#finland

The Fokker D.XXI was a single-seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Dutch aviation company Fokker. It served primarily with the Netherlands’ Luchtvaartafdeeling (LVA) (Aviation Department) during the late 1930s, the Finnish Air Force in the Winter War and played a notable role during the opening phase of the Second World War. Although already obsolescent by the standards of 1940, the D.XXI demonstrated surprising effectiveness in combat, particularly in Dutch and Finnish service, where skilled pilots exploited its strengths to compensate for its technical shortcomings. This article focuses chiefly on the Dutch and Finnish variants and their operational history, while also addressing foreign use, like Danish variants.

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.

During the Second World War, the Finnish Air Force was very diverse when it came to equipment. This was the result of multiple procurement programs, donations from other nations, and the continuous process of pushing captured or even downed enemy aircraft back into service on the home front. In this article, we’ll go through all the aircraft classified as fighters that served in the Finnish Air Force during this period, how they ended up in Finnish service, and what their service was like.

Mörkö-Morane (“Bogeyman-Morane” or “Ghost-Morane”), also known by its official designation MSv, was a Finnish modification of the French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and M.S.410 fighter aircraft serving in the Finnish Air Force during the Second World War. It was an attempt to improve the obsolete Morane fleet for use during the late war period and to help retain the capabilities of the Finnish Air Force. Designed and converted by Valtion Lentokonetehdas (“The State Aircraft Factory”), Mörkö-Morane was considered to be the second most capable fighter aircraft operated by the FAF during the Second World War, though it arrived too late to have any significant impact.

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.

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.

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.

The VL Pyörremyrsky (“VL Hurricane”), also known as VMT Pyörremyrsky, is a Finnish Second World War-era fighter aircraft designed and built by Valtion Lentokonetehdas (“the State Aircraft Factory”). It was an attempt to produce a capable fighter locally for use in the late war period. It was to incorporate newly developed technologies and use locally available resources in its construction. However, the end of the war brought this ambitious project to a close, with only one prototype constructed.

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.