Curtiss Hawk 75A/Mohawk. Part nine. The Hawk in Finland.

 

Finland became one of Germany's allies, not out of any sympathy for fascism. The main reason was its aggressive neighbour, the Soviet Union, which attacked the Nordic country by surprise on 30th November 1939, waging the so-called 'Winter War'. 
The heroic and effective of not just the Finnish army, but the entire Finnish society allowed Finland to keep its independence, albeit at the cost of some territorial losses. In this conflict the Soviets suffered very heavy losses, even if they were fighting an enemy several times weaker in numbers.

That stance won worldwide sympathy for the Finnish, but that sympathy soon faded away when Germany attacked the USSR and Finland sided with the Axis, as it was the only way to maintain their independence.
Finnish pilots were renown for their remarkable successes in aircraft deemed unsuitable for combat in other countries, like the American Brewster Buffalo. This was, of course, mainly due to the conditions they faced,. the abysmal quality of their equipment and the lack of experience of most Soviet pilots, faced with the determination with the Finnish pilots fought for their country. Among the aircraft that composed the Finnish Ilmavoimat (Air Force) there were also some Curtiss Hawks.

The first Hawks delivered to Finland were sent by the Germans, after the conquest of Norway. These consisted on several A-6 models delivered in the spring of 1941. After Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, additional Hawks were delivered to Finland, this time captured from the French. The Hawks of this batch included seven A-4 and nine A-2/A-3. The next delivery took place between 28th July and 2nd August 1941 and included 11 Hawk 75A-1, one A-3 and one A-6. Two more A-3 arrived in Finland on 4th and 5th December 1941.
Many of those ex-French aircraft were only now being unpacked from the crates in which they were shipped across the Atlantic, as they were not assembled before the fall of France. 
In the Finnish workshops, where they were being now assembled, their radio equipment and sights were replaced by German Revi 3D or C/12D ones. 
In the spring of 1943, the Ilmavoimat received 15 additional Hawks, this time ex-Vichy France ones.

In total the Finns had 44 Hawks, including six A-1s, nine A-2s, nine A-3s, seven A-4s and thirteen A-6s. They affectionately nicknamed them "Curtissi" or "Sussu" (meaning 'sweetheart' in Suomi), but complains about their poor armament or problems with the Cyclone engines in their seven A-4s were common. At the turn of 1942/1943 only four A-4s remained operative and their engines were replaced with Twin Wasp ones.

In service with the Finns the Hawk was, overall well-liked with a good victory-to-loss ratio. In total Finns Hawks scored 190 and one-third kills for the loss of 15 of their own between 16th July 1941 and 27th July 1944, the dates of the Continuation War.
The Finnish Hawks were initially armed with either four or six 7.5mm machine guns. This was enough at the opening phases of the Continuation War, however, due to the increasing speeds and armour on Soviet aircraft, that arrangement was not powerful enough, so in 1942 the Finnish Valtion lentokonetehdas (State Aircraft Factory) replaced the fuselage machine guns with either one or to .50 in (12.7mm) Colt or Browning FN machine guns and installed two or four .303 in (7.7mm)  Browning machine guns in each wing. Some cannibalized 12.7mm Berezin UB or LKk/42 heavy machine guns were also employed. This new arrangement did not change the good flying characteristics of the Hawks and the armament was much more effective against Soviet aircraft. 

After Continuation and Lapland Wars, surviving Finnish Hawks remained in service with various Ilmavoimat squadrons, namely HLeLv 13, 11 and LeSK (training unit) until 30th August 1948 when the last operational Finnish Hawks were put into storage. In 1953 they were scrapped.

Sources:
1st AJ Press - Monografie Lotnicze 61 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk part 1
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#Finland

Tupolev SB in Finnish service. Part two.

 

The Finnish Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) assigned the 16 SB purchased from Germany (see our previous post for details) to the three flights of Lentolaivue 6 (Flying Squadron - LeLv.6) based at Nummela. Those SBs were employed in bomber, reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols all over the Gulf of Finland. 

The Soviet coastal submarine M-95 was sunk by SB-1 flown by Lt. Virtanen east of Suursaari on 28th May 1942. On the next 14th July, many Finnish SBs attacked with depth charges a surfaced Soviet submarine off the Finnish town of Pellinki (east of Helsinki). Lelv.6 claimed it was a Shchuka-class submarine, Shch-317, to be more precise. On 14th October 1942, SB-1 destroyed Shch-302. 

