Kyösti Karhila was a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 fighter ace with 32¼ victories. He was born in Rauma

Rauma, Finland

Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. He began flying in Lentolaivue 32 and flew later in LeLv 30, LeLv 34 and LeLv 24. He scored 13¼ of his victories with P-36 Hawk

P-36 Hawk

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design...

s and 19 with Bf 109s. After his air force career he flew airliners for Finnair

Finnair

Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...

, Aero O/Y and Spearair. He gathered 556 flying hours during the war and 24,000 after the war. He died in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 at the age of 88 as the last of the Finnish fighter aces.

Aerial victories

Date	Own aircraft	Place	Enemy aircraft
August 1, 1941	CU-502	Jääski	⅓ balloon
August 10, 1941	CU-567	Kirvu	½ Polikarpov I-16 Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
August 13, 1941	CU-561	Kirvu	½ Polikarpov I-153 Polikarpov I-153 The Russian Polikarpov I-153 Chaika was a late 1930s Soviet biplane fighter. Developed as an advanced version of the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the Soviet's major fighter types in the early years of the Second...
August 18, 1941	CU-570	Sintola	1 Polikarpov I-153 Polikarpov I-153 The Russian Polikarpov I-153 Chaika was a late 1930s Soviet biplane fighter. Developed as an advanced version of the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the Soviet's major fighter types in the early years of the Second...
September 3, 1941	CU-566	Kuokkala	1 Polikarpov I-153 Polikarpov I-153 The Russian Polikarpov I-153 Chaika was a late 1930s Soviet biplane fighter. Developed as an advanced version of the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the Soviet's major fighter types in the early years of the Second...
September 17, 1941	CU-552	Siestarjoki	1 MiG-3
September 19, 1941	CU-560	Ohalatva	1 MiG-1 Mig-1 Mig-1 may refer to:* Middle Investment Grade 1, A credit rating for municipal bonds issued by Moody's or Standard and Poor's bond rating agencies* Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 airplane, a fighter aircraft manufactured by Russia...
June 15, 1942	CU-560	Mergino	1 Yak-1
June 28, 1942	CU-560	Vitele	½ Pe-2
July 5, 1942	CU-560	Sampotuksa	1 Polikarpov I-16 Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
August 21, 1942	CU-560	Lyugovitcha	1 Polikarpov I-16 Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II... bis
September 29, 1942	CU-571	Saarimäki	½ Pe-2
November 9, 1942	CU-571	Mulberskoye	½ MiG-1 Mig-1 Mig-1 may refer to:* Middle Investment Grade 1, A credit rating for municipal bonds issued by Moody's or Standard and Poor's bond rating agencies* Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 airplane, a fighter aircraft manufactured by Russia...
November 9, 1942	CU-571	Ylä-Sotkusha	¼ Pe-2
February 9, 1943	CU-560	Saarentaka	1 Pe-2
February 11, 1943	CU-560	Savijärvi	½ LaGG-3
February 11, 1943	CU-560	Novinka	1 LaGG-3
February 11, 1943	CU-560	Malkjärvi	1 U-2 Polikarpov Po-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik for maize; thus, 'maize duster' or 'crop duster'), NATO reporting name "Mule"...
May 4, 1943	MT-214	Ino	2 LaGG-3
May 21, 1943	MT-224	Lavansaari	1 La-5
July 19, 1943	MT-224	Pöytsaari	1 Pe-2
August 20, 1943	MT-229	Seiskari	1 La-5
May 28, 1944	MT-403	Kuusalu, Estonia	1 Pe-2
June 21, 1944	MT-405	Tienhaara	1 Il-2 Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
June 30, 1944	MT-436	Perojoki	1 Yak-9
July 1, 1944	MT-461	Teikarsaari	1 Il-2 Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
July 3, 1944	MT-461	Portinhoikka	1 Il-2 Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
July 4, 1944	MT-460	Vatnouri	1 P-51 P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
July 5, 1944	MT-461	Tuppuransaari	1 Yak-9
July 7, 1944	MT-461	Vatnouri	1 P-51 P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
July 9, 1944	MT-461	Kylä-Paakkola	1 Il-2 Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
July 10, 1944	MT-461	Terhonjärvi	1 La-5
July 10, 1944	MT-461	Uusikylä	1 Yak-9
July 11, 1944	MT-461	Hirvisaari	1 La-5
July 16, 1944	MT-460	Ritasaari	1 Yak-9
July 18, 1944	MT-460	Malkola	1 La-5
July 18, 1944	MT-460	Kylä-Paakkola	1 La-5
CU = P-36 Hawk, MT = Bf 109

External links

• Interview with Kyösti Karhila
• Kyosti Karhila in Dogfight Over Gulf of Finland
• Obituary, Helsingin Sanomat
• Interview in Finnish