Finland had a rather odd position in WWII. The nation was initially invaded by the Soviet Union at the end of November 1940 in what would be called the Winter War. It was short lived and the Soviets, despite their overwhelming superiority in numbers of troops and equipment were initially unsuccessful, but three months later, having gained the territory they wished, signed a peace treaty ending the war. During this time Finland was woefully lacking in sufficient modern fighters and though Finnish pilots were quite successful in the air, more aircraft were needed. While some of these were delivered and used during the war, most did not arrive in time to participate.

This volume is the first of two to cover not only the operational successes of the various planes in the Finnish Air Force, but also their colors and markings. We are fortunate that the Finnish Propaganda Service took considerable time and effort to photograph the men and aircraft of the time. The results are some truly superlative images. Not only are the images mostly sharp and crisp, but they also used some of the then-rare color film, a real bonus for future generations.

What we have in part one are those planes that  participated in the Winter War, though for some it was quite briefly. With a conflict that lasted only a few months, it was a rush to get these aircraft into service. Some of these planes were donated by sympathetic governments and others purchased outright. The book basically covers the types from the time of their introduction into service.

The first really modern fighters to enter the Finnish Air Force were Bristol Bulldogs. These planes are on what many fighter pilots learned their basic skills. Though still in service at the start of the Winter War, they were cleraly outclassed and soon relegated to training. The Finns were major users of the Fokker D.XXI. This aircraft was a modern low wing fighter in the same venue as the Hurricane in terms of construction, though it had fixed landing gear. Finland bought the rights to series production  and it quickly filled the fighter units. When the availability of the Mercury engine dried up, thanks to Britain declaring war on Germany, the Twin Wasp was used on subsequent builds.

When the Winter War  broke out, Finland frantically searched for aircraft with which to combat the Soviets. The first of these were Gloster Gladiators, donated by the British and augmented by Swedish volunteer pilots. Like following aircraft, these fought in the Continuation war as well. Next to arrive were Fiat G.50 aircraft, some with full canopies, which were quickly deleted as the plexiglas was yellowing quickly. This was followed by French MS. 406 aircraft and finally by US Brewster B-239s. These latter types only saw brief service during the Winter War, but were used a great deal during the Continuation War. In fact, the Brewsters, considered by some to be a failed aircraft was quite effective in Finnish hands, as were the other types. This speaks a great deal about the quality of Finnish pilots that they were so successful in what historians often consider obsolescent types.

Each aircraft type is provided with a history of the type in service followed by pages of large photos companioned with superb color profiles and three views based on the photographs. Naturally, those aircraft with longer service and in larger numbers have the most entries in these sections. Though all of the types are well covered.

This book stand out as much for its quality images and as it does for the equally high quality color profiles. It is a book that no fan of the Finnish AF should be without. Most highly recommended.

September 2015