The Ilmavoimat did not lose any of their SBs to Soviet fighters or anti-air fire, however six SB 2M-103s were destroyed in accidents or technical failures. During Continuation War, three Soviet submarines were sunk by SBs and many other were damaged. Additionally, one merchant ship and four other small vessels were also sunk by Finnish SBs.

Eventually when the Red Army launched an offensive against Karelia in June 1944, Finland was prompted to sign an armistice on 4th September 1944, giving way to the Lapland War (1944-1945) to drive out Germans from Finland. The Finnish overpainted the yellow identification bars on wing and fuselage. During this war a total of 84 anti-submarine sorties were flown by Lelv.6's SBs over the Gulf of Finland but they did not damage nor sink any German U-boat. No Finnish SB was lost during the Lapland War and, on 1st April 1945 the roundels were changed from the Finnish swastika to the white-blue-white roundel of the Ilmavoimat. Those markings were applied to any surviving SB. After the war they served either as trainers or were kept in storage depots until late 1940s when they were phased out.

Going back to the Winter War, among the eight SB 2M-103 captured by the Finns, there was a late production machine which, after being refurbished, received the code of SB-8. This bomber was selected to be converted into trainer, similar to the Tupolev USB. 

This SB-8 machine was different from other SBs in having the landing light in the right wing's leading edge. Its conversion was completed on 25th January 1943 and was assigned to Täydennyslentolaivue 17 (TLelv.17 - Advanced Training Squadron) at the town of Luonetjärvi, in Central Finland on 19th February. This trainer was later re-assigned to Pommituslentolaivue 46 (PLelv.46 - Bomber Squadron) based at Luonetjärvi too. It was later assigned to Lelv.45. On 24th February 1945 it was put in storage after having flown 268 hours with Ilmavoimat.

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 194 - Tupolev SB in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB

3rd https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/sb/tapani/finnish/finnish-number.htm

4th https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/sb/tapani/usb/usb.htm

Tupolev SB in Finnish service. Part one.

 

During the Winter War, which comprised from 30th November 1939 to 13th March 1940, the Finnish captured eight salvageable SB 2M-100A. Those were repaired and assigned to Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), after the conflict, so they didn't see action with Ilmavoimat in the Winter War. However, eventually only one SB 2M-100A was in good enough conditions to be assigned to active service.

It was during that conflict that the Finnish managed to capture seven SB 2M-103, when many were forced to land in Finland.

The first SB 2M-103, registered as VP-10 by the Ilmavoimat, was overhauled at Valtion lentokonetehdas (State Aircraft Factory) at Tampere, Finland. On 13th August 1940 it was assigned to the Ilmavoimat and, on 15th October it was assigned to Lentolaivue 6 (LeLv - Flying Squadron) at Nummela. LeLv 6 was directly subordinated to Finnish Navy's Headquarters.

The Ilmavoimat re-registered the remaining SBs (among them the only SB 2M-100A which could be put into service) from VP-2 to VP-8. VP-10 was re-registered VP-1 in June 1941. During Continuation War, ranging from 25th June 1941 to 19th September 1944, LeLv 6 suffered its first casualty on 2nd August 1941 when VP-3 crash-landed at Nummela. The Finns changed the code for the remaining SBs in September 1941 but they didn't change the numerical suffix of each airplane. It was during this period that the SBs were repainted with yellow identification bands to identify them as Axis aircraft operating on the Eastern Front.

During the summer of 1941, the Germans captured several SBs in the context of Operation Barbarossa. Finland bought 16 SB 2M-103 from German war booty depots. On 5th November 1941 the six units arrived on Finland and were assigned codes SB-9 to SB-14. The following five were delivered in April 1942 and received codes SB-15 to SB-19. The last five ones reached Finland in August that same year. All those SB 2M-103 were refurbished at Valtion lentokonetehdas and some of them were equipped with additional carburetor intakes on the side of the engine cowling.

That made a total of 24 Tupolev SBs (23 SB 2-M103 and one SB 2M-100A) serving with the Ilmavoimat.

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 194 - Tupolev SB in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB

3rd https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/sb/tapani/finnish/finnish-number.htm

Koolhoven F.K.52

 

The Koolhoven was a Dutch two-seat reconnaissance biplane developed during the 1930s by Koolhoven. It was powered by a single Bristol Mercury VIII radial engine rated at 838 hp and was armed with two forward-firing 7.7 mm machine guns. It could also carry up to 150 kg (330 lb) of underwing bombs.

