Description

Always outnumbered by their Soviet counterparts, the small band of Finnish fighter pilots who defended their Scandinavian homeland from the 'communist hordes' in three separate wars between 1939 and 1945 amassed scores only bettered by the Luftwaffe's Jagdflieger.

Initially equipped with a motley collection of biplane and monoplane fighters garnered from sources across the globe, the Finnish Air Force was thrust into combat in November 1939. Given little chance against the massive Soviet force, the Finnish fighter pilots confounded the sceptics and decimated the attacking fighter and bomber formations, prompting the Russians to call a halt in March 1940. This scenario was repeated in 1941, and by 1943 the Finns had become uneasy allies with the Germans.

Complete with first-hand accounts and detailed colour illustrations, this book profiles aces like Juutilainen and Wind, who proved unbeatable in the final months of conflict.

Table of Contents

Winter War
Finnish Offensive of 1941
Fighting Lend-Lease
Gulf of Finland
Soviet Offensive of 1944
Top Aces
Appendices

Product details

Published 20 Oct 2012
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 100
ISBN 9781782005759
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 100 b/w; 40 col
Series Aircraft of the Aces
Short code ACE 23
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Kari Stenman

Born in 1945, Kari Stenman studied economics and w…

Author

Kalevi Keskinnen

Kalevi Keskinnen is an expert on Finnish aviation…

Illustrator

Iain Wyllie

Illustrator

Mike Chappell

MIKE CHAPPELL comes from an Aldershot family with…

Illustrator

Mark Styling

Resources

Discover More

Visit our exclusive member's website to see artwork, maps, and more from this book.

Resources

Book Vote

Tell us what titles you would like to see published by Osprey, then vote for your favourites in our monthly book vote!

Related Titles

Sign up for Osprey membership for access to thousands of plane profiles, maps, battle scenes and more. Plus up to 30% off website purchases

Free UK delivery for orders £30 and over