Swedish F 19 Air Wing - The

Organization and Aircraft

Introduction

The Swedish Volunteer Air Wing in Finland or F 19 Finland was a Swedish volunteer flying unit forming an air wing in 1940 in Finland during the Winter War. At the outbreak of the Winter War, the Finnish Air Force was small with only 114 combat planes fit for duty. To reinforce the Finnish Air Force the Swedish government on 8 December 1939 donated over 8 fighter aircraft to Finland; three Swedish Jaktfalk J 6, three reconnaissance aircraft Fokker CV-E S 6, and two Bristol Bulldog J 7. These aircraft were inserted into the Finnish Air Force who concentrated their air defense in southern Finland. To help Finland, the Swedish Air Staff began preparations to raise a volunteer flying unit with a fighter aircraft squadron and a bomber squadron to be used in North Finland with the Swedish Volunteer Corps. The Commander of the Volunteer Air Force Wing was Major Hugo Beckhammar. The forming and organization of the Volunteer Air Wing began on 19 December 1939. At the end of December, there were about 240 enlisted volunteers (airmen and ground crew) who at the end of December went to Kemi in North Finland to prepare an airbase in Veitsiluoto. On 30 December, the government ruled that combat aircraft were to be put to the disposal of the volunteer air wing; four bombers B 4 Hawker Hart, and twelve fighter aircraft J 8 Gloster Gladiator. The Volunteer Air Wing was organized into a headquarter, a fighter squadron, a light bomber squadron, and a transportation squadron, in total 250 men and two women. On 7 January 1940 the Wing’s main airbase in Veitsiluoto, south of Kemi, Finland, was ready and operational and on 10 January the aircraft arrived from Sweden. To achieve a better range of aerial operations, five advanced airbases were organized, foremost on frozen lakes. All aircraft were equipped with skies. Further, all aircraft were equipped with communication radios. The Swedish Volunteer Air Wing (Swe: Svenska Frivilliga Flygflottiljen) was the official name of this flying air force unit consisting of Swedish volunteers who joined up to fight in Finland during the Winter War 1939 - 1940. Unit Designation: The Swedish term for Air Wing is “Flygflottilj” (literal meaning is Air Flotilla or Flight Flotilla) and the unit designation for the Swedish Air Wings is “F” followed by each unit’s serial number, for example, F 19. The Swedish Volunteer Air Wing’s unit designation was F 19. In English sources, the Swedish Volunteer Air Wing is often referred to as Flying Regiment 19. More information about the F 19 and Swedish Volunteer Corps in Finland during the Winter War 1939 - 1940.

The F 19 Air Wing in Finland

Between 12 January and 13 March, the F 19 Air Wing answered for the air defense over North Finland (Finnish Lapland), a territory corresponding to a quarter of Sweden’s total territorial area. However, the air defense was concentrated on the so-called Salla front near the Soviet border where the Finnish ground units were hard-pressed. The main mission of the F 19 Air Wing was reconnaissance and air strikes at Russian airbases and ground troops. A further task was to answerer for the air defense of the cities Uleåborg, Kemi, and Torneå with fighter aircraft. The F 19 Wing single-handedly answered for the air defense of North Finland since all Finnish aircraft were used for the defense of South Finland. Up until 10 January, when the Swedish Air Wing arrived, the Russian air power dominated the air space over North Finland. The Swedish Air Force answered for the maintenance and support of the Volunteer Air Wing in Finland with ammunition, air-fuel, and spare parts which meant that the F19 Air Wing wasn’t sapping the Finnish military resources. The F 19 Wing was thereby able to operate fully independently. The Commander of the F19 Air Wing was Major Hugo Beckhammar. The Commander of the Fighter Squadron was Captain Åke Söderberg and the Commander of the Bomber Squadron was Lieutenant Per Sterner. The Chief of Staff was Captain Björn Bjuggren and the Wing Adjutant was Lieutenant Greger Falk.

The Fighter Squadron - Gloster Gladiator Mk

II (J 8A)

Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter aircraft used in many countries’ air forces during World War II. Gladiator Mk II had a maximum speed of about 414 km/h (257 mph). The Gladiator saw its first flight in 1934 and was introduced in 1937. The Gladiator interceptor competed successfully with the Soviet fighters in North Finland during the Winter War. The Gloster Gladiator biplane was certainly outclassed by the modern British and German monoplane fighters in operational service over Central Europe, such as the Supermarine Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109. However, the Soviets had no modern fighters in North Finland. The fully enclosed cockpit was placed immediately behind the upper wing. The landing gear was fixed and could be equipped with either wheels or skis. The aircraft was equipped with a Bristol Mercury IX 9- cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 830 hp (620 kW). Crew: 1. Armament: Two Swedish 8 mm machine guns m/22. The Gladiator was an interceptor but could be armed with bombs: 4 × 12 kg high-explosive bombs m/37, 4 × 12 kg high-explosive bombs m/39G, 4 × 6 kg incendiary bombs m/39 for light air-strikes. The F 19 Swedish Air Wing was equipped with 12 Gloster Gladiator Mk II. The image to the left shows the cockpit of a Gloster Gladiator. Image: Wikipedia. Between 1934 and 1940 a total of 756 Gloster Gladiator and Sea Gladiator were being built in several different versions. 480 of these were delivered to the RAF, and 60 to the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The remaining 216 aircraft were exported to 13 different countries. For example, 22 were exported to Belgium, 26 to Latvia, 36 to China, 12 to Norway, and 55 to Sweden. Gloster Gladiator Mk I was in the Swedish Air Force designated J 8 and the more powerful Gloster Gladiator Mk II was designated J 8A. The F 19 aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force but flew with Finnish nationality markings. All Swedish markings were removed. The Finnish Air Force Nationality Marking: The aircraft used by the Swedish F 19 Air Wing flew with the Finnish Air Force nationality markings. Between 1918 and 1944 the Finnish Air Force nationality marking was a blue swastika on a white background. Despite the likeness, this swastika had nothing to do with the Nazi Germany swastika. The swastika was originally an Indian symbol of happiness or the sun. The image shows the Finnish nationality swastika. On the rudder of the rear wing, each aircraft had an individual marking, a yellow letter for interceptors, and a black letter for bombers. The image shows a Gloster Gladiator Mk II (J 8A) fielded by the F 19 Swedish Air Wing in Finland during the Winter War, marked with the Finnish swastika. This Gladiator was aircraft no 285 and ready to take off. The pilot was Captain Åke Söderberg, the Commander of the F 19 Fighter Squadron. Note the skies on the aircraft. Photo: Karl Johan Åke Sundström. Image: Flygvapenmuseum. The Swedish Gladiators scored eight aerial victories and destroyed four aircraft on the ground during the Winter War. One Gladiator was lost in aerial combat. The Gloster Gladiators fielded by the F 19 in Finland were all type Mk II (J 8A) with the following registration numbers: 268, 271, 274, 275, 276, 278, 279, 281, 282, 283, 284, and 285. The nine Gladiators J 8A that survived the war was brought back to Sweden where they were in operational service for some time with the Skånska Air Wing F 10.

The Bomber Squadron - Hawker Hart B 4

Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber in operational service from 1930. The aircraft was either exported to or manufactured under license in countries such as Australia, Egypt, India, Iraq, South Africa, Estonia, Rhodesia, Sweden, and Yugoslavia. In total, over 900 Hawker Hart was manufactured in different versions. The Hart entered service with Royal Air Force in 1930 and was used as a bomber by the RAF up to 1935. Thereafter, the Hart was used as a training aircraft until 1943. The Hawker Hart was in operation service with the Swedish Air Force between 1934 and 1947, designated B 4. In the Swedish Air Force, the Hart was used as a dive bomber. Crew: 2; pilot and gunner/signalman. Maximum speed: 298 km/h (185 mph). The engine was a 590 hp Bristol Pegasus IM2. Armament, machine guns: 1 fixed 8 mm m/22Fh in the nose and 1 flexible 8 mm m/22R. Bombs, Swedish Air Force: (224 kg max) • 4 × 50 kg mini bombs m/37 • 2 × 50 kg mini bombs m/37 + • 12 × 12 kg high-explosive bombs m/37 or • 12 kg high-explosive bomb m/39G or • 6 kg incendiary bomb m/39 The image shows a Hawker Hart B 4 fielded by the F19 Swedish Air Wing in Finland during the Winter War, marked with the Finnish swastika. Image: Wikipedia. The F 19 was equipped with four Hawker Hart in Finland. Three were lost during the war. The three lost Harts was compensated with a fifth Hart from Sweden. The image shows a Hawker Hart B 4A armed with its most heavy armament, 224kg. The armament consists of 2 x 50kg high-explosive bombs and 12 x 12kg high-explosive bombs. In the picture, we can see the machine gun operated by the air gunner. Image: Wikipedia.