It was initially proposed as a replacement for the ageing Fokker C.V of the Luchtvaartafdeling (LVA - Dutch Army Air Force). The prototype flew for the first time on 9th February 1937 but it was lost in an accident on 11th August while performing in front of Boy Scouts during the 5th World Scout Jamboree. 

The design was clearly obsolete by 1938 standards, however, it was decided to begin its production and, therefore the LVA ordered 36 aircraft in 1939 but, by the time Germany invaded Netherlands in May 1940 only 5 were completed. 

Two F.K.52s were bought by the Swedish count Carl Gustav von Rosen and donated to the Finnish Air Force to be employed during the Winter War. They were flown to Finland on 18th January 1940 and in March they saw some action as they bombed and strafed Soviet troops attacking over ice at Virolahti. During this conflict they saw a total of 15 sorties and both were damaged.
They were assigned to Lentolaivue 6, operating in the Hanko area in 1941, but both were destroyed during the Continuation War. On 16th August 1941 one was lost during a forced landing after a leaflet-dropping mission over Hanko and force-landed 80 Km (50 km) south of Tallinn, killing both pilot and observer. Estonian guerrillas burned the remains of the plane and buried the crew. 
The other plane was destroyed later, in 1943 when it crash landed north of the village Pernaa, at Kauhava. The pilot bailed out and survived but the airplane was deemed unrecoverable. 

Source:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koolhoven_F.K.52

Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3, part one. Foreign users

 

The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of the World War 2 which was an improved version of the previous Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-1. It was one of the most modern fighters available for the VVS (Soviet Air Force) at the time of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, together with the Yakovlev Yak-1.

Some foreign countries got their hands at the LaGG-3:

• Finland: During Continuation War (1941-1944), the Finnish Air Force captured a single LaGG-3 of the first series which had to make a wheels-up forced landing on Finnish territory during early 1942. Coded as "Red 33", it was dismantled on 20th May and transported to a repair depot by truck.
  As the machine had sustained considerable damage during forced landing, reparations were not complete until 30th June 1944 as it had low priority. This machine received the registration of LG-2 and was assigned to Hävittäjälentolaivue 32, a fighter squadron equipped with the American-built Curtiss Hawk 75A. 
  On 19th July 1944 the LaGG-3 series 1 made another forced landing at Mensuvaara airfield due to an engine malfunction. It was repaired, but it was damaged again, beyond reparation on 30th August 1944 after the landing gear malfunctioned. 
  Another single LaGG-3 Series 4th was captured by the Finnish Air Force during Continuation War. It was coded as "Red 29" and made a forced wheels-up landing near Aunus, Karelia in early February 1942. It was later dismantled and sent to repair on 20th May. This machine was the first LaGG-3 to serve with the Finnish Air Force and was assigned to Lentolaivue 32 and, under the registration of LG-1, it was piloted by Warrant Officer V. Ikonen. 
  The LaGG-3 was intended to be used as an interceptor against the Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber. The first combat took place on 23rd March 1943 when a Pe-2 was chased, but was never caught. Despite many attempts during the Continuation War, the three Finnish LaGG-3 (another one was captured and received the code LG-3) never managed to shot down the Pe-2.
  Under normal circumstances only one LaGG was airworthy at a time, so they had to fly alone. The only patrol flight with more than one LaGG took place on 27th October 1943 and they got involved in a dogfight with a Pe-2 bomber and its escort of two MiG-3 fighters, but it ended up without losses for any side. 
  On 4th November LG-1 had a landing accident, where the pilot left uninjured, but LG-1 was sent for reparations. It was quickly repaired and reassigned to Lentolaivue 32 in early 1944. On 16th February it was involved in an aerial combat against a group of Pe-2 with an escort of two LaGG-3 with LG-1 shooting down one Soviet LaGG-3. After the end of Continuation War on 4th September 1944 an armistice was signed with the Soviet Union and the Finnish LaGG-3 were put in storage. On 1st April 1945 they received new markings, replacing the Finnish blue swastika with white/blue/white roundels. They were scrapped shortly after.
• Japan: In the spring of 1942 a Soviet pilot defected with his LaGG-3 Series 8th flying it to Manchukuo and making a wheels-up landing at a field near the town of Chiasmus. As the machine was in need of reparations, these were completed on 27th September and the machine undertook some evaluation flight supervised by Major Yamamoto from the Imperial Japanese Army Air Test Center. Those trials took place at Mutanchiang Air Base, in Manchukuo and the LaGG-3 lacked the lower wheels doors. The original pitot tube was replaced by a Japanese made one and the propeller remained in silver colours with red bands at the tips. The Soviet red stars were replaced by the Japanese Hinomaru. 
• Germany: After Operation Barbarossa, the Luftwaffe captured many LaGG-3. Some were used for evaluation and it is known that one appeared at a propaganda movie in 1943. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of this, the colours and registration displayed should be considered as speculative. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov_LaGG-3

