The Airplane Russia Never Expected to See

In the chilling winter of 1941, Hans Wind, a rising star among Finnish pilots, and his squadron, found themselves in a desperate struggle near Kronstad. Outgunned and outnumbered, with their six Brewster Buffalos facing a force of over 60 Soviet aircraft, they stood ready to defend their homeland against the encroaching threat.
Amidst the turmoil of war, the Finnish Air Force's recent acquisition of brand-new American Brewster Buffalo monoplane fighters became a beacon of hope. These aircraft, equipped with four powerful Browning machine guns and boasting a new monoplane wing design, arrived just as Finland was thrust into the fray alongside the Axis powers, locked in combat with the mighty Soviet Union.
With their backs against the wall, Hans Wind and his squadron resorted to the innovative "parvi" or swarm tactic. Two Buffalos took the risk of flying lower as bait, while their comrades positioned above prepared to swoop down on the enemy interceptors. It was a daring strategy, a last-ditch effort to outmaneuver the Soviet onslaught and secure a fighting chance for survival...
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@roykliffen9674]

Often planes that are considered "bad designs" often have become the scapegoat for sub-par performances of pilots and/or tacticians.

[@craigd1275]

Just like the M16 with a small caliber bullet.

[@Irobert1115HD]

the buffalo was more of a goofed up design. like the P47 wich turned out to be not the best fighter but a top notch ground attacker due to its unique design of being probably the only plane in history that was build around its exhaust.

[@colonial6452]

The Buffalo was the first of its type and met all of its performance specs. No fault of the airplane, but it is tough being the first.

[@user-McGiver]

Buffalo Wings!... now it makes sense... lol

[@RobertNowagarski]

Nice

[@bradwilliams1691]

This should really spice things up.

[@patrickporter1864]

The Finns removed anything that they considered unnecessary from the air frame. The navy and the British did not. Also the Finns trained their pilots in how to use the fighter the British did not and neither did the navy. The Finns were not up against anything like the zero in what was by 1942 an absolute plane.

[@Dadecorban]

it sounds like the Finns received minimized aircraft and added armor

[@peabase]

That's not it. The Finnish Brewsters were lighter Model 239s, while the infamous one that saw combat with the Americans, Brits and the Dutch was the Model 339 or 439. The Finns actually didn't remove anything -- that was the Brewster factory's doing, which stripped even the instruments. It came as a rude surprise to the Finns. Everything missing was replaced, of course, except for the tailhook, which was obviously surplus to requirements. Actually, the Finnish Brewsters were uparmed, too, by replacing the sole .30 machine gun with a .50 heavy one.

[@Jason-fm4my]

@@peabaseA pair of fifty cal doesn't seem like much, but it could likely make short work of a Polikarpov.

[@peabase]

@@Jason-fm4my It was three .50s and one .30, which then became four .50s. One famous Brewster pilot, Lauri Pekuri, caught a broadside from a Soviet Hurricane fitted with 12(!) .303 machine guns. It cracked his seat armour, but he survived. It's funny when "experts" expertly comment that Finnish Brewsters lacked armour.

[@jacktattis]

The British did not need it they had the Hurricane Finland did not

[@kudukilla]

Mainly because of the Finns, the Buffalo had the best kill to loss ratio of the war.

[@poil8351]

They used other obselete aircraft very well as well.

[@user-qw6zj5ix9k]

KD of 10000000 to 1?

[@rexfrommn3316]

The Brewster Buffalo first flew in late late 1937. It was the first monoplane fighter deployed by the US Navy. This warplane was getting dated by the time WW2 started for the U.S. in December, 1941. Yet, in European theater it was still relevant in 1939 for countries like Finland. Well trained pilots could still keep this warplane useful in combat. Plus, the Finns stripped all excess weight out of the aircraft increasing its performance. This period of the late 1930's saw aircraft technology rapidly changing. Countries rapidly transitioned from biplanes with more powerful engines, to turbocharged monoplanes, to jet engine prototypes all within about a decades time frame. So we have to be careful about calling the Brewster Buffalo a poor warplane. The Brewster Buffalo was a decent fighter plane in 1938. However, by the time of the battle of Midway in June, 1942, the Brewster Buffalo was outclassed by most other fighter planes. It is an observation about how quickly military aviation technologies can change during wartime.

