Latest aviation history articles: interview of Hemmo Leino, Morane/Me ace, Rememberin

[Grendel]

Latest aviation history articles: interview of Hemmo Leino, Morane/Me ace, Remembering Kullervo Lahtela

Latest English language articles by the Finnish Virtual Pilots Association

The full articles can be read at:
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/

ONLY QUOTES BELOW

Hemmo Leino - From Wilderness Squadron To Messerschmitts



Capt. Hemmo Leino, a successful fighter ace with a long civilian flying career after the war, was interviewed by us in Helsinki May 8th 2002. Capt. Leino started his career flying the Fokker D.XXI and the Morane-Saulnier 406, then was transferred to LeLv34 to become a Me109 pilot. Later he continued his career as airliner pilot and businessman. He finally retired in 2003 at the age of 82 years, deserved after decades of active business.

Mr. Leino served in LeLv 30, LeLv 14 and LeLv 34. Resigned from service May15, 1945

Decorations: Freedom Medal 1st Class, Freedom Cross 4th Class, Freedom Cross 4th Class with Oak Leaves Confirmed victories: 11 in 251 missions

CURRENT research in Russian archives shows 20+ kills confirmed by mr. Leino.

Quotes from the interview:

- What was it like to fly the Morane (Morane-Saulnier 406) after flying the Fokker? What was it like as a plane?
It was a jolly good plane. It was agile, the only fault was the miserably weak engine. She could not climb fast enough in an emergency, that was the problem. The armament could also have been better. The rat guns were miserably weak and the mags were of small capacity, it was not much good for anything. But the Berezina heavy machine gun was good. There have been complaints that it did not want to work but mine fired every time! I never wanted to blame it.

**

-It has been said about the Berezina that it used to have mechanical problems, it was not strong enough? But when it was working, it was a very good gun?
The main problem, I think, was that our engineers began to tinker with it. The gun had a forced feed system, as far as I remember, which was removed. Anyway the gun was modified and then problems started emerging. But I don't know for sure... In my opinion the gun used to work well enough. The pilot may be partially responsible for any problem. I never really suffered from jammed guns but I had a couple of times such trouble with the gunsight that it ruined my mission. I was flying the Messerschmitt then, as a pair with Myllylä at Lavansaari and we encountered some LaGGs or Yaks. They approached from the other side of the island. Myllylä was flying ahead of me and he attacked one of them. Of course he got the second enemy behind his tail and I tried to get behind him. I pushed the stick - and the gunsight left its slot and fell in my lap! Myllylä kept yelling, "shoot him, get rid of him!" I had to tell him that how could I shoot as the gunsight was in my lap. I cannot remember what happened really. One of the enemies went down, I saw how Myllylä shot him. It seemed to me that also the other one went down. I tried to shoot according to tracers but it was no good. Sometimes if you have good luck you might hit something. Things like this could happen. The other case was when (Capt.) Pekuri was shot down, then I again had to shoot with a blacked out gunsight. You actually cannot accomplish anything.

**

I started pursuing those planes. I had a lot of extra speed, diving from up there, and they were flying at the treetops. I could not decelerate in time, yet I hastily fired. I managed to get a shot at two of the planes as they were flying in a parade formation wingtip to wingtip! I don't know what happened to them. I passed them, but nothing happened, four planes kept flying in formation as I approached again. I went on shooting and wondered deeply when one of them is shot at and there is a plane on each side yet they appear unmoved by the fact that their neighbour is being fired at!

**

- First you flew trainers, then as first line aircraft the Fokker, the Morane and the Messerschmitt. Was any of them your special favourite?
A new type was fortunately always better than the old one. You could feel right away that you are going to do better now. Yet each of them had their good characteristics. The FR (Fokker D.XXI) was not a bad plane! It was just slow and as the Russkies got better planes then you did not have a chance fighting them with a Fokker. It was right that Brewsters (Brewster B-239)were based in our front section. But the FR could take a lot of punishment. One had 140 holes yet she returned to the base.

**

- What about the Cannon Messerschmitt?
Kössi (Karhila) said, "I can fly her, I take her." But I said, very well, I don't want... She was such an unwieldy one. I got in a dogfight flying one against (P-38) Lightnings and was unable even to climb up to them. They were a little higher, and I tried to climb to get at them but ran out of speed... I don't know how Kössi managed to fly her. He must have his own tricks or he had a different starting point. I had to fly one in battle only two or three times. If all the enemy planes had been Il-2s or bombers, I would have preferred her. It would have been another matter to engage them with three cannons.
- A scrap with Lightnings?
Yes, it has been written that there were none there. But I swear there were four of them with which me, Myllylä and Puhakka... There were four of them and I was flying a three-cannon MT (G6/R6)
- Where did this happen?
It was above the front line in the IsthmSeveral There were also Airacobras, and the Lightnings... Puhakka and Myllylä were above me in a dogfight with them. I tried to climb up and join the ring but could not. My plane was so much heavier that they out-climbed me.
- They escaped by climbing?
Yes they did, they were good planes, no doubt.
- So the Lightings were in battle duty, dogfighting?
These ones were. Puhakka and Myllylä were in a dogfight above me, these four Lightings were involved. I tried to join them. I could not do it and of course it was infuriating.

