Copyright © Hans Högman 2021-01-19
The Swedish Volunteer
Corps in Finland - 7
Swedish F 19 Air Wing in Finland -
Pilots and Air Gunners
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.
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. 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. More information about the Swedish
aircraft.
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 with Swedish crews.
Two days later, on 12 March the F 19 Air Wing carried
out their first mission in Finland when they attacked
Soviet troops and an airbase at Märkäjärvi relieving
hard-pressed Finnish units.
To achieve a better range of aerial operations, five
advanced airbases were organized, foremost on
frozen lakes.
More information about F 19 and the Swedish
Volunteer Corps in Finland during the Winter War
1939 - 1940.
The Swedish airmen with the
Swedish F 19 Volunteer Air Wing
Fighter Squadron, Bomber Squadron
The uniform worn by the airmen on their respective
photo below isn’t the Swedish Air Force uniform but
the uniform worn by the F 19 Air Wing in Finland in
1940 during the Winter War. Rank and troop insignias
etc. are the insignias used by the Finnish Armed
Forces. Photographer: Karl Johan Åke Sundström,
1940.
Commander of the F 19 Air Wing, Major Gustaf
Hugo Beckhammar, born on 30 October 1895 in
Längbro, Örebro County, died on 31 March 1981 in
Linköping. F 19 serial-no 901. During the Winter War
1939 – 1940, Major Hugo Beckhammar was the
Commander of the Swedish F 19 Volunteer Air Wing
in Finland. He was awarded the Finnish Order of the
Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class after the war.
In 1926, Beckhammar was commissioned Air Force
Lieutenant. Promotions: Captain in 1931; Major in
1937; Lieutenant Colonel in 1941, and Colonel in
1942. Colonel Beckhammar was the Commander of
the F 3 Östgöta Air Wing between
1941 and 1951. Married on 20 June
1925.
The image to the right shows the
Commander of the F 19 Air Wing,
Major Hugo Beckhammar. Image: Air
Force Museum, ID: FVMF.004273.
Chief of Staff, Captain Björn Gustaf Eriksson
Bjuggren, "Bjuggas", born on 29 January 1904 in
Karlsborg, died on 4 April 1968 in Stockholm. F 19
serial-no 750. During the Winter War 1939 – 1940,
Captain Björn Bjuggren was the Chief of Staff with
the F 19 Air Wing in Finland. Captain Bjuggren was
awarded the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty,
4th Class after the war.
Promotions: Captain with the Air Force in 1937; Major
in 1941; Lieutenant Colonel in 1943; Colonel 1946;
Major General in 1952; Lieutenant General in the
reserve 1964. Commander of the F 4 Jämtland Air
Wing between 1942 and 1947. He
became Head of the Air Force
Academy (FKHS) in 1947.
The image to the right shows Chief of
Staff, Captain Björn Bjuggren. Image:
Air Force Museum, ID: FVMF.004345.
Air Wing Adjutant, Lieutenant Kurt Bengt Greger
Fredrik HjalMarchson Falk, born on 13 March 1910
in Visby, died on 20 January 1990 in Djursholm (AB). F
19 serial-no 751. During the Winter War 1939 – 1940,
Lieutenant Greger Falk was Air Wing Adjutant with
the F 19 Air Wing in Finland. Lieutenant Falk was
awarded the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty,
4th Class after the war.
Promotions: commissioned Air Force Lieutenant in
1936; Captain in 1940; Major in 1944; Lieutenant
Colonel in 1947; Colonel in 1951; Major General in
1959. Commander of the
Södermanland Air Wing between 1949
and 1951. Author of the book "F 19 - a
Chronicle".
The image to the right shows Wing
Adjutant, Lieutenant Björn Bjuggren.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004275.
Fighter Squadron
Commander of the Fighter Squadron, Captain Karl
Gunnar Åke Söderberg, born on 22 April 1903 in
Enköping, died on 2 August 1989 in Täby (AB). F 19
serial-no 872. Captain Åke Söderberg was the
Commander of the F 19 Fighter Squadron in Finland
until 28 February 1940 when he was granted a leave
of absence to got to Stockholm since his wife had
given birth to their son Pekka two days earlier.
Promotions: Air Force Captain; Major. Married on 16
October 1937; remarried on 3
December 1965.
