VOLUNTEER FOREIGN PILOTS

IN WINTER WAR 1939 - 1940

Training Units

During the Winter War foreign flying personnel (except the Swedes in their own unit F19) were gathered into Supplement Flying Regiment 2 (Täydennyslentorykmentti 2, T-LentoR 2). Pilots' skills were tested and needed training was given in its Supplement Flying Squadron 29 (Täydennyslentolaivue 29, T-LLv.29) at Parola. At the beginning of February 1940 T-LLv.29 was divided into I and II Supplement Flying Squadron (of T-lentoR 2) at Parola and Tyrväntö. MG gunners and observers were trained in Training Squadron / Supplement Flying Regiment 1 (Koulutuslaivue / Täydennyslentorykmentti 1 [T-LentoR 1]) at Karvia. Supplement regiments were subordinated to flying regiments with the same number.

During the Winter War a total of 41 volunteer foreign fighter pilots were in T-LentoR 2 but only 19 of them really flew in combat units. About a half of them were Danish.

All Kinds of Volunteers

Most volunteer pilots had no combat experience although a few experienced ones had been in Spanish Civil War or in Abyssinia or even flown during WW I. Fighting spirit varied but was usually good and many volunteers were killed in action or in aerial or land accidents because planes were unknown and conditions usually hard in winter 1940. We have to remember that taking off from and landing to a typically very small Finnish airfield covered with ice and snow was a demanding task even for a very experienced pilot.

It is also worth mentioning that among the real volunteers there were also so called "pilots" or "aviators" who were not willing to fly, were afraid of flying, hadn't flown for a long time or just could not fly properly. Also international adventurers like the "legendary" British-American "Pioneer Negro Aviator and Colonel" (Captain in Finland) Hubert Fauntleroy Julian alias "Black Hawk" and Spanish Col. (Colonel also in Finland) Nicolas Beres alias Alfonso Reyes found their ways to Finland.

They were sent away as soon as their real personality and behaviour was known better. "Col." Beres for example was sent abroads using some pretext already at the end of February 1940 but "Capt." Julian stayed in Finland as long as until June 1940. Their Finnish military ranks were later cancelled although Julian refused to hand over his FAF uniform. It was later tried even in New York harbour when he returned back to States. Finnish State paid later all of their unpaid bills! (For more information on "Colonel" Julian read John P. Nugent's book "The Black Eagle", Stein and Day, N.Y. 1971.)

One rather famous fellow in Finland was a RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot Prince Emanuel Galitzine (born in 1918 in England, according to certain sources in St. Petersburg which is unlikely). He came to Finland using assumed name Edward M. Graham and even flew in Flying Squadron 32 as 2nd Lieutenant after the Winter War. His contract in Finland ended by the end of 1940 and he travelled back to England to re-join RAF. Later on 12.9.1942 he as a high altitude Spitfire Mk. IX pilot attacked a german Junkers Ju 86R long-range high-altitude reconnaissance-bomber at 13.000 metres. This is known one of the highest level aerial battles during the WW II.
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Volunteer Technical Personnel

Technical personnel was usually directed straight to flying units althought their quality and experience varied too. Experienced Italian FIAT's mechanics commanded by Capt.(Eng.) Luigi Pelli made excellent work keeping new troublesome FIAT G.50 fighters in the air during the last days of the Winter War. Pelli even studied Finnish language during his leisure time thus trying to improve communication between Finnish and Italian mechanics! Official Italian representative in Finland was Lt.Col. Giuseppe Casero.

Also numerous Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and French mechanics and engineers worked in Finland. The "results" of the young British and unwilling mechanics of Polish aviation company LOT were not worth mentioning here.