2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 163 - LaGG Fighters in Action

3. https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/lagg3/lagg3.html

Bristol Blenheim, part five, Finnish users

The Bristol Blenheim was a British bomber designed and manufactured by Bristol Aeroplane Company and was used extensively during the first half of the Second World War by the Royal Air Force (RAF), but also by other users, like Finland.

It comes no surprise, with European countries re-arming during the late 1930s, that the Blenheim attracted the attention of many foreign customers, the first of which to place an order being Finland. Eighteen were ordered in as early as 1936 with various internal modifications to carry Swedish and American bombs and were delivered between 26th June 1937 and 27th July 1938. They were assigned to Lentolaivues (Suomi word for "Squadron") 44 and 46, where they saw action during the Winter War in November 1939 against the USSR. 

The beginning of the Winter War, prompted the Finns to order 24 additional Blenheims, of which, half were Mk.I and the other half Mk.IV. These were raised from RAF's stocks and delivered to the newly created Lentolaivue 42. In early 1940 with the war still raging on, the Finns also bought a production license to manufacture the type locally at the Valtion lentokonetehdas (State Aircraft Factory, more commonly known by its acronym of "VL") at the city of Tampere. 

After the end of the Winter War in March 1940, VL manufactured the type, and during the short period of peace between Finland and the USSR known as the Interim Peace, a total of 55 Blenheim were built, with production lines being active during Continuation War, which ranged from June 1941 until September 1944. Thanks to VL's production a total of 97 Blenheims were in active service with the Nordic country (75 Mk.Is and 22 Mk.IVs). After the fall of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Finland also received 20 ex-Yugoslav incompleted Blenheim Mk.IVs, together with manufacturing tools, production equipment and huge loads of the much valued spare parts, although many of these were either damaged or destroyed in sabotage actions. 

Finnish Blenheims were divided into six production series, the first ones being the original British-supplied ones, many of them modified to carry bigger bomb-load and last two ones (Series V and VI) being those manufactured entirely in Tampere. There was an extra Series VII, of which six Blenheim Mk.I were modified, but production was cancelled in September 1944.
During Winter War alone, Finnish Blenheims flew 423 sorties and close to 3.000 during Continuation War and Lapland War, conflicts where the gunners shot down a total of 8 Soviet aircraft, for a total of 37 Blenheims lost in combat. 

The Blenheim remained in service with the Finnish Air Force after the war, however, as Finland was prohibited from flying bomber aircraft, they were put into storage in 1948. Three years later, however, they were re-activated to be used as target tugs, with the last flight of a Finnish Blenheim taking place on 20th May 1958 (though some sources claim it was two years earlier, in 1956).

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Blenheim#Finland

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bristol_Blenheim_operators#Finland

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 26 - Bristol Blenheim

Beriev MBR-2, part two

 

The Beriev MBR-2bis was an improved version of the regular MBR-2 with a Mikulin AM-34N engine, instead of the original M-17 one. The AM-34N engine could deliver up to 750 hp of power and drove a two-bladed propeller. The MBR-2bis' fuselage was also modified to have an enclosed cockpit, a dorsal gun turret and an enlarged vertical fin. Around 750 units of this variant were manufactured between 1935 and 1940 (some sources claim it was until 1941 though) at aircraft factory No.31, located in the city of Taganrog. 

The first combat usage of the MBR-2bis was in 1938 during the Battle of Lake Khasan. Some MBR-2bis of the Soviet Pacific Fleet stationed in Vladivostok, took off to harass Japanese troops involved in the fighting. 

During the whole Winter and Continuation Wars, the MBR-2 and MBR-2bis belonging to the Soviet Baltic Naval Aviation were thoroughly employed during both conflicts, by both sides as up to five machines, both MBR-2 and MBR-2bis were captured by the Finns, who employed them in various roles, among them anti-submarine patrols, scout, rescue operations and propaganda leaflet bombing in the area of Lake Ladoga. 