Related Links

• Swedish Volunteer Corps - home • Swedish Volunteer Corps - The organization • Swedish Volunteer Corps - battles • Swedish Volunteer Corps - fallen soldiers • Swedish Volunteer Air Wing & aircraft • Swedish Volunteer Air Wing - air missions • Swedish Volunteer Air Wing - pilots • The uniform of the Swedish Volunteer Corps • Swedish Military Aircraft • Sweden’s military preparedness 1939 - 1945 • Swedish military war units 1939 - 1945 • Signals Intelligence - Crypto Department 1939 - 1945 • Swedish military intelligence • Swedish regiments • The organization of the Swedish armed forces in the 20th century - conscription • Norwegian and Danish police-troops established in Sweden during WWII • Uniforms of the Swedish Army - the 1900s • History of the Swedish Air Force

Source References

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Rank Insignias

When the volunteers arrived in Finland they had to sign an employment contract with the Finnish Armed Forces which means they became members of the Finnish military with service in the Swedish Volunteer Corps. The Swedish volunteers in Finland wore the Swedish combat uniform m/1939, however with Finnish buttons and markings. The Finnish and the Swedish military ranks for officers matched each other’s rankings so the Swedish officers kept their Swedish ranks while serving in Finland. The ranks of the non- commissioned officers and other ranks were adjusted so that they matched the corresponding Finnish ranks. The rank insignias worn were the Finnish rank insignias. The uniform and the rank insignias of the Swedish Volunteer Corps.

The Aircraft’s Individual Markings

Each aircraft was marked with an individual code painted on the rudder of the tail wing. The code or marking was a letter. The aircraft of the fighter squadron had yellow letters while the aircraft of the bomber squadron had blue letters. The Hart B 4 bombers were marked blue R, X, Y och Z. The fifth Hart which arrived on 16 February was marked black M. The Gladiator fighters were marked yellow A, B, C, D E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and L. The image to the right shows a Gladiator J 8 (yellow E) ready to take off (see code E on the rudder of the tail wing).

The First Aerial Victory

Fighter Pilot, Second Lieutenant Ian Iacobi became the first pilot of the F 19 Air Wing to shoot down a Soviet combat aircraft. On 12 January 1940, he shot down a Soviet fighter in aerial combat, a Polikarpov I-15. In February Iacobi was appointed Acting Commander of the Fighter Squadron since Captain Åke Söderberg had to return to Sweden. On 21 February 1940, a heavy Soviet bomber, an Ilyushin DB-3, was shot down by the Swedish fighter pilots Arne Frykholm and Carl-Olof Steninger with the F 19. This Soviet bomber had earlier this day been dropping bombs over Pajala in Sweden. The image to the left shows the shot down Soviet DB-3 bomber loaded on the back of a truck. The Soviet airmen were taken as prisoners of war (POW) (wearing dark flying suits in the picture) after the forced landing. Photo: Karl Johan Åke Sundström. Flygvapenmuseum, ID: FVMF.004098. DigitaltMuseum. The image to the right shows two of the three Soviet airmen taken as POW. Photo: Karl Johan Åke Sundström. Flygvapenmuseum, ID: FVMF.004099. DigitaltMuseum. Preparations were made for transferring a squadron of heavy bombers from the Swedish Air Force to the F 19 Air Wing in Finland. It was the heavy bomber B 3 (Junkers Ju 86) from Västmanland Air Wing (F 1) which were prepared. However, the end of the war on 13 March stopped the transfer of the bombers. The image to the left shows the Swedish Air Force heavy bomber B 3 (Junkers Ju 86). Image: Flygvapenmuseum, ID: FVMF.003489. DigitaltMuseum. The F 19 Air Wing was also equipped with three civilian aircraft: one Junkers F 13 OH-SUO, one Waco ZQC-6 OH-SLA, and a Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 SE- ADK. These aircraft were used for transportation of ground crews and equipment between the main airbase and the advanced airbases. It was foremost the Junkers F 13 that was used for transportation purposes.

