Finland (1940-1944)
Fighter – Number operated: 35
In late 1939, the rapid expansion of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe caused great alarm in Finland. As a politically isolated nation with limited funds, Finland struggled to equip its military for a potential war with the Soviets. Despite the challenges they faced, they achieved some limited success in finding the equipment they needed. While the Finnish armed forces lacked for many modern weapons, they possessed a small number of advanced fighter aircraft, though not enough in the face of a Soviet invasion. To address this, they approached the Kingdom of Italy and acquired 35 Fiat G.50 Freccia fighters. While the G.50 was not an exceptional fighter in terms of overall performance, it was sufficient for the Finnish Air Forces and remained in frontline service until 1944.
Finland’s Early Struggle to Survive
Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, and the subsequent Civil War, Finland emerged as an independent state. While it did not have great relations with the neighboring Soviet Union, Finland’s first two decades of independent existence proved to be mostly peaceful. This changed drastically on 27th August 1939, when a secret meeting between German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov resulted in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This non-aggression pact had secret protocols dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, which directly affected Finland. As part of the agreement, Germany agreed to let the Soviets occupy former territories that had belonged to the Russian Empire. By September, the Soviets were in the process of occupying the Baltic states under the pretext of defending against a possible German attack. These countries were mostly too small to offer any real resistance to the Soviet demands.
Fearing a potential war with the rapidly expanding Soviet Union, Finnish military officials sought to acquire as many weapons and as much material as possible, including aircraft. As part of this, a delegation was dispatched to Italy. This delegation visited Turin in 1939, where new G.50 fighter was being tested. The Finnish representatives were impressed with the aircraft’s performance and promptly placed an order for 35 brand-new G.50s.
In November 1939, while testing the G.50’s capabilities, Finnish pilot Tapani Harmaja took a sharp dive from an altitude of over 3.5 km, reaching a remarkable speed of 830 km/h during his descent. Ironically, this was the highest speed achieved by any Italian aircraft up to that date.
Purchasing the 35 aircraft was the easy part; transporting them to Finland proved to be a much more challenging task. By then, the Second World War had already begun in Europe with the German invasion of Poland. With limited options, the aircraft were disassembled into smaller parts and transported by train to northern Germany. From there, they were loaded onto ships bound for neutral Sweden. Due to various delays, the first aircraft was not fully assembled until mid-December 1939, and the last of the 35 ordered fighters did not arrive in Finland until June 1940.
The Fiat G.50, a Brief History
During the 1930s, the Italian Ministry of Aviation (Ministero dell’aeronautica) was interested in adopting a new, all-metal monoplane fighter and ground-attack aircraft for the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica). In April of 1935, engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli began working on a new low-wing, all-metal aircraft designated G.50. On 28th September 1935, Gabrielli submitted his project to the Ministry of Aviation. Military officials were impressed by the design and ordered him to proceed with his work. As Fiat’s production capacities were overburdened, work on this new project was instead moved to the Costruzioni Meccaniche Aeronautiche (CMASA) works at the Marina di Pisa, which had been a part of Fiat since 1931. By 1936, Giuseppe Gabrielli had completed his last drawings and the list of needed materials and equipment in.
The prototype was completed in early 1937 and was transported to the city of Turin for further testing. The prototype, under registration number MM 334, made its first test flight on 26 February 1937. Once accepted for service, the Fiat G.50 would become the first Italian all-metal monoplane fighter. Between 1938 to 1943, some 774 to 791 G. 50s would be built. These saw combat service starting from 1938 in the Spanish Civil War, until 1943 when the few surviving aircraft were reassigned to secondary roles.
In Finnish Service
While the G.50 proved to be a fairly modern fighter, they arrived too late and in too few numbers to have any real impact in the Winter War. The Soviet Union then demanded territorial concessions from Finland, particularly the lease of the Karelian Isthmus and other areas near Leningrad. The Finns were reluctant to comply, leading to unsuccessful negotiations. When diplomatic negotiations failed, the Soviet Union launched a military offensive against Finland on 30 November 1939. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the Finnish military, with their knowledge of the terrain and effective guerrilla tactics, inflicted significant casualties on the Soviet forces. The harsh winter conditions also worked to Finland’s advantage.
With the gradual arrival of the G.50, these aircraft were assigned to the Lentolaivue 26, or shortened, LeLv 26 (REng. 26th Fighter Wing). This unit was based at Haukkajärvi. Although the G.50s arrived late, they still saw significant action. Between February and March 1940, Finnish pilots flying these aircraft managed to shoot down 11 Soviet planes, losing only one of their own.
