Finnish-marked British planes?

[Dick Powers]

Thanks. Now that makes sense. The author technically is correct, but he sems to be hinting at (but not explaining) a larger participation.

Thanks for your information.

[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

Both UK and France were preparing to send largish military forces to Finland -infantry and associated things plus also airforce units. For that they would have needed (politically) Finland to ask for such aid. Finnish governement reasoned that the Allied help would arrive too late - by mid-March the Front was on the brink of total collapse - and eventually it was decided to sue for peace instead of asking Allied help.

BTW Asking and accepting the Allied help would have moved Soviet Union to the German side against the Allied. One of the great "What-if"s of WW2 if you ask from me.

When reading about British and French aid for Norwegians for their battle against German invasion Spring 1940 one cannot help thinking that the Allied forces perhaps were the very same which were intended to be sent to Finland (and Northern Sweden & Norway). I suppose the expeditionary forces would have fought under their own (British and French) markings even if sent to Finland instead of Norway.

My two cents,
Kari

[Dick Powers]

"Rising 44.." calims that the Britain asked Poland to include a brigade of 5,000 troops along with British and French trooops.

[Brian]

Hi guys

I have seen - as I expect many others have - a photo of a Finnish Blenheim marked with the swastika on a white background IIRC. Somewhere I have a list of the British pilots who ferried the first six (?) Blenheims to Finland, should anyone be interested.

Cheers
Brian

[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

For what it is worth.

Finland was as far as I know the first foreign customer for Blenheim. This was already couple of years before the war(s).

The first batch was manufactured in Finland. During Winter War two batches were bought from UK. During 1941-1944 additional Blenheim batches were built in Finland, some using partial Yugoslavian Ikarus-made assemblies bought from Germany.

Cheers,
Kari