They were also widely employed during World War 2, specially on the Black Sea, where they suffered heavy losses because of their weak defensive armament. In 1943 an MBR-2bis of the Caspian flotilla bombed the building of the Communist Party at the city of Elista, in the Kalamyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, when the city was occupied by the Germans, as it was serving as the headquarters for a German division. This attack was emblematic at its time, and was highly propagandised by the Soviet authorities. 

The last operational use of the Beriev MBR-2bis during World War 2 was during the Soviet Invasion of the Southern part of the Sakhalin Island, in August 1945. 

It's reported that when the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK - AKA North Korea) was established in September 1948, an unknown number of MBR-2bis was supplied to the newly created North Korean Air Force. Any further report of the MBR-2 in North Korea is unknown, they were probably destroyed during the course of the Korean War, and, as we couldn't find graphical information about it, the drawing should considered as speculative. 

Additionally, the MBR-2bis was also used by Aeroflot in various aerial routes all along the USSR until the late 1940s. 

One machine was experimentally fitted with a Mikulin M-103 engine which drove a three-bladed propeller and served as the basis for the more advanced, though unsuccessful albeit not because of technical reasons, Beriev MBR-7.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriev_MBR-2

2. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/МБР-2 (translated)

3. https://www.valka.cz/Berijev-MBR-2-M-34-kod-NATO-Mote-t102680

Junkers Ju.52/3m more European and British users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German passenger and cargo airplane that was used all around the globe by both air forces and airways from the 1930s to the 1950s and, in some cases, even beyond. In this post we're covering the following users:

• United Kingdom: Although not used by the Royal Air Force, the Ju.52/3m saw service in the United Kingdom as it served with the following airlines:
• British Airways Ltd.: In 1936 and 1937 three Ju.52/3m were operated by this airline together with some other types, to operate various night mail contracts to Lille in France and Cologne and Hannover, in Germany. 
• British European Airways/Railway Air Services: In November 1946 British European Airways (BEA) opened its first aerial link between London Croydon airport and Belfast Sydenham airport via Liverpool. This line was served by ex-Luftwaffe Ju.52/3m and was operated by another airline called Railway Air Services on behalf of BEA. The next month Sydenham was replaced by Nutts Corner, also in Northern Ireland, and the Ju.52/3m (which received the nickname of "Jupiters" by their British pilots) were replaced with Douglas Dakota cargo and passenger aircraft. 
• British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC): According to Wikipedia the BOAC had one or more Ju.52/3m in inventory, however, we couldn't find any graphical evidence, so it was decided not to drawn an hypothetical version.
  
  
• Estonia: In 1939 the Estonian A/S Ago (the Estonian national airline back in the 1930s - not to be confused with the German aircraft manufacturer AGO Flugzeugwerke) ordered two Ju.52/3mg3gce passenger planes in 1939. The first one arrived in Estonia on 5th October 1939, piloted by the Estonian pilot Peeter Olt, and the second one was delivered on 19th October. 
  When the Soviets occupied the Baltic States in June 1940, both were assigned to Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline, however, they remained parked at Jägala airport, in Estonia, until February 1941 when they were taken back to Riga. Later they were assigned to some special squadron of the VVS (Soviet Air Force) in Moscow, where, apparently were not employed for the remaining of the war.
• Finland: In 1936, with the completion of Helsinki's and Turku's airports, Finland's national airway back then, Aero Oy, sought for larger passenger airplanes. That's when three Ju.52/3m were bought with an additional one being bought later. At the outbreak of the Winter War in late November 1939, any civilian aerial operation from Helsinki was deemed as too risky, so Aero Oy ceased operations, but they were resumed when this conflict terminated in March 1940. It seems that during peace negotiations, in June 1940, one Ju.52 was shot down over the Gulf of Riga by two Soviet Tupolev SB-2 bombers. 
  During the Continuation War, the company kept regular flights to Stockholm, Tallinn and Berlin, among other destinations until the outbreak of the Lapland War in September 1944. Overall the Ju.52/3m served with Aero Oy (which, by the way, was the forerunner of Finnair) until 1948 when they were replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnair (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnair

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Ltd

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_European_Airways

6. http://www.militaar.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28659 (translated)

Morane-Saulnier Ms.410

 

The Morane-Saulnier Ms.410 was an improved version of the famous Ms.406 fighter. The project was started in 1939 when the Ms.406 was starting group service and, at the same time, a program was initiated to improve the design as the Ms.406 was intended to be replaced by the Dewoitine D.520.

