Hans Wind
Encyclopedia
Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind (30 July 1919, Ekenäs
- 24 July 1995, Tampere
) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish
fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II
with 75 confirmed air combat victories.
Wind started his pilot career in 1938 by volunteering to join a pilot training course. He was a reserve officer in the Winter War
1939-1940 but didn't fly due to a lack of available planes. He finished his officer examination in the summer of 1941, and after that he participated in the Continuation War
in fighter squadron 24.
He flew a Brewster B239 (the export version of the Brewster Buffalo
) from 1941–1943 and then a German Messerschmitt Bf 109
from 1943-1944. Hans Wind is considered one of the most skillful aerial tacticians in the Finnish Air Force
, also being responsible for writing the combat manual for the Brewster after analyzing the Battle of Midway
in 1942.
Wind was awarded his first Mannerheim Cross
on 31 July 1943 and his second on 28 June 1944. He was promoted to captain on 19 October 1943 when he was only 24 years old.
Over the summer of 1944 Wind shot down 30 enemy airplanes in 12 days and in doing so obtained "ace in a day" status five times. He was seriously wounded in an aerial battle against a much larger squadron on 28 July 1944. He still managed to fly and land at an airfield even though his plane had been seriously damaged during the attack.
Wind recovered from his wounds but never flew a combat mission again.
He left the Finnish Air Force
in 1945 and worked in business until his retirement.
Ekenäs
Ekenäs is a former town and municipality of Finland comprising the former municipalities Snappertuna and Tenala together with the town of Ekenäs. It was merged with Pohja and Karis to form the new municipality of Raseborg on January 1, 2009....
- 24 July 1995, Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with 75 confirmed air combat victories.
Wind started his pilot career in 1938 by volunteering to join a pilot training course. He was a reserve officer in 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...
1939-1940 but didn't fly due to a lack of available planes. He finished his officer examination in the summer of 1941, and after that he participated in 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...
in fighter squadron 24.
He flew a Brewster B239 (the export version of the Brewster Buffalo
Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo was an American fighter aircraft which saw limited service early in World War II. Though the Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the US Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft, it turned out to be a big disappointment...
) from 1941–1943 and then a German Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
from 1943-1944. Hans Wind is considered one of the most skillful aerial tacticians in the Finnish Air Force
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...
, also being responsible for writing the combat manual for the Brewster after analyzing the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
in 1942.
Wind was awarded his first Mannerheim Cross
Mannerheim Cross
The Mannerheim Cross of Liberty is the highest Finnish military decoration. The medal was introduced after the Winter War and named after Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim...
on 31 July 1943 and his second on 28 June 1944. He was promoted to captain on 19 October 1943 when he was only 24 years old.
Over the summer of 1944 Wind shot down 30 enemy airplanes in 12 days and in doing so obtained "ace in a day" status five times. He was seriously wounded in an aerial battle against a much larger squadron on 28 July 1944. He still managed to fly and land at an airfield even though his plane had been seriously damaged during the attack.
Wind recovered from his wounds but never flew a combat mission again.
He left the Finnish Air Force
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...
in 1945 and worked in business until his retirement.
Victories
| Aircraft | Victories |
|---|---|
| Brewster B239 | 39 |
| Messerschmitt Bf 109 Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s... G |
36 |
| Total | 75 |