Urho Lehtovaara

Urho Lehtovaara
Nickname "Pikku-Jätti" (Little Giant)
Born 27 October 1917
Pyhäjärvi
Died 5 January 1949
Suomusjärvi
Allegiance Finland
Service/branch Finnish Air Force
Years of service 1937–1946
Rank Warrant Officer
Unit LeLv 26, LeLv 28, LeLv 34
Battles/wars

World War II
Awards Mannerheim Cross
Other work Cinema owner

Urho Sakari Lehtovaara was born on 27 October 1917 in Pyhäjärvi, northern Finland and died on 5 January 1949. He was to become one of the top scoring Finnish Air Force aces and he was awarded the Mannerheim Cross on 9 July 1944.

Lehtovaara would eventually fly over 400 missions, scoring 44½ victories with Morane-Saulnier M.S.406s and Messerschmitt Bf 109s.[1] He retired from the Finnish Air Force in 1946 and started to run his own cinema.

Lehtovaara died in very sinister conditions. He had been arrested by Valpo and interrogated of the Weapons Cache Case. He attacked one of his interrogators, grabbed his pistol and committed suicide so that his interrogators would get no information of him.

Contents

Victories

Aircraft Victories
Morane-Saulnier MS.406 15
Messerschmitt Bf 109G 29.5
Total 44.5

References

Notes

  1. ^ Keskinen 1978, p. 16-19.

Bibliography

  • Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. Hävittäjä-ässät (Finnish Fighter Aces) (in Finnish). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1978. ISBN 951-9035-37-0.
  • Stenman, Kari and Keskinen, Kalevi. Finnish Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces 23). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-85532-783-X.

External links

 
Finnish World War II Aces with over 40 air victories

Ilmari Juutilainen | Hans Wind | Eino Luukkanen | Urho Lehtovaara | Oiva Tuominen | Olli Puhakka