"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
06/04/2015 at 17:36 • Filed to: Morane-Saulnier, 406, Planelopnik
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"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
06/04/2015 at 17:36 • Filed to: Morane-Saulnier, 406, Planelopnik | 1
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Have a Morane-Saulnier MS 406.
Developed just before WW2, the 406 saw service with a certain amount of success until the French defeat and was also used by the Swiss and the Finns.
Powered by Hispano Suiza engines and armed by HS as well.
Interestingly Morane-Saulnier went on to make the Fieseler Storch for the Luftwaffe because business is business, even if you’re making planes for the occupying forces.
Hispano Suiza are now owned by Snecma who in turn form part of Safran.
The Finns used theirs in their various wars against the Russians which involved them being equipped with swastikas. The Russians still ended up with nearly 10% of Finland.
kanadanmajava1
> Cé hé sin
06/04/2015 at 18:53 |
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The Finnish Air Force’s swastika isn’t related to the “other swastika”. It originated from 1918 when Finland was having a civil war. Swedish count Eric von Rosen had donated his own plane to the government’s side. The plane was used while it wore count’s personal good luck symbols which was blue swastika on white background. For some reason it was used in other military equipment too but mainly in planes. The government’s side was the winner in the civil war and the symbol stayed.
During WWII it was taken out from planes as it was seen that it resembled the “other swastika” too much and at this point it was a bad thing as Finland was fighting to push Germans out from the country. We had been quite good friends with Germany when WWII started but after the peace was made between Soviet Union there was no choice and the “pushing out” part didn’t go very peacefully.
But even though the swastika was removed from the planes it is still among the official symbols of Finnish Air Force.
There’s interesting side story about the Finnish MS 406 planes. Finland had trouble getting spares for the engines so it was decided to convert some of them to use salvaged engines from downed Soviet aircraft. The conversion was success and it seemed to perform better than the original. Eventually in March 1945 all remaining 41 planes had been converted to use Klimov engines.
The converted planes received semi official name of Mörkö-Morane. Mörkö roughly translates to intimidating monster. Sadly none of them has survived.