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Buffalo |
| Buffalo Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings WW1 Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Buffalo Ace by Stan Stokes. The Brewster Aeronautical Corp. commenced development of the F2A Buffalo in 1936 in response to a US Navy request for a carrier-based fighter capable of 300 MPH. Development took place at the time when Grumman was also working on its first carrier-based fighter for the Navy. Utilizing an all-metal, mid-wing, monoplane design, the first Brewster Buffalo prototype flew in 1937. An initial order for fifty-four aircraft was placed in mid-1938. The F2A-1 utilized a 900-HP R-H20-34 radial engine, and was armed with four machine guns. Eleven of the aircraft from the first production order were assigned to VF-3, which was based at that time on the USS Saratoga. The remaining forty-three aircraft were sent to Finland, which was fighting off an invasion by the Soviet Union. In 1940 the F2A-2 variant entered production utilizing a more powerful 1200-HP engine. Capable of 323-MPH, orders for three hundred additional aircraft were obtained, including 170 from the RAF, which at that time was in the midst of the Battle of Britain.. The Brits found the Buffalo very ineffective, and not capable of dog fighting with the faster and highly maneuverable Bf-109s it faced. The British withdrew the Buffalo from front line service, sending most of its aircraft to units in the Far East, where the Buffalo would later play a role in defending Java, Burma, Manila, and Singapore. Meanwhile the US Navy was becoming disenchanted with the aircraft due to weakness in its landing gear, and its minimal armor plating. Nonetheless, the Buffalo was one of the front line fighters the United States had in its arsenal when America entered WW II on December 7, 1941. During the only serious combat in which the Buffalo was flown by US forces, VMF-221 lost 18 of its 25 F2As during the Battle of Midway. The Buffalo proved to be no match for the faster and highly maneuverable Mitsubishi Zeroes flown by the Imperial Navy. Despite its lack luster reputation, the Buffalo was utilized effectively by the Finnish Air Force in fighting the Soviets. Some of this success is no doubt due to the relative lack of combat experience by many of the Soviet pilots, the fact that the Soviets had stuck with bi-plane fighter designs longer than other countries, and the fact that Finland had some excellent pilots of their own. The top Finnish ace, Eino Juutilainen, attained thirty-three of his incredible ninety-four victories while flying the Brewster Buffalo. Several of his victories were obtained against American-built Curtis P-40s, which had been sold to the Red Air Force. In his dramatic depiction, entitled Buffalo Ace, aviation artist Stan Stokes shows Juutilainen in action against Soviet P-40s during the defense of Finland. |
Brewster F2A Buffalo Aces of World War Two. Although designed and built for the US Navy, the F2A fought in only one major US engagement, the battle of Midway, in which F2A pilots managed to shoot down a number of Japanese fighters. Soon replaced by the navy, the F2A was exported to Britain, where it was nicknamed the Buffalo thanks to its stubby appearance. The British sent most of these fighters to the Far East where they were used in the defence of Singapore and Malaya. It was in the Winter War, however, that the F2A truly found a home. Calling the plane simply the Brewster, the Finnish flew it against the invading Russians. Overall 37 Finns achieved ace status flying the Brewster, and it was the Finnish fighter of choice until succeeded by the Bf 109 in 1943. |
| Top Aces for : Buffalo | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Eino Ilmari Juutilainen | 94.17 | The signature of Eino Ilmari Juutilainen features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Buffalo Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Lieutenant Colonel James J Hill Our estimated value of this signature : £45 | Lieutenant Colonel James J Hill James Hill was born in Chicago in 1920. His training involved flying Stearmans, Buffalo and Wildcats. He arrived in the South Pacific on 5 June 1943 after completing flight school in Pensacola, and joined VMF-214 on 7 August 1943, flying Corsairs. He flew both combat tours with the Black Sheep. On 18 October 1943 on a fighter sweep over Kahili Airfield he shot down a Zero in aerial combat. During his two tours with the Black Sheep he flew a total of 70 combat missions, and also flew a third combat tour with VMF-211 on Green Island. He then flew another combat tour with VMF-521 as a pilot instructor, later joining VMF-324 at Midway. In his career he was awarded 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Air Medals. |