[@jonwalker3151]

🫵👍

[@DarksideDave42]

Also a huge difference in the level of pilot experience at Midway ....

[@theengine8]

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Finns were fighting for their country against an evil, brutal invader.

[@lancerevell5979]

My favorite line from a movie..... "It's the man, not the machine!" 😊

[@haroldbrown1998]

RIGHT ON.

[@bradwilliams1691]

​@@lancerevell5979 The Right Stuff - what a brilliant movie.

[@samjohnson9894]

That was a confusing aspect of the video. So the Finns were fighting for Germany, against Russia? Hence the swastika on the plane. But then they switched at some point? I always thought they were Allied members. I do recall some lackadaisical response to Finland from the Allies in the beginning tho.

[@Matias-dr3ys]

​@@samjohnson9894finland was fighting for their independence against russia. Western allies had promised aid but it nevet came so germany was the only one that helped, finland never agreed with the nazi ideology though. Unfortunately 6 jews were sent to germany though. You should also remember that in molotov ribbentropp pact they decided that soviets would have finland.

[@agrippa1234]

snuck in the early Wildcat image amongst the herd of prototype Buffalos

[@kudukilla]

Par for the course on any of the Dark videos

[@davidmills817]

There are two Hollywood movies with Buffalo in short scenes. But generally films are rare.

[@agrippa1234]

@@davidmills817 that makes sense, "Wake Island?"

[@markotark]

Just started this vid and was reminded hearing years ago that Hans Wind was working as my grandmothers boss at a textile plant after the war.

[@abrahamedelstein4806]

Can I just say Hans Wind is such a perfect name for a fighter ace that if it wasn't real life, it would feel corny. Who was his wingman, Max Power?

[@bennybenitez2461]

The Buffalo was manufactured in Sunny-side Queens, NYC. The building a 1920 warehouse structure that was converted into office complex, the current headquarters of JetBlue Airlines.

[@samusahlsten5948]

Bad tactics of Russian pilots helped also Finns to survive against the numbers. It was also the main reason why Luftwaffe managed so well against Russians.

[@randymagnum143]

You can just say "Russian tactics" "Bad Russian tactics" is redundant.

[@geesehoward700]

it also helped that the russian sights were rubbish

[@jtjames79]

​@@geesehoward700 Frozen potato with hole is perfect sight. It also ration.

[@raymondclark1785]

Soviets using old tactics , so nothing really has changed

[@samusahlsten5948]

Indeed.@@raymondclark1785

[@xfirehurican]

Inside the Brewster Buffalo, there's a Republic P-47 waiting to get out.

[@ralphe5842]

It had nothing to do with the p-47

[@xfirehurican]

@@ralphe5842 Clearly, the obvious escapes you.

[@brianjschumer]

​@@xfirehuricanother then the radial engine and being rugged, the P47 might have been the best designed airplane of ww2 down to the special flat rivets and second to none quality control..designer Kartvelli a Russian jew had skin in the game, and made sure he over looked a tested every part, people know the lead lined bathtub that protected the pilots but also had solid steel shroud that protected the turbocharger from the backside,also proted pilots, once upgraded to bubble canopy later on this plane had the top 2 most kills from US pilots, and most that where downed not in air to air but surface to air as they did low level strafing..also could dive and pullout with German jets

[@xfirehurican]

I didn't know this. Tks for the info!

[@scottw5315]

The Wright 1820 powered the B-17 too. I knew almost nothing of the Buffalo until now. Thanks for posting.