The result of this was the Ms.410 which consisted on the adoption of an stronger wing, simpler fixed radiator in lieu of the earlier retractable one, four belt-fed 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the wings, as opposed of the previous pair of drum-fed weapons and the fitting of exhaust ejector which gave additional thrust, thanks to which the top speed was boosted to 509 km/h (316 mph) which meant 16 km/h (10 mph) faster than the Ms.406.

As it was better armed, the Ms.410 was the next logical step for the Ms.406, as ,instead of having to be replaced, many Ms.406s could be converted into Ms.410 standards. In fact, a total of 621 Ms.406 were to be converted to the Ms.410 but, by the time of the French armistice on 25th June 1940, only ten had been completed (five, according to some other sources), with many others reamining incomplete. 

The programme was resumed under the Vichy regiment and, eventually, 75 machines were completed but many of the converted machines, received only new wings. Some of them received the new fixed radiator, while other didn't. 

Eleven Ms.410 were sold to the Finnish Air Force where they served with Lentolaivue 28 and 14 (Squadrons 28 and 14) through the Continuation War from 1942 until 1944. As the MAC 1934 wasn't reliable enough in the freezing Finnish cold weather, they were replaced with captured 12.7mm Berezin and Colt machine guns. Apparently, some of them were also sold to the Independent State of Croatia, but we only found a single text reference, so we decided not to draw a hypothetical version. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406#M.S.410

2. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_MS.406#MS.410 (translated)

3. https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406 (translated)

4. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=2060

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 & Mörkö Morane

 

As we've said in previous posts, France sent 30 Morane-Saulnier to Finland between the 4th and the 29th February 1940 and, by 1943, the Finns received an additional 46 Ms.406 and 11 Ms.410 (an improved version of the Ms.406 which will be also the subject of a future post) bought from the Germans. By that year, however, the Ms.406 was showing signs of being seriously outdated. Anyway, as the Finns were desperate for serviceable aircraft, they decided to start a modification program to bring all their serviceable aircraft to new standards.

The Finnish aircraft engineer Aarne Lakomaa turned the Ms.406 into a competent frontline fighter, the Mörkö (Suomi word for "Bogeyman" or "Bugbear"), sometimes known as the LaGG-Morane. It was powered by captured Klimov M-105P engines (which were themselves a licensed copy of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y) which yielded 1.100 hp of power driving a fully adjustable propeller. In order to fit the engine, the airframe required some strengthening and a more aerodynamic engine cowling had to be fitted too. Thanks to those changes, the speed was boosted to 525 km/h (326 mph). Some additional changes included a new oil cooler, taken from the Messerschmitt Bf.109G, the usage of four belt-fed guns, system which was already present at the Ms.410, and a single 20 mm MG 151/20 in the engine mounting firing through the propeller hub. However, as the MG 151/20 was in short supply in Finland, some Mörkös were fitted with the captured 12.7 mm Berezin UBS guns.

Conversion work started in August 1942 and the first Mörkö flew for the first time on 25th January 1943 with very good results as the fighter was 64 km/h (40 mph) faster than the original French Ms.406 and the service ceiling was increased in 2.000 m, from 10.000m (33.000 ft) to 12.000m (39.000 ft).

Initial plans included the conversion of all the 41 remaining Ms.406 and Ms.410 to the Soviet engine, but the process took time and it wasn't until July/August 1944 that the first exemplars of the Mörkö were assigned to the Lentolaivue (Suomi word for "Squadron") 28. By September 1944, with the end of the Continuation War, only three machines, including the original prototype, had been converted. Lieutenant Lars Hattinen (Finnish ace with six victories) scored three kills flying the Mörkö-Morane, one with each Mörkö-Morane in the squadron. Anyway, more fighters were converted and the Mörkö-Morane took part in the Lapland War in the reconnaissance and ground-attack role. Not every Mörkö conversion was completed before March 1945, when the whole re-engine program was halted. At the end of the World War 2, the total number of converted Mörkö-Moranes was 41, which were used as advanced trainers with the TLeLv 14 until September 1948, when they were retired from service and, in 1952 they were all scrapped.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406#Finnish_variants

2. https://www.valka.cz/Valtion-Lentokonetehdas-Moerkoe-Morane-t29432

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Morane-Saulnier Ms.406, Finnish users

 

The Morane-Saulnier was a French fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier from 1938 onwards. With more than 1.000 exemplars manufactured, it was one of the most produced French fighters of the time so it comes no surprise that it was exported to many countries, among them, Finland.