The following lists have been gathered from several sources but the most important one is Eino Ritaranta's article "Volunteers Up to the Trouble" in Finnish Aviation History Magazine (Suomen ilmailuhistoriallinen lehti, SIL), vol. 1/1996 and book "From Parola to Pyhäniemi" (2002) by Ahti Saarinen (based on Col. K. W. Janarmo's and Eino Ritaranta's research). Information on Swedish pilots of F19 was also cross-checked from Greger Falk's book "The Chronicles of F19" (1987). Numbers, ranks and names have not been confirmed and no official records are available. There are mistakes for sure and the appearance of names may also vary depending on the source.

Any further info on volunteer pilots and mechanics in Finland is still appreciated!

Additionally there were lots of volunteer Swedes in Finnish units. The known pilots are listed in the table below. There were also MG gunners, navigators and observers. The known ones were as follows:

- MG gunner (?) Göran Axell - T-LentoR 1, LLv.10 / LentoR 1
- Observer 2Lt. Hans Leuhusen - T-LentoR 1, LentoR 4
- Observer (?) Knut Sparre - T-LentoR 1, LLv.10 / LentoR 1
- Navigator Sgt Torolf von Wachenfeld - T-LentoR 1, LentoR 4

* Count Eric von Rosen had flown the very first FAF airplane donated from Sweden to Finland in March 1918. In 1940 his son Carl-Gustaf von Rosen flew a donated converted Douglas DC-2 "bomber" to Finland and on 1.3.1940 also carried out one bombing mission against Soviet airfield (crew: Finnish co-pilot Skorpa [?], Norwegian volunteer mechanic/MG gunner Arvid Christiansen and Finnish observer R. Winqvist). The plane was later named as "Hanssin-Jukka" and used only as transportation and passenger plane. C.-G. von Rosen also obtained two Koolhoven FK.52 reconnaisance planes to FAF. Nowadays one Finnish fighter aircraft is named as "Kreivi von Rosen" [Count von Rosen] to honour the memory of both von Rosens.

** LentoR 3 was formed after the Winter War from T-LentoR 2.

Finland received especially many volunteer fighter pilots from Denmark. The first ones came as early as in December 1939 but most arrived during the end of January and February 1940 and were ordered to Flying Squadron 24 (Fokker D.XXI), 26 (Gloster Gladiator II, later FIAT G.50) or 28 (Morane-Saulnier M.S.406).

Then 45 year old Lt. Knud von Clauson-Kaas was the oldest Danish pilot in Finland. He had been in Finland already during and after the Finnish Civil War in spring and summer 1918 as Commander of Aviation Station II of Karelian Front at Antrea. Lt. Mogens Fensboe was 31 years old while the majority were between 25 and 30 years of age. Of all Danish front pilots Lt. Povl Christensen was the youngest, 23 years old. Lt. Knut Kalmberg was born in Vladivostok, Russian Siberia.

At least the following Danish volunteer pilots (in alphabetical order) were in Finland during Winter War (pilots in front squadrons with bold text):
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Hungarian volunteer pilot Lt.(Res.) Mátyás Pirity (1911 - 2003) is known on a non-confirmed kill in Finland. He attacked a Soviet SB bomber with his FIAT G.50 over Hollola in March 1940 and damaged it seriously. No-one in this mixed group of pilots is known of claiming confirmed aerial victories in Finland. Like the column "Incidents / Fate" shows some of the volunteers really made more damage than helped us.

There were also other supposed pilots in Finland not mentioned in the following list. Brian Bridgeman in his book "The Flyers" (1989) mentions the following names: Australian Cpl. E. H. Brown, Irish Peter M. Farragut and British Barrington, D. N. Dalton, Raymond Dixon, Lt. M. P. E. Harrison, Capt. A. S. Lace and Lt. M. H. Wellmon. Book "The Canaries" by Justin Brooke mentions additionally Canadians Hall, WO J. S. Walker and British Sgt M. R. Butt and Sgt McKay. They are although not mentioned in any Finnish records.

At least the following volunteer pilots were in Finland (the list is not complete) during Winter war (pilots in front squadrons with bold text):
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Special thanks to mr. J. Mattila and mr. Czaba Becze for additional information.
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