OSPREY AVIATION ELITE • 4 Kari Stenman and Kalevi Keskinen r=:osPREY AVIATION ELITE. 4 Le,ntolaivue 24 SERIES EDITOR: TONY HOLMES OSPREY AVIATION ELITE• 4 Lentolaivue 24 Ka{ Stenman & Kalevi Keskinen Front cover hr 1 pubfohc NORJA z ' \NORWAY I· ~· z I I z ' \, I ' C> \ ·-..... / ~ Cl> '· \ .... ," I \ \ ·,. ' ;, KUOLAN IEMI AA ' KOLA PENINSULA ; j I . ,..I A°' i I I ,'II \ SOVIET UNION AIRFIELDS 1. Turku 11. Selanpaa 21. Onttola 31. Uomaa 41. Hirvas 2. Pori 12. Kuorevesi 22. Jo nsuu 32. Mantsi 42. Tiiksjarvi 3. Nummela 13. Luonetjarvi 23. Suur-Merijoki 33. Lunkula 43. Kauhava 4.Malmi 14. Naarajiirvi 24. Rompotti 34. Karkunranta 44. Paltamo 5. Hyvinkaa 15. Lappeenranta 25. Heinjoki 35. Nurmoila 45. Vaala 6. Siikakangas 16. Taipalsaari 26. Suulajarvi 36. Latva 46. Kemi 7. Hollola 17. lmmola 27. Kilpasilta 37. Derevjannoje 47. Rovanierni 8. Vesivehmaa 18. Rantasalmi 28. Mensuvaara 38. Solomanni 48. Vuotso 9. Kymi 19. Joroinen 29. Vartsila 39. Viitana 49. Petsamo 10. Utti 20. Rissala 30. Suisramo 40. Kontupohja 7 w rromline. An [ acca k, for ic a: w h d been discovered tha( uch a numb r w ufficienr co down a bomber la. .. - rhe Finnish fighter pilor's principal targ r. The rrio of arta ks (and c( :::c: a sociared aerial gunnery) adopced by LL 24 were thoroughly rehearsed, u and chis sryle of training uired both the away from the target. .'uch do eness broughc with it cenain risks, but these were deemed to be ourweighed by two major advancage : 1) you were too Jo c for any dcfi nsive fire co be ai mt:d wi (h any accuracy. and 2) you could norm iss! When war broke out Magnusson ordered rhac fighter dudlirrg was co be avoided, for LLv 24' Fokker D.XXJs ould nor turn with Ru ·ian l-lSs and 1-1G s. How vcr che Dmch design wa capable imercepcor, possess ing a good race of limb and the abilily to dive away from 1he enemy. On l January 19 8 (he air stations w re replaced by flying regiments, and new] -deliver ·cl' D.X:Xrs were issued co boch of Lentorykmenrti 2's fighter units LLv 2 and 6. An intensive rraining period t:nsucd, and b (h FR-79 and R-88 (and cheir pilot ) were lo r in accidents. FOKKER D.XXI The Finni h Air •orcc initially became involved (series I) indu iv" chc Dutch ajr r<:llr arrived in with Fokker de ign when i c purchased a number of Am. rerdam on 12 cc ber l 7 and were hipped C.V army co-opera ion air raft in the early 19 0. on to tinl nd in race . Each D.XXI o-c 1.1 million The.se were in cu rn replaced in the spring of 1936 by Finn marks apiece without an ngi nc. the C.X. Lhe beinv bought as part of the new n 7 Jl l ne l 9 7 an order was placed with th f'ive-year plan whi h also called for the acqui ition oF Vaftion Lentokonetehdas for 14 crie U aircrafr 27 'interceprors' co equip three quadrons. (serialled FR-83 ro FR-96). omplet ·d between 11 Fokker had offered rhe Finn its new low-wing November 1938 and J8 March 1939, Lhese D.X.Xh monoplane O.X:Xl lighter for exporc, and they duly cost ju r hal ch price of che Dutch example . bec.arne the aircraft' first customer on 18 Novt:mber An open li encc had al o been obtained on 15 193 . even aircrafc wer ·ordered, and a licence w. s June J 937, whi hallowed I ~ries IlT aircraft co be also acquired to produce double chi. amount at the built between l.6 March and 27 July 1939 - just in Vaftion lentokonetehdas (Stace Aircraft actory). time for rhe Winr r War. Tht~e fighrcrs were Bearing Finni h serial numl er. FR-76 to FR-82 erialled FR-97 to FR-117 inclusive. The first O.XXI issued to Llv 24 was FR-76, which is seen here in front of LA 1 hangar No .2. on 16 December 1937. Its unique 20 mm Oerlikon cannon are clearly visible under the fighter's wings. On 29 January 1940 2Lt Olli Puhakka downed a DB-JM from 43.DBAP (long-range bomber aviation regiment) with just 18 rounds fired from a distance of over 500 metres lsee chapter two). Within a week machine guns had replaced the cannon, allowing the fighter to comply with the rest of the unit's machines (Finnish Air Force) 8 WINTER WAR ~ )> :0 errnany launch ·d its long-awai Led attack on Poland in rhe arly hours of I ptember 1939, and eized rhe c tern areas of che countrywirhin three weeks. According ro rhe Ribb ntrop-Molotov non-aggression pacl signed berween chc azi regime and the ovier governmem jusc week prior to che invasion, Poland was carved up between r.he rwo countries. A ecret dau e appended ro the pacr lcrt the Baltic counrri~s. and Finland, ro the oviec Union, which now al o occupied chc easrern provin cs of Poland. Ac tht: same ti c the communist d manded air and naval bas s rom then indep ndent -: tonia, La ia anh Air force bad is ued a five-year de elopment plan when they were replaced by Fokker which called primarily for die acqui irion of 'inccrceptors'. It had b·en D.XXls (Finnish Air Force) 9

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