Ilmari Juutilainen

Infobox Military Person
name=Ilmari Juutilainen
lived=21 February 1914–21 February 1999
placeofbirth=Lieksa
placeofdeath=Tuusula


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Finland Finland
branch=Finnish Air Force
serviceyears=1935–1949
rank=Warrant Officer
commands=
unit=LeLv 24, LeLv 34
battles=|battles=World War II
*Winter War
*Continuation War
awards=Mannerheim Cross, 2nd Class (decorated twice), Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class with Oak Leaves and Swords, Cross of Liberty, 4th Class with Oak Leaves and Swords (decorated twice), Medal of Liberty, 2nd Class, Iron Cross, 1st Class, Iron Cross, 2nd Class
laterwork=Professional pilot

Eino Ilmari Juutilainen (21 February 1914–Death date and age|1999|02|21|1914|02|21|df=yes) was the top scoring non-German fighter pilot of all time. This makes him the top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force, leading all Finnish pilots against Soviet aircraft in the Winter War (1939–1940) and Allied aircraft in the Continuation War (1941–1944), with 94 confirmed air combat victories in 437 sorties. [Keskinen 1978, p. 4–7.]

Fighter pilot career

Juutilainen is the top scoring Finnish fighter pilot. He flew Fokker D.XXI, Brewster Buffalo and Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter planes. He was one of the four people who twice received the highest Finnish military decoration, the Mannerheim Cross, and is considered the highest scoring non-German ace of all time. Juutilainen finished the war without a single hit to his plane from enemy fighter airplanes (once he was forced to land after a friendly anti-aircraft gun fired at his Bf 109). Like fighter aces Erich Hartmann and Saburo Sakai, Juutilainen never lost a wingman in combat.

Juutilainen entered the Finnish military on 9 September, 1932 for his compulsory military service, serving as a pilot in the Finnish Air Force starting from 1935. On 1 May 1935, Juutilainen was promoted to sergeant. He was transferred to LeLv 24 on March 3, 1939. During the Winter War, he flew the Fokker D.XXI.

During the Continuation War, he served in 3/LeLv 24 flying Brewster B239s. In his BW-364 "Orange 4" (BW-364), he shot down 28 enemy planes. In 1943, he was transferred to LeLv 34, which used new Messerschmitt Bf 109s. With the Bf 109, he shot down a further 58 enemy planes. He refused an officer commission, fearing it would keep him from flying.

After the wars, he served in the air force until 1949. He worked as professional pilot until 1956, flying people in his De Havilland Tiger Moth. He flew for the last time, a Finnish Air Force F-18 Hornet, in 1997.

Juutilainen died on his 85th birthday on 21 February 1999.

Victories

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Juutilainen, Eino Ilmari (translated by Nikunen, Heikki). "Double Fighter Knight". Tampere, Finland: Apali Oy, 1996. ISBN 9-52502-604-3. Juutilainen's memoirs that were published in English in 1996.
* Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. "Hävittäjä-ässät (Finnish Fighter Aces)". Espoo, Finland: Tietoteas, 1978. ISBN 951-9035-37-0. (Finnish)
* 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.

External links

* [http://www.tarrif.net/wwii/interviews/ilmari_juutilainen.htm Tarrif.net - Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen]
* [http://www.acesofww2.com/finland/aces/Juutilainen.htm Ilmari Juutilainen at Aces of WW2]