[@alexius23]

Finnish planes all had Swastikas on the Buffalos. The Finns had adopted the Indian symbol long before the Germans did. The Finns only removed the Swastika very recently. It is also true eventually the Soviets put pressure upon their US allies to stop selling spare parts & new Buffalo fighters to the Finns.

[@CDNR711]

Technically the Finn’s adapted the Swastika as a homage to General Mannerheim who’s family crest had a sky blue Swastika prominently placed on the crest.

[@alexius23]

@@CDNR711 I had read the Swastika was first used by the Finns in 1918….long before the Germans did.

[@CDNR711]

@@alexius23 the same year Mannerheim became heavily involved with Finlands politics. Side story, during the Continuation War when the Russians were negotiating with the Finn’s. Zhukov got pissed at Mannerheim as he spoke high court Russian and Zhukov only spoke a peasant version of Russian.

[@jakkeledin4645]

Finns warplane swastika comes from Sweden; Rosen who gives some planes. Finland thanks was to but his mark for all planes.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

@@jakkeledin4645 Correct. The first planes that made the finnish air force were donated by the Swedish Count Von Rosen whose family emblem was the blue straight swastika. The nazis adopted the black tilted swastika years later.

[@richardcleveland8549]

What irony in the fact that the Finns bravely opposed Russian aggression almost 90 years ago and fought the Russkies to a draw and are now once again facing off against the Russians. A great pity that the Finns' enmity with Russia drove them into alliance with the Nazis . . . which put them on the losing side after WW II ended. A brave and determined people, the Finns.

[@juanalejandrosegura5857]

A great pity that the Finns' enmity with Russia drove them into Alliance with the OTAN... which put them on the losing after WW III ended.

[@sejembalm]

Good thing the Finns were wise enough to see how the Continuation War (WW2) was going to call it quits in 1944, appease the Soviets and abandon the aggressive Axis cause before they go down to defeat with Nazi Germany and her eastern European allies.

[@peabase]

As a matter of fact, Finland never let its guard down after the Cold War. On the contrary, when the likes of Germany and the Netherlands foolishly disposed of their "surplus" Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Finland didn't waste time making an offer. The same applies to Dutch M270 MLRS. The Germans and the Dutch have been kicking themselves ever since. Finland's war-time co-operation with Nazi Germany amounted more to a dalliance than an alliance. You couldn't even call it a marriage of convenience, because it concerned one enemy only: the USSR. No hostilities between Finland and the Western Allies ever took place. Even when the going was still good with Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, Finland wisely stopped advancing when its war aims had been met, meaning the recapture of the territory lost in the Winter War. Hence, Finland steadfastly refused to play an active role in the Siege of Leningrad and made no serious effort to push deeper into Russia, much to Hitler's chagrin. Hitler even tried to pressure Finland to advance by blocking vital grain shipments, but to no avail. Hitler's crusade against Bolshevism was not Finland's fight.

[@sejembalm]

@@peabase Smart moves for feisty but financially foresighted Finland.

[@peabase]

@@sejembalm Things have changed, but during my years of active service, everything about the Finnish Defence Forces cried Spartan. We got somewhat better gear on foreign deployments, but I remember how my British KFOR commander made fun of my 'toy gun', a Walther P1, of WWII fame.

[@CZ350tuner]

All Finnish Brewster Buffaloes were armed with four 12.7mm. Kolt heavy machine guns, not Brownings. The Kolt 12.7mm. HMG was a licence made version of the US Colt HMG. The fighters were purchased without guns.

[@rocketguardian2001]

I believe Pappy Boyington said the Buffalo was a good aircraft until they loaded it down with armor and extra guns. I've flown the Finnish model in simulations and it's quite a surprise, so much so that people complained about it being modeled incorrectly.

[@agrippa1234]

Funny, I remember similar tactics (used by the likes of Robert Johnson) used by P-47's due to their huge size but amazing power to dive on foes and zoom climb.....also used by F4F's and P-40's against Zekes and Oscars......

