#finland

Back in WW2, the Finnish air force had to rely on foreign planes for the war such as the Fokker D.XXI, F2A, Bf 109Gs and Fiat G.50. Although using these planes was cheaper, the Defense Council decided to produce a local fighter in order to lessen reliance upon foreigners. This led to the VL Myrsky (translates as Storm), the first domestically produced Finnish fighter. Although the VL Myrsky had worse performance than other contemporary aircraft such as the Yak-9s and Bf 109Gs, the VL Myrsky still served in the Finnish air force with reconnaissance and ground attack missions. Added in the Summer Landing 2021 event, the VL Myrsky II remains a rare example of the few Finnish aircraft in the game.

VL Myrsky (“VL Storm”) is a Second World War-era Finnish fighter aircraft, designed and built by Valtion Lentokonetehdas (“the State Aircraft Factory”). It is the only domestically designed fighter aircraft to enter mass production, and was an attempt to modernize and increase the capabilities of the Finnish fighter fleet to better prepare for the war looming around the corner. Ultimately, the entire aircraft experienced considerable delays caused by world politics and difficulties in obtaining proper engines, making it a “too little, too late project” to protect the skies over Finland during the war years.

You’ve seen this tank way too many times, let’s acknowledge that. You’ve seen Russia and China use it; now, we have Finland using it. The Finnish T-34, like its Soviet and Chinese counterparts, has a parallel playstyle to the early and late versions of the T-34 series, in which its angling can bounce off any shell given the right angle, along with an arsenal of APHEBC and the APBC rounds to utilize to take out your opponents with. This tank, one of the many captured Russian T-34s during the Winter War from 1939–1940, is sufficient enough for angling and reliable firepower to achieve in capturing capture points, or reaching positions to surprise and take down enemies with.

Finland might not seem to be a powerful nation, but its military can and has fought back against serious opponents in part because it has decent tank forces. They have come a long way since their foundation. From the WWI-era FT-17 tanks to the Panzers and T-34s, Charioteers and to the latest acquisition—the Leopard 2A6.

The Finnish Air Force (FAF) has never impressed with its quantity of vehicles or personnel. However, as with any small military force, quality of equipment, training, and doctrine has thus been priority. The Bf 109s acquired during the Continuation War, and the lessons they taught, are a prime example of this. The following article aims to open the history behind this acquisition, its effects and aftermath: overall, what the “Mersu” did for Finland.

6th of December is a huge day for any Finn. Independence Day is one of the most important holidays in Finland, so it has become a tradition to organize a display of military power on that day. It includes a parade, tank displays, helicopter shows, and so on. I took pictures of some vehicles that seemed interesting to me.

The Brewster Buffalo — in all its variants — holds two very contradictory distinctions: by some it is considered to have been the worst fighter plane of World War II, while at the very same time one singular airframe of its production holds the distinction of being the top scoring fighter aircraft of World War II.