In the Nordic country the Ms.406 had a parallel career. In February 1940 the first 30 fighters (which received the registration Ms-301 to Ms-330) were assigned to the Lentolaivue 28 (Squadron 28 in Suomi) commanded by Major Jusu. 

During the Winter War, they were thoroughly employed in combat against Soviet aircraft and with a total of 259 operational sorties, on that war alone, they shot down 16 Soviet aircraft. They were also employed during the Continuation War, from June 1941 to September 1944, in a modified form. Between November 1939 and September 1944, the Lentolaivue 28 scored a total of 118 aerial victories flying the Ms.406, the German Bf.109G and some few Mörkö-Morane (fighter which will be the subject of future posts). The unit lost a total of 15 aircraft with an unconfirmed kill number of 121.

Another unit equipped, partially, with the Ms.406 was the Lentolaivue 14 which had two aces in its rows, though it only received the Ms.406 in 1941 when Germany sold them. 

The top Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 ace in all theatres of war was W/O Urho Lehtovaara, with 15 of a total of 44.5 kills achieved flying a Ms.406. It was nicknamed as "Murjaani" (Suomi word for "Moor" or "Negro"), a twist on its name, "Mätimaha" (roe-belly) and "Riippuvatsa" (hanging-belly) because of its bulged ventral fuselage.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406

2. Osprey Publishing - Aircraft of the Aces 121 - Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 Aces

3. Osprey Publishing - Aircraft of the Aces 23 - Finnish Aces of World War 2

4. Salamander Books - The Complete book of Fighters

Avro Anson, part six, some European Users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft that was used by many countries all around the globe. The following European countries had the Ansons serving with them:

• Belgium: In 1947 the British Government authorised deliveries of a number of Ansons Mk.I for the new Belgian Air Force. They were delivered to Evere airfield, in Brussels though few of them survived for long time. One was flying by No.7 Wing as a squadron hack flying crews to Schiphol, Amsterdam to work in Fokker's factory to pick up the newly built Gloster Meteor F.8 which were being manufactured under license there in 1950.
  The No.21 Smaldeel (Squadron) was equipped with Ansons which were separated into various different flights when the unit received the Douglas DC-4 for long range transportation.
  The Air Force's Main Transport Flight had also Douglas C-47s as its personnel was part of the No.525 Squadron during the War. This squadron was known as the 'Verbindingsflight' and took two Ansons into service when they departed RAF Hendon in August 1946. The flight was later upgraded to squadron-strength and named 'No.367 Squadron' and was later renamed as '21 Smaldeel' and was used for communications duties.
  One C.19 one was also used by SABENA (Belgian National Airline) to cover some internal aerial routes before it was sold to Air Congo and sent to the Belgian Congo. Two more served with Air Congo (making a total of three) and one of them served with John Mahieu Aviation in Brussels.
• Czechoslovakia: Three Ansons were given in total to Czechoslovakia after the War. Two Mk.XII and a single Mk.I but one of them crashed into the sea off the Danish coast. The remaining two were assigned to the Air Traffic Regiment of the newly formed Czechoslovak Air Force in 1946 and 1947. Their fate is unknown.
• Estonia: One Anson Mk.I was delivered to the Estonian Air Force in 1936 (although some sources claim it was in 1937). It received the serial 158 and when the country was occupied by the USSR, it was passed on to the Soviet Air Force.
• Finland: Before the War, the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) ordered three Ansons Mk.I. Finnish pilots were trained at Woodford in Stockport, Greater Manchester and the first Anson arrived in Utti, Finland, on 27th September 1936. The three Ansons were initially used for twin-engined aircraft training, while the Bristol Blenheim bombers arrived. When the Winter War started on 30th November 1939, they were used for aerial reconnaissance works. During one of those missions, one of them was lost to a crash in February 1940, another one crashed in 1943, when it was written off. The last one survived until 1947 when it made its last flight.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

4. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Avro-Anson-C-Mk-12-t50511

5. http://www.svazletcu.cz/eng/csl2_2.html#

Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, part two

The Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s. It was exported to many countries, among them:

