No. 26 Squadron ( fi, Lentolaivue 26 or ''LLv.26'', from 3 May 1942 ''Le.Lv.26''), renamed No. 26 Fighter Squadron (Finnish: ''Hävittäjälentolaivue 26'' or ''HLe.Lv.26'' on 14 February 1944) was a
fighter 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 2 during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
and
Flying Regiment 3 during the
Continuation War.
The unit was mainly equipped with
Fiat G.50
The Fiat G.50 ''Freccia'' ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that had an enclosed co ...
fighters and obtained 52 aerial victories and suffered two losses.
Organization
Winter War
*Detachment Heinilä (''Osasto Heinilä'')
*Detachment Carlsson or 1st Flight of No. 24 Squadron (''Osasto Carlsson'' or ''1./LLv.24'')
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
**''Detachment Siiriäinen'' (''Osasto Siiriäinen'')
**''Detachment Nieminen'' (''Osasto Nieminen'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
**Detachment Kivinen (''Osasto Kivinen'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
**Detachment Nieminen (''Osasto Nieminen'')
*4th Flight (''4. Lentue'')
*5th Flight (''5. Lentue'')
The equipment consisted of 10
Bristol Bulldog IVs, 9
Gloster Gladiator IIs, and 23
Fiat G.50
The Fiat G.50 ''Freccia'' ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that had an enclosed co ...
s.
Continuation War
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
The equipment consisted of 26
Fiat G.50
The Fiat G.50 ''Freccia'' ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that had an enclosed co ...
s, 1
Fokker D.XXI
The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (''Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger'', M ...
, 19
Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications ...
es, 2
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
Is, 3
Fokker C.Xs, 8
Polikarpov I-153s, and 1
Blackburn Ripon IIF.
External links
Lentolaivue 26
26
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