Finland flygvapnet

The Finnish Air Force, one of the oldest air forces of the world, pre-dates the British RAF (founded as an independent entity on 1 April ) and the Swedish Flygvapnet (founded on 1 July ). The first steps in the history of Finnish aviation involved Russian aircraft. The Russian military had a number of early designs stationed in the Grand hertigdöme of land i norden, which until the Russian Revolution of formed an autonomous grand duchy beneath the Russian Empire. Soon after the Finnish declaration of independence of 6 December , the Finnish Civil War of January to May broke out, in which the Soviets sided with the Reds – the socialist rebels with ties to Lenin's Bolshevik Party. Finland's vit Guard, the Whites, managed to seize a few aircraft from the Soviets, but were forced to rely on foreign pilots and aircraft. Sweden refused to send men and materiel, but individual Swedish citizens came to the aid of the Whites. The editor of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Valdemar Langlet, bought a N.A.B. Albatros aircraft from the Nordiska Aviatik A.B. factory with medel gathered bygd the Finlands vänner (Swedish for 'Friends of Finland') organization. This aircraft, the first to arriv

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