Finnish Air Force World War II 1939–45 Aircraft of the Winter War Fokker D.XXI The Fokker D.XXI was a Dutch single-seat fighter. Finland received seven aircraft in 1937 and at the same time purchased a manufacturing license. At the outbreak of the Winter War, the "Old Man Mokker" was on the verge of obsolescence, yet it was the mainstay of Finland's fighter fleet. The subsequent version equipped with a Twin Wasp Junior engine had even poorer performance. In terms of numbers, the Fokker D.XXI was an important aircraft, yet it suffered from mediocre performance and inadequate armament by the beginning of the Continuation War. The Finnish Air Force had 97 Fokkers in 1937–48. The Fokker D.XXI with the Mercury engine had a wing span of 11 m, length 8.2 m, operating weight 1,970 kg, and maximum speed 418 km/h. 044 Fokker C.V E and D The Fokker C.V was a Dutch two-seat reconnaissance aircraft. One D-model aircraft was acquired in 1927 for evaluation purposes, to be followed by 13 examples of the C.V E in 1935. The aircraft were used primarily for night reconnaissance and harassment bombing in the Winter War. In addition to three E-model aircraft donated by Sweden, two C.V. Ds were flown in from Norway by airmen escaping German occupation. The type had become obsolete by the outbreak of the war, but the last examples were not struck off charge until 1945. The Finnish Air Force had 19 Fokker C.Vs in 1927–45. The Fokker C.V D's wing span was 12.5 m, length 9.3 m, operating weight 2,480 kg, and maximum speed 265 km/h. Finnish Air Force Bristol Bulldog IVA and IIA The Bristol Bulldog IVA and IIA were single-seat fighters of British origin. Finland placed an order for 17 Bulldog IVAs in 1934. The Bulldog was the first aircraft to exceed 300 km/h in level flight in Finland. However, it rapidly became obsolescent as a combat aircraft and was obsolete by the time the Winter War began. During the truce, the remaining Bulldogs were relegated to training role. Sweden donated two Bulldog IIAs to Finland during the Winter War. These aircraft had negligible effect on training effort due to damages they sustained in service. Nineteen Bulldogs were in use with the Finnish Air Force in 1935–44. The Bulldog IVA had a wing span of 10.26 m, length 7.72 m, operating weight 1,860 kg, and maximum speed 360 km/h. Fokker C.X The Fokker C.X was a Dutch two-seat reconnaissance aircraft and dive bomber. Finland ordered four aircraft and purchased a manufacturing license in 1936. The C.X was the most important short-range reconnaissance aircraft of the Finnish Air Force at the outbreak of the Winter War. During the war, Fokkers flew nearly 600 combat sorties and dropped 60 tons of bombs. In the early stages of the war, the "Frans-Kalle", slow but possessing a robust airframe, was a useful asset. As the hostilities continued, losses began to mount. Only five aircraft remained in use at the end of the war. The Finnish Air Force had 39 Fokker C.Xs in 1936–58. The Fokker C.X had a wing span of 12 m, length 9.01 m, operating weight 2,700 kg, and maximum speed 356 km/h. Finnish Air Force Bristol Blenheim Mk. I and IV The Bristol Blenheim Mk. I and IV were three-seat twin-engine bombers. At the outset of the Winter War the Blenheim was a forefront aircraft even in the world-wide scale but it quickly became obsolete after 1941. It was the first aircraft to exceed 400 km/h in level flight in Finland. Its bomb load was small, sight system simple, and defensive armament inadequate. However, measured in numbers, the "Tin Henry" turned out to be our vital bomber. 97 Blenheims were in use in 1937–1958. The Blenheim Mk. I's wing span was 17.17 m, length 12.12 m, operating weight 6,960 kg, and maximum speed 435 km/h. Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann The Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann was a German two-seat trainer and aerobatics aircraft. The only one of its kind was requisitioned on 14 October 1939. It was operated only for eight hours in Tampere and after complete overhaul, it was returned to its owner in July 1940. As a sole aircraft of its type, it was not taken into service although it was considered the world's best trainer and aerobatics aircraft at that time. The Jungmann had a wing span of 7.40 m, length 6.62 m, operating weight 670 kg, and maximum speed 180 km/h. Finnish Air Force De Havilland D.H.89A Dragon Rapide The de Havilland D.H.89A Dragon Rapide was a British twin-engine airliner with capacity for 6 to 8 passengers and a pilot. The Finnish Dragon Rapides were operated for training purposes during fortification exercises along the south-eastern border in the fall of 1939. They were not requisitioned during the Continuation War but according to an agreement, they were available for operations by the military. In November 1941, one of the aircraft, "Lappi", was subjected to a cruel treatment by a Bf 109 pilot. There were two aircraft in the Air Force in 1939–40 but they were flown little. The Dragon Rapide had a wing span of 14.63 m, length 10.52 m, operating weight 2,520 kg, and maximum speed 250 km/h. Klemm L 25 D VII R The Klemm L 25 D VII R was a German two-seat sports airplane that, in these days, would be called a general aviation aircraft. In the fall of 1939, the Finnish Air Force requisitioned two Klemms. Anyway, they were not used much in training and, after all, the benefit from them was not proportional to their costs. One of them had to be sent for overhaul right after acceptance flights and the other one was wrecked after having flown one hundred hours. They were in use in 1939–41. The Klemm had a wing span of 13 m, length 7.50 m, operating weight 720 kg, and maximum speed 160 km/h. Finnish Air Force Piper (Taylor) J-2 Cub The Piper (Taylor) J-2 Cub was a two-seat sports airplane of U.S. origin. The Taylor Aircraft Company passed into the ownership of Piper in 1936, due to which there is some confusion about the aircraft's name. Two Cubs were requisitioned in October 1939. However, they were used in training only for a short time and, consequently, as trainers they were considered less important. The Cub served until 1940. The Cub had a wing span of 10.70 m, length 6.80 m, operating weight 453 kg, and maximum speed 135 km/h. Taylorcraft BC-12D The Taylorcraft BC-12D was an American two-seat general aviation aircraft. Two aircraft were requisitioned on 14 October 1939. When considering all the aircraft requisitioned in the fall of 1939, the Taylorcrafts seemed to be most useful because both aircraft flew well over one hundred hours during their operation ending up in 1940. Other requisitioned aircraft fell short of this achievement by a considerable margin. The Taylorcraft had a wing span of 11 m, length 6.70 m, operating weight 520 kg, and maximum speed 155 km/h. Finnish Air Force Waco YKS-7 and ZQC-6 The Waco YKS-7 and ZQC- 6 were four-seat touring aircraft of U.S. origin. The type designation is quite difficult implying the engine type, equipment and model. The Waco YKS-7 was requisitioned by the Air Force in the fall 1939, and the Waco ZQC-6, donated by Sweden, was operated by the F19 Volunteer Squadron in Northern Finland during the Winter War. The latter one was later transferred to the Swedish Air Force. These aircraft were in service until 1940. The Waco YKS-7 had a wing span of 10.65 m, length 7.70 m, operating weight 1,475 kg, and maximum speed 230 km/h. Fairchild 24J 60 De Luxe The Fairchild 24J 60 De Luxe was an American four- seat touring and liaison aircraft. It was requisitioned in fall 1930 and bought by the Air Force one year later. The aircraft was destroyed after the wings separated in flight in 1941 so it could not prove its usefulness as a liaison aircraft as it could have done in other circumstances. The military also had in its inventory another Fairchild, that was obtained through a compulsory sale in 1959. It was not flown by the Air Force. The Fairchild had a wing span of 11.08 m, length 7.24 m, operating weight 1,160 kg, and maximum speed 210 km/h. Finnish Air Force Junkers F 13 The Junkers F 13 was a six- seat German airliner. It served as a liaison aircraft of the Swedish F19 Volunteer Squadron in the Winter War and, later, it remained in Finland. It had an enclosed cockpit and a radial engine. In spite of its advanced age it soldiered on with success for a long time in various tasks until 1947. The Air Force had, in all, three Junkers F 13 aircraft because it requisitioned two time-expired examples for 1939-1940 from the Coast Guard. The Junkers F 13 land plane with the Junkers L-5 engine had a wing span of 17.76 m, length 10.5 m, operating weight 1,925 kg, and maximum speed 205 km/h.