Lentolaivue 24 (Osprey Aviation Elite 4) [Paperback]

Kari Stenman (Author), John Weal (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aviation Elite Units | Publication Date: June 25, 2001

Finland's premier fighter squadron during World War 2, Lentolaivue 24 (Flying Squadron 24) first saw action during the bloody Winter War of 1939-40, when the Soviet Red Army launched a surprise attack on the small Scandinavian country - the squadron enjoyed great success against numerically superior opposition. LLv 24 was once again in the thick of the action following the outbreak of the Continuation War in June 1941. Easily the air force's most successful fighter unit, LLv 24 claimed 877 kills, and its pilots won five direct and two indirect Mannerheim Crosses (Finland¹s highest military award) out of a total of 19 presented to all Finnish soldiers. Most top aces also scored the bulk of their kills flying with this unit.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Looking at elite fighter and bomber units in action, these books draw on profile artworks, black and white photographs, fully detailed appendices and breathtaking first hand accounts.

About the Author

Kari Stenman is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable authority on the Finnish Air Force in World War 2, having written over a dozen books on the subject since the late 1960s. The co-author of the successful Aircraft of the Aces volume on Finnish fighter pilots, he runs his own publishing company in Finland. Kalevi Keskinnen is an expert on Finnish aviation of World War 2. He works full time as an aviation author and lives in Finland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; First edition (June 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841762628
• ISBN-13: 978-1841762623
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,715,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > History > Europe > Finland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars must reading for Buffalo buffs, July 18, 2001

By 

Daniel Ford (at danford dot net) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lentolaivue 24 (Osprey Aviation Elite 4) (Paperback)

This new entry in the Osprey series of military-aviation books is of special interest to fans of the infamous Brewster Buffalo, which fared so poorly in the hands of Allied pilots, but which the Finns used to tear great holes in the Russian air force. All the admirable Osprey touches: nice cover action painting, color side-views inside (of Fokkers and Messerschmitts as well as Brewsters), and hundreds of photos of men and planes at the front. The text is tough slogging on a first reading, especially for those who don't know something about the Continuation War, as the Finns called their second bout with the Soviet Union.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Osprey Book!, October 20, 2007

By 

Mishka "VVS Fan" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lentolaivue 24 (Osprey Aviation Elite 4) (Paperback)

Being a VVS fan and having nearly all books on the subject that Osprey publishes, I have branched out to other books which may touch on Soviet encounters during the Great Patriotic War. This book is a perfect addition to my library and longer than the "Aces" series at 128 pages. I like the authors histories which provide a brief and concise picture of the Finnish political and military situation during this period. Not enough to write a dissertation but enough to not get glassy eyed! Of particular surprise for me was the lack of airplanes the Finns had at the beginning of the war and the extraodinary airmanship which saw only 29 pilots killed over the course of the war after claiming 877 victories (according to the authors)! I particularly liked the pilot stories and Soviet pictures and comments, some facts being new to this reader of VVS. The book has a lot of coverage on the D.XXI and B-239 (and other older types such as the Gloster Gamecock and Moth!) and starting on page 93(after 40 color plates and 4 emblem depictions of aircraft and squadrons)the book details the Soviet Offensive and primarily Bf109 ops. Also provided is a most welcome map of the region that shows bases so you can actually see where they are talking about in the text, bravo! A MUST have for Buffalo modelling fans as there are several interesting camouflages and actual top 3/4 view photos perfect for accurate modelling of the Finn planes; who knew they flew the Buff in silver dope until 1941 before finally camouflaging them!.. The Finns actually coated their planes in winter whitewash made of chalk and glue! Excellent book, so interesting and most pictures are sharp and clear and depict varied scenes of interest. Highly recommended even for VVS fans-some pics I've never seen! Buy it and read it. You will be amazed by the Finns tenacity!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finlands Top Fighter Squadron in WW2, December 27, 2007

By 

Kiwi (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lentolaivue 24 (Osprey Aviation Elite 4) (Paperback)

This book is a MUST if you are interested in the air war component of the Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40 and the subsequent Continuation War (known to the rest of us as WW2). Like all Osprey Books, its heavy on the pictures and adequate on the text - and at 128 pages overall in a large format, theres plenty of content. And the pictures are superb as always - approx. 136 B&W photos and 11 pages of colour plates as well as a beautiful color painting on the cover. The authors and illustrator have done a superb job with this one. Theres also a very good map of Finland with all the airbases marked - this really helped me as I could refer back to it while reading to find out where the bases were as they were mentioned/

Lentolaivue 24 started the Winter War flying Fokker XX1s, transitioned to Brewster Buffaloes, which they put to extremely good use in the Continuation War, and subsequently flew Me109s as the war came to a crescendo. The colour plates and photos cover these aircraft in detail as well as a number of other aircraft involved in the fighting, including a number of Soviet and German types. The text is good, but focuses heavily on the squadron actions and assumes some knowledge of the War itself. The ratio of 877 kills to 29 pilots lost over the course of the war speaks for the quality, skill and training of the Finnish Pilots - I doubt theres any other fighter squadron in WW2 that could match that.

Read this book in conjunction with Fighter Over Finland by Eino Luukkanen, a pilot in the squadron and Finlands 3rd ranking ace of the Wars, as well as Ospreys Finnish Aces of Word War 2. Each book complements the other. If you want a book to flesh out your knowledge of the war in general, read Trotters A Frozen Hell. A real eye-opener.

Table of Contents
Chapter One - Humble Beginnings
Chapter Two - Winter War
Chapter Three - Finnish Offensive
Chapter Four - Stationary War
Chapter Five - Soviet Offensive
Appendices

And an incidental note, Lentolivue 24 is still in existence within the Finnish Airforce and now flies Hornets.