Flight Orders, 2./8525 16DEC42

[Ron Bleac]

Some facts and numbers about the Finnish Air Force, past and present:

Qualitas Potentia Nostra

Quality is our Strength

The Finnish Air Force is the only military unit in the world to still use the Swastika.

Peacetime strenght: 3,100 personnel.

Wartime strenght: 31,800 personnel.

Current combat aircraft inventory:

McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet, purchased from the United States. (62)

BAE Hawk, purchased from the United Kingdom. (65)

The Finnish Air Force, during the Continuation War, shot down over 1600 Soviet planes while losing 210 of their own. During wartime, the Finnish Air Force operated with the Brewster B239 "Buffalo", a US fighter that was unsuccesful in other theaters. It proved to be very useful, sturdy and lethal in Finnish weather conditions. The Brewster in hands of the Finnish air force is credited with 459 kills while losing only 15. A kill to loss ratio of 32:1. The Brewster was replaced with the German BF-109 of multiple types towards 1943. The Buffalo continued to serve honorably to the end of the war.

The list of Finnish "top kill" Aces:

Ilmari Juutilainen, 94 kills

Hans Wind , 75 kills

Eino Luukkanen, 56 kills

Urho Lehtovaara, 44 kills

Oiva Tuominen, 44 kills

Olli Puhakka, 42 kills

Olavi Puro, 36 kills

Nils Katajainen, 35 kills

Lauri Nissinen, 32 kills

Kyösti Karhila, 32 kills

Jorma Karhunen, 31 kills

Emil Vesa, 30 kills

At the end of the Second World War, because the Allies were massive douchecunts, Finland could only have the following:

* No more than 60 combat aircraft

* No aircraft with internal bomb bays

* No guided missiles or atomic weapons

* No weaponry of German construction or with German parts

* A personnel of maximum 3,000 persons

* No offensive weapons

An order pertaining to the use of interceptor fighters, the execution of their mission and their communication.

2./8525 SECRET 16.12.1942

3 EK/EK

An order pertaining to the use of interceptor fighters, the execution of their mission and their communication.

- Day time operations to be performed with FA-planes, night time operations with HC-planes.

- The air field will obey normal operational protocol, except in emergency situations in which military aircraft take presedence over all other traffic on the field.

- Takeoff will take place from parking position, from runway 8. with landing on either 4. or 8. runways, unless special circumstances necessitate landing on other runways.

- Each flight must have their radio set to "listen only" and command + command position flights and give necessary orders for takeoff or landing in special cases.

- All pilots must have knowledge of the airfield, its run and taxi-way condition, so that structural damage to a plane is avoided. Taxi-ing must be performed carefully.

- After landing, a pilot must maneuver his aircraft to the left side of the runway and stay on that route until an exit-gate. (In winter conditions along the Western side of Runway 6. and 4.)

Air Guardsmen and their duties:

a. Guardsman supervisor:

(The senior most guardsman in the watch.)

- Must take care of uncovering and rolling the planes out of their covers during early morning hours, in favourable flight weather. Two planes will be placed on immediate combat standby, in full combat condition. Other planes will be test run and placed in front of the hangars, from which they will be rolled to the immediate combat standby position after morning tea.

- Is responsible for test running of the radios immediately in the morning (preferrably the past night!), communication lines to the command point are in tact, planes fully war worthy, with emergency crew in place and a.m. in gear. Checks airfield and runway condition and reports it to his superiors.

b. Mechanic on standby:

- Rolls out all planes in early morning hours and takes care, that all planes are war worthy and that all equipment is brought to the immediate combat standby point and that all pressure, and oxygen containers are full.

- Assures that all planes are given immediate maintenance after a flight.

- Ensures that all planes are warm in all conditions.

- Brings the planes back into hangar and standby points after cessation of service and informs the head of the technical team of any and all malfunctions.

c. Phoneline operator:

- Receives all telecommunications and brings them to the attention of his superiors.

- Assures that the watch tent is warm, that it is warm in the beginning of service, cleans the tent if necessary, and acquires fuel for the fireplace for the next day.

- Fetches the watch crew their morning tea.

d. Weapons NCO:

- Ensures that all weapons on all planes are fully functional and war worthy.

e. Radio mechanic:

- Checks all radios in the morning or after landing and completes all required repairs or replacement operations.

b. Fuel and lubricant storage:

- Takes care of flight fuel and lubricant dispenser facility resupply and spare oil preparation.

c. Combat alert plane pilot(s):

- Is responsible for his full combat equipment (high altitude flights), their planes war worthiness, rolls the plane to the standby point and the hangar and takes their parachute to the warming facility. Must be aware of airfield and runway condition.

- When surrendering his plane to another pilot, explains the mechanical properties or specialties of his plane.

d. Technical plane combat emergency crew:

- Responsible for the war worthiness of their plane and equipment, oxygen containers, engine warming and their night flight properties.

e. Technical team lead:

- Leads flight technical service and crew. Assures that oxygen tanks, batteries and equipment are in constant resupply, along with their recharge and repair.

f. Command point watchman:

- Leads flight attack according to special instruction and supervises the completion of missions by personnel, so that there are no mistakes. As his assistant during combat situations, he has the radio-signalsman.