There is some disagreement among sources and authors regarding the use of the Fiat G.50 during the Winter War. According to P. Vergnano (Fiat G.50), the aircraft was deployed in this conflict. However, other authors, such as G. Cattaneo (The Fiat G.50), state that 14 aircraft reached Finland by February 1940, and were assigned to the 26th Fighter Wing, but they did not see action until after March 1940. D. Monday (The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II), simply mentions that they arrived too late to participate in the Winter War.
Despite the Finns’ valiant resistance, they were eventually forced into peace negotiations with the Soviets. The war concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Moscow on 12th March 1940. Though brief, the conflict was costly for both sides, and Finland was compelled to cede roughly 10% of its territory to the Soviet Union, including the Karelian Isthmus. Finnish military officials, however, recognized the need to prepare for future conflicts.
Camouflage And Marking
Initially, the G.50 would use camouflage of Italian origin, featuring a combination of green, brown, and sand backgrounds. In 1941, at the insistence of the Germans, the original Italian camouflage colors would remain unchanged for the Finnish planes. However, the Italian paint was prone to peeling, so ground crews used whatever was available to repair the damage. After 1942, most aircraft were repainted with Finnish camouflage colors, such as black, olive green, and light blue.
The first aircraft that arrived in Finland was designated with the code SA-1. This was later changed to FA-1 (up to FA-35) in late January 1940, with the capital ‘F’ standing for Fiat.
The standard Finnish Insignia was a Hakaristi cross, commonly referred to as a swastika, on either side of the fuselage. The Finnish Hakaristi is often conflated with the swastika used by Nazi Germany, however, the Hakaristi was not derived from the German swastika and had been used in Finland since 1918, drawing from much older cultural use. The Hakaristi markings were blue with a round shape and a white background.
Additionally, commanding fighters often had large numbers painted on their tails. The first squadron fighter leader’s aircraft had a light blue number, followed by a black number with yellow trim for the second, and a yellow number for the third. After 1942, the light blue color was replaced by a simpler white.
Continuation War
While not fully aligned with Nazi Germany, Finland did allow the Wehrmacht access to Northern Finland. Finland later signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, which was initially an anti-communist pact between Germany and Japan, with other minor nations signing throughout the war. Prior to this, relations had already been previously established, which was convenient for both nations, as Germany could stage their military in Lapland, and other areas of Finland, for Operation Barbarossa. In turn, Finland would be granted the military assistance they needed. However, this ended all support, both material and political, from the Western Allies. On the 22nd of June 1941, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union began, assisted by some Finnish forces. Three days later, the Soviets staged air raids against nearby Finnish cities, thus beginning the Continuation War. Finland never sought to gain any additional territory from the conflict, only to regain control of what was initially lost during the Winter War.
Just before the outbreak of the Continuation War, the Finns observed that the newly arrived G.50 aircraft were somewhat ill-suited for operating in the harsh Northern climate. This was not entirely unexpected, as the aircraft had been designed in Italy, a much warmer region, and the designers had not anticipated the need for the G.50 to function in colder parts of the world. In response, the Finnish Army attempted to modify the G.50 to enhance its effectiveness in these conditions.
The G.50s that the Finns received were from the first production series, which featured enclosed cockpits. This design element was not well received by Finnish pilots, leading to the replacement of the enclosed cockpits with open ones. Additionally, the aircraft’s variable-pitch propeller mechanism had a tendency to freeze in low temperatures, risking critical component failure. To address this issue, the Finns turned to Sweden for assistance, importing Swedish propeller spinners that were better suited for cold climates. These spinners were originally used on Swedish-imported CR.42 and J11 biplanes, which had faced similar issues.
Further modifications included replacing the original G.50 fins and rudders with improved versions. Finnish engineers also experimented with the installation of landing skis for use in snowy conditions.
When the war resumed, the 26th Fighter Wing, stationed at an airfield near Utti, was tasked with defending the area around Lake Ladoga, where they saw the bulk of their action. From the outset, Finnish pilots operating the G.50 achieved remarkable success. On the first day of the conflict, the six G.50s managed to shoot down ten Soviet bombers without suffering any losses. One pilot, Oiva Tuominen, alone shot down four of these bombers within a matter of minutes. Tuominen would go on to become one of Finland’s top fighter aces, credited with a total of 23 air victories (though some sources claim 33 or even 43), with around 15 of these achieved while flying the G.50. For his service, he was awarded the Mannerheim Cross, Finland’s highest military decoration at the time. In 1941, following the German invasion, the number of Soviet aircraft on this front sharply declined.