[@bpete-py9uk]

at 5:20 wtf is going on here and what kind of plane is it?

[@jarikinnunen1718]

Find: Luettelo Lentolaivue 24:n ilmavoitoista ja sotatoimitappioista (List of aerial victories and combat losses of Air Squadron 24) BW is Brewster.

[@jamesricker3997]

It was also going up against Yag-3s or as their pilots referred to them "varnished wooden coffin"

[@steffen19k]

Pappy Boyington loved the Buffalo.

[@minhthunguyendang9900]

There’s something involuntarily comical in the dogfights between the 2 equally barrel-bodied planes.

[@lostinspace013]

Remember people: any data on the number of enemy planes shot down are always overestimated by fighter pilots. Because it is the most difficult to verify, and often it is not possible at all. German pilots lied most often. But this was the norm throughout the war.

[@keesvandenbroek331]

At 02:54 I saw full span flaperons (see the full span slot in between wing and contol surface. An experimental one?

[@personnelente]

So it wasn't the worst WW2 airplane, was it......

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

It shows how great trainning, tactics, and pilot skill make the differience. The P 40 with the Flying Tigers in China showed similar results...

[@ivanlowjones]

A Grumman F4F Wildcat confused with the Brewster Buffalo in some pics?

[@Jason-fm4my]

It has that reputation where even though it was obsolete in the US, against communists it was like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

[@benjaminrush4443]

Thanks.

[@plunkervillerr1529]

Excellent!

[@JSFGuy]

It's that time again.

[@brenglover72]

I had a 1/72 matchbox kit of the buffalo in the 70's.

[@bernardedwards8461]

If Chennault's AVG had been equipped with the Buffalo, they would have got results as good as with the P40s and P36s they actually had They were as astute as the Finns in finding the weak points of enemy planes and making the most effective use of the ones they had themselves. The Oskar of early 1942 was no better than the Buffalo, and it wasn't till the Autumn of that yeat that an improved version saw action. The famous naval pilot Capt. 'Winkle' Brown tested the Buffalo and gave it a good report, saying that by British standards it was easy to fly and very agile.

[@buckwheatINtheCity]

Long Live The Buffalo!

[@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__]

And then the Bf109s entered the Finnish Air Force...

[@daveanderson3805]

Yeah, like having a VW, and then you get hold of a Ferrari

[@535tony]

The Finns actually tried to build a copy of the Buffalo because they liked it so much.

[@jessfrankel5212]

To be fair, the Buffalo was considered pretty cutting-edge for its day, but that edge ended quickly. Fighter plane development came along very quickly in the late 1930's, and by the time the war was upon America, against faster and more maneuverable planes like the Zero, the Buffalo was woefully outclassed, and only when the F4F Wildcat came around did the odds even up a bit in the Pacific War. As others have noted, the Finns stripped down the planes to a bare minimum. They were also arguably better fliers than the Russians at the outset of the conflict. And, they were fighting for their very existence...that gave them all the reason to fight harder against the Russian invader.

[@vernepavreal7296]

In the late 60s early 70s as a child I remember a radial 12:02 engine mono plane in a playground in MORRINSVILLE New Zealand. Didnt think it was a Harvard. I wonder if it could have been a Buffalo. Nobody else seems to remember it. I believe it had metal over possible gun ports in the wings although could have been some other flight instrument. I wonder if anyone else knows what it was.

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

It’s odd that you mention this. I remember a TBY Avenger in a park in Rotorua which was gutted of all its equipment but you could climb all over it. There was a Valentine tank too. Also, somewhere in the Waikato there was a Corsair in a paddock next to a brick farmhouse, with nothing else around it. It looked incongruous. This would be around 1965 or so. I just can’t remember exactly where despite looking for it as an adult. I can still see it in my mind’s eye.