The image to the right shows the
Commander of the Fighter Squadron,
Captain Åke Söderberg. Image: Air
Force Museum, ID: FVMF.004286.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Friedrich
Heinrich Ian Arnold Iacobi, born on 7 May 1916 in
Stockholm, died on 22 August 2008 in Danderyd (AB).
F 19 serial-no 873. On 12 January 1940 2Lt Iacobi
became the first fighter pilot with the F 19 Wing in
Finland to shoot down an enemy aircraft. At the end
of February 1940, he became Acting Commander of
the F 19 Fighter Squadron after Captain Söderberg’s
leave of absence.
After the end of the Winter War, he resumed service
with the Swedish Air Force.
Promotions: Iacobi was commissioned Air Force
Second Lieutenant and a fighter pilot with F 8 Svea
Air Wing in 1939; Lieutenant in 1941 with the F 10 Air
Wing, Colonel in 1963. Commander of the F 10
Skånska Air Wing between 1962 and
1966.
The image to the right shows the
fighter pilot and later the Commander
of the Fighter Squadron, Second
Lieutenant Ian Iacobi. Image: Air Force
Museum, ID: FVMF.004280.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Martin
Wennerström, born on 8 October 1917 in Lidingö
(AB), died on 5 February 1999 in Uppsala. F 19 serial-
no 874. During his service as a fighter pilot with the F
19 Air Wing in Finland in 1940, he shot down one
enemy aircraft. After the end of the Winter War, he
resumed service with the Swedish Air Force where he
served with the F 13 Bråvalla Air Wing. Wennerström
was promoted Lieutenant on 1 July
1941. Married on 30 June 1945.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Martin
Wennerström. Image: Air Force
Museum, ID: FVMF.004288.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Per-Johan Erik
Salwén, born on 28 June 1917 in Enköping, died on
19 June 1943 in Malmö. F 19 serial-no 875. During his
service as a fighter pilot with the F 19 Air Wing in
Finland in 1940, he shot down three enemy aircraft.
2Lt Salwén was awarded the Finnish Order of the
Cross of Liberty, 4th Class after the war. After the
end of the Winter War, he resumed service with the
Swedish Air Force where Salwén served with the F 10
Skånska Air Wing as a Lieutenant. In 1943 he was a
test pilot with the Air Force. On 19 January 1943,
during a test flight of a prototype of the new Swedish
fighter aircraft J 22 his aircraft crashed and Salwén
was killed. Married on 19 July 1941.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Per-Johan
Salwén. Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004281.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Einar Tehler, born
on 5 February 1917 in Varberg, died on 30 June 1986
in Vällingby (AB). F 19 serial-no 895. During his service
as a fighter pilot with the F 19 Air Wing in Finland in
1940, he shot down two enemy aircraft. Before
joining the F19 Air Wing in Finland, he was a Second
Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. After the end of
the Winter War, Tehler resumed service with the
Swedish Air Force where he served with the F 9 Göta
Air Wing. Married on 5 January 1943.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Einar Tehler.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004285.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Roland Carl
Ludvig Martin, born on 13 February 1917 in
Munktorp (U), died on 4 December 1940 in Danderyd
(AB). F 19 serial-no 869. During his service as a fighter
pilot with the F 19 Air Wing in Finland in 1940, he shot
down one enemy aircraft. After the end of the Winter
War, Martin resumed service with the Swedish Air
Force. Roland Martin crashed his aircraft during a
nocturnal flight at the Ljungbyhed airbase with an
SK14 (NA 16-4M) aircraft. Martin was at the time
studying at Ljungbyhed, an Air Force
training college for officers.
Unmarried.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Roland
Martin. Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004285.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant John Magnus
Sjöqvist, born on 14 March 1918 in Karlshamn,
Blekinge, died on 23 January 1940 in Märkäjärvi,
Finland. F 19 serial-no 897. During an airstrike on 23
January 1940 on Soviet positions in Märkäjärvi, he
was wounded midair in aerial combat with Soviet
fighter aircraft. His Gladiator fighter caught fire and
crashed behind enemy lines, in which Sjöqvist
immediately was killed. Before the Winter War, he
was studying at I an Air Force training college for
officers.
