- Yes.
- No.
Hello everyone! Today I’m going to suggest the Koolhoven F.K. 52 for the Finnish Air Force!
One of two Finnish F.K. 52’s, this being the KO-129
Source: Koolhoven F.K.52 - TracesOfWar.nl
History
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The F.K. 52 KO-130
Source: Koolhoven Fk 52 | A Military Photo & Video WebsiteThe story of the Finnish F.K. 52 is an odd one, and it begins in the end of 1939. Here on the 30th of November the Winter War broke out between Finland and Russia.
The Swedish count at the time, Count Carl Gustaf von Rosen, wanted to support Finland and gift them a few aircraft to help in the war. The aircraft he ended up getting was a DC-2, and two Koolhoven F.K. 52’s.
Now at this time Koolhoven had made the F.K. 52 at their own cost, and had not found a single buyer yet. They had five aircraft around this time just sitting in the factory, so the oppertinuty to even sell one of them was greatly appreciated.
The two F.K. 52’s that were sold were the second and third onces made. These stood out from the others in that they were the only two powered by the Bristol Mercury VIII engine.In Januari 1940 two Swedish pilots flew the aircraft to Sweden, where they would then be flown to Finland by two Finnish pilots. During this time the registration numbers were changed a couple of times since the aircraft changed ownership a lot. When they arrived in Finland the aircraft were given the registration numbers KO-129 and KO-130.
The aircraft arrived in Finland unarmed, so two machine guns were added in the wings and one for the rear gunner, and bomb racks were mounted under the fuselage.
Both F.K. 52’s were used extensively during the war. They bombed Russian troops, ran into Russian I-16 fighters and carried out recon missions.
But sadly on the 16th of 1941 the KO-130 was shot down by Russian anti-aircraft fire, with both men that were flying it dying in the progress.KO-129 carried out with the various missions, and during the winter of 1941 and 42 the aircraft was fitted with ski’s. The aircraft was then send over to Hirvas, where it didn’t really do much for a time. One source mentions that a bird had even made a nest in the tail of the aircraft. The crew waited for the bird’s eggs to hatch and the younglings to take flight before using the aircraft again.
After this the aircraft was tranverred again. And during a test flight one of the ski’s came of during a dive and damaged the plane. The pilot jumped out and the aircraft crashed into the ground.
In the end the aircraft worked quite well and did their job. But it turned out they were a bit hard to land, and a couple of accidents had happend with the aircraft while landing.
The F.K. 52 KO-129
Source: Aircraft Photo of KO-129 | Koolhoven FK.52 | Finland - Air Force | AirHistory.net #552339
Design
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The Koolhoven F.K.52 was a two-seat reconnaissance-fighter biplane. The Finnish aircraft were powered by a 840 hp Bristol Mercury VIII engine.
The straight line speed of the aircraft was 382 km/h at 4400 meters.
The aircraft were unarmed when they arrived in Finland, but there two Lewis machine guns were added to the top wing, and another was added for the rear gunner.
Bomb racks were also added which gave the aircraft a max bomb load of 150kg.
Specifications
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A blueprint of the F.K. 52
Source: IPMS Nederland - Koolhoven FK.52Crew: 2 (One Pilot, and one Radio Operator/Gunner)
Length: 8.25 m
Wingspan: 9.80 m
Height: 3.30 m
Empty weight: 1,650 kg
Full weight: 2,500 kg
Powerplant: Bristol Mercury VIII (840 hp)
Maximum straight line speed: 382 km/h at 4400 meters
Service ceiling: 9,800 m
Armament
Guns:
2 × 7.7 mm Lewis machine guns
1 × 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun (Rear gunner)Bombs: (Max load of 150kg)
Known used bombs were 50kg and 12.5kg bombs.
One recorded bombload that was used was 2 x 50 kg and 4 x 12.5 kg
Ingame
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The F.K. 52 is a fun low BR biplane strike fighter. The small bombs are enough to deal with most ground targets. And if you ever have to fight against a more maneuverable enemy you still got your gunner to reply upon.
Personally I would love to see this in the Swedish techtree. Finland has operated a wide range of various aircraft from many different nations, and this Dutch Koolhoven aircraft would be yet another interesting addition for the game!
The F.K. 52 KO-129, now fitted with ski’s
Source: Koolhoven F.K. 52 | A Military Photo & Video Website
So there you have it! Please make sure to vote in the poll above, and let me know what you think of this little fighter aircraft!
Sources
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Main sources:
- “Koolhoven, Nederlandse vliegtuigbouwer in de schaduw van Fokker” book by Theo Wesselink & Thijs Postma
- Koolhoven F.K.52 - TracesOfWar.nl
Secondairy sources: