[Juha]

Hello Brian
I'm rather busy now but I'll try to write down a few cases now and then.

So a bit more on the 1. Dec 39 case
Unit: Lentolaivue 24, the main fighter laivue/Gruppe of FAF at that time.
Pilot: kersantti( Sergeant ie 3 chervons) Matti Ensio Kukkonen *8 Nov. 1917 in Lahti
Kukkonen had scrambled with his leader vänrikki (the lowest officer rank) Puhakka (later one of FAF's top aces) from Immola at 14:00. Cloud base was at 300m and visibility was poor but the pair had succeeded to open fire several times towards SBs (Soviet twin engine bomber a bit like Blenheim). Because they were running short of fuel Puhakka decided to land nearer Suurmerijoki base. When they descented through clouds near Viipuri, Finnish AA opened suddenly fire and got a direct hit to FR-77 which plunged onto ice at Ronkaanlahti. The plane was crushed and Kukkonen died instantly. Crash-time 15:20.

The Winter War had began a day earlier and Finnish troops were nervous at that day, hitting 5 own planes on that day, one other pilot was wounded, kersantti Rimminen, but IIRC Rimminen was only lightly wounded.


On 17 May 1942 Kapteeni/Captain Antti Olavi Naakka * 21 Aug 1913 in Viipuri from Lentolaivue 30 was leading 6 Fokker D.XXIs in FR-164 to cover military funerals in Kotka (an important port in SE Finland).
After flying over Kotka the formation continued southwards and then turned left almost through 180 degree and so approached Kirkonmaansaari (an island on which there was IIRC a coastal artillery fort) from South. Suddenly Finnish 40mm AAA opened fire hitting FR-164 at rear fuselage and the Fokker crashed on the island and burned. Naakka died. Crash-time 12:15.

When the accident was investigated it appeared that the AAA troop had not got info on the flight but even so Fokker D.XXI was easy to recognize with its fixed landing gear.


Source: Jaakko Hyvönen's Kohtalokkaat lennot 1939-1944 Toinen painos (1st reprint) Hämeenlinna 2001 ISBN 952-5026-21-3

HTH
Juha