Warming/Cooling.

This is coolbert:

“It’s impossible to rest, and my friends and I have had sleepless nights, despite knowing the disadvantage that imposes on us.”

Warming tents I have heard of. Cooling tents I not have heard of.

Read and understand within context of the previous blog entry!

"Soldier goes public, reveals unlikely IDF threat"

 From https://www.israelnationalnews.com | Jul 2, 2024.

"Public appalled to hear reports from frontline soldiers."

An IDF soldier made waves after triggering a global movement . . . combatting widespread fatigue in the IDF. With the Israeli sun burning overhead, the army tents become overheated, making proper rest impossible. The frightening reality is that soldiers in battle are less than 100% alert.

"A movement was created to sponsor air-conditioning units to be installed in army tents. The public was appalled to hear about army living conditions and stepped up to give soldiers much-needed relief from the heat."

Before there was the Gazan Conflict there was the Winter War of 1940. Finnish troops an important part of their regimen able to take refuge in a warming tent. Contributing to combat effectiveness and better morale among the troops.

"Finnish Military Tents: During the Winter War, the Finnish military used heat-able shelters, known as 'half-platoon tents'. These tents were equipped with lightweight sheet metal stoves that could keep the tent warm even in extremely cold temperatures. The tents were designed to be lightweight and portable, making them easy to transport and set up in the field."  [AI generated]

This for heat, this for cold! Answer can be found!

coolbert.

Trolls.

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American army the NATO far north. Trolls beware!

 "The exercise was the first time in decades that a major Army maneuver unit had traveled so far in Europe."

"10th Mountain Division rolls more than 500 miles across Finland, Sweden and Norway"

"The exercise was the first convoy operation in the heart of the newest NATO members, Sweden and Finland."

From https://taskandpurpose.com | BY PATTY NIEBERG | MAY 13, 2024.

"Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division recently completed an unprecedented 550-mile [nearly 900 kilometers] road trip across Norway, Sweden and Finland in which troops dealt with long-distance logistics, local laws and infrastructure regulations. It also meant keeping a sharp eye out for local wildlife."

[. . . .]

"Over the course of five days in late April, the Army’s 10th Mountain Division moved a convoy of 400 soldiers, 165 vehicles, and thousands of tons of equipment through small Scandinavian towns, around fjords, and across three different countries on a 550-mile[nearly 900 kilometers] road march."

See From Independent Barents Observer an article presumably as applicable to the road march. Vehicles and supplies being pre-positioned the far Arctic north to be used by the American 10th Mountain Division in case of war between Russia and NATO. Gear as delivered by RoRo vessels.

coolbert.

NEMO.

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NEMO the "turreted, remote-controlled 120 mm mortar system".

Naval and ground force applications both. Fire power and versatility impressive!

"Patria NEMO Navy"

"Patria NEMO Navy is a turreted, remote-controlled 120 mm mortar system. It is an indirect fire support system, but due to its direct fire capability, it can also be used for self-defense against other vessels. Patria NEMO Navy can also fire Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) fire missions where up to 6 grenades are hitting the target simultaneously."

Read further the full dope on the ground force application of the NEMO mortar. Eight-wheel all-terrain vehicle, mobile mortar.

The U.S Army too interested in the NEMO:

"NEMO Patria AMV 120mm 8x8 self-propelled mortar carrier"

From https://defense-update.com | the article by Tamir Eshel -May 19, 2020.

"U.S. Army to Test 120mm Semi-Automatic Mortars from Finland"

"The US Army want to enhance the firepower of Brigade Combat Teams, with rapid, precise indirect and direct fires"

ENHANCE the firepower and SURELY NEMO will do that!!

Also see from a previous blog entry the current Russian self-propelled ground force mortar Russian heavy mortar.

coolbert.

Lapta.

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"The introduction of lapta into the school curriculum will make it possible to use it as an effective means of strengthening the health of children and adolescents at school, preparing students to pass the norms of the GTO standards and preparing young men for service in the Russian Armed Forces." - Sergey Fokin.

Bat and ball game in the ancient and venerable Russian style a school-yard game as a means to promote physical fitness among the Russian young people.

Part and parcel of a physical regimen intended to create a cohort of   physically fit young men as being able to perform military service in a much more adequate manner if called upon. 

"Russia introduces lessons of lapta in schools, believing it will prepare schoolchildren for army"

From yahoo.com that original story | Ukrainska Pravda | January 13, 2023.

"The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation has developed an educational course on playing lapta [Russian 14th-century bat and ball game – ed.] for school children. The department believes that the game will help prepare young men for military service."

"Source: website of the Russian Ministry of Education, Sirena, Gazeta.ru"

"Details: Students from classes 1 through 11 will learn to play the Russian folk game. This will take place in physical education lessons and as part of extracurricular activities."

"The department believes that lapta will improve the preparation of all schoolchildren for the passing of the GTO standards [Ready for Labour and Defence, a physical culture training program introduced in the USSR – ed.] and individual young men for military service."

See here a You Tube demonstration the game of lapta.

See also this YouTube video a demonstration of Finnish baseball. Yet another bat and ball game, an adaptation of American baseball and considered to be an excellent means of achieving fitness in young people.

President Vlad of Russia for a long time now has been very concerned with the Russian demographic problem. The Russian people not reproducing themselves in adequate numbers not even at replacement level. Physical fitness and overall health of the Russian young person also questionable. Not enough young men able to perform military service in a more than adequate manner.

Where is the Russian going to find adequate numbers of young men and perhaps even young women to perform military service in the future? It always was the case during the time of the Russian Empire the Russian army had at their disposal multitudes of muzhik [peasants]. A manpower base of prodigious size, an abundance of troops used in a profligate manner which was deemed by potential adversaries the RUSSIAN STEAMROLLER! 

The steamroller in the modern context lacking steam?

coolbert.

Infuriate.

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Here with several atomic items as relevant to the Ukraine Conflict.

"one-for-the-money-two-for-the-show-three-to-make-ready-and-four-to-go

1. "Finland Will Allow NATO to Place Nuclear Weapons on Border With Russia"

Newsweek ^ | 10/26/22 | JAMES BICKERTON the tip from Freeper.

"In a move that could risk infuriating Russia, nuclear weapons could possibly be positioned in Finland if the country's application to join NATO is approved . . . this means NATO nuclear weapons could transit through, or be based on, Finnish territory. Additionally, there are no restrictions on establishing NATO bases in the country."

Undoubtedly this infuriate the Russian greatly. Positioning atomic munition so close to the Russian border maybe a military prudent move but will instantly be seen in Moscow as a provocation not to be ignored.

2. "The Russians Are Building Bomb Shelters - This Is Getting Real"

andmagazine.substack.com ^ | 10/26/2022 | Sam Faddis again the tip from Freeper.

"In Moscow, authorities are inspecting the bomb shelters in the city’s schools. This is not a routine or academic exercise. The officials involved have been directed to get the shelters in working order. Right now. Notifications have gone out in Moscow to inform residents that bomb shelters are being prepared. The Education Department has issued instructions to all institutions under its control to outfit new shelters in addition to those in existence."

Watch also for mass digging of graves in advance, storing of blood products, skinning of cadavers, practice air raid drills. That subway system of Moscow as being place in a state of instantaneous readiness if the situation warrants.

And go-cat-go!

coolbert.

Erasure.

This is coolbert:

Devoted readers to the blog and those merely perusing in a much more casual manner I recommend this You Tube video without reservation or qualification.

"Russia Analysis by Finnish Intelligence Colonel [English subtitles]"

"Martti J. Kari (former intelligence colonel in the Finnish Defense Forces): Russian strategic culture - Why Russia does things the way it does? Presented on December 3, 2018"

As germane and relevant [if even not more so] in 2022 as it was in 2018!!

Key points and takeaway in the nutshell:

* Russia has a "holy mission".

