No. 34 Squadron ( fi, Lentolaivue 34 or ), renamed No. 34 Fighter Squadron (Finnish: ''Hävittäjälentolaivue 34'' or ''HLe.Lv.34'' 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 3.
The pilots of the No. 34 Squadron achieved 345 confirmed kills, all with Bf 109Gs. The unit lost 30 aircraft (13 in air combat, 5 to anti-aircraft fire, 7 in accidents and 5 due to technical faults). 12 pilots were listed as dead or missing, one was captured. Three pilots of the No. 34 Squadron was awarded the
Mannerheim Cross
The Mannerheim Cross ( fi, Mannerheim-risti, sv, Mannerheimkorset), officially Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin Mannerheim-risti, link=no, sv, Frihetskorsets Mannerheimkors, link=no) is the most distinguished Finnish ...
.
In December 1944 No. 34 Squadron became
No. 33 Squadron.
Organization
Continuation War
*1st Flight (''1. Lentue'')
*2nd Flight (''2. Lentue'')
*3rd Flight (''3. Lentue'')
The unit had an operational strength of 16
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 ...
G-2s. It was later re-equipped with Bf 109G-6s. The unit had also one captured
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 ...
Mk.IIA in its possession, but it never flew any operational sorties.
External links
Lentolaivue 34
34
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