Watch is exchanged daily at 11.30 after the next shift has dined, at which point the new watch will receive their duty post.

Watch is ordered at the command point, except standby planes and their technical crew along with the tech.crwlead. Night watch will be given in special orders.

Command point watchman duties:

Day time activity.

1. Assures that all planes depart for their emergency points and that they have been given pilots and other personnel.

2. Is assured that phone connection to IVAK, combat mission command, emergency tent and watchroom are in proper condition, that the loudspeaker is working and assures that all planes have had their radios tested.

3. Works as the phone watchman at the command point and is responsible for all minor flight duties, such as mail call, distribution of news papers, announcements of late diners, so forth.

4. Receives IVAK messages, after which immediately alerts the tent, radio signals man, flight leader or senior officer and other necessary personnel and leads flight combat activity.

5. Marks all i.v messages and plane flights and departures into the logbook and gives the radio signals man orders for the planes to guide them to the likely route of enemy attack.

6. Assures that the engine-start logbook is kept well.

7. In plane damage incidents, report to flight control, phone # 201 or 204.

Night activity.

1. Assures that all night standby planes and emergency crew are at their standby points.

2. Must contact flight control in regards to organisation of runway lights. When the runway has been cleared, takes care that, that the runway edge lights (the white pretty ones) are on the left side of the runway edge 50 meters from eachother. Each torch must be maintained by a man who has been given precise orders and direction in regards to their operation and maintenance. This is important.

3. Be assured that both flight control and the emergency point (in this case landing runway = 8. track) has necessary flares and lightpistols.

4. Take care of watch duty personnel food supply.

5. During flights perform according to special instruction in co-ordination with defense command and IVAK.

6. After flights have ended, that everything is in flight condition and that personnel reach their quarters.

Execution of combat flights.

Day time.:

First emergency situation with 2 planes. Others on standby and when PE-plane comes, scramble and all take-off.

If lone enemy plane approaches Suursaari-Kotka line, scramble all fighters.

Mission currently to fly to point A, at the Söderskar region at 6000 meters of altitude, because location and altitude likely site of enemy approach, which they have always come through.

All planes leave as fast as they can and take-off one by one and accomplish mission according to this. Thus a plane is at each altitude and they can comb an area better, as if when they flew in patrol, which is slower.

First emergency orders to emergency tent by phone and after which planes receive orders through radio contact. Audio has become significantly better at operation area, but connection to ground still extremely unstable. This will be fixed soon.

All planes will be given constant communication in regards to enemy location and all planes will try to intercept. As long as air watch can report enemy location and own plane location all planes will be given information.

If enemy plane course changes from Söderskar direction, information given immediately and fighters divert.

Planes MUST NOT cross counter-attack area, but they must remain outside of it during search. If own planes detect enemy plane, it gives alert to ground crew and other planes and then it can tail the enemy plane inside the counter attack area, if he is in firing range. In other cases you must remain outside and kill the enemy once he exits target area.

If AA fires on friendly aircraft, notify immediately by radio and ownplane signal.

On patrol planes fly in a south-Northernly direction, so that ground crew can determine enemy from flight direction.

When leaving attack point, planes must descend and fly to the coast at Östersundom bay point to the continent at an altitude of approx. 1000 m.

Landing must be swift, at which point taxi to West side of Runway.

Radio-control happens through acronyms which will be discussed later.

Agreed acronyms, location names and such.

So that we avoid unnecessary conversation and expediate radio communication, follow the therefore agreed marks, acronyms etc.

Groundpoint……………..Veka

Planes………………….Enska

Altitudes with numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6, meaning kilometers. (1000 meters)

Geographical locations or Aarne-Bertta-Celsius-David-Eemeli-, it is an order to move to that area. By saying Aarne, you go to Söderskär and by declaring Aarne 5, you go to Söderskar at 5000 meters.

Location names are familiar acronyms or civilian language: Stadi, Pesä, Santa, Lautta, Eesti, Söder, Iso, Pirtti, Kytö, Porkka, Harmaa, Viro (The Jumida strait east of Porvoo near Estonia), Pelli, Öster, Sippo, Poro, Liisa, Kotka, Digs, Suur, Luppi, Haapa, Tytär, Lava.

Directions: pohja-kolli-itä-kaakko-etelä-louna-länsi-luoti. Special directions: meri-ranta-keski.

Clouds: under or above = below-above

Land immediately: Uuu, uuu, uuu, uuu, uuu,

Callsigns: Enska, Lasse, Lasse, Hele, Kalkki, Tero, Olli, Mietti, Natri, Metso, Aalto, Suti, Juri, Siro.

Examples: "Attention Metso Aarne 6". "Attention Enska Eesti 5, pig from direction". "Attention Suti Pesä uuu uuu uuu". "Attention Enskat pig in direction Pirtti 5".

In addition to which in regards to navigation use clear and common language.

2./8525:n commander, Captain Ensio Kivinen

Dispension:

2./8525

Taltio

8525 (for information)

Posted here because IT'S SO COOL.

[Jeffery Worbridge]

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