Finnish Fighters

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 through the invasion of its eastern border in November 1939. Given little chance against the massive Soviet force, the Finnish fighter pilots confounded the sceptics and proceeded to decimate the attacking fighter and bomber formations to the extent that the Russians had to call a halt in March 1940.

Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia = History of the Finnish Air Force, Englantilaiset Havittajat = British Fighters. Finnish language title with English summary covering British fighters in Finnish service. 150 B&W Phoos. 2 pp Colour Profiles.

Venalaiset Havittajat = Soviet Fighters, Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia = History of the Finnish Air Force. Finnish language title with English summary covering aircraft service with the Finnish Air Force. 212 B&W Phoos. 7 pp Colour Profiles. Drawings. The main text is in Finnish with an English summary including individual plane histories.