No. 12 Squadron (Finland)

{{Infobox Military Unit|

unit_name=No. 12 Squadron Finnish Air Force

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| dates=30 November 1939 - 13 March 1940
25 June 1941 - 4 September 1944

|country= Finland

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|branch= Finnish Air Force

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| role= reconnaissance

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|battles=Winter War, Continuation War

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No. 12 Squadron ({{langx|fi|Lentolaivue 12}} or LLv.12, from 3 May 1942 Le.Lv.12), renamed No. 12 Reconnaissance Squadron (Finnish: Tiedustelulentolaivue 12 or TLe.Lv.12 on 14 February 1944) was a reconnaissance squadron of the Finnish Air Force during World War II. The squadron was part of Flying Regiment 1.

Organization

=Winter War=

1st Flight (1. Lentue)
2nd Flight (2. Lentue)
3rd Flight (3. Lentue)
Separate Detachment Salo (Erillisosasto Salo)
3rd Flight of No. 14 Squadron (3./LLv. 14, temporary detached in December 1939)

The equipment consisted of 13 Fokker C.Xs, 6 Gloster Gladiators, and 1 Westland Lysander.

=Continuation War=

1st Flight (1. Lentue) the unofficial flight emblem "Chief Devil Himself" was carried by the Curtiss Hawk 75A aircraft of 1./LLv.12 in 1941. The "Ramming Ram" unit emblem was carried by the aircraft of 1./Le.Lv.12 between 1942 and 1943
2nd Flight (2. Lentue) the unofficial flight emblem "Merry Donkey" was carried by the aircraft of 2./Le.Lv.12 between 1942 and 1943
3rd Flight (3. Lentue)

The equipment consisted of 6 Fokker C.Xs, 3 Gloster Gladiators, 4 Curtiss Hawk 75As, 12 Fokker D.XXIs, and 4 Blackburn Ripon IIs. By the end of the war the unit also received 20 VL Myrsky IIs, 2 Bristol Blenheim Mk.Is, and 2 Polikarpov U-2s.

Bibliography

{{cite book|author1-last=Keskinen|author1-first=Kalevi|author2-last=Stenman|author2-first=Kari |title=Fokker D. XXI (Mercury) |orig-year=1974|date=2000 |publisher=Hobby-Kustannus Oy |location=Helsinki |isbn=952-5334-02-3 |language=fi|series=Suomen ilmavoimien historia|volume=3A}}
{{cite book |last1=Shores |first1=Christopher F. |title=Finnish Air Force 1918–1968 |date=1969 |publisher=Osprey Publications |location=Canterbury, UK |isbn=0-85045-012-8|series=Aircam Aviation Series|volume=S2}}

External links

[https://archive.today/20240524150643/https://www.webcitation.org/5knnGpoAS?url=http://www.geocities.com/finnmilpge/fmp_faf_lelv12.html Lentolaivue 12]