  Air Master Sergeant Eino Ilmari Juutilainen Our estimated value of this signature : £60 Died : 1999 | Air Master Sergeant Eino Ilmari Juutilainen One of only two Finnish fighter pilots to receive their nation's highest decoration, the Double Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, Eino Ilmari 'lllu' Jutitilainen, Finland's top ace, attained an amazing 94 aerial victories during the fighting between Finland and the Soviet Union. He attained about a third of his victories while flying the American-made Brewster Buffalo, becoming the highest scoring Buffalo ace. Born in 1914, just four years before the birth of the Finnish Air Force in 1918, Jutitilainen joined the Air Force in 1935, and he was well trained in combat tactics and gunnery when the Finnish Air Force's first real combat test came about during the Winter War with the Soviet Union in 1939. Faced with very harsh conditions, it is a testimony to the skill and dedication of the ground crews, that an effective air combat campaign could be launched against the invading Red Air Force. Juutilainen's first victory was achieved in a Fokker D.XXI monoplane fighter on December 19, 1939. Spotting three Soviet DB-3 bombers, juutilainen made an approach from the rear directing short bursts at the tail gunner positions on each of the three aircraft. With no more return fire he was able to approach within 20 yards of each bomber. Utilizing all 2200 rounds of ammo, Juutilainen poured fire into the wings of each of the three bombers, one of which finally succumbed to his fire, the first of his 94 victories. Following the truce with the Soviets in March of 1940. Finland began to acquire more modern aircraft, including the Brewster Buffalo. Finland found Germany to be the only country interested in protecting it from the Soviets. In what the Finns call the 'Continuation War,' the Finnish Air Force faced a Soviet Air Force which outnumbered them two-to-one. However, the Finnish pilots excelled, and obtained an incredible 32:1 victory ratio with their Brewster Buffaloes. Later in the War, Jutitilainen flew Bf-109s against the Red Air Force which failed in its efforts to control the airspace over Finland. A peace treaty was signed between the two countries in September of 1944. The Finnish Air Forces, and its brave and talented fighter aces like Juutilainen, had succeeded in preserving their country's independence. Juutilianen flew a total of 437 combat sorties. Never was his aircraft hit by fire from an opposing enemy aircraft. This unprecedented combat record no doubt reflects Juutilainen's great eyesight and tremendous natural flying ability, but also is testimony to his coolness under fire, and his fantastic situational awareness. Jutitilainen had an uncanny ability to execute deflection shots when firing his weapons. He also understood that the likelihood of a successful burst rose dramatically as range closed between the pursuer and the pursued. Very often the ace would fire when he was within 20-50 yards of his opponent. Jutitilainen survived the War and today lives in Finland. His autobiography, entitled Double Fighter Knight, was published in English in 1996 and can be obtained from Zenith/Classic Motorbooks. As an interesting historical note, the blue swastika on juutilainen's aircraft had nothing to do with the Nazis. The first aircraft flown by the Finnish Air Force in 1918 was donated by count Erik von Rosen, a Swede, who had his personal lucky insignia, the blue swastika, painted on the aircraft. This was adopted on all Finnish Air Force aircraft thereafter. Eino Juutilainen passed away on 21st February 1999. |
 Wing Commander Tim Vigors DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2003 | Wing Commander Tim Vigors DFC Born 22nd March 1921. He joined No. 222 Sqn in February 1940 flying Spitfires. By the end of September 1940, he had downed 6 enemy aircraft with a further 6 probables, while being forced to crash land his Spitfire on two occasions. He claimed a further two Me109s in October. He was posted to Singapore, joining No.243 Sqn and then 453 Sqn RAAF, the Fleet Defence Squadron for Force Z when the Royal Navy lost the battleships Repulse and Prince of Wales to Japanese aircraft. Moving the squadron to Malaya, he was forced to bale out of his Buffalo after a skirmish with a large number of Japanese aircraft, being evacuated to India, retirning from the RAF after the war. He died 14th November 2003. |
| Buffalo Squadron details |
No.243 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th April 1946 Known Codes : , SN, VM, WP, | No.243 Sqn RAF Swift in pursuit |
No.453 Sqn RAAF Country : Australia Disbanded 21st January 1946 Known Codes : , FU, TD, | No.453 Sqn RAAF Ready to strike |
No.488 Sqn RNZAF Country : New Zealand Disbanded 26th April 1945 Known Codes : , ME, NF, | No.488 Sqn RNZAF Ka ngarue ratau - We shake them |
No.67 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st May 1957 Known Codes : , RD, | No.67 Sqn RAF No odds too great |
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