[@vernepavreal7296]

I don’t remember those aeroplanes however historical artefacts were often seen as good playground equipment not considered appropriate today I remember that Valentine tank as boys my brother and I often climbed over it found it more recently outside a collectors salvage business in The Waikato North of Hamilton Thanks for the reply Cheers

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

It's unlikely it was a buffalo since none exist in flying conditions. The only remaining brewster is the one lifted from a russian swamp and it now sits at the air museum in Tikkakoski, Finland.

[@draconian6692]

50 cal api rounds are pretty baller for air to air at these speeds

[@unclejohnny863]

Many Many numbers in these videos 😊

[@cyprezz]

In case someone was confuse of the swastika on the side of the planes, these are the Finnish Air Force insignia use even before the Nazi started using the symbol. The Finnish air force still these this symbol today, but I heard they are changing it now.

[@jonwalker3151]

I was looking to see if anybody addressed this I had just recently become aware of it ,if it wasn’t for that I would’ve definitely been confused so thank you for sharing

[@dougscott8161]

Also, it you look closely you'll see that itis turned around.

[@tonyennis1787]

The Buffalo was a decent aircraft for its day. But by 1941 the Wildcat was available.

[@bradwilliams1691]

The only good thing to come from the Buffalo was the Australian built CA-13 Boomerang.

[@glennsimpson7659]

Which actually came from the Wirraway which was an AT-6 Texan clone. No relationship to the Brewster product at all.

[@bradwilliams1691]

@@glennsimpson7659 Wikipedia states that the mid section of the Wirraway was used in the manufacture of the CA-13 Boomerang.

[@glennsimpson7659]

@@bradwilliams1691 Yes I agree - that the Buffalo was irrelevant to the development of the Boomerang (except as an example of what not to do in fighter design). I think that the Boomerang used a lot of the Wirraway tooling plus the Twin Wasp engine from the Beaufort (also already in production in Australia).

[@hadleymanmusic]

it does look neat though

[@minhthunguyendang9900]

The I16s well held their own against the ‘109s. Luftwaffe pilots who encountered it in Spain didn’t sell it short at all. The Buffalo which got slaughtered by Zeros in China came to Finland 🇫🇮 with not much of a reputation. Yet they shot the I16s out of the skies whenever they met them. & that speaking only of the I16s The Finnish Buffalos fought almost the whole spectrum of axis & allied planes in WW2, for there was also a Germanazi-Finnish war in late ‘44-early ‘45

[@marcr9541]

The Brewster Buffalos were the mainstay of the British colonial air force in Singapore in 1942. When the Japanese attacked colonial Malaya (Malaysia today) a couple of days after Pearl Harbour, they were useless against the Mitsubishi Zeros. Today, whenever someone mentions the Buffalo un Singapore, people laugh.

[@Dadecorban]

Warthunder Buffalo is OP

[@dougscott8161]

The Brewster Buffalo was the U.S.'s early attempt at modernizing the fighter fleet, The Finish Air Force made good use of it's cold weather capabilities and had good success with it in spite of the fact that the quality control on it was nearly non existent. I have seen articles describing atrocious quality control failings and general sloppy conditions in the factory. It is only because of the Finns' superior fighting abilities that they were able to achieve any real success with the plane.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

The finnish engineers also fixed a reliability issue of the engine by reversing one of the piston rings, which solved problems that plagued the Pacific fleet...

[@steveconkey7362]

Highest kill ratio to loss for any plane during the war. Seriously.

[@maxberre]

Is that a telescope sticking out of the cockpit? Or a machine gun?

[@markwilliams2620]

Gun sight. That was before the Navy switched to reflector sights.

[@discount8508]

maybe too heavy for what it was expected to do ........still it did more than many others

[@patrickporter1864]

Claimed or proven. Pilots vastly over claimed.

[@glennsimpson7659]

It is not without significance that the Wildcat performed much better with the same engine horsepower (although Pratt & Whitney rather than Wright Cyclone), indicating a superior airframe. Buffaloes were very sensitive to added weight, which was their undoing in the hands of the RAF and USMC. Buffaloes also suffered from distortion of the undercarriage on repeated landings owing to poor design, with consequent undercarriage failures. It wasn’t just that they were an early 1930s design - so was the Hurricane - but that they were only just able to meet the required specifications before things like armour and self-sealing tanks were added, and had no potential for growth.😢

[@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__]

5:20 Those are Soviet airborne troopers!