The F 19 Airbases in Finland

The F 19 main airbase was located in Veitsiluoto by the Gulf of Bothnia, just south of the city of Kemi, nearby a pulp mill. The runways were on the ice of the frozen sea by the shores. The area was fenced around by several sheltering islands. The sea ice with its smooth and even cover of snow made it a perfect airbase. All aircraft were equipped with skis instead of wheels which was a necessity in the arctic winter. On Ajos, a forested islet by the airbase was several aircraft parking spaces arranged, storage facilities and workshops, etc, and of course, all well camouflaged. Adjacent houses were used for the quartering of the airmen. The fighter pilots were quartered in the so-called Fighter Villa while the bomber crews were quartered in a house nicknamed The Camp. The nearby pulp mill had facilities such as meeting halls, canteen, cinema, and restaurant, which were used by the Air Wing. Aircraft shelters were built for the protection of the aircraft. Radio contacts with the aircraft were set up. Furthermore, shelters, defenses, barbed-wire entanglement, etc. were established around the airbase, including anti-aircraft defense. The aircraft from Sweden arrived at the airbase on 10 January. The image to the right shows two Gloster Gladiator J 8A with the F 19 Wing ready to take off from the Veitsiluoto airbase in Finland on 10 March 1940. Image: Flygvapenmuseum, ID: FVMF.004487. The Veitsiluoto airbase was about 200 – 250 km (125 - 155 mi.) from the front which was too far away to be an operational airbase. The range of action of the F19 Wing’s aircraft were too short for that distance. Therefore, the F19 Wing established five advanced war airbases where the aircraft could be refueled and rearmed. The war airbases were provided with telephone connections, buildings for quartering, and canteens. These war airbases were mainly frozen lakes. Advanced war airbases: The first advanced airbase was the Oskar airbase located on the ice of Lake Olkkajärvi near the village of Apukka, about 15 km from Rovaniemi. It was operational from 9 January. As an alternative to the Oskar airbase, the Svea airbase was established in the village of Posio, 120 km southeast of Rovaniemi. Svea was operational from 18 January. The third advanced airbase was the Nora airbase on Lake Hirvasjärvi, 50 km south of the Märkäjärvi front sector and primarily intended for the bombers. However, the Nora airbase was relocated on 30 January since it was too close to the front and had been the target of several Soviet airstrikes. The new location was further west, 5 km southeast of Kemijärvi. The airbase was therefore renamed Nora 2 airbase. A fourth airbase was the Ulrik airbase near Uleåborg (Oulu) for the air defense of the city. Ulrik airbase was operational from 15 January. On 3 mars parts of the airbase were relocated to the village of Vaala, 80 km southeast of Uleåborg. This new airbase was named Ulrik 2 airbase. The map to the right shows the locations of the F 19 airbases in North Finland. To the left of the map, by the sea, designated “V” was the location of the Veitsiluoto airbase. “O” represents the advanced airbase Oskar, “N2” Nora 2, “S” Svea, “N” Nora, “U” Ulrik, and “U2” Ulrik 2. Image source: The book "För Finlands frihet: Svenska frivilligkåren 1939-1940 (von Schmidt- Laussitz)" and shown with the consent of the author. At each of the advanced war airbases was an Airbase Commander, flight mechanics, armorer, vehicle drivers, a truck, aviation fuel, and ammunition, etc. Gradually there were about 80 men (ground crew) engaged at the advanced war airbases and 130 men at the main airbase in Veitsiluoto.

The Soviet Air Power in North Finland

In northern Finland, the Soviets had aircraft from the 9th and 14th flying regiments with several airbases along the northern Murman way (Leningrad—Petrozavodsk—Murmansk) in Russia. These flying units disposed of at least 45 fighters and 130 bombers. Since the beginning of the Winter War on 30 November 1939, the Soviets had solely been in control of the air space over North Finland. The Finns had no air defense up here since they needed to focus on the air defense of southern Finland. This was about to change when the Swedish Volunteer Air Wing arrived in Finland on 10 January 1940. The Soviet fighters were of the type Polikarpov I- 15, I-15 bis (I-152), I-153, and I-16. The different types of I-15 aircraft were biplanes while the I-16 was a more modern monoplane. The majority of the fighters were the I-15 bis. The fleet of Soviet bombers consisted of the twin- engined Tupolev SB-2 and Ilyushin DB-3 (Iljushin DB- 3) plus the older gigantic but slower four-engined Tupolev TB-3. 145. Fighter Flying Regiment (145. IAP) was based by Lake Kuolajärvi in Kairala 40 km northeast of the Märkäjärvi front sector, and equipped with about ten to twenty I-15bis and thirteen I-16 fighters. The flying regiment had an advanced airbase in Märkäjärvi, which the Swedish F 19 Volunteer Air Wing air raided on 12 January. The F 19 Air Wing fighters, Gladiator J 8A, had a maximum speed of about 414 km/h (257 mph) while the Soviet fighter I-15 bis had maximum speed of about 370 km/h (230 mph). So, the Gladiators were matching the I-15 bis speed wise. However, the I-15 had a faster time to altitude. The Gladiator had on the other hand better maneuverability. The Soviet fighter I-16 was faster than the Gladiator with a maximum speed of 460 km/h (286 mph). The Swedish bomber Hart B 4A was slower with a maximum speed of about 298 km/h. The Soviet bombers SB-2 and DB-3 had a maximum speed of about 423 km/h (263 mph) respectively 445 km/h (277 mph). These two types of Soviet bombers were faster than the F 19 Air Wing’s fighters, Gladiator J 8A.

