Flying Regiment 4, Finnish Air Force
Encyclopedia
Flying Regiment 4 was a bomber aircraft regiment of the Finnish Air Force
. The regiment was formed on January 1, 1938 and was active during the Winter War
, the Continuation War
, and the Lapland War
. During the Winter War, the unit flew 423 war missions, of which 22 were strategic and photo reconnaissance flights with its Bristol Blenheim
Mk.Is. 18 aircraft and 21 crew members were lost.
During the Continuation War the regiment was re-equipped with new Bristol Blenheims Mk.IVs, German Dornier Do 17Zs
, Junkers Ju 88
s, and Russian Ilyushin DB-3
s, and Tupolev SB
s. The unit could now mount some 50 aircraft in their largest raids. More than 4,000 missions were flown during the Continuation War. 65 aircraft and 165 crew members were lost.
During the Lapland War
LeR 4 flew 462 missions against the Germans, losing 7 aircraft and 16 crew members.
After World War II, the regiment and its squadrons were re-organized and the new squadrons were renamed No. 41, No. 43, and No. 45 Squadrons.
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
. The regiment was formed on January 1, 1938 and was active during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, and the Lapland War
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...
. During the Winter War, the unit flew 423 war missions, of which 22 were strategic and photo reconnaissance flights with its Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
Mk.Is. 18 aircraft and 21 crew members were lost.
During the Continuation War the regiment was re-equipped with new Bristol Blenheims Mk.IVs, German Dornier Do 17Zs
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
, Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
s, and Russian Ilyushin DB-3
Ilyushin DB-3
The Ilyushin DB-3 was a Soviet bomber aircraft of World War II. It was a twin-engined, low-wing monoplane that first flew in 1935. It was the precursor of the Ilyushin Il-4...
s, and Tupolev SB
Tupolev SB
The Tupolev ANT-40, also known by its service name Tupolev SB , and development co-name TsAGI-40, was a high speed twin-engined three-seat monoplane bomber, first flown in 1934....
s. The unit could now mount some 50 aircraft in their largest raids. More than 4,000 missions were flown during the Continuation War. 65 aircraft and 165 crew members were lost.
During the Lapland War
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...
LeR 4 flew 462 missions against the Germans, losing 7 aircraft and 16 crew members.
Winter War
- No. 42 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 44 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 46 SquadronNo. 46 Squadron, Finnish Air ForceNo. 46 Squadron , renamed No. 46 Bomber Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 4.-Winter War:...
: bomber squadron
Continuation War
- No. 42 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 44 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 46 SquadronNo. 46 Squadron, Finnish Air ForceNo. 46 Squadron , renamed No. 46 Bomber Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 4.-Winter War:...
: bomber squadron - No. 48 SquadronNo. 48 Squadron, Finnish Air ForceNo. 48 Squadron , renamed No. 48 Bomber Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 4.-Continuation War:...
: bomber squadron
Lapland War
- No. 42 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 44 Squadron: bomber squadron
- No. 46 SquadronNo. 46 Squadron, Finnish Air ForceNo. 46 Squadron , renamed No. 46 Bomber Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 4.-Winter War:...
: bomber squadron - No. 48 SquadronNo. 48 Squadron, Finnish Air ForceNo. 48 Squadron , renamed No. 48 Bomber Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 4.-Continuation War:...
: bomber squadron
After World War II, the regiment and its squadrons were re-organized and the new squadrons were renamed No. 41, No. 43, and No. 45 Squadrons.
Aircraft
- Junkers Ju 88 A-4
- Dornier Do 17Dornier Do 17The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
- Bristol Blenheim I
- Bristol Blenheim IV
- Petlyakov Pe-2Petlyakov Pe-2The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter...
- Ilyushin DB-3M
- Ilyushin Il-4Ilyushin Il-4|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume 2: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2006. ISBN 1-85780-084-2...
- Avro AnsonAvro AnsonThe Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
Sources
- Keskinen, Kalevi and Stenman, Kari: Finnish Air Force 1939-1945, Squadron/Signal publications, Carrolton, Texas, 1998, ISBN 0-89747-387-6