* Russians have a paranoia about foreign dominance/intrusion.

* Russians prefer autocracy. Chaos and instability abhorred.

See further from the Internet web site [as most favorable to Russia] an extract from this article "PUTIN’S WINTER OFFENSIVE" 26.10.2022:

"I [Putin] want to underscore again that their [NATO] insatiability and determination to preserve their unfettered dominance are the real causes of the hybrid war that the collective West is waging against Russia. They do not want us to be free; they want us to be a colony. They do not want equal cooperation; they want to loot. They do not want to see us a free society, but a mass of soulless slaves….I would like to remind you that in the past, ambitions of world domination have repeatedly shattered against the courage and resilience of our people. Russia will always be Russia. We will continue to defend our values and our Motherland.

We have never agreed to and will never agree to such political nationalism and racism. What else, if not racism, is the Russophobia being spread around the world? What, if not racism, is the West’s dogmatic conviction that its civilization and neoliberal culture is an indisputable model for the entire world to follow?…

Today, we are fighting so that it would never occur to anyone that Russia, our people, our language, or our culture can be erased from history. Today, we need a united society, and this unification can only be based on sovereignty, freedom, creation, and justice. Our values ​​are humanity, mercy and compassion.” - Vladimir Putin.

Need anyone say anymore! It need not matter whether any of what Vlad says is true or not. Just that he believes it to me true!

coolbert.

Evaders.

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Russian military reservists being activated for the Ukraine Conflict [300,000] some crossing the border between Russian and Norway to avoid military duty a hot-button item in the far north evidently.

Thanks in all cases to the "Barents Observer" all articles by Thomas Nilsen.

1. "Norway prepares for Russians fleeing military service"

September 30, 2022.

"It is starting to get cold in northernmost Norway and illegal border crossings in the wilderness could be dangerous. A police helicopter was Friday sent north from Oslo to patrol the border."

Helicopter with infra-red sensing to detect persons distressed and lost in the wilderness, in danger of FREEZING to death!

2. "FSB tightens control at Arctic exit route amid border closure rumors"

September 27, 2022.

"Crowds of young men fleeing from conscription are Tuesday morning heading towards Norway from Murmansk. Controls are intensified at Titovka checkpoint."

FSB Russian border guards checkpoints between the Russian and Norwegian border strengthened and document checks intensified. Show us your papers.

3. "'With military background, I had to make a quick decision,' Vladimir said after crossing northern border to Norway"

September 25, 2022.

"Vladimir Prokushev (36) believes the majority of those being sent to war have very little motivation to fight against Ukraine."

Just about ZERO motivation I might assume quite correctly so.

4. "More Russian men flee Putin's call-up decree via northern borders"

September 26, 2022.

"Both Finland and Norway saw more military-aged Russian men crossing borders this weekend. But still far from the queues reported from Moscow airports and other exit checkpoints in the South Caucasus and Central Asia."

Russian citizens fleeing the conscription call-up will be eligible for asylum? Given a legal status and not living in an unending limbo? That remains to be seen.

coolbert.

Bungling.

This is coolbert:

As it was between the Soviets and the Finn in 1939 as it is now between the Russian and Ukrainian in 2022? Parallels are striking?

"BUNGLING THE PREWAR AND FIRST MOVES IN FINLAND 1939 AND UKRAINE 2022: A COMEDY OF ERRORS FOR STALIN’S SOVIET UNION AND PUTIN’S RUSSIA, RESPECTIVELY"

The article By Brian E. Frydenborg  05/23/2022 - courtesy "Small Wars Journal".

