Stenman, Kari/Tooby, Adam (Illustr.) Winter War 1939-40

Repelling the Soviets from Finnish skies

In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded neighbouring Finland, triggering the Winter War. Although Finland was vastly outnumbered in every respect, nowhere was the imbalance of power more evident than in the air. In this book, Finnish aviation historian Kari Stenman draws on decades of research to present the first English-language account of the Finnish Air Force's defence of Finnish airspace, a conflict in which 114 fighter planes took on 2,318 Soviet aircraft. He explains that the Finnish Air Force, which initially had only a handful of British and Dutch aircraft at its disposal, employed guerrilla tactics similar to those used by its infantry. Fokker D.XXI interceptors were distributed to remote landing strips to ambush the Soviets and project an impression of strength, while the bombers were initially used for long-range reconnaissance and diversionary manoeuvres. As the war progressed, the Finns received new Gladiators, Fiat G.50s and French MS.406s, until by the end of the war all flying units were deployed to repel the Russian invasion across the frozen Gulf of Finland. Illustrated with previously unpublished photos, original artwork, 3D diagrams and maps, this book reveals for the first time the complete story of how Finnish airmen fought for their country's independence.