Winter War 1939–40

Repelling the Soviets from Finnish skies

Kari Stenman (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

96 Seiten

2026
Osprey Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-4728-7057-5 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Juni 2026)
Portofrei ab CHF 40
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The first illustrated study in English of the Finnish Air Force’s battle to repel the Soviet invaders during the Winter War, one of the greatest David-and-Goliath air battles in history.

In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded its neighbour Finland, sparking the Winter War. While Finland was heavily outnumbered in all respects, in few respects was the contest so uneven as in the air. In this book, veteran Finnish aviation historian Kari Stenman draws on his decades of research to present the first account in English of the Finnish Air Force’s defence of the country’s skies, a clash that pitted its 114 combat aircraft against the Soviets’ 2,318.

He explains that, equipped initially with a handful of British and Dutch aircraft, Finland’s air force adopted similar guerrilla tactics to its infantry. Fokker D.XXI interceptors were scattered to remote landing grounds to ambush the Soviets and give an impression of strength, while the bombers were first used for long-range reconnaissance and harassment. Over the course of the war, the Finns received new Gladiators, Fiat G.50s and French MS.406s, until at the close of the war, all flying units were thrown in to repel the Russian invasion across the frozen Gulf of Finland.

Illustrated with previously unpublished photos, superb original artwork, 3D diagrams and maps, this reveals for the first time the full story of how Finnish aviators fought for their country’s independence.

Born in 1945, Kari Stenman studied economics and was an import-export specialist until 1995, when he turned his hobby of aviation history into a profession, founding a company to publish his research. He retired in 2009 but has continued to research and write about the Finnish air force. In over 50 years in this field, he has written more than 100 titles. Adam Tooby is an internationally renowned aviation artist.

(Subject to confirmation)
Introduction
Chronology
Attacker's Capabilities
Defender's Capabilities
Campaign Objectives
The Campaign
Aftermath and Analysis
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	18.6.2026
Reihe/Serie	Air Campaign
Illustrationen	Adam Tooby
Zusatzinfo	Illustrated throughout with 65 photos and 16 pages of colour illustrations
Sprache	englisch
Maße	184 x 248 mm
Themenwelt	Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Luftfahrt / Raumfahrt
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
ISBN-10	1-4728-7057-3 / 1472870573
ISBN-13	978-1-4728-7057-5 / 9781472870575
Zustand	Neuware