Mid-March, after the end of the war, his mortal
remains were found and brought to Sweden for
burial. On 12 June 1940, he was buried at the
Stockholm North Cemetery. After his death, his
parents founded a Memorial Fund;
Air Force Officer John Sjöqvist
Memorial Fund.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant John Sjöqvist.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004263.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Carl-Olof
Steninger, born on 8 June 1918 in Mörkö (AB), died
on 17 May 1946 in Stockholm. F 19 serial-no 896.
During his service as a fighter pilot with the F 19 Air
Wing in Finland in 1940, he shot down two enemy
aircraft together with Second Lieutenant Arne
Frykholm. Before joining the F19 Air Wing in Finland,
he was a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve.
After the end of the Winter War, Steninger resumed
service with the Swedish Air Force
where he served as Lieutenant with
the F 8 Svea Air Wing. Unmarried.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Carl-Olof
Steninger. Image: Air Force Museum,
ID: FVMF.004283.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Arne Frykholm,
born on 1 February 1917 in Madras India, died on 4
June 2000 in Lidingö (AB). His father, Harald
Frykholm, was a missionary in South India when Arne
was born. F 19 serial-no 865. During his service as a
fighter pilot with the F 19 Air Wing in Finland in 1940,
he shot down two enemy aircraft together with
Second Lieutenant Carl-Olof Steninger.
After Senior High School, Frykholm was drafted for
military training with the Air Force. After the
conscription period he was studying Medicine at the
University of Uppsala. At the same time in 1938, he
applied to become a student at the Ljugbyhed
Training College for Officers to become a fighter pilot.
After Officer College, he was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant with the F 8 Svea Air Wing in
Barkaby, Stockholm. After the end of the Winter War,
Steninger resumed service with the Swedish Air Force
with the F 8 Air Wing. Frykholm finished his studies in
Medicine after the end of WWII. In 1949 he got a
position with the Air Force as a Medical Officer (Flight
Surgeon). He continued his studies in Flight Medicine
and attended the US Air Force School of Aviation
Medicine, Royal Canadian Air Force Institute of
Aviation Medicine, and Royal Air Force
Institute of Aviation Medicine.
Frykholm left the Air Force in 1969.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Arne
Frykholm. Image: Air Force Museum,
ID: FVMF.004279.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Joseph Gideon
Karlsson, born on 10 June 1918 in Kristinehamn (S),
died on 7 November 1972 in Stockholm. F 19 serial-
no 871. Before joining the F19 Air Wing in Finland, he
was a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve.
Married on 3 December 1942,
remarried on 27 July 1962.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Gideon
Karlsson. Image: Air Force Museum,
ID: FVMF.004264.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Åke “Sammy”
Nettelbladt-Hollsten, born on 4 May 1913 in Umeå,
died on 15 January 1965 in Järfälla (AB). F 19 serial-no
868. Before joining the F19 Air Wing in Finland, he
was a Second Lieutenant in the Air
Force. Married on 24 June 1945.
Airport 1st Air Traffic Controller.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Åke
Nettelbladt-Hollsten. Image: Air Force
Museum, ID: FVMF.004287.
Fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Hans-Olof Palme,
born on 4 August 1918 in Sigtuna, died on 21
February 2000 in Stockholm. F 19 serial-no 870.
Before joining the F19 Air Wing in Finland, he was a
student at the Air Force Academy in Uppsala. Married
on 1 February 1947. Master of Civil
Engineering.
The image to the right shows fighter
pilot Second Lieutenant Hans-Olof
Palme. Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004289.
Bomber Squadron
Pilot and Commander of the Bomber Squadron,
Lieutenant Per Einar Sterner, born on 20 August
1909 in Värneresborg (P), died in 1983 on the Island
of Malta. Sterner was the Commander of the F 19
bomber squadron. Before the Winter War, Sterner
was a commissioned Lieutenant with the Swedish Air
Force and bomber pilot with the F 4 Jämtland Air
Wing in Frösön, Östersund (Z). After the Winter War,
Sterner resumed service with the Swedish Air Force
where he served as a Captain with F4 Wing in
Östersund. On 13 November 1942 he was awarded
Knight of the Royal Order of Vasa (Swe: Riddare av
Kungliga Vasaorden) for “Excellently carried out public
duties by directions”. The Royal Order of Vasa is a
Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of
Sweden for service to the State and society.
In 1947, Sterner was promoted Major and the
following year he was awarded the Royal Order of the
Sword (Swe: Kungliga Svärdsorden). The Royal Order
of the Sword is a Swedish order of chivalry and
military distinction.
