Finnish Air Force 1944

The last of this series that I reviewed back in June of 2005,  was the first book on the formation of the Finnish AF and its initial years. Since then there have been a number of other additions covering the years since and this one is on 1944. By that time in the war, things were going fairly well for the Finns. The Soviets had been quite unsuccessful in making any grounds and despite victories over the Germans on other fronts, had stalled out in the north.

The Luftwaffe was operating in concert with the Finnish AF against Soviet targets and more equipment was coming from Germany to bolster losses. It was also the year that the Finns and Soviets decided to cease hostilities and though there was intense fighting up until the cease fire, little if any ground was gained by the Soviets. Part of the deal was that the Germans were to leave Finnish territory within a couple of weeks of the armistice, a task that was logistically impossible and saw the Finnish AF taking to the sky against its former ally. Much of the damage done to Finnish aircraft was due to the German's accurate, radar-controlled flak and while most were gone by the end of the year, there were still some remote areas controlled by German forces who continued to wage war against the Soviets.

The Lapland war against the Germans lasted for 183 days of which only 43 had days suitable for any flying. All during this time, units were disbanded or consolidated as part of the Armistice agreement. An Allied control commission had to authorize most military unit transfers and oversaw flights to ensure none were against the Soviets.

1944 also saw the introduction of a new Finnish designed and built fighter, the VL Myrsky II. This aircraft saw some action in the last months of the year but was not quite as reliable as the Finns would have liked. Had the design been provided the opportunity to grow, it may well have turned into a better aircraft.

The book itself covers pretty well the day to day activities of the Finnish AF in 1944 and the full Lapland War into 1945. There are hundreds of high quality photographs of the various aircraft used during this time and the men who flew and maintained them. It is written in both Finnish and English, providing enough detail to satisfy the enthusiast and historian alike.  

This is all followed by appendices on units and commanders, unit moves, top scorers, Mannerheim Cross winners and other details. Though this last item is only in Finnish, it is easy enough to decipher. As an aside, modeler may want to note that the Ju-88 on the cover has yellow prop tips, something that wasn't found on the Luftwaffe version.

The final result is a truly outstanding book on the last year of warfare of one of the world's most interesting air forces and a book that I can offer my highest recommendation.

November 2008

Review book courtesy of  Kari Stenman Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and several other superb books on the Finnish AF.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.