No. 16 Squadron ( fi, Lentolaivue 16 or ''LLv.16'', from 3 May 1942 ''Le.Lv.16''), renamed No. 16 Reconnaissance Squadron (Finnish: ''Tiedustelulentolaivue 16'' or ''TLe.Lv.16'' on 14 February 1944) was a
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
squadron of the
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; fi, Ilmavoimat, , Air forces; sv, Flygvapnet, , Air weapon) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnis ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The squadron was part of
Flying Regiment 1 during the Winter War and
Flying Regiment 2 during the Continuation War.
Organization
Winter War
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
The equipment consisted of 8
Blackburn Ripon
The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was the basis for both the license-produced Mitsubishi B2M and the improved ...
IIs, 4
Fokker C.V
The Fokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.
Development
The C.V was constructed in the earl ...
Es, 3
Junkers W 34
The Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers. The aircraft was developed from the J ...
and
K 43, and 3
Fokker C.X
The Fokker C.X was a Dutch biplane scout and light bomber designed in 1933. It had a crew of two (a pilot and an observer).
Design and development
The Fokker C.X was originally designed for the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, in order to replace ...
s.
Continuation War
*HQ Flight (''Esikuntalentue'', operational between 8 June 1942 and 1 July 1943)
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
*Detachment Jäntti (''Osasto Jäntti'', temporary detachment July–August 1944)
The equipment consisted of 5
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.
Developed private ...
IIs, 3
Fokker D.X
Fokker D.X (or D.10) was a Dutch fighter aircraft designed after World War I.
The chief designer at Fokker, Reinhold Platz, designed the Fokker D.VIII fighter in 1918. It was a parasol monoplane with cantilever wings, which was an uncommon featu ...
s, 4
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War.
After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...
Is, 6
VL Myrsky
The VL Myrsky ("Storm") is a Finnish World War II fighter aircraft originally developed by Valtion lentokonetehdas for the Finnish Air Force. The models of the aircraft were Myrsky I, Myrsky II, and Myrsky III.
It was designed by Edward Wegelius ...
IIs, and an undisclosed number of
de Havilland Moth
The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time ever ...
s.
External links
Lentolaivue 16
16
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