"The staggeringly ridiculous parallels between the First Soviet-Finnish Winter War and the current war in Ukraine are both profoundly illuminating and especially instructive"

As extracted:

 "Stalin was unrealistically influenced by the headline-grabbing antics of the Lapuans, the grotesque fantasies of the Karelian irredentists, and the exaggerated reports of agents who were eager to tell the Kremlin what they thought the Kremlin wanted to hear. From remarks made during his later negotiations with the Finns, it seems clear that Stalin really did believe that the interior of Finland seethed with class antagonism and fascist plotters and that all of Finnish society was undercut by smouldering grudges left over from the civil war days. Ill feeling persisted, of course—the conflict had been too bloody for all the scars to have healed in just two decades—but Moscow’s estimate of its extent, importance, and potential for outside exploitation was wildly inaccurate. In fact, the old wounds were healing faster than even the Finns themselves realized; with the onset of a massive contemporary threat from the Soviet Union, those old enmities looked remote and historic."

[....]

"Official Soviet publications and news services referred to the Finnish government and leaders as 'the Fascists' and emphasized the supposedly oppressive conditions of the Finnish working class and their readiness to ally with the Soviet would-be 'liberators.'”

"This was, and to a certain extent still is, the official justification given to the Soviet public for why the war was fought.  It permitted the Kremlin to rationalize the apparent lunacy of a nation of 3.5 million souls attempting to invade a nation of 171 million." 

Devoted readers to the blog and those perusing casually are strong encouraged to read the entire article.

Was and to a certain extent is! 1939 and 2022 both. OH MY!

coolbert.

T & C.

This is coolbert:

From the "Cato Institue" a suggestion that there does exist a reasonable solution to the Ukraine Conflict. A negotiated settlement do-able, a lot of lives saved, the Ukraine spared further massive destruction.

T & C - Terms and conditions.

"The Finland Option May Still Save Ukraine"

By Ted Galen Carpenter. MARCH 1, 2022 • COMMENTARY 

[....]

"Putin seems to be offering Kyiv the 'Finland option' as an alternative to a Russian conquest [and occupation]. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union established outright puppet regimes throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The Kremlin’s policy regarding Finland was noticeably different, however. "Even under Joseph Stalin’s brutal reign, Moscow was willing to let Helsinki run the country’s domestic affairs with minimal interference. Finland remained a vibrant, mostly capitalist democracy, not a communist Soviet clone. With respect to foreign affairs, however, the limitations on the country’s options were emphatic and uncompromising. Finland had to toe the line on every aspect of the Kremlin’s policies. Not only did Helsinki have to renounce even the slightest flirtation with the Western powers regarding military and security issues, but the government even had to vote in lockstep with Moscow at the United Nations and other international bodies."

[....]

To an extent the current Ukraine reminds me of and DOES resemble the Winter War of 1940. Soviets and Finns. A war that lasted slightly beyond three full months with Soviet victory. But with great cost to the Soviets beyond any expectations. Finnish military effort surprisingly good and unexpected. Big time admiration directed toward the Finn from all parts of the world.

The Winter War was resolved with negotiated settlement to the detriment of Finland admittedly but with terms and conditions less onerous than the Finn having to fight a prolonged conflict with an extended period of guerrilla warfare and occupation. And so too will the Ukraine Conflict end in a similar manner? That remains to be seen.

coolbert.

Pollka.

This is coolbert:

To war with polka music? Who would have thought it!

From "WAR HISTORY ONLINE" the guest article by Jesse Beckett.

"The Finnish Stopped Soviet Mines from Exploding by playing a Single Polka Song on Repeat"

Vyborg mines as referred to but hardly confined to Vyborg. Vyborg a provincial city in the aftermath of the Russian Revolutionary War an integral part of the Republic of Finland approximately eighty-five kilometers [fifty miles] northwest of the 1939 border between Finland and the Soviet Union.  

"After the Finns wrestled the city of Vyborg back from the Soviets in the Continuation War (1941-1944), the Soviets, while retreating, scattered the area with mines and explosives. These mines claimed many Finnish lives"

MILITARY AND CIVILIAN BOTH!

"With the Soviets gone, the mines continued detonating, causing great confusion among the Finns as to how they were being set off . . . However, on August 28 1941 the Finns discovered 600 kgs [thirteen hundred pounds] of explosives and its triggering device. It was quickly realized that the mines were being triggered by radio signals." 

