Helsingin Sanomat – Finnish version
According to this news a Swedish aeroplane from World War Two has been found near city of Rovaniemi, Finland. The plane was found by group of people looking for war artifacts.
If it’s really a Swedish plane then it belonged to Swedish volunteer squadron named F19. During the Winter War F19 had Hawker Harts, a Waco, a Junkers and Gloster Gladiators (J8A). To my knowledge this is probably a Gladiator since the Hawker Harts were all lost at front several hundred kilometers east from Rovaniemi and the civil aeroplanes were returned after the war ended.
Martti
By: Martti Kujansuu - 11th June 2007 at 20:46
http://www.network54.com/Forum/46825/message/1181583429/Gladiator
– John Sjökvist’s Gladiator.
– Only small parts were found and rags from blue jumper.
– The aeroplane crashed near New Salla / Kemijärvi .
Martti
By: SierraEchoFred - 10th June 2007 at 00:21
Two Hawker Harts were returned to Sweden in late March 1940, three were w/o on a misson on 12.1.40:
The following is a c&p from
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/swedish_aviators/sweden_jung.htm
“At 13:10 on 12 January 1940, four Hawker Harts and four Gloster
Gladiators led by the CO of F 19, major Hugo Beckhammar in the
backseat of the Hart flown by fänrik (Pilot Officer [“2nd Lt” if I’d
translate. my edit.]) Åke Mörne took off from airbase ‘Oskar’
(Olkkajärvi). The mission was air reconnaissance and ground-attack
against airbase and troop concentrations at Märkäjärvi, Salmijärvi,
Salla. They first bombed a column at Salmijärvi and then attacked the
airbase at Märkäjärvi where three I-15s were destroyed on the ground;
one each credited to löjtnant (Lieutenant) Per Sterner, fänrik Mörne
and fänrik Martin Wennerström. Two Russian I-15bis (probably from 145
IAP) intercepted and one of them was claimed shot down by fänrik Ian
Iacobi. Wennerström reported:
“When we approached the lake Märkäjärvi, I dropped my 12 kg bombs on
Soviet aircraft on the ice. First you dive to a low altitude and then
you drop the bombs at the last moment. After this you take up and
continue at ground level and escape among hills and valleys. This
scattered our fighter flight and this wasn’t particularly clever. But
none of us had any previous combat experience. I climbed in a north-
east direction and was the only escort for three of the Harts.
Suddenly I saw two of them floating down towards the ground.
Parachutes opened. I saw a black explosion where one of the aircraft
hit the ground. I thought that the Russians was damned good sharp
shooters and kept an extra sharp look out on the ground and for anti-
aircraft explosions. But what I actually had witnessed was the
collision of two of the Harts.”
During the attack F19 lost three Hawker Harts (“X”, “Y” and “Z”). Two
was lost in a collision with each other as reported by Wennerström.
In the first Hart, the pilot löjtnant Sterner became a Soviet POW and
the observer löjtnant Anders Zachau was killed. The second Hart’s
pilot fänrik Jung also became a Soviet POW but his observer sergeant
(Flight Sergeant) Matti Sundsten managed to ski back to the Finnish
lines. Fänrik Gunnar Färnström and sergeant Thure Hansson made a
forced landing after being shot down in the third Hart (`Z’) but both
managed to ski back to the Finnish lines.”
The Hawker Harts with code letters X, Y and Z were Fvnr 718, -732
and -744, I haven’t been able to tie them up.
Two Gladiators were lost near Kemijärvi on 23.1.40, Fvnr 281 and 282, the later flown by John Sjöqvist which was KIA. A third Gladiator, Fvnr 274, was lost 10.3.40 during a testflight after change of engine and o/h, 1st Lt A Hildinger was killed.
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June 8, 2007 at 8:52 pm