No. 30 Squadron ( fi, Lentolaivue 30 or ''LLv.30'', from 3 May 1942 ''Le.Lv.30''), renamed No. 30 Fighter Squadron (Finnish: ''Hävittäjälentolaivue 30'' or ''HLe.Lv.30'' on 14 February 1944) was a
fighter squadron of the
Finnish Air Force during
World War II, which had been formed from the disbanded
No. 10 Squadron. The No. 30 Sqn was part of
Flying Regiment 5.
No. 30 Sqn achieved 39 aerial victories, sank 14 vessels and damaged a further 8 vessels. Ten pilots were lost in air combat and one to anti-aircraft fire (9 aircraft were lost in air combat, and a further 16 in accidents). On November 6, 1942, Captain
Veikko Karu, commander of the 3rd Flight, was awarded the
Mannerheim Cross for his 7 air victories and for his participation in the sinking of 13 vessels.
Organization
Continuation War
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight of No. 24 Squadron (''2./LLv.24'')
**Detachment Ahola (''Osasto Ahola'')
*1st Flight of No. 24 Squadron (''1./Le.Lv.24'')
**Detachment Luukkanen (''Osasto Luukkanen'')
The equipment consisted of 30
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 ...
s, 5
Hawker Hurricane Is, 2
Polikarpov I-16s, 5
Polikarpov I-153s, and 1
Blackburn Ripon IIF. Detachment Luukkanen flew
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
Gs.
External links
Lentolaivue 30History of the No. 30 Sqn
30
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