|
Finnish Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 23) |  | Author: Kari Stenman
Creator: Mark Styling
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.51
as of 9/8/2010 00:37 MDT details
You Save: $9.44 (41%)
New (18) Used (10) from $9.48
Seller: the_book_depository_
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 1068613
Media: Paperback
Edition: illustrated edition
Pages: 96
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 7.2 x 0.4
ISBN: 185532783X
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9781855327832
ASIN: 185532783X
Publication Date: October 30, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Always outnumbered by their Soviet counterparts, the small band of Finnish fighter pilots who defended their Scandinavian homeland from the 'communist hordes' in three separate wars between 1939 and 1945 amassed scores only bettered by the Luftwaffe's Jagdflieger. Initially equipped with a motley collection of biplane and monoplane fighters garnered from sources across the globe, the Finnish Air Force was thrust into combat through the invasion of its eastern border in November 1939. Given little chance against the massive Soviet force, the Finnish fighter pilots confounded the sceptics and proceeded to decimate the attacking fighter and bomber formations to the extent that the Russians had to call a halt in March 1940.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 The second best pilots in the world January 6, 2009
Ira Kepford (Springfield MO)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
'Finnish aces of WWII' is a truly great book to read. I was surprised to read that the Finnish were the second best fighter pilots in the world. Even though there wasn't very many Finnish aces, they were very skilled pilots. I found this book a pleasure to read.
In 1939, when the Russians were attacking Finland, the Finnish had obsolescent aircraft like the Buffalo, D.XXI and Gladiator. But they fought valiantly and many times won!
The Finnish had a cease-fire in March of 1940 when the USSR was plowing into the mainland of Finland. But in 1941 the Finnsh had a offensive to take ownership of their islands that Russia had taken on the cease-fire, but now using better aircraft, such as the H-75 Hawk, G.50 and Bf-109G, the Finnish pilots had complete air superiority.
The book brings first hand accounts, many pictures, color plates of planes and pilots, and lots of information on aces. The last 7 pages are encyclopedia on the Finnish aces.
On this book, Osprey delivers nothing less than a fantastic read! I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read about the infamous Finnish aces.
5 stars from me as always.
A worthy read September 22, 2008
John N. Fulmore (Payette, Idaho)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Considering the lack of resources and the unenviable position of being almost cut off from the rest of Europe, the Finnish Air Force did a wonderful job of defending the airspace of Finland. This book is a fine testament to these wonderful people and the courage they exhibited. I find the shortcomings mentioned in the other reviews to be too harsh...this book is a find, an excellent resource and if you end up wanting a map of Finland, well get on the internet and do a little exploration.
 A good book about an interesting but obscure topic November 25, 2003
Kenneth P. Katz
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I'm sure that I'm not the only student of military and aerospace history that has had enough of the usual subjects: B-17s and P-51s of the 8th Air Force, the invasion of Normandy, panzers and their battles, and so on. What this books offers is information about an unusual subject: Finnish fighter aces in World War II.To most readers, the Finnish-Russian battles are an obscure sideshow to World War II. Yet this was a fascinating theater of the war. Outnumbered and often with obsolescent aircraft, the Finns fought with bravery and skill. Warrant Officer Eino Juutilainen was the top Finnish ace, with 94 victories. This made him one of the top-scoring fighter aces of World War II, with other Finns also having impressive records. The color plates are the highlight of Osprey publications, and the ones in this book are outstanding. They encompass both the aircraft and their pilots. The photographs are also good. The text is a little dry and there are too many typos. This is a minor point but does detract from the book. The only significant omission in the book is a map. I don't know the geography of Finland, I doubt that most other readers do either, and it is hard to follow the narrative without a map. Given the excellent maps in other books from this publisher, this is a big disappointment. In summary, a decent book about an interesting and obscure subject.
Good Overview of the Finnish AF in WW2 May 1, 2000
J. Collins (Las Vegas, NV USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book is one of the Osprey Aviation Series. Osprey books are aimed at the model enthusiast and wargamer, with good photos, some color plates, and a concise overview of the subject. This volume is an excellent addition to the series. Well writtend accounts of the air war in the Winter, Continuation, and Lapland Wars are matched with the aces that flew in those campaigns. Appendices have the aces' scores sorted by aircraft flown, 1/72 scale line drawings, and thumbnail unit histories. All in all, this book delivers exactly what it promises. Since the book concerns itself with aces, only the fighter arm is considered. Almost no mention is made of the recce, or bomber units in the Finnish AF at this time. If you are a modeler or wargamer and need details about aircraft camoflauge, uniforms, or air battles, this book is recommended.
|
|
|
Contact Military Topix
Privacy and Legal CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