[@Bob3519]

I thought it was Jet Blue, Spirit (US) or Ryanair (EU) passengers using reduced cost tickets. 😅

[@joseveintegenario-nisu1928]

Nothing comparable to Polikarpov I-16, with its 1000 HP american engine, adapted to metric units, and the very short distance between Wing Trailing Edge and Horizontal Tail Unit, giving an astounding manoeuverability.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

The I-16 was defeated by boom&zoom tactics, using Brewsters superior dive speed and handling. The polikarpovs usually defended by setting up a 'spanish 8' and the brewsters picked them up from above like hawks picking up mice...

[@angoma]

I love "Dark Skies" but the Imperial measurement system is a problem for me. It would be very nice if when you speak, you immediately say in Imperial and Metric measurement systems.

[@exocet1]

There is a good book called "Buffaloes over Singapore" I believe once historians were able to get more of japanese records the Dutch Buffaloes were credited with more kills then previously thought.

[@davidponseigo8811]

Why is everyone arguing in the comments, it's like everyone is trying to be the biggest nerd on the channel and having to one up the next guy. Just enjoy the video ! I have a Masters in Military History yet I'm not arguing in the comments, it is what it is, a little bit of interesting information in a well put together video.

[@DarksideDave42]

Thanks for the breath of fresh air ... 🖖

[@frostyfrost4094]

Advised that there is a Buffalo in the Finnish Air Force museum

[@herbertrivera3638]

not sling enough for😳 radar !

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Something about that math...Fighter Squadron's average was 42.5 victories per pilot, but Hans Wind was the most successful ace with 38...

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

The first number is probably from the entire war and latter using only the brewster. Hans Wind had 75 victories out of which 38 were with the brewster...

[@user-tg9qz2ul2k]

I have buffalo in action publiced by spodron is out of print was best an consise on plane 🎉

[@baddream9668]

Hi Folks... They can't tell a Brewster from a Grumman, or don't care.

[@citynomad13]

'Worst', according to what KPI? Apparently it wasn't the worst if the Finns used it so successful. It has to be put in context why it did not perform so well in other theaters. Bad headline

[@andynct]

Depends who you were up against. Russian aircraft were crap then.

[@Mrhalligan39]

“Worst” when used against modern aircraft with good pilots, neither of which the Soviets had. Finnish Buffalos were flown with skill and elan against equally terrible planes with ill trained pilots.

[@lancerevell5979]

Same as often claimed about the Bell P-39 and Curtiss P-40. A plane that performs poorly in one theater may become a rockstar in another better suited to it's capabilities. 👍

[@citynomad13]

@@andynct your answer is to simplified, you are not looking at the context; version used, modifications, pilot skills, tactics used and even climate as the engine in Buffalo faired better in colder climate avoiding over heating problems...

[@FailedSquare]

It's a pigmy hellcat

[@tomswift9542]

Those aren’t F3Fs at 1’08” they are F4Bs

[@kevanhunt6798]

Yet again showed the wrong pictures u were showing the Wildcats

[@bluntdagger]

They fought in Malaya not Malaysia... Malaysia only existed in 1963...

[@hertzair1186]

Begs the question…if the US Navy would have lightened the Buffalos like the Finns did…would they have fared better at Midway?

[@Jason-fm4my]

Prototype looks like a silver arrow in the wind tunnel. Production model looks like a chunky hog in the air. The usual "innovation" stuff.

[@Andrew-iv5dq]

How can the top ace have 39 victories while the squadron average was 44?

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

38 was with Brewster, he had 75 overall victories.

[@eriklee1794]

Stubby lil thing isn't it 😂😂😂

[@hadleymanmusic]

razorback?

