Hans Wind
Hans Wind | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance |  Finland |
| Service | Finnish Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939-1945 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | LeLv 24 |
| Awards | Mannerheim Cross (awarded twice) |
| Other work | Businessman |
Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind (July 30 1919, Ekenäs - July 24 1995, Tampere) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II with 75 confirmed air combat victories[1].
Wind started his pilot career in 1938 by volunteering to a pilot course. He was a reserve officer in the Winter War 1939-1940 but didn't fly because of lack of available planes. He finished his officer examination in the summer of 1941 and after that he participated in the Continuation War in fighter squadron 24.
He flew a Brewster B239 (the export version of the Brewster Buffalo) in 1941-1943. In 1943-1944 he flew a German Messerschmitt Bf 109. Hans Wind is considered one of the most skillful aerial tacticians in the Finnish Air Force, and he wrote the combat manual for the Brewster after analyzing the Battle of Midway in 1942.
Wind was awarded with his first Mannerheim Cross on 31 July 1943 and the second one on 28 June 1944. He was promoted to captain in 19 October 1943 when he was only 24 years old.
In the summer of 1944 Wind shot down 30 enemy airplanes in 12 days and obtaining "ace in a day" status five times. He was wounded seriously in a battle against a much larger squadron on 28 July 1944. He still managed to fly and land at the airfield even though his plane had been seriously damaged by the enemy.
Wind recovered from his wounds but never flew a combat mission again.
He left the Finnish Air Force in 1945 and worked in business until his retirement.
Victories
| Aircraft | Victories |
|---|---|
| Brewster B239 | 39 |
| Messerschmitt Bf 109G | 36 |
| Total | 75 |
References
Notes
- ^ Keskinen 1978, p. 8-11.
Bibliography
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. Hävittäjä-ässät (Finnish Fighter Aces) (in Finnish). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteas, 1978. ISBN 951-9035-37-0.
- Stenman, Kari and Keskinen, Kalevi. Finnish Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces 23). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-85532-783-X.
