Lentolaivue 24 Brewster being refueled in Tiiksjärvi. The Model 239 had two 300 ltr wing tanks
I guess most aviation enthusiasts know something about the FA-2 Buffalo - typically that the USMC, the RAF and other air forces suffered at the hands of the Japanese while north of the Arctic Circle the Finns achieved some success with the type against the Soviets during the Continuation war.
" The Marines on Midway had no combat experience and were fighting IJN pilots with extensive combat experience. The Dutch and British faced similarly experienced IJAAF pilots over the DEI and Malaysia, with limited time in the Buffaloes and experience in high altitude fighting over Europe. Fighting in the Pacific was at lower altitudes and required different tactics. The Finns were all combat veterans of the Winter War and when the later Continuation War began they were also quite familiar with their Buffaloes. They knew their aircraft and their enemy..."
The FA-2 was of course probably not as bad as it is often portrayed. The Finnish B-239s were modified from US Navy F2A-1s, featuring a more powerful engine, no armour, no self-sealing tanks, and extra machine guns. The elite Finnish Lelv 24 claimed 477 victories for the loss of 19 in combat and six more in accidents or destroyed on the ground during the period 1941-44 in their Brewsters. This blog is not about to suggest that the Buffalo - or Brewster Model 239 as the export 'version' was designated - was superior to the Bf 109 G. But by certain criteria it actually was.
Take for example, 'drag coefficient'. The drag coefficient is perhaps the most important aerodynamic parameter in aircraft design, representing how "streamlined" its shape is. A lower figure directly correlates to better performance, fuel efficiency and speed. Somewhat surprisingly the stubby, radial-engined, short-winged Buffalo had a lower drag coefficient than the Bf 109 G as this Finnish data table highlights.
The Buffalo had been extensively wind-tunnel tested during its design, while the Me 109 was - in its early variants - usually described as 'kantig' (or 'angular'). The 109 'famously' underwent a 're-design' to a more 'aerodynamic' profile with the Friedrich. The FA-2 used the same NACA aerofoil sections that were a feature of the later Bearcat.
The Buffalo performed well in Finland. Firstly, it was probably the easiest of the Finnish fighters to handle all round. In the summer of 1941 there were fighter pilots flying it with fewer than 150 total hours. Second, it was quite reliable. It was a sound design, no major faults and it was also "erk friendly". Third, for a significant period of time its performance was adequate (up to late 1942). The Soviets still used lots of I-153 and I-16. Fourth, the enemy pilots in general were not particularly good and especially their aggressiveness left much to be desired.
Pure comparison accounts are surprisingly few even if most Buffalo pilots continued on to the 109. In the 1990s the-then director of the FAF museum published his 109 book which had a chapter with personal reports. The author had requested accounts from pilots and mechanics for their opinions on the 109. Basically very few were by "the aces" (most had died by then) and most were from pilots who flew it only post-war. There is quite a lot of variance. For example, Eino Luukkanen considered the 109 easier to handle than the Fokker D. 21. But he was one of the most experienced of them all.
The Buffalo performed well in Finland. Firstly, it was probably the easiest of the Finnish fighters to handle all round. In the summer of 1941 there were fighter pilots flying it with fewer than 150 total hours. Second, it was quite reliable. It was a sound design, no major faults and it was also "erk friendly". Third, for a significant period of time its performance was adequate (up to late 1942). The Soviets still used lots of I-153 and I-16. Fourth, the enemy pilots in general were not particularly good and especially their aggressiveness left much to be desired.
Pure comparison accounts are surprisingly few even if most Buffalo pilots continued on to the 109. In the 1990s the-then director of the FAF museum published his 109 book which had a chapter with personal reports. The author had requested accounts from pilots and mechanics for their opinions on the 109. Basically very few were by "the aces" (most had died by then) and most were from pilots who flew it only post-war. There is quite a lot of variance. For example, Eino Luukkanen considered the 109 easier to handle than the Fokker D. 21. But he was one of the most experienced of them all.
Some Finnish pilots actually preferred the Buffalo - or the 239- over their later 109 Gustavs received from Germany;
SSgt Heimo 'Hemmi' Lampi recounted his attachment to the Brewster to historian Dan Ford;
SSgt Heimo 'Hemmi' Lampi recounted his attachment to the Brewster to historian Dan Ford;
“The old friend Messerschmitt, who was a real hard fighter, was my next plane after the Brewster, but it totally lacked in humaneness.. [..]..I could not love it the way I loved my friend Brewster. Nor any other plane for that matter.”
Having scored during the Winter War, Lampi became an ace on day 1 of the Continuation War - 25 June 1941 - then later became an ace on the Brewster 239 and added eight more victories in the 109.
Warrant Officer Juutilainen (with 34, second-highest scoring ace on the Brewster Model 239) referred to the 239s as “fat hustlers, just like bees. They had speed, agility and good weaponry, too.…We were happy to take them anywhere to take on any opponent.”
The top three Buffalo pilots - Lt. Wind (with 39 victories in a Brewster), and 1st Lt. Jorma Karhunen (26.5)—claimed 23 Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighters, 18 Polikarpov I-153 biplanes and 11 Hawker Hurricanes. Encounters with more modern Russian fighters—Yaks, MiGs and LaGGs—were rare until the Finns began the conversion to Messerschmitts in early 1943.
The men of Llv 24's 4th Flight putting CO Llv 24' Major 'Eka' Magnusson's aircraft BW-380 in the firing butts, Rantasalmi, July 10, 1941. The fuel drum on which the machine is about to be balanced is just visible. Note tactical number 'black 1'
The men of Llv 24's 4th Flight putting CO Llv 24' Major 'Eka' Magnusson's aircraft BW-380 in the firing butts, Rantasalmi, July 10, 1941. The fuel drum on which the machine is about to be balanced is just visible. Note tactical number 'black 1'
Many have claimed that at 25-to-1 Finnish Brewsters recorded the highest victory-loss ratio of the war. Juutilainen described his combat experiences in the memoir Double Fighter Knight, referring to his two Mannerheim Crosses. He pressed attacks to minimum range to ensure lethal accuracy. Juutilainen recalled one particularly close-in dogfight with a Soviet Hurricane:
" I came in at high speed from above and behind and pulled the throttle back to idle. The target grew in my gunsight. It was a very clean airplane and looked brand new. Now I was approaching the perfect firing range and looked around me one more time. No other enemies were in sight. The pipper on my sight was just slightly in front of the nose of the Hurricane, and my glide angle was about 10 degrees. Now I could count rivets on the target..."
The Buffalo was certainly obsolete by 1941. It could not survive in Western Europe and did not survive in the Pacific. It was heavy and under-powered. Ultimately the Finns were successful with the type because they stripped out as much weight as possible, leading to better performance. It was piloted by combat veterans who knew the tactics of their enemy and in an environment that better suited the aircraft. And for the first year or so of the Continuation War they were also up against ancient I-16s and other obsolescent Soviet types flown by poorly trained pilots.
Captain Ahola's victorious flight crew around their aircraft at Tiiksjärvi, May 21, 1942.
