Flying Regiment 19, Finnish Air Force

Flight Regiment 19, Finnish Air Force
Active 10 January 1940 - 13 March 1940
Country Finland
Branch Finnish Air Force
Role fighter/attack
Engagements Winter War

The Flight Regiment 19 (Swedish: Flygflottilj 19, Finnish: Lentorykmentti 19 or LentoR 19), also known as the Swedish Voluntary Air Force or F 19 was a Finnish Air Force unit, manned by Swedish volunteers, which operated from Kemi in northern Finland for the last 62 days of the Winter War. The aircraft also came from the Swedish Air Force inventory. Its designation number was taken from the Swedish Air Force which had 18 flying regiments at the time. The designation F 19, have not been used in Sweden. When new regiments were formed they were named F 20, F 21 and F 22.

The unit made a significant contribution to the defense of Finnish Lapland, from January 7, 1940, with 12 Gloster Gladiator II fighters,[1] five Hawker Hart bombers, and eight other planes, amounting to a third of the Swedish Air Force of that time. In total, the unit destroyed twelve Soviet aircraft (eight in the air, four on the ground), and lost a total of six planes; two to enemy action and four to accidents. Three of its pilots were killed and two more were captured by Soviet forces. The captives were returned to Sweden five months after the end of the war.

Contents

Organization

The unit was equipped with 12 Gloster Gladiator Mk. Is, four Hawker Hart Mk. Is, one Raab-Katzenstein RK-26, one Waco ZQC-6, and one Junkers F 13kä.

Victories

Victories claimed while flying Gloster Gladiator
Name Air force Victories Notes
Per-Johan Salwén Finnish Air Force 3 F 19
Einar Theler Finnish Air Force 2 F 19
Ian Iacobi Finnish Air Force 1 F 19
Gideon Karlsson Finnish Air Force 1 F 19
Roland Martin Finnish Air Force 1 F 19

[2][3]

The F 19 unit destroyed 12 enemy aircraft, and lost three Hawker Harts and three Gloster Gladiators due to various incidents, however, only one of these, a Gladiator, was lost in an air battle.

External links

References

  1. ^ Avrosys.nu: J 8 - Gloster Gladiator (1937-1947)
  2. ^ Falk, Greger: F19:n - en krönika; Flyghistorisk Revy nummer 33, Svensk Flyghistorisk Förening, Stockholm, Sweden. c. 1989-1990
  3. ^ Geust, Carl-Fredrik: F19; Ikaros - Flygvapenmusei Årsbok 1997, Flygvapenmuseum, Linköping, Sweden 1997
Flying Regiments
(Historical)
Squadrons

No. 1 Sqn • No. 4 Sqn • No. 6 Sqn • No. 10 Sqn • No. 11 Sqn • No. 12 Sqn • No. 13 Sqn • No. 14 Sqn • No. 16 Sqn • No. 17 Sqn • No. 20 Sqn • No. 21 Sqn • No. 22 Sqn • No. 24 Sqn • No. 25 Sqn • No. 26 Sqn • No. 28 Sqn • No. 29 Sqn • No. 30 Sqn • No. 31 Sqn • No. 32 Sqn • No. 33 Sqn • No. 34 Sqn • No. 35 Sqn • No. 36 Sqn • No. 38 Sqn • No. 39 Sqn • No. 40 Sqn • No. 41 Sqn • No. 42 Sqn • No. 43 Sqn • No. 44 Sqn • No. 45 Sqn • No. 46 Sqn • No. 48 Sqn • Flight Depot 1 • Flight Depot 2 • Test Flight Sqn • Test Sqn
Current Wings
Current Schools

Air Force Academy • Training Air Wing • Aircraft and Weapon Systems Training Wing
Current direct reporting units

C4IS Material Command • Air Material Command • Finnish Intelligence Research Establishment