After retirement, Sterner moved to the Island of
Malta in the Mediterranean Sea where he passed
away in 1983. Married on 30 December 1939,
remarried on 30 June 1945.
The image to the right shows bomber
pilot Lieutenant Per Sterner. The
portrait photos taken at the F 19 Wing
in Finland was taken on 20 and 21
January 1940. Lt Per Sterner was at
that time already a prisoner of war
(POW) in the USSR which is why his
photo wasn’t taken then. In the image
to the right, he is wearing the Swedish Air Force
uniform m/1930.
The Swedish airstrike on the Soviet airbase in
Märkäjärvi on 12 January 1940:
On 12 January 1940, the F 19 Air Wing carried out an
airstrike on a Soviet airbase in Märkäjärvi. Lt Per
Sterner was the pilot of a Hart B4 bomber with
Lieutenant Anders Zachau in the air gunner’s seat
when he collided midair with another Hart bomber.
Second Lieutenant Arne Jung was the pilot of the
other Hart B4 bomber with Sergeant First Class Matti
Sundsten in the air gunner’s seat. Both aircraft came
down crashing to the ground behind enemy lines.
Sundsten managed on skies in deep snow in the very
cold weather with temperatures down to -40 C (-40 F)
he managed to reach friendly lines. The aircraft
always carried skis and supplies which saved his life.
Both pilots, Lt Per Sterner and 2Lt Arne Jung
managed to bail out. However, both air gunners
came down with the respective aircraft. For some
miraculous reason, Matti Sundsten survived
unharmed while Anders Zachau was killed. The two
Hart aircraft was turning to avoid enemy anti-aircraft
firing and during the evasive maneuver, one Hart ran
into the other from underneath.
Sterner and Jung were able to find each other in
deep snow and darkness a few hours later. After
three days outdoors in the arctic cold weather with
deep snow, they were captured by a Russian squad.
The Russians brought them to a headquarter where
they were interrogated and maltreated. Sterner was
beaten with rifle butts, Jung was put in front of an
execution squad, submitted to fake executions.
On 10 May 1940, both Jung and Sterner were part of
an exchange of POWs on the Soviet-Finnish border
near Vyborg.
To save their lives under the Soviet imprisonment
they had been forced by the Soviet NKVD to sign an
agreement to become Soviet spies when they got
back to Sweden. However, both Sterner and Jung
informed the Finnish and Swedish Military
Intelligence Services when they got back. In Helsinki,
the two pilots were quarantined for three weeks.
Once in Sweden, Sterner and Jung were persuaded
by Colonel Adlercreutz with the Swedish Military
Intelligence to become double-agents at the
beginning of September 1940. Information that
Sterner thereafter obtained from Soviet sources led
to the Swedish capture of the Soviet spy Sidorenko.
More information about The airstrike on 12 January
1940.
Bomber pilot, Second Lieutenant Arne Torsten
Edvard Jung, born on 23 September 1918 in Kalmar,
died on 14 September 1995 in Gränna (E).
Jung was commissioned as an officer with the
Swedish Air Force in 1939 and served as a Second
Lieutenant with the F 4 Jämtland Bomber Air Wing In
Frösön. After the Winter War, Jung resumed service
with the F 4 Air Wing in the Swedish Air Force. He was
promoted Lieutenant in 1941 and Lieutenant Colonel
in 1957. Jung served with the F 7 Skaraborg Air Wing
from 1959.
During an airstrike carried out by the F 19 Wing in
Finland on 12 January 1940 on a Soviet airbase in
Märkäjärvi, Jung was the pilot of a Hart B 4 bomber
with Sergeant First Class Matti Sundsten in the air
gunner’s seat. His Hart collided midair with another
Hart bomber during the airstrike. Both aircraft came
down crashing to the ground behind enemy lines. For
further information, see the section about Lt Sterner
above.
Married on 28 July 1972. Arne Jung was a nephew to
the General and Supreme Commander Helge Jung.
The image to the right shows bomber
pilot Second Lieutenant Arne Jung.
The portrait photos taken at the F 19
Wing in Finland was taken on 20 and
21 January 1940. 2Lt Arne Jung was at
that time already a prisoner of war
(POW) in the USSR which is why his
photo wasn’t taken then. In the image
to the right, he is wearing the Swedish Air Force
uniform m/1930.
