Why were finns the only ones who knew how to use Brewsters in WW2?

>>34154473
Because instead of bolting more heavy shit onto it like the US Navy did they decided to throw out anything they didn't need that was just unnecessary weight, which improved its power to weight ratio considerably.
The Finns also relied heavily on unit tactics that were miles ahead of Soviet tactics at the time, closely following the German model of small unit flight tactics.
Using them against incompetent slavs with 30 hours of flight training also helped, most of the experienced Soviet pilots were prioritized for the Southern front against the Luftwaffe.

>>34154473
Same reason they had success with the Gloster Gladiator.

>>34154473
The Finns were good at pretty much everything in WWII, even though they had an ultra casual approach to war.

>>34156803
>even though they had an ultra casual approach to war.
What do you mean?

>>34157995
I rember reading a report by a German officer serving in Finland during WWII, where he outlined this.

The specific example I remember was comparing a German unit's reaction to an enemy air patrol, to a Finn unit: that the Germans would rush out of their tents throwing on their uniforms and equipment and IMMEDIATELY manning their AA guns and other positions...whereas Finnish troops would calmly walk out of their tents in their undies to look at what was making a commotion.

Nordic people in general are known for having calm demeanors, and I think while this could look unprofessional in a military/war setting, it probably does wonders for keeping your nerves together in battle.

>>34158135
Do you have a link for that? Sounds interesting.

>>34158140
I can't for the life of me find it, I'm sorry. I was looking for the source just now in case someone thought what I wrote was outlandish.

>>34154473
The finns had fantastic ground crews to support their pilots as well so they were really able to push their planes to the limits.

>>34154473
The guy on the left kinda looks like Kimi Raikkonen.

>>34158135
Finns are not Nordic. They're somewhat overrated too. They had advantageous terrain and home ground knowledge vs illiterate Russian conscripts and incompetent Stalin bootlicking officers. In the end they still lost. Twice. Was even forced to turn on their German buddies.

>>34160770
>Nordic.
>The Nordic countries or Nordics[1] are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, where they are most commonly known as Norden (lit.: The North). They consist of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, including the associated territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands.
Stop being an illiterate nigger.

>>34157995
I know its fiction but the finnish made miniseries The Winter War really shows how casual the finns were. Sure, they were effected by the death and destruction, but they were very relaxed about war itself.

>>34160770
Finnish is actually the closest modern language to old norse.

>>34160770
They are Nordic, but they are not Scandinavian.
>>34160909
This.

>>34161141
No, Icelandic is. They can still read Norse Sagas just as well if not better than we can read Shakespeare today.

>>34161132
Even though it's fiction, it shows their national character well. I've watched their "1944" movie about Tali-Ihantala, and they acted the exact same casual way. I feel like that's probably close to how they actually were, and something about being that laid back makes you incredibly good at fighting Soviets.

>>34161199
Apart from some shitty holywood movies in the 1940s and 50s I think most war movies try to accurately depict the atmosphere of the war.

>>34161662
Fair point, but some are way better at it than others. I think Winter War and the one about Tali-Ihantala were especially good.