Chapter 903： Air reconnaissance

Finland, air base.

Several peculiarly shaped airplanes are preparing to take off on the tarmac on the side.

From the outside, it is easy to see that this kind of aircraft is a biplane, but, unlike most biplanes, its cockpit is a fully enclosed bubble cockpit. Among biplanes, this kind of unique shape It’s easy to recognize the airplane.

The Gladiator fighter produced by the United Kingdom comes from the SS-37 biplane fighter developed by the Gloucester Company in 1934.

Facts have proved that biplanes are outdated. However, the replacement of aircraft will not be particularly fast. For example, the Soviet Union is still equipped with monoplane and biplane fighters simultaneously.

And this Gladiator fighter is not the equipment of the Finnish Air Force, but the equipment of the Swedish Volunteer Squadron.

When the Soviet Union began to invade Finland, many foreigners voluntarily went to Finland to participate in the war, but the Finns chose harsh conditions. In fact, few foreigners participated in the air war.

Historically, the only organized foreign aviation unit was the Swedish Volunteer Squadron: the 19th Fighter Squadron, commanded by Major Bekhammar. The squadron’s pilots and technicians are from the Swedish Air Force, and they are equipped with a dozen "Gladiator" fighters and 4 "Hart" dive bombers.

Now, unlike in history, Germany has imported a large number of fighters and has more volunteer pilots, allowing Finland to always hold the air supremacy. However, the 19th Swedish Fighter Squadron also has good results.

In the last few months, they dispatched a total of 464 aircraft sorties, lost 5 aircraft in combat, and lost 1 aircraft in an accident. At the same time, the pilots of the squadron destroyed 8 Soviet aircraft, including 1 TB-3 heavy bomber.

With the advent of winter, the harsh weather has reduced the number of fighter jets. At the same time, the advantages of biplanes have become more evident. Their take-off and landing performance is better and they can adapt to harsh environments.

Therefore, the Swedish fighter squadron has undertaken more air reconnaissance missions, and their aircraft is indeed outdated. They are somewhat inefficient for air combat, but they are good for reconnaissance.

Major Hamar wore a full flight suit and stepped into his cockpit. At this time, the cockpit had been warmed up and was very warm.

Sweden and Finland are both high-latitude countries. The men here adapt to the severe cold. At the same time, their airplanes have been modified and equipped with preheating devices.

"Start the engine," Major Hamar said.

Following his order, the ground power car on the side provided sufficient power, and the Bristol Mercury VIIIA/AS engine was successfully started amidst the excitation sound of the motor.

The front propeller was spinning fast, Major Hamar released the brakes, and the plane slid onto the runway covered with thin ice, rolled on the runway, and then took off.

Below is the world wrapped in silver, and the whole earth is like a thick quilt.

If the cockpit is open, then the flight must be uncomfortable. Now, Major Hamar's cockpit is warm like spring. He wiped the glass next to him and began to look down.

The mission this time is still a reconnaissance flight. The other planes taking off behind him will carry out reconnaissance in all directions on the battlefield. As the person with the most experience in flying, Major Hamar’s mission is the most difficult. He To fly over the defense line, to fly to the rear of the Soviets, observe the deployment of the Soviets' rear forces.

A camera is added to the side of his fuselage. If necessary, he has to open the hatch, stick his head out, and take photos with the camera on the slide rail. After all, this is a single-man fighter, and everything depends on He does it alone.

The front wing blocked a lot of vision. He could only look to both sides to have a better observation. The only advantage is that now with the arrival of the cold winter, the Soviet fighters can take off. Very few, don’t worry about possible encounters.

The plane flew over the mountains, over the woods, and the plains in front belonged to the Soviet Union.

He got up carefully and continued to fly forward. In front, there was a station, the last station of Soviet material transportation. From the station, the materials were unloaded and transported by car to the front line.

The defense there is quite tight, especially there are a lot of anti-aircraft guns, but there is no doubt that it is the easiest place to find intelligence.

Major Hamar’s plane flew very low. At the same time, he started to make a big circle. If he flew directly from the west, he would be easily beaten. However, if he flew in a big circle from the east, he would be easily beaten. The people below mistakenly thought it was their own plane.

The fighter plane flew very low. For a long time, even the snowflakes on the ground could be seen blowing up. After fifteen minutes of continuing to fly, he turned.

Pushing open the hatch, a cold wind came in instantly, making him shiver. He maintained a normal flying posture, at the same time, leaned out his body, adjusted the focus, and set the camera to continuous shooting.

Now, it is the most thrilling flight!

"Woo, woo!" A stuffy tanker drove into the station with black smoke.

When a burst of white gas from the brakes came out, the train finally entered the station steadily, the door of the tank car opened, and teams of soldiers jumped off from above.

"The air here is really good!" said a soldier. Compared to the dirty air in the stuffy tanker, this place is certainly better.

"Snee!" After that, he involuntarily sneezed, it was a bit cold!

His feet are still summer leather shoes, and his body is wearing beautiful autumn clothes. It is indeed a bit cold in this cold ghost place.

They are the 44th Division stationed in Ukraine. Now, the Ukrainian climate is adapting to wearing autumn clothes. However, they can't wait for the winter outfits. Wearing autumn clothes, they are on the battlefield.

The rescue order is very urgent. If they do not move quickly, the 163 division is said to be at risk of being eaten.

At the same time, they are also very confident. As an elite force, they come here to fight and there is no possibility of failure. They also bring their own band and beautiful dresses to fight to the Finnish capital to hold the victory parade. .

At this time, the sound of an airplane came from a distance. He raised his head and saw a biplane flying over his head.

On the plane, there is constantly bright light, which is the flash of the camera.

Is it Yi-15? It doesn't look like it, the Yi-15 is quite stubby, this one looks a bit slender!

At this moment, he didn't have any consciousness. It was only when the anti-aircraft guns at the train station sounded that he suddenly realized that it was a Finnish plane!

The anti-aircraft gun only fired a few shots, and the plane flew away without dropping any bombs.