[Panzergranate]

There is camera footage of a Finnish Buffalo glued to the tail of an I-153 during the Continuation War.

During RAF evaluation, it was noted that the B-339 Buffalo could esily out turn the Gloster Gladiator.

To quote one US Navy Ace, "Pug" Anderson, "The Buffalo could turn a circle inside a phone booth".

The original B-139 flew with a 950 HP engine in 1938.

The B-239 and B-339 versions used 1,100 and later 1,200 HP engines.

RAF Buffaloes flew with second hand Whirlwind engines sourced from US airline companies, reconditioned (badly) by Brewster and then fitted to the fighters. The engines were originally 850 HP and uprated to 1,100 HP by boring them out. Unfortunately the oil pumps were for 850 HP engines and the BUffalo earnt its notoriety not from combat losses but through sudden engine failures in on patrol or in combat.

IL-2 Forgotten Battles faithfully re-creates all the sudden oil pressure and power loss hastle that real RAF, Commonwealth and Dutch pilots faced.

The Directors of Brewster went to jail over this, when their profiteering was discovered.

The Buffalo was the only Allied fighter that could out turn a Zero or Oscar.

Note that the Fins paid in gold and received brand new engines with their B-239 versions.

I've flown B-239s against I-153s in IL-2 FB and it isn't a problem to turn inside them.

The P-36 can't, having pretty much the same mediocre handling of the P-40

The Finnish built Gloster J-8A Gladiator is totally outclassed by the I-153 in acceleration, speed and handling.

The Finnish Fiat G-50 "Frecia" tends to suffer from the usual Italian reliability that plagues their motorcycles even today. I'm yet to fly one long enough to complete a mission without somethng electrical or mechanical screwing up, so I'd predict