The record of this airplane, like that of the Hawk-75 and the Brewster B-239 has everything to do with the quality of the pilots - and of course the training - of the Finnish AF far more than the actual airplane. It also helped that the Finnish front was considered "secondary" by the USSR and thus the "A-team" squadrons with the best aircraft were not the majority there. I-16s were still in front-line service on the Leningrad front in late 1942, thus both aircraft quality and pilot quality of the Red Air Force opposition wasn't overwhelming. When that changed in1944, Finland was quickly out of the war. Thanks for the thought-provoking article.
The record of this airplane, like that of the Hawk-75 and the Brewster B-239 has everything to do with the quality of the pilots - and of course the training - of the Finnish AF far more than the actual airplane. It also helped that the Finnish front was considered "secondary" by the USSR and thus the "A-team" squadrons with the best aircraft were not the majority there. I-16s were still in front-line service on the Leningrad front in late 1942, thus both aircraft quality and pilot quality of the Red Air Force opposition wasn't overwhelming. When that changed in1944, Finland was quickly out of the war. Thanks for the thought-provoking article.