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Finland

 

Air Forces of the World

 
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Finnish Air Force .
1918 - today
 
Finnish Roundels
1918 1918 - 1945 1944 - 1945 1945 - today
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Fokker C.V-E LLv.12 (1935)

Lysander LeLv.16 (1940) Lysander LeLv.16 (1941)
 

 

 

Lysander LeLv.16 (1942) Lysander LeLv.16 (1942) Lysander LeLv.16 (1942)
 

 

 

Lysander LeLv.16 (1943) Forwarder T-LLv.Lv. 39

Blenheim PLe.Lv. 41

 

 

 

 

Blenheim PLe.Lv .41

Blenheim PLe.Lv. 42

Storch

 

 

 

  Storch DHC-2 Beaver

Kulj.Lv. 41

 

 

 

  Vampire HävLv.11 Vampire HävLv.11 Häv.Lv. 31
 

 

 

 
  Häv.Lv. 31 Häv.Lv. 31  

Bristol Blenheim

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In 1936, the Finnish Air Force ordered 18 Blenheim Mk Is from Britain and two years later, they obtained a manufacturing license for the aircraft. Before any aircraft could be manufactured at the Valtion lentokonetehdas (State Aeroplane Factory) in Finland, the Winter War broke out, forcing the Finns to order more aircraft from the UK. A further 24 British-manufactured Blenheims were ordered during the Winter War. After the Winter War, 55 Blenheims were constructed in Finland, bringing the total number to 97 aircraft (75 Mk Is and 22 Mk IVs)
The Finns also received 20 half-completed ex-Yugoslavian Mk IV Blenheims captured by Germany, together with manufacturing tools and production equipment, as well as a huge variety of spare parts. Yugoslavia had ceased production of the Mk I and commenced a production run of Mk IVs just prior to the April 1941 invasion.

The Finnish Blenheims flew 423 missions during the Winter War, and close to 3,000 missions during the Continuation War and Lapland War. Blenheim machine-gunners also shot down eight Soviet aircraft. 37 Blenheims were lost in combat during the wars.

After the war, Finland was prohibited from flying bomber aircraft by the Paris Peace Treaty, with Finland's Blenheims being placed into storage in 1948. However, in 1951, five Blenheims were re-activated for use as target tugs, with the last flight of a Finnish Blenheim taking place on 20. May 1958.

Fokker CV

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The Finnish Air Force used both C.V-Ds and C.V-Es. One C.V-E was purchased in 1927, with delivery 20 September, and a further 13 were purchased on 17 March 1934, arriving in the winter of 1935. During the Winter War, Sweden donated three more C.V-Es. Two C.V-Ds were also flown from Norway to Finland at the closing stages of the Norwegian Campaign. These were interned and turned over to the FAF. The aircraft were used as reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft between 20. September 1927 and 14. February 1945. During the Winter War, the Finnish C.Vs flew 151 reconnaissance and harassment bombing sorties without suffering any losses. The Continuation War saw the C.Vs flying an unknown number of sorties and suffering one aircraft loss.

FO-19 & FO-23   C.V-E with Mercury engine, gift from Sweden
FO-39                C.V-E with Bristol Jupiter engine
FO-65 & FO-66   C.V-D with Panther engine, interned Norwegian aircraft
FO-67 - FO-77    C.V-E with Pegasus engine
FO-80                C.V-E with Mercury engine, gift from Sweden
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last update 22. January 2023

written  10. March 2005

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