Jorma "Joppe" Karhunen Page 2 Continuation War When hostilities resumed on 25 June 1941 Joppe Karhunen was leading 3/LeLv 24 in his personal Brewster, BW-366, which he flew for two years. He became an ace in his first combat of the new conflict on 4 July 1941 by shooting down an SB bomber. The first Brewster combat of the Continuation War is over - Ilmari Juutilainen (left), Joppe Karhunen, Pekka Kokko and Lauri Nissinen debrief the fight against the Chaikas on July 9, 1941. The enemy lost nine fighters in the combat. On 4 July 1941 Karhunen was promoted to captain and he continued to lead his flight into 1942, scoring 'double' kills on three occasions - 26 September, 17 December and 26 February. 3/LeLv 24 pilots at Rantasalmi in July 1941. From the left Sgt N. Katajainen, Sgt P. Mellin, Sgt J. Huotari, Flight Commander Capt J. Karhunen, Lt P. Kokko, Warrant Officer I. Juutilainen, Lt Strömberg and 1Lt K. Lindberg.   3/LeLv 24 pilots at Römpötti in September 1942. From the left Sgt E. Pakarinen, 1Lt J. Ahlsten, 1Lt R. Salovaara, Flight Commander Capt J. Karhunen, Warrant Officer I. Juutilainen, SgtMaj J. Huotari and Sgt E. Lyly. During the first great air battles over the Gulf of Finland in the summer of 1942, Karhunen's flight benefited greatly from his leadership. Indeed, during the week commencing 12 August 3/LeLv 24 downed 25 aircraft, Karhunen himself (flying BW-388) scoring two 'triples' on the 16th and 18th. On 8 September he was decorated with the Mannerheim Cross No 92 for both outstanding leadership and personal tally of 25 victories. The 1943 air combat season opened on 14 April; a four-ship of Brewsters suddenly found themselves engaged with 30 Red Spitfires and La-5s. The Spitfires were covering a bomber formation and attacked the Finns immediately. The Brewsters succeeded in shooting down five fighters and disengaging from the fight. Hasse Wind had led the four-ship of Finnish Brewsters in the fight against the Red Spitfires. He scored two Spitfires in his BW-393 before disengaging from the fight after having lost one aileron when an Airacobra got a hit in his Brewster with the 30 mm cannon. More fights took place two days later over the same area. This time two La-5s dove to the waves. After a two-day break a  large fighter combat took place west of Kronstadt when 14 Brewsters fought against eight Il-2 bombers and 50 fighters scoring 2 Il-2s and 18 fighters. On 21 April the Brewsters surprised a mixed formation of 35 Yak-1, LaGG-3 and La-5 fighters over Seiskari. Karhunen, Törrönen and Sarvanto led the Finns to the fight. Fierce fights commenced and the enemy threw in additional forces from the Leningrad area. Brewsters shot down 11 enemy aircraft, but the victory was diminished by the loss of Eero Kinnunen and Tauno Heinonen. Brewsters were now outdated and had a hard time against the La-5s which were now using their yo-yo tactics against the Finns. The eclipse of the downturn in relative performance was the loss of Iikka Törrönen 2 May 1943. By May the obsolete Brewsters had scored 81 victories in six weeks with the loss of three aircraft. Altitude spacing between Brewster flights and concentrated attacks were the key to success. 21 April 1943 - Joppe Karhunen (left) debriefs the last mission of  Eero Kinnunen. To his right Magnusson, Wind, Sarvanto and Pyötsiä. Karhunen had led 17 Brewsters from Suulajärvi to a fight at Seiskari lighthouse over the Gulf of Finland. The Brewsters ended up in combat against 35 enemy fighters. Kinnunen was flying top cover in the 3rd flight. Kinnunen shot down a Jak-1 while the fight moved over Oranienbaum. Kinnunen's Brewster was hit by AAA and crashed on ice 10 - 15 km south of Ino.   There weren't many Winter War veterans now left in Magnusson's squadron; only Jorma Karhunen, Jorma Sarvanto, Vikki Pyötsiä and Asmus Alho. Lauri Nissinen was returning to the squadron from Cadet School. Eka Magnusson trusted his young men who now commanded most of the flights. With the old Brewsters the situation was getting worse and once again it was time for the human to decide the outcome of the fight. Lt Col Magnusson meets his alert duty pilots at Suulajärvi after a victorious combat day in 1943. From the left Sgt Kauppinen, Lt Wind, Magnusson, Capt Karhunen, SSgt Katajainen and Ahokas. On the right "Kippari" Kauppinen from the fighter control post. Karhunen kept scoring until 4 May 1943 when he downed and I-153 for his 31st, and last, victory. On 1 June he was appointed as the commander of Lentolaivue 24, and three months later he was promoted to major - he had flown 350 missions prior to be promoted out of the frontline. New LeLv 24 commander Joppe Karhunen and his successor as the 3/LeLv commander Lt Hans "Hasse" Wind with Warrant Officer Yrjö "Pappa" Turkka. Go to Jorma "Joppe" Karhunen, Page 3 Back to Finnish Fighter Aces   Home Latest Topic | Air Warfare | Conferences/Air Shows | Fighter Tactics | Fighter Aircraft | Missiles | Fighter Aviation Topic | Fighter History | Warbirds | Magazines | Current News | Links | Physiology | Photo Gallery | Bibliography | SIIVET - Wings | What's New J Lindberg. Copyright © 1997-2006 Fighter Tactics Academy. All rights reserved. Revised: tammikuu 01, 2006.