The Swedish Military Intelligence was also trying to
get Jung to become a Soviet double-agent like Lt
Sterner. However, Jung declined the offer since he
thought he wasn’t up to such an exposed position.
Instead, Jung resumed his service with the Swedish
Air Force. He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1957 and
the Commander of the F 13 Östgöta Air Wing.
However, Jung was troubled by his memories of the
torture he was submitted to (PTSD) during the Soviet
imprisonment as a POW during the war and left the
Air Force at the age of 50. PTSD = Post-traumatic
stress disorder.
Bomber pilot, Second Lieutenant Nils Åke Mörne,
born on 16 March 1914 in Köla (S), died on 28 August
1943 in Stockholm. F 19 serial-no 864. 2Lt Mörne was
awarded the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty,
4th Class after the war. At the end of the Winter War,
Mörne resumed service with the Swedish Air Force
and was promoted to Lieutenant. He became an Air
Force test pilot in Malmslätt (E). Like Per-Johan
Salwén he was one of the pilots testing the new
Swedish fighter aircraft J 22. He left the Air Force and
became an officer in the Reserve. Thereafter he was
a pilot with the commercial airliner ABA (predecessor
to SAS).
Late on 27 August 1943, Mörne was the co-pilot on
the ABA DC-3 “Gladan” (SE-BAF) which took off from
an airfield in the UK with the destination Stockholm.
The pilot was Karl Gunnar Lindner. Just after
midnight, the DC-3 aircraft was shot down by a
German fighter aircraft over the
North Sea and all aboard was killed.
Married on 29 March 1942.
The image to the right shows bomber
pilot Second Lieutenant Åke Mörne.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004272.
Bomber pilot, Second Lieutenant Fritz Olof
Gunnar Färnström, born on 25 February 1915 in
Falköping (R), died on 6 May 2008 in Copenhagen,
Danmark. F 19 serial-no: 866. Färnström was
commissioned Second Lieutenant with the Swedish
Air Force in 1939. Färnström was also an athlete
(standing high jump) and was competing with the
club IFK Lidingö. He was the Swedish
Champion in 1936 and 1938. Married
on 1 September 1945.
The image to the right shows bomber
pilot Second Lieutenant Gunnar
Färnström. Image: Air Force Museum,
ID: FVMF.004284.
During the airstrike on a Soviet airbase in Märkäjärvi
on 12 January 1940, 2Lt Färnström was the pilot of a
Hawker Hart B 4 bomber with Thure Hansson in the
air gunner’s seat. During the flight back to the
airbase, Färnström’s Hart bomber was shot down by
three Soviet Polikarpov I-15bis fighters. However,
Färnström managed to make a forced landing and
the two crew members escaped unharmed. The
aircraft was wrecked though. The two were then able
to ski back to the Swedish lines where they arrived
the following day after spending the night in a forest
cabin (the Swedish aircraft always carried one or two
sets of skis fastened on the exterior of the fuselage).
See the section “The Swedish airstrike on the Soviet
airbase in Märkäjärvi on 12 January 1940” above.
Air Gunner, Sergeant First Class Bengt Johan
Matti Sundsten, born on 24 February 1917 in
Arjeplog (BD), died on 8 August 1977 in Frösön (Z). F
19 serial-no: 857. Sundsten was a Sergeant with the F
4 Jämtland Air Wing in Frösön (Z) before the Winter
War. After the war, he resumed service with the F 4
Air Wing until retirement in 1967.
During the airstrike on a Soviet airbase in Märkäjärvi
on 12 January 1940, Sergeant Matti Sundsten was
the air gunner in Second Lieutenant Arne Jung’s Hart
B4 bomber. During an evasive maneuver to avoid
enemy anti-aircraft firing, 2Lt Jung’s Hart aircraft
collided with Lt Sterner’s Hart midair, and both
aircraft came crashing to the ground behind enemy
lines. Both pilots managed to bail out, however,
Sundsten’s parachute had somehow got caught in his
seat and he wasn’t able to bail out. Instead, he came
down with the aircraft. Sundsten miraculously
survived the crash more or less unharmed. The
aircraft leveled off before hitting the ground which
reduced the airspeed. The aircraft also hit two spruce
trees which reduced the speed further. Sundsten
then fell through the floor of the fuselage and landed
in the deep soft snow unharmed. Despite far behind
enemy lines, he managed to ski in deep snow and
very cold weather with temperatures down to -40 C (-
40 F) back to friendly lines after four days.
Besides frostbites, he was without any serious
injuries and was soon back in service.