[@hadleymanmusic]

oh buffalo

[@robertoyamakata6672]

Poor finish. Had to fight against russian and germans. Same poland.

[@DRO262]

Small king 😂

[@Newdivide]

The buffalo was considered the worst plane in ww2

[@lancerevell5979]

Douglas Devastator says "Hold my beer!" 😅

[@tonyennis1787]

Not even close.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

The worst plane that happens to have the most kills per a single airframe of the entire war 🤣

[@steveshoemaker6347]

🇺🇸

[@spaded667]

Finland like Vietnam and Afghanistan. Just don't..

[@jamesbugbee9026]

It is extremely difficult 4 the Japanese 2 build ugly planes ❤❤❤

[@allaraaver8432]

"Finland aligned themselves with the Axis forces" Nazies... They aligned with Nazies.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

Not exactly. The nazis came to help after the pact between the soviets and nazis was broken and the soviets became a common enemy. Before that Germany and the Soviet Union were allied and annexed Poland 50/50 together.

[@Afro408]

I had to laugh cynically, when you mentioned that the British Imperial war office gave the colonial forces a discard aircraft. Knowing it would overheat down here. After all, we were just colonials and made good cannon fodder. Grrrrrrrrrr🤬

[@henrychubbs2823]

I'm a bit confused. If the Finns fought the Russians when the Russians were still allies of the Nazis, then why do you show so many pictures of the planes with swastikas painted on them?

[@andynct]

The Finns used a blue swastztika as there rondel long before the Germans started using the swastikas.

[@scottmoseley5122]

Awesome story . I had never heard about Buffaloes being used by Nazi Finns against the Soviets. How weird is that.

[@PantherBlitz]

The Finns were not members of the Axis. They had good trading relationships with pre-war Germany and then faced a common enemy in the USSR after Stalin tried to end Finnish independence by invading.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

Finns were and are not nazis, ignoramus.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

@@PantherBlitz In fact Hitler sold out Finland to Stalin with the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact which put Finland into the regime of the Soviet Union. So winter war broke long before Hitler decided to start the operation Barbarossa.

[@ilganis]

Buffalos was the worst aircraft at its time

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

The finnish pilots considered it the best at its time. It was generally loved by the pilots.

[@burtrangle3546]

The Soviets were not our enemy in WWII, but several of your latest thumbnail's seem to suggest that they were.

[@frostyfrost4094]

Russia invaded Poland in 1939 along with the Germans England and France Honored their agreement to protect the Polish Borders 3rd September 1939 War was declared

[@andynct]

Russia was allied with Nazi Germany and helped Germany in its war against Britain. Russia even tried to join the Axis alliance. Partly the reason US and UK sent Brewster's and Hurricanes to Finland. That all changed when Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941.

[@bruceclark5627]

Yes. Yes they were.

[@jg3000]

The soviets were on our side. But nations try to shoot themselves in the foot all the time.

[@andynct]

At that point the Russians were allied with Nazi Germany. Even applied to join the Axis alliance. Which is why the US supplied them with Brewsters and the UK supplied hurricanes. Russia was helping Germany in its war against Britain for almost 2 years. That changed in June 1941.

[@zh84]

They were only "on our side" after the Nazis attacked them. Originally they were in alliance with the Nazis. This has been ingeniously written out of history in Russia since then.

[@daveanderson3805]

Just like we have forgotten that in 1939, as Germany ivaded Poland from the west, the Red Army invaded Poland from the east. Also, the territory that was conquered by Stalin was never returned to Poland and today is part of Ukraine.

[@lancerevell5979]

The Soviets, and especially Uncle Joe, were only on their own side. Whoever they could get help from best were used and taken advantage of.

[@andynct]

Russia was allied with Nazi Germany and helped Germany in its war against Britain. Russia even tried to join the Axis alliance. Partly the reason US and UK sent Brewster's and Hurricanes to Finland. That all changed when Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941.