Ilmari Juutilainen
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Ilmari Juutilainen (February 21, 1914 - February 21, 1999) was a Finnish Air Force fighter pilot during Winter War (1939-1940) and Continuation War (1941-1944).
He is the top scoring Finnish fighter pilot, scoring 94 official victories in 437 flights flying Fokker D.XXI, Brewster Buffalo and Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter planes. He was one of the four people to receive twice the highest Finnish military decoration, Mannerheim Cross. Amazingly, he finished the wars without a single hit to his plane from enemy fighter airplanes. Only once he was forced to land due to a friendly anti-air gun that had damaged his Bf 109. Like Saburo Sakai, he never lost a wingman in combat.
Juutilainen entered service on September 9, 1932 and he served as a pilot in the Finnish Air Force after that. On 1st May 1935 Ilmari was promoted to a sergeant. He was transferred to LeLv 24 on March 3, 1939. In Winter War he flew the Fokker D.XXI.
In Continuation war he served in 3/LeLv 24 flying Brewster B239. BW-364 "Orange 4" was his plane that he shot 28 enemy planes down. In 1943 he was transferred to LeLv 34 which used new Messerschmitt Bf 109-planes. With them Ilmari Juutilainen shot down 54 enemy planes. He refused from officer commission, fearing that would keep him off flying.
After the wars he served in Air Force until 1946. He worked as professional pilot till 1956, for example flying some people with his De Havilland Tiger Moth.
He died on his 85th birthday on 21st February 1999.
[edit] Further reading
- His memoirs were published in English in 1996 in Double Fighter Knight ISBN 95250260403.
[edit] External links
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Ilmari Juutilainen | Hans Wind | Eino Luukkanen | Urho Lehtovaara | Oiva Tuominen | Olli Puhakka | Olavi Puro | Nils Katajainen | Lauri Nissinen | Kyösti Karhila | Jorma Karhunen | |