See the section “The Swedish airstrike on the Soviet
airbase in Märkäjärvi on 12 January 1940” above.
Matti Sundsten was awarded the
Finnish Medal of the Cross of
Liberty, 1th Class after the war.
Married on 22 August 1942 in
Gällivare (BD).
The image to the right shows Air
Gunner Sergeant First Class Matti
Sundsten. Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004291.
Air Gunner, Sergeant Thure Amandus Hansson,
born on 1 May 1915 in Vilhelmina (AC), died on 18
December 2003 in Danderyd (AB). F 19 serial-no: 858.
Before the Winter War, Hansson was a Corporal with
the F 4 Jämtland Air Wing in Frösön.
Married on 1 October 1944,
remarried on 13 May 1953.
The image to the right shows Air
Gunner Sergeant Thure Hansson.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004290.
During the airstrike on a Soviet airbase in Märkäjärvi
on 12 January 1940, 2Lt Färnström was the pilot of a
Hawker Hart B 4 bomber with Sergeant Thure
Hansson in the air gunner’s seat. During the flight
back to the airbase, Färnström’s Hart bomber was
shot down by three Soviet Polikarpov I-15bis fighters.
However, Färnström managed to make a forced
landing and the two crew members escaped
unharmed. The aircraft was wrecked though.
Hansson and Färnström were able to ski back to the
Swedish lines where they arrived the following day
after spending the night in a forest cabin (the
Swedish aircraft always carried one or two sets of
skis fastened on the exterior of the fuselage).
Thure Hansson was awarded the Finnish Medal of
the Cross of Liberty, 1th Class after the war.
See the section “The Swedish airstrike on the Soviet
airbase in Märkäjärvi on 12 January 1940” above.
Air Gunner/Signalman, Sergeant Knut Roland
Sahlberg, born on 11 November 1919 in Östersund,
died on 22 December 2006 in Gnesta (D). F 19 serial-
no: 907. Before the Winter War,
Sahlberg was a Corporal with the F 4
Jämtland Air Wing in Frösön.
Married on 24 June 1945.
The image to the right shows Air
Gunner Sergeant Roland Sahlberg.
Image: Air Force Museum, ID:
FVMF.004268.
During the airstrike on a Soviet airbase in Märkäjärvi
on 12 January 1940, Sergeant Roland Sahlberg was
planned to be the air gunner in Lieutenant Per
Sterner’s Hart B4 bomber.
However, during the briefing early morning on 12
January, a change was made regarding the crews.
Lieutenant Anders Zachau, an air force
reconnaissance officer, had requested to participate
in the airstrike, which had been granted. He took the
place as the air gunner in Lieutenant Per Sterner’s
Hart bomber instead of air gunner Roland Sahlberg.
Lt Zachau was killed in the air raid when Sterner’s
aircraft crashed to the ground.
This last-minute change saved Sergeant Sahlberg’s
life.
See the section “The Swedish airstrike on the Soviet
airbase in Märkäjärvi on 12 January 1940” above.
Air Gunner/Signalman, Sergeant Thord Erik
Thorstensson Medalen, born on 18 December 1914
in Berg (Z), died on 9 May 1998 in Rystad (E). F 19
serial-no: 859. Before the Winter War, Medalen was a
Corporal with the F 4 Jämtland Air
Wing in Frösön. Engineer. Married on
31 May 1953.
The image to the right shows Air
Gunner Sergeant Thord Erik
Medalen. Image: Air Force Museum,
ID: FVMF.004269.
Air Wing Photographer, Sergeant Karl Johan Åke
Sundström, born on 17 June 1918 in Edefors (BD),
died on 2 May 2001 in Sundbyberg (AB). F 19 serial-
no: 771. Before, as well as after the Winter War,
Sundström was a Corporal with the F 4 Jämtland Air
Wing in Frösön. Married on 13 February 1943. Later,
he left the Air Force and became a photographer. It
was Åke Sundström who took the
above portrait photos.
The image to the right shows Air
Wing Photographer Sergeant Åke
Sundström. Image: Air Force
Museum, ID: FVMF.004256.
Above, an underlined given name is the name
commonly used.
