Jorma Karhunen

Jorma "Joppe" Karhunen (17 March 1913 – 18 January 2002) was a Finnish Air Force ace and an author.

Karhunen scored 31.5 kills in World War II; 25.5 of his air victories were achieved while flying the Brewster F2A Buffalo, an American fighter.

Finnish Air Force's Brewster B-239 formation during the Continuation War. Cptn Karhunen scored 25.5 - out of 35.5 - of his kills flying this type of aircraft

Soon after the outbreak of the Continuation War, on 25 June 1941, when he was 1st Lt, Karhunen led the 3rd Flight (of eight Brewster Buffalo) of Lentolaivue (LLv) 24, based at Vesivehmaa.

On 9 July, Karhunen was one of the dozen Brewster pilots led by Major Gustaf Magnusson on a patrol over Lahdenpohja, that in a ten-minute air combat shot down eight out of 15 Soviet bombers and fighters.

At the end of July, Karhunen's 3/LLv24 was ordered to support the offensive against the Karelian Ishtmus, scheduled for 31 July. His unit's opponents were 5th SAD, 7th and 153rd IAP and 65th and 235th ShaPs. On 1 August Karhunen's unit of seven Brewsters shot down six I-16s near Rautjärvi, WO Ilmari Juutilainen, claiming two of them. Eleven days later, on 12 August, Capt Karhunen was involved in the heaviest air combat over the Karelian Isthmus, while leading six Brewsters from 3/LLv 24 on a patrol. On Antrea area, they attacked a formation of about 20 aircraft from 65th ShAP. During the ensuing 30 minutes air combat, Karhunen and his pilots shot down nine Polikarpov I-153s "Chaikas". Capt. Karhunen, who claimed two I-153, his fourth and fifth air victories, recalled:

After the end of hostilities, Karhunen, the captain and commander of the 3rd flight of LeLv 24, recalled:

Karhunen retired from active duty on 13 December 1955.

During his retirement years, Karhunen wrote 36 books in Finnish, mainly about aerial combat in the wars between Finland and the USSR. The books were published between 1958 and 2000. As an author, Karhunen used the alias Joppe Karhunen.

Karhunen won the Officers' Series Championship in the SA Ski Championships in 1937 and participated in the Finnish team in the Military Patrol Skiing World Championships in Zakopane in 1939. In 1992, Karhunen was awarded the Harmon statue by the Finnish Aviation Association.