Association of Finnish World War II pilots
I hoped to publish the full article today but too much work to get it done. Here's a teaser instead!
It is based on my article published on Finnish aviation magazine Siivet, but enlarged for Finnish Virtual Pilots Association.
Grendel
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Twelve war pilots signed in September 1976 the founding document of the general club for the military pilots of the wars 1939-1944. The purpose of the Pilvenveikot-club is to unite the war pilots and to cherish the heritage of a Finnish pilot. This task the Club has fulfilled with credits already for 25 years.
Anybody who had received the Finnish piloti-s wings, gunneri-s or radio operatori-s badge could have applied the membership of Pilvenveikot. In 1918-1944 altogether 1234 piloti-s wings and 62 navigatori-s badges were given and to 328 persons badges on the honoris clausa basis. In 1942 the gunner-radio operator badge was founded and 161 persons had received it. Of all the above persons 516 have joined the Club over the years and there are still 238 members in the ranks. During the past years also the pilots and the navigators of the Swedish voluntary Squadron F19 and the German Kuhlmeyi-s Flight Group have been accepted into the brotherhood of the Finnish war pilots. There are still two Swedish and three Germans living.
The idea of the club originated from Britain
The Pilot Club Pilvenveikot started around 1974 when the reconnaissance and test pilot Kullervo Virtanen saw in the London shop windows Royal Air Force uniforms with a piloti-s Club Badge on the chest. Virtanen was pondering with his travel companion that it would be good to get a similar club of the aviation spirit in Finland as well. The war pilots were noted to be a suitable small group and as a result of Virtaneni-s efforts the club was founded in 1976. The name of the club was derived from a poem Pilvenveikko (Fellow of the clouds) by the Finnish national poet Johan L. Runeberg. This poem was written already in 1848! and is a part of the Stories of Ensign Ståhl by Runeberg.
Of the twelve founding members, from the "root squadron", five are still living and they act as the final decision board of the Club for example by deciding who will be accepted as a member. As a basic principle nobody is invited as a member but one has to have a desire to join. Pilvenveikot has been from the beginning an unpolitical association which first of all offers to the war pilots a common meeting place and an equal companionship with the aim of keeping up the good old pilot spirit.
Pilvenveikot are a disappearing resource
Over the years the average age of the members has however grown and even the youngest are at least 76, the eldest already 93. It has been discussed during the last ten years whether the Club is only for the flyers of the last wars or should the younger ones be taken along so that the activities would continue in the future. As a result of the discussions it has however been decided that "the Club is a club of the war flyers and thati-s it. If the future generations want to continue the Heritage of the Pilvenveikot it is their matter."
International friendship
Over the years Pilvenveikot have made international contacts and visited in turns in different occasions. Especially they have had active contacts with the Swedish voluntary squadron F19 and it's heritage squadron F21. In memory of the war time cooperation they organize a yearly meeting in turn in Luleå, Sweden and in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland. Then they meet also present pilots of the F21 and the meetings are described to be warm hearted and full of spirit of the brothers in arms.
The meetings with the Germans have started only during the last few years except the earlier visits of the Kuhlmeyi-s folks in Finland. Now meetings of the military fliers have been organized in Germany and in the autumn 2001 the Finns Väinö Pokela, Kyösti Karhila and Heikki Nikunen were present. Their presence and especially their medals of honour attracted considerable attention.
In Kiviojai-s words:
"In the Kuhlmeyi-s Group was this Schoppe who gave also a speech in the party. He has visited Finland every now and then. With the Swedes we have had meetings, they have their heritage squadron F21 in Luleå. It is the heritage squadron of the F19. Almost every year we have a common occasion, in turn in Rovaniemi and in Luleå. We have met present fliers of the F21 and there have been also those Swedish who were in the Winter War".
"Together with the Germans these meetings have started during the last couple of years. The Germans organize once a year in September a meeting of the fliers of the last war in which also the Allied fliers participate. The Finns have had a representation last time by Pokela, Karhila and Heikki Nikunen. Schoppe has visited Finland, Kuhlmey has also but he has passed away. Dödel is younger and was not a war time flier".
During the common activity it has been noted that the spirit and thoughts of the German war fliers are very much the same as with the Finns: togetherness trust with each other and patriotism have sped up their as well as Finnish Pilvenveikot's steps.
The German Pilvenveikot member Schoppei-s letter to the Finns
Schoppe was supposed to come to the Utti Air Base were a memorial for the Air Force personnel who died in the war was unveiled. It has all the names and the dates. Schoppe could not come but he sent a letter:
"7.9.2000
Schoppe tells to have read many times the book Double Fighter Knight by Juutilainen which he got in the previous Summer when he visited Finland. Based on Juutilaineni-s and his own experiences as the pilot of JU 87 Stuka and Focke Wulf during the war in Finland he wants to present the following in the occasion of revealing the eagle statue:
"He who has once belonged to the brothers in arms of Germany or Finland whether he was a member of the flight crew or of the ground personnel and who with their work and diligence created good conditions for the fight capability of the units knows that the spirit particular to this branch of armed forces unites and obliges both sides of the forces. The technical advances demand from the individuals and from the units perception and tactical adaptation. To perform an attack alone or in a group, during the day or night, to the ground or sea target requires often development and learning completely different new methods of operation. To know the fellows on the sortie already in advance increase the sense of certainty and unity in the critical spots. The sense of unity particular to this branch of armed forces, the trust of each other also when a great contribution, even life was demanded was a basis for the performance and the behavior of this branch of forces.
"The roots of power and the will of fight come for many from the patriotic feelings. To the fallen and missed pilot fellows for whom we now erect a statue I am always in debt of gratitude. At this point I would like once more say the same thought which I clearly gave in my presentation in Vantaa, in Finland to the brothers in arms:
"So you, when you have done all what you have to do, say: we are just humble servants. We have done only what is our duty."
(Professor Aho: these words tell what is characteristic also for these Germans since they have been blamed often for many things, but these were here in Finland for this matter and they have not got much other thanks and they have not asked either.)
"Unfortunately I am not able to participate in the ceremony of unveiling the memorial, but I feel even more blessed by my brothers in arms. My sincere greetings to all my former brothers in arms. H & B" H & B"
This letter gives a picture also of the Cloudi-s Brothers although it is written by a German. These thoughts are pretty much the same as our own and they still are.