[Grendel]

- Did the enemy planes ever get a shoot at you? Did you take hits?
Never really... There were some holes but very little. It was the last dogfight actually as the enemy got to shoot at me a little. But it was by accident really. It was a case as two Yak-9s came toward me. They approached from the North and made me turn at them. The altitude was about one and a half thousand (meters). They engaged me, being a little above. I was coming from South and my red light was on (indicating low fuel), because our base was nearby. I was heading for Lappeenranta but as they slipped behind my back I had to start climbing.

- In a spiral climb??
Yes, a spiral. We kept climbing. Finally we were at 5000m and I had forgotten to put on the oxygen mask. All the time I was worrying how far my petrol reserve would take me. We kept going round and round in a spiral. Each time I saw the enemy was about to shoot I pulled some more and each time he missed. But I heard two snaps and I came to Lappeenranta with two holes. But my underlying intention was that in case there is enough fuel, I shall take a shoot. I thought this is such a juicy situation that I shall not let them out of my hands even though I should run out of petrol, because there was an airfield just below. Which airfield was it? I can't recall, it was the old base with a manor as the Officer Mess. We did not operate from there...
(looking for the airfield in maps)
It was just next to Viipuri. There was this grand Officer Mess.
- Suur-Merijoki maybe, the seaplane base?
Suur-Merijoki right! We had talked about it, and decided that one could make an emergency landing there. I was thinking that I shall get him, I have enough... My plane was so light that I was able to climb better than they could. There were no problems. We flew nose to tail and the rearmost Yak had no chance of shooting. But the one behind me kept jerking, trying to get deflection ...
It was such a special situation, that I have a training mate who was killed in Olonez, he vertically dived in the Lake Oneg He did not get enough oxygen and it killed him. And I, too, had forgotten about my oxygen when approaching five thousand (meters). The face of my mate, Lasse Andersen, appeared to me before my eyes. (Lars Andersen was killed on 29 Feb 1944). Then it dawned to me, oh my, I shall be short of breath soon, I grabbed my oxygen mask and kept turning. Then I saw the (Russian) boys were being left behind. First one turned and dived, then the other one and I as the third. Then I kept shooting at them as long as I could. I was sure that the first one I fired at was in my opinion definitely going to fall. I got to shoot at the other one too, but then I throttled back and took direction to Lappeenrant I was not sure, I could not be sure because I had not seen them crash. Yet I reported them. Now that I can find in the Geust list both names, so they both fell down.
And the very next day the same thing. Another two, another two Yak-9s (shot down) according to Geust. I don't know how fellows are able to see in a real intense scrap, how they can observe a plane going down and crash. I always was in such situation that I was damn satisfied getting disengaged and finding that that one will not be a problem anymore. It never occurred to me to watch whether he hit the ground. Yes, it is not interesting at that stage. I don't know, I wonder how in such a situation someone, under stress, can be interested in watching whether the victim goes down or not. It is not in the least interesting. When you have calmed down then you start thinking "Did he fall - did I shoot down something?"

*****************************'

Remembering Kullervo Lahtela



Kullervo Lahtela is one of the great but less known names of Finnish military aviation. Lahtela was a successful trainer and he prepared for war a number of young, enthusiastic, and above all highly qualified combat pilots, who performed with excellence in aerial battle. In the beginning of the Continuation War, Lahtela acted as a Flight Leader of the Flight Squadron 32. He was transferred for a Flight Leader of the Flight Squadron 34 on 11th February 1943, for a Flight Leader of the Fighter Squadron 30 on 16th February 1944, and for the Squadron Leader of the Fighter Squadron 32 on 23rd June 1944. Lahtela scored a total of 10 1/4 confirmed air victories, of which 5.25 were gained with the Curtiss Hawk 75, and 4.5 with the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

- How was it with him, for example when he was a Fokker instructor?
There had been even several jolly lads, but he was one of them and we did get a good training. Fokkers were old planes, you know. We started the Continuation War with them, when I got involved. But they were so slow already that we were always too late when ordered to scramble. Finally the Air Force Staff decided to swap them for Curtisses, and with them it was totally different. The Curtiss was faster and had better armament, which was still improved. We started to have success, but finally even Curtiss proved too slow. But we could do nothing about that. The tactics had to be changed. As for "Kuijje", I have nothing untoward about him. He was quite OK as a superior.

**

I can describe him as a pretty intelligent guy, proper for a pilot. He had the characteristics of a pilot, he had a vision of aviation and flight training. The training squadron got Major Ehrnrooth as commander in summer '41, he had been a test pilot. His previous position was the commander of the test flight squadron. So the squadron was very skilled, they took care of the flight skills and Lahtela was one who developed them further.
- What kind of visions? Did his training style differ from the usual or that of other squadrons?
It was demanding to keep up the high level of skills. You had to be able to fly in tight formation, fly very close, and be exact in all flying. Of course the #1 squadron of the nation, Magnusson's squadron, had the same. But this, where Lahtela was a flight leader, was a training squadron, so these were stressed on and later in the war it could be seen in action.




**********************************

Virtuaalilentäjät ry - Virtual Pilots Finland Association is an association, which purpose is to promote World War II  multiplayer flight simulators and aviation hobby among people interested in aviation. More information about the association is available from http://www.virtualpilots.fi . Our plan of action also includes active research and preservation  of Finnish aviation history - more about that from http://www.virtualpilots.fi/en/info/hist/ and http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/ .

Jukka O. Kauppinen - tel. +358-40-730 0036
Grendel, VLeLv Icebreakers
Finnish Virtual Pilots Association

[Frodo]

Punt!