of course, things turned worse as war progressed, but later the Finnish Brewsters were fighting a defensive war within working air warning system, still within reach of the supply system, with highly experienced pilots and mechanics.

Not to forget the Finland had the best Brewster model there was, the F2A-1 (B-239), not the overloaded later models.

[Pooh21]

anymore info on the couple of He-111 and Ju-87 kills in your link?

[Panzzer]

IIRC in one of the cases Juutilainen recognised the plane (He-111) and said it had no nationality markings and started firing at him, so he shot it down. I'm not sure about the second Heinkel, but if it is what I'm thinking, it was probably lost, didn't fire a flare for identification and then got shot down. The Stukas seem to have been in October 1944, when the Germans were retreating from Northern Finland.

[Grendel]

Originally posted by Pooh21
anymore info on the couple of He-111 and Ju-87 kills in your link?

Adding to Panzzer,
At least one German Heinkel 111 was shot down by a Brewster in night patrol, as the German plane had not filed any flight plans and did not fire recognition signals.

Afterwards it turned out the Heinkel was flying a secret mission behind Russian lines and had filed flight plan to German ATC but not to Finnish. Afterwards the Krauts took better care to announce their flight to Finnish airspace, even at night.