• Finland: On 1st March 1942 the Finnish Air Force acquired one Airspeed AS.6E Envoy III from Germany which previously had belonged to Ceskoslovenske Statní Aerolinie (CSA - Czechoslovak's National Airline). It was given as a compensation for the De Havilland DH.89 'Lappi' (registered as OH-BLB) that the Luftwaffe shot down erroneously. The aircraft was used until 1943, when it was damaged beyond repair on 31st July 1943.
• South Africa: Seven exemplar were ordered for the joint use of the South African Airways and the South African Air Force. Three of them were delivered in a military form, and four of them were delivered in a civilian variant. They were used to cover the air route between Johannesburg-Bloemfontein-Port Elizabeth, which opened on 12th October 1936. Each of those aircraft could be transformed by a small work crew and in just a matter of hours, into the light bomber or reconnaissance version with a dorsal turret equipped with a Vickers K gun. Some transport versions were used in the East African Campaign as reconnaissance aircraft in 1940-1941.
• Slovakia: The Slovak Republic received the ex-Czechoslovak machine registered as 'OK-VIT' that had belonged to the Vitkovice Mine & Steel Company. It was delivered in the spring of 1940 and operated with the Slovenska Letecka Spolocnost (National Slovak Airline) operating from Bratislava. On 3rd May 1943, it suffered port engine failure and crashed on landing at Nozdrkovce airfiled, in Trencin, Slovakia. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Envoy

2. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_prewar.pdf

3. http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/12/60-squadron

4. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as6.html

5. http://www.axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2462

Arado Ar.196 - Foreign Users, part one

We're back in Germany in order to post about this excellent seaplane.
The Arado Ar.196 was a German floatplane that operated with many nations across Europe.
Romania bought two Ar.196 from Germany. They operated from the port of Odessa first and Constanta later, in the Romanian coast. They were under German command, more exactly under the Schirmherrschaft des Aufklarungsführers Schwarzes Meer (Reconnaissance unit in the Black Sea). When Romania switched sides in August 1944, the Soviets confiscated the Romanian Ar.196A and dissasembled them.
Finland employed some of them during the continuation war in order to supply and transport special patrol groups that operated behind enemy lines. Both soldiers and supplies were accommodated inside the fuselage and the airplanes used remote lagoons and lakes for taking-off and landing.
Finally, the USSR received some captured Ar.196A from Bulgaria. They were used by the Border Guards in the inmediate post-war.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_196
2. http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=320

Arado Ar.95 - Foreign users

We go back to Arado's airplanes with this beautiful floatplane, this time we're centering on it's foreign users.

Even if it wasn't ordered neither by the German Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine, Arado offered it for export sales in two versions, the W with floaters and the L version with a fixed spatted undercarriage.
In order to test them, six of them were sent to serve with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War which were given over to the Spanish Air Force when the Spanish Civil War ended in April 1939. They remained in active service until 1950.
Chile bought six of them, three of the W version (AKA the "A" version) and other three of the L version (AKA the "B" version) which were delivered in the summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of the World War II.
Apparently, it also served with Finland during the early stages of the continuation war, but it's however unconfirmed and it was most probably replaced by the much better Arado Ar.196.
Turkey also ordered then at the same time as Chile, but they never were delivered as the war started and the Luftwaffe requisitioned them, however it never hurts to imagine them in hypothetical colours doesn't it?

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_95
2. http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ar95.html

Asja Jaktfalk II - Foreign Users

Yes, that's the roundel used by the Swedish Air Force during the late 20s and mid 30s.

As we are covering it's foreign users, we are leaving technical descriptions for later.

The Asja Jaktfalk was a Swedish single-seat biplane fighter built in the late 20s, but it's most developed version, the Jaktfalk II, saw the light in 1932.

The Asja Jaktfalk was firstly tested by military representatives of both Argentina and the Empire of Japan, but they placed no orders as they weren't satisfied by it's performance, however we decided to draw some paintjobs to see how they would've looked like if they had bought them.
They also served in the Finnish Air Force who received three of them on 8th December 1939 as part of the Swedish help on the Finnish winter war. As they were seriously outdated, they were used for training purposes at the airfield of Kauhava until as late as 1945 when they were all scrapped.
Apparently, it also served with the Latvian navy, however as we only could find a text reference on wikipedia to this, the Lavtian profile of this airplane should be considered speculative.
Finally a modified version, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIIA engine was built for Norway in order to test it against the British Hawker Fury.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_Aero_Jaktfalken
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters