Today was a celebration day of the Messerschmitt 109 fighter. The plane entered the service of Finnish Air Force 60 years ago and formed the mainstay of the tiny FiAF for 1943-1944. Not numerically - but it was the only modern and efficient fighter.
The total number of Messerschmitt Me-109s that the Finnish Air Force purchased during 1943 - 44 was 162.
The Finnish Air Force achieved 663 victories with the Messerschmitt Me-109s during 1943 and 1944 with an exchange ratio of 25:1
From "The Finnish Air Force - A HISTORICAL REVIEW" By Lt Gen (FAF ret) Heikki Nikunen
:
Despite the Soviet superiority in numbers of aircraft, the FAF was able to concentrate its air forces and continue to achieve good results. The Brewsters, along with the Morane, Fiat and Curtiss fighters, although continuing their operations, became obsolete in terms of performance from 1943 on, and new fighters, Messerschmitt 109 G (MT)s, were received, although once again only in small numbers. When the Soviet offensive began, the units had about 40 Messerschmitts. Fortunately, the FAF was able to get 74 more fighters from Germany during the campaign, so that despite the fierce battles, the number of Messerschmitt fighters actually increased during the summer of 1944. The number of bombers in the flying units at the beginning of June 1944 was 66.
One good example of the ability to achieve local and temporal air superiority was the fact that the FAF bombers and a German support unit known as Kuhlmey were able to continue their effective air raids, which were vital contributions to the war effort, as the bombings could be concentrated on Soviet massed troops just before their preplanned attack times. Warnings of impending troop movements were usually captured by radio intelligence. It is also significant that no bombers in the formations escorted by the Messerschmitts were lost to enemy fighters during this period. The Messerschmitt fighters achieved an exchange ratio of 25:1.
Again the Finnish fighter force was stronger in the end of the war than it had been in the beginning of that. Also, during the wars the number of Finnish fighter aces had become a world record in relation to population. And almost all the Finnish top aces were fighting at the end of the war just as they had been at the beginning.
Kyösti Karhila, chairman of Kymenlaakson Ilmakilta Kari Hämäläinen and Väinö Pokela saluting the fallen.
32 kill ace Kyösti Karhila and Messerschmitt 109 G-6, which belonged to his flight in the Fighter Squadron 34.
Bigger, cooler:
http://www.byterapers.com/~grendel/scan/aviation/mersujuhla/HPIM1997.JPGhttp://www.byterapers.com/~grendel/scan/aviation/mersujuhla/HPIM1999.JPGAnd something cooL:
http://www.byterapers.com/~grendel/scan/aviation/mersujuhla/HPIM2001.JPGGerman paratrooper, Finnish swastika and Finnish fighter ace, in front of German fighter. Nice combination
Mr. Karhila was immediately cool with the guy after they'd been introduced, bursting into chatter in German with the happy trooper
Colonel Väinö Pokela, Fighter Squadron 34 flight leader, making a speech.
The Messerschmitt 109 G-6 of Utti, MT-452.
All the photos and videos in FInnish language:
http://www.byterapers.com/~grendel/scan/aviation/mersujuhla/