Pilots with the Swedish F 19 Air Wing

The Commander of the F 19 Air Wing was Major Hugo Beckhammar. Chief of Staff was Captain Björn Bjuggren and Wing Adjutant was Lieutenant Greger Falk. The F 19 Wing was crewed by the Swedish Air Force.

The Air Wing’s Accomplishments

The Swedish F 19 Air Wing’s achievements were of course limited due to the disposal of only a handful of aircraft and mustn’t be exaggerated. However, the Air Wing’s operational capabilities made the Soviets more cautious and in certain situations, the F 19 had a decisive outcome of the development of the war in North Finland. After the arrival of the Swedish Air Wing on 10 January 1940, the Soviets had no longer the supremacy of the air space on the northern front in Finland. When the cease-fire came into effect on 13 March 1940, the F 19 Wing had been in operational service for 62 days (of which 60 were flight days and on average were eight aircraft operational each day (67%)). The F 19 Wing destroyed twelve Russian aircraft (of which 8 in aerial combat and 4 on the ground). The Air Wing lost six of their aircraft; 3 fighters and three bombers, and three pilots were killed. However, only two aircraft were lost in aerial combats. In total, the F 19 Wing prevented fully 30 enemy air raids. Nine Gladiator J 8 and two Hart B 4 were able to return to Sweden at the end of March 1940 and were reinstated in Swedish air wings. Before the aircraft was flown back to Sweden, all Finnish markings were removed from the planes. At the Swedish Air Force Museum (Flygvapenmuseum) in Malmslätt, Linköping, are both a Gladiator J 8 and a Hart B 4 on a show with the Finnish nationality markings (swastika) which the aircraft carried during the Winter War in 1940. The Norrbotten Air Wing F 21 in Luleå, Sweden, is the flying unit caring the traditions and the memory of the former F 19 Air Wing and on 12 January every year, the F 19 and the killed airmen are honored in a commemoration held at the F 21 Kallax airbase and the F 19s former airbase by Lake Olkkajärvi outside Rovaniemi, Finland.

Arctic Climate

The region where the F19 Air Wing operated was on the Arctic Circle. This region has very cold winters with deep snow. Further, the winter of 1939/1940 was extremely cold, one of the coldest winters during the 20th century. During this winter with extreme temperatures, were the F 19 Air Wing fully operational all the time up to the armistice on 13 March, i.e. during 62 days. The cold weather was a challenge, not only to the men but also to the equipment. The airmen had to use all kinds of improvisations to keep the aircraft engines warm when they weren’t up in the air. To be able to keep the planes operational when the temperatures dropped, some days below -40 C (-40 F), they had to warm up the engines once every hour, day and night. Sometimes also every half hour. To protect the aircraft and the engines, special movable shelters were built around the planes, equipped with kerosene heaters. Thereby the aircraft were sheltered from snow and cold winds and the mechanics got a much better basis for their work with the engines. The image to the right shows such a shelter around a Gladiator, partly opened. You can see the aircraft between the two movable sections of the shelter. Image: Flygvapenmuseum, ID: FVMF.004066. If an aircraft was to be left for the night, it had to be drained of all motor oil, before the oil got cold. If the oil wasn’t tapped, it would very quickly be as hard as stone and make it impossible to start the engine again. However, before you could refill the oil into the engine, it had to be heated up to 100 C.

The End of the Winter War

The Peace Treaty was signed on 12 March 1940 with a cease-fire at 11:00 on 13 March. (Helsinki time).

Photos

The F 19 Wing’s Air Missions

No less than 35 Soviet air raids were prevented by the F 19 Air Wing’s fighters. According to Finnish military statistics, presented by Greger Falk, the Swedish fighter pilots scored eight aerial victories and destroyed four aircraft on the ground. Besides, they damaged an uncertain number of Soviet aircraft which hasn’t been confirmed. The only Swedish fighter pilot killed in aerial combat during the Winter War was Lieutenant John Sjöqvist. A Swedish Hart bomber was damaged by Soviet fighters but the piloted managed to force land the aircraft. The pilot and the air gunner survived and were able to get back to the Swedish lines uninjured. The F 19 Wing’s first airstrike was carried out on 12 January at Soviet positions, including an airbase, in Märkäjärvi near the Soviet border. The airstrike was performed with four Hart bombers and four Gladiator fighters. More information about this air raid and other air missions carried out by the Swedish F 19 Volunteer Air Wing during the Winter War until the armistice on 13 March 1940 is at F 19 Air Wing’s missions.