This latest edition in the Finnish Air Force history series is on the aerial victories of the various pilots of the Finnish Air Force. This is not just an aces book, though one of their very early editions covers this, but a listing of the victories of every pilot who flew for Finland during the Winter and Continuation War against the Soviet Union and the war against the Germans starting in late 1944.

The authors have spent a number of years comparing lists from the Finnish AF as well as those made available in archives in Germany and Russia. This was a painstaking process and the results show the effects of their attention to detail. As in any conflict where there have been a large number of aircraft participate, the claiming of victories is generally a bit more than reality, however, it seems as if the Finns have been closer to reality than some other nations; especially when compared to US bomber crews!

Written in both Finnish and English, the pilots are listed alphabetically and this volume covers A to M. Each pilot's score is covered with the date, time, place, unit, aircraft flown, and victim. There is also a small biography of these men. While reading through it, I was surprised to see that many of these men lived long lives after the war, some still alive and others only passing in the last few years.

With the usual superb photos of both pilots and aircraft, along with a few color profiles, this is an excellent addition to what is already renown as the best series of books on the subject that there is.

April 2006

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

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