In late August 1941, they successfully shot down nine Soviet fighters. By the end of the war, pilots of the 26th Fighter Wing had achieved approximately 88 air victories, with the loss of 11 G.50 aircraft. Of these, only two were downed by Soviet fighters, one was lost to anti-aircraft fire, and eight were lost due to accidents or mechanical failures.
By 1943, the introduction of newer Soviet fighter models and better-trained pilots forced the Finnish Air Force primarily into a defensive role. At this point, the G.50 was clearly obsolete as a frontline fighter, but due to a lack of alternatives, it remained in service until 1944. After May 1944, the surviving aircraft were withdrawn and relegated to secondary roles, such as training. However, by the end of the war, several operational G.50 fighters remained in use, with some continuing to serve until 1947.
Technical characteristics
The G.50 was a single-seat, low-wing, all-metal fighter plane. The fuselage was made from four angular longerons. The wing construction consisted of a center section which was made of a steel tube connected to the lower fuselage and two metal spars connected with ribs. The fuselage, wing, and tail were covered with duralumin sheets. The only fabric-covered parts of the aircraft were the movable control surfaces in the wings and the tail. The G.50 was powered by the 840 hp (626 kW) Fiat A 74 RC 38, a 14-cylinder radial piston engine, which drove an all-metal three-blade propeller produced by Fiat.
The G.50 was equipped, like most modern aircraft of the time, with inward retracting landing gear, but the rear tail wheel was fixed. In later improved versions, the rear tail wheel was changed to a retractable type as well.
The armament consisted of two forward-firing 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns, with 150 rounds of ammunition for each gun. The guns were placed behind the upper engine cowl and were synchronized in order not to damage the propeller.
In Finnish service, these aircraft received several modifications as mentioned earlier. This included an open pilot cockpit, enlarged tail control surfaces, and propeller spinners which protected the variable pitch mechanism from the cold climate.
Conclusion
The acquisition of the Fiat G.50 provided Finnish pilots with a more modern fighter aircraft. While the design was not exceptional from the start, the Finns managed to put it to good use, achieving relatively good success against the Soviet Air Force. The G.50 remained in service well into the later stages of the war.
| Specification G.50 Fighter | |
| Wingspan | 35 ft 11 in / 10.9 m |
| Length | 26 ft 3 in / 8 m |
| Height | 10 ft 7 in / 3.28 m |
| Wing Area | 196.5 ft² / 18.25 m² |
| Engine | One 840 hp (626 kW) Fiat A.74 RC.38, 14 cylinder radial piston |
| Empty Weight | 4,353 lbs / 1,975 kg |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight | 5,324 lbs / 2,415 kg |
| Fuel Capacity | 316 l |
| Maximum Speed | 292 mph / 470 km/h |
| Range | 267 mi / 445 km |
| Maximum Service Ceiling | 35,100 ft (10,700 m) |
| Climb speed | Climb to 19,700 ft (6,000 m) in 7 minutes and 30 seconds |
| Crew | One pilot |
| Armament |
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Illustration
Credits
- Article written by Marko P.
- Edited by Henry H.
- Illustration by Haryo Panji
Sources
- V. Nenye (2016) Finland At War The Continuation And Lapland Wars 1941-45, Osprey Publishing
- V. Nenye (2015) Finland At War The Winter War, Osprey Publishing
- P. Jowett and B. Snodgrass (2006) Finland At War 1939-45, Osprey Publishing
- D. Nesic (2008) Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Italija. Beograd
- C. Shores (1979) Regia Aeronautica Vol. I, Signal publication.
- D. Monday (2006) The Hamlyn Concise Guide To Axis Aircraft OF World War II, Bounty Books.
- V. Nenye (2016) Finland At War The Continuation And Lapland Wars 1941-45, Osprey Publishing
- V. Nenye (2015) Finland At War The Winter War, Osprey Publishing
- P. Jowett and B. Snodgrass (2006) Finland At War 1939-45, Osprey Publishing
- P. Verganano (1997) Fiat G.50, La Bancarella Aeronautica
- A, Brioschi (2000) I Colori Del Fiat G.50, La Bancarella Aeronautica
- G. Cattaneo The Fiat G.50, Profile Publication