Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: kiravuo@hila.hut.fi (Timo Kiravuo) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Brewster Buffalo (was: draft) Message-ID: <1990Dec11.014719.25687@cbnews.att.com> Date: 11 Dec 90 01:47:19 GMT References: <1990Dec6.021948.19031@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Computing Center Lines: 94 Approved: military@att.att.com From: kiravuo@hila.hut.fi (Timo Kiravuo) In article <1990Dec6.021948.19031@cbnews.att.com> ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) writes: >The most maligned fighter plane during the second World War was >probably the Brewster Buf- falo. But when some were shipped to >Finland, the Finns raved over them. Nothing like a visit to your friendly library. I found a biography of captain Hasse Wind, our top ace in WWII (75 drops). What follows is taken from the book (Hasse Wind, Havittajalentaja by Borje Sjogren) and badly translated by me. Factory designation B-239, Navy designation F2A-1. Navy opted for the F2A-2 version, so the earlier version was "left over" and Finland got them pretty cheap. That was during the Winter War, when Finland was desperate for anything to fight with. The export version with a 950 Hp engine had top speed of 478 km/h, practical travel speed of 380 km/h. From ground to 3000 m took 4 min 12 s, to 5000 m 7 min 10 s. Max height 9900 m, max flight time 4 h. 1 7,62 mm and 3 12,7mm machine guns. We got 44 of those. The BW (Finnish designation) could stay up for a long time, was fast in 1941 and could turn very well. It was also an easy plane to take off and land, and the carriage was very wide. Visibility from the cockpit was good, too. The plane was also very reliable, unlike Soviet planes. The Brewsters did not came in time for Winter War, but they were used in the second war until the end. When the second war started in 1941, they were better than anything the Soviets had. Max load: pilot, two mechanics, one german shephard and baggage. The plane overshoot in landing, but considering that this was a single-seat fighter, the load was quite impressive. The big hull had plenty of room. During transfer flights mechanics used to fly officially behind the pilot. The plane BW-393 got 41 drops, 29 by Hasse Wind. Wind supposes this is some kind of record for a single plane. Hasse Wind dropped some Hurricanes and Spitfires while flying Brewster, too. About the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Wind says that when in air the plane was OK, but taking of and landing were difficult. the torque of the big propellor would try to twist the plane and the narrow carriage did not support enough. Also there was only about 6 cm of space between the propellor and ground when rolling. About pilots. Most important for survival and performance are ability to flight the "wrong" way and ability to shoot (and hit target). Baron Manfred von Richthofen used to break planes in take-offs and landings. As I read the book, it seemed to me that Finnish pilots were individuals who worked as a team. Like good football players. For example some pilots had their machineguns adjusted so that they met at 150 m front of the plane. Wind's aiming point was only 30 m in front of the plane. The stories about Wind are pretty wild, even when told by others and backed up fy official documents. Once he had a Mig-3 in his tail. He dived to ground and pulled back as late as possible. The Mig had a larger turning radius and bit dust. Another time his group was fighting with Soviet fighters, while he noticed the main enemy, eight heavily armored Il-2 attack planes, below. Wind disengaged and somehow got himself inside the Il-2 formation unnoticed and dropped three planes before the Soviets noticed anything. This while flying the old Brewster. Wind's style was to go straight for the enemy. Unlike flight master Eino Juutilainen, who used to wait for the right moment and then hit. Juutilainen had 74 drops in WWII. The book also mentions that while in the USA an ace meant at least five drops, in the Soviet Union it was nine drops and in most other countries the term was not used at all. Also when in the west partial drops were counted, the Soviets could give one drop for each pilot in the group for one plane. And in the latter part of the war Germans would count one drop for each engine, so that a bomber might mean four drops. -------------------- About terminology in sci.military in general. Be advised that Russia and Soviet Union are different things. As were Nazis and Germans in WWII. Try calling an Estonian a Russian, its like calling a Scot English. -- Timo Kiravuo, kiravuo@hut.fi Helsinki University of Technology, Computer Center, Finland