Finnish Forces

Ilmari Juutilainen

Eino Ilmari Juutilainen (February 21, 1914 – February 21, 1999) was a fighter pilot of the Finnish Air Force, and is considered to be the highest scoring non-German ace of all time This makes him the top flying ace of the Finnish Air Force, leading all Finnish pilots in score against Soviet aircraft in the Winter War (1939–1940) and in the Continuation War (1941–1944), with 94 confirmed aerial combat victories in 437 sorties. He flew Fokker D.XXI (2 1/6 victories), Brewster Buffalo(34 victories) and Messerschmitt Bf 109(58 victories) fighter planes. He was one of the four people who twice received the highest Finnish military decoration, the Mannerheim Cross. Juutilainen finished the war without a single hit to his plane from enemy fighter airplanes (once he was forced to land after a friendly anti-aircraft gun fired at his Bf 109). Like fighter aces Erich Hartmann and Saburo Sakai, Juutilainen never lost a wingman in combat. Ilmari has told that when he was little, his big brother Aarne Juutilainen gave him a book about memoirs of the Red Baron, as a present and it gave him the thought of becoming a pilot. After the wars, he served in the air force until 1949. He worked as professional pilot until 1956, flying people in his De Havilland Tiger Moth. He flew for the last time, a Finnish Air Force F-18 Hornet, in 1997. Decorations: Mannerheim Cross, 2nd Class (decorated twice) Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class with Oak Leaves and Swords Cross of Liberty, 4th Class with Oak Leaves and Swords (decorated twice) Medal of Liberty, 2nd Class Iron Cross, 1st Class Iron Cross, 2nd Class