MINES PRE-POSITIONED AND DETONATED REMOTELY VIA RADIO CONTROL SIGNALS.

"A REO Speedwagon broadcast car was brought to the city and started playing the fast-paced Säkkijärven Polkka by Viljo Vesterinen . . . Over and over, the song was played in a desperate bid to block Soviet signals."

SOLUTION TO JAM THE RADIO CONTROL TRANSMISSIONS. SUCCESSFUL! POLKA MUSIC!

"The plan worked too: the city contained around 1,000 mines, but only 12 were successfully detonated."

THE SOVIET DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR EVEN WHILE RED ARMY TROOPS ADVANCING NOTED FOR MAKING EXTENSIVE PREPARATIONS TO CONSOLIDATE CONTROL OF TERRITORY AND PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE COUNTER-ATTACK. AS WAS PRESUMABLY THE CASE IN VYBORG!

coolbert.

Low-Key.

This is coolbert:

Even the Finns are making ready! Even they!

From Corporal Frisk and thanks to same.

"Ready when you are"

"As several observers on Twitter already have noted, while Finland doesn’t directly shout ]We’re raising the readiness!' there’s certainly been a flurry of the – as usual rather low-key – messaging to that effect from the Finnish Defence Forces. However, the messages are opaque enough that they do require a bit of attention to detail to figure out what’s really going on."

"Valmiudessa tehtävään - @KarjalanPR & @MaasotaK valmiusosastot liikkeellä Mikkelin alueella 24.-26.1. Kaakonkulmalla suorituskykyisiä osaajia. #karpr #maask #valmiusosasto"

English translation: "On standby for the mission - @KarjalanPR & @MaasotaK standby departments on the move in the Mikkeli area from 24 to 26 January. High-performing experts in southeast corner. #karpr #maask #valmiusosasto"

"Mikkelin Peitsarin vanhalla koululla oli @KarjalanPR & @MaasotaK valmiusosastoille tehtävään jatkoa. Kiinniotetut henkilöt saatiin poliisin haltuun. #karpr #maask #karjalanprikaati #maasotakoulu #valmiusosasto"

English translation: "The old school in Peitsar, Mikkeli, had @KarjalanPR & @MaasotaK to the emergency departments. The people who were apprehended were taken into police custody. #karpr #maask #karjalanprikaati #maasotakoulu #valmiusosasto"

All translations courtesy Google Translate!

"ONE-to get ready: FOUR .... to ____GO". That is what this is all about? Or merely routine training? Only the security aware Finn knows for sure.

Suomalainen sotilas valmiina!

coolbert.

Tillsammans.

This is coolbert:

Suomi ikuisesti!

This too resembles Gladio?

From MARCONI through Harry an update on the Swedish military and the soon-to-be return to conscription.

  *  "Sweden is using Finnish Volunteers to swell their Armed Forces."

"The news spread that the largest reservist organization in Finland, Reserviläisliitto, offered to help Sweden re-build their Army again."

". . . rebuilding dismantled capabilities will take years, and as such the situation is [similar to] as when Estonia had to rebuild their defense forces from scratch following their restoration of independence."

FINNISH VOLUNTEERS NOT NECESSARILY JOINING THE SWEDISH MILITARY BUT PROVIDING AID AND ASSISTANCE FOR THE SWEDE. THAT GOAL TO FORM AN ADEQUATE AND PREPARED RESERVE FORCE?

COLLECTIVE NORDIC SECURITY WITHOUT NEEDING NATO OR AN EUROPEAN ARMY!

Until relatively recently a rather significant portion of the Finnish population spoke Swedish! This is still true?

The Finnish soldier as rated by Sir John Keegan the BEST combatant of the Second World Two. The tradition continues?

Norden tillsammans = Nordics together!

coolbert.

Sveaborg/Suomenlinna.

This is coolbert:

Before there was Helsinki there was Helsingfors. And before Helsingfors there was Sveaborg.

NOW called Suomenlinna. Second largest fortress in all of Europe, only surpassed by Gibralter.

NOW a popular tourist destination and as seen at the Rick Steves "American Public Television series Rick Steves' Europe".

This I believe is an eleven inch [280 mm] Russian 1867 coastal artillery gun. The fortress having quite an assemblage of these weapons. The man astride the gun gives you some sense of scale.

"Suomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori (Finnish), or Sveaborg (Swedish), is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands . . . and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site . . . The Swedish crown commenced the construction of the fortress in 1748 as protection against Russian expansionism . . .  The original plan of the bastion fortress was strongly influenced by the ideas of Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the time, and the principles of Star Fort style of fortification"

The fortress as seen from the air. Formidable but not impervious to attack and capture! Helsinki as seen in the background.

Let me clarify that village which became the city we now know as Helsinki established prior to the construction of Sveaborg/Suomenlinna but ONLY EXPANDING AND BURGEONING IN SIZE IN THE AFTERMATH OF SVEABORG/SUOMENLINNA  BECOMING A GOING CONCERN!

coolbert.

Zimbo.

This is coolbert:

Before there was Israel there was Finland.

From a prior blog entry I ask the question:

"What is it about the Finns that allows them to excel as they do?"

That Finnish Air Force [FiAF] during the Second World War [WW2] even when qualitatively and quantitatively inferior in a marked manner to their adversary, able to perform in a fashion that was superlative, almost without peer, admirable!

And the answer in the proverbial nutshell is "Zimbo"!

Col Richard "Zimbo" Lorentz! Lorentz - "the creator of the Finnish Fighter Arm", a combat aviator during the twenty year period between the two World Wars, an outstanding and innovative military aviator!

The Finnish Air Force [FiAF] able to devise theories, doctrine, tactics, means and methods of aerial combat NOT IN SLAVISH IMITATION OF FOREIGN COUNTERPARTS. Theories, doctrine, tactics, means and methods well thought out in advance, appropriate and adapted to the peculiarities of the Finnish situation!

The FiAF also during World War Two [WW2] fighting primarily what I perceive as a defensive war, defense the stronger form of combat, easier to do with less and accomplish more!

The Finn also able and adept at modifying and employing in combat warplanes found previously to be lacking and somewhat antiquated, such as the Brewster Buffalo and M.S. 406.

Here with two more examples of combat warplanes "lacking and somewhat antiquated" BUT NOT WHEN FLOWN BY FiAF fighter pilots during WW2:

* Fokker D.XXI.

"The Fokker D.XXI, although much slower and more lightly armed than the Bf [Me] 109, performed surprisingly well in dogfights, due to its maneuverability." The Fokker not even having retractable landing gear!

"The Fokker D.XXI performed better and for much longer in the Finnish Air Force . . . its rugged design with a radial engine and fixed undercarriage made it very suitable for Finnish conditions"

* Fiat G.50.

"The Fiat G.50 . . . was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. First flown in February 1937, the G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production . . . they proved to be fast and, typical of most Italian designs, very manoeuvrable"

It is not so much the machine as the man behind the machine! Those superior Finnish airmen using correct and appropriate doctrine and tactics well thought in advance thanks to Zimbo AND with that goodly measure of sisu [courage but much more than courage] thrown in making for a formidable combination.

"Sisu is a Finnish term loosely translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity . . . Sisu has been described as being integral to understanding Finnish culture . . . sisu is defined by a long-term element in it; it is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain an action against the odds."

Sisu!


coolbert.

Mörkö-Morane.

This is coolbert:

"it was under-powered and weakly armed when compared to its contemporaries.Most critically, it was out-performed by the Messerschmitt Bf 109E during the Battle of France."

The French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter interceptor. Found during the Battle of France [1940] to be less than adequate, deficient when compared to the German counter-part.

But that is not the end of the story.

That M.S. 406 when modified and improved upon by the Finnish Air Force [FAF], a much better warplane, used successfully by the Finns in combat with Soviet forces, IN A MANNER AS WAS ALSO THE CASE WITH THE AMERICAN BREWSTER BUFFALO! The Finnish designation for the M.S. 406 was the Mörkö-Morane!

Improvements and modifications, not that so excessive and extensive but enough to create an almost new war-bird with significant potentiality. And when used and flown by outstanding Finnish combat aviators in a way to maximize strengths while minimizing weakness, deemed more than sufficient!

Improvements and modifications to include but not totally limited to:

* New and more powerful engine.
* Improved aerodynamics.
* Improved and strengthened armaments.

"The aircraft designer Aarne Lakomaa turned the obsolete 'M-S' into a first rate fighter,"

"The first example of the modified fighter, MS-631, made its first flight on 25 January 1943, and the results were startling: the aircraft was 40 km/h (25 mph) faster than the original French version, and the service ceiling was increased from 10,000 to 12,000 m (32,800 to 39,360 ft)."

And again, when flown by determined and able Finnish combat pilots, impressive with the "kill-ratio"!

"Between November 1939 and 4 September 1944, Lv28 [FAF combat unit] scored 118 aerial victories flying the Morane M.S.406 . . . The unit lost 15 aircraft."

What is it about the Finns that allows them to excel as they do? Think modern Finland, a small nation [about 4 million persons tops] but with superior educational facilities and top-notch students, Nokia, Linux, superior and  innovative designs, etc.

Think too of the Israeli and the American F-4 Phantom. That Israeli making no less than five hundred [500] changes to the basic F-4 upon arrival.

The Finn during the Second World War [WW2] comporting themselves with honor, John Keegan rating the Finn as the BEST soldier during that conflict. Apparently the ground troops and airmen both!

coolbert.

Buffalo!

This is coolbert:

Well, this just has to make you wonder!!

From a note to the wiki entry for the P-39 Airacobra:

"Notes"

"The P-39 has the highest total number of individual victories attributed to any U.S. fighter type, not kill ratio; Finnish modified Brewster Buffaloes had the highest kill ratio."

Kill ratio [loss exchange ratio] best defined as:

"Loss exchange ratio is a figure of merit in attrition warfare. It is usually relevant to a condition or state of war where one side depletes the resources of another through attrition. Specifically and most often used as a comparator in aerial combat, where it is known as a 'kill-ratio.'"

The Brewster Buffalo. American fighter aircraft of the years just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War [WW2] and FOUND TO BE INADEQUATE BY AMERICAN COMBAT AVIATORS, AN INFERIOR WARPLANE NOT LIKED!!

As noted in a much prior Military Thoughts blog entry of mine from way back when now!

"[Buffaloes] when used by American/British/Dutch aviators, fared poorly in combat, BUT, when used by Finnish pilots against Soviet air forces, fared very well."

A fighter aircraft that when significantly modified and used by the Finnish Air Force [FAF] during WW2 was MORE THAN ADEQUATE ESPECIALLY WHEN FLOWN BY SUPERIOR AND MOTIVATED PERSONNEL!

I am not exactly sure what this all suggests! American fighter jocks in reality are a pampered elite who are found to be wanting when compared to their foreign counterparts? I hate to think that it is so.

Indeed, so well was the Buffalo flown by the FAF pilots that unheard of and unbelievable "kill ratios" were the norm, the Finn demonstrating extreme military prowess both on the ground and in the air during WW2!

"Kill ratios" of 135:2 are bandied about? For every two FAF Buffalo shot down one hundred thirty five [135] Soviet aircraft bit the dust?

And thanks to the WarBirdForum we have some answers to all this:

"The quality of Soviet planes in 1941, when the best kill ratio 67.5 - 1) was achieved, was lower than Brewsters, most common types being used were SB-2, DB-3, I-16 and I-153."

I have my doubts this alone explains everything. John Keegan rates the Finnish soldier the BEST of all the combatants during the Second World War! Again, both on the ground and in the skies this was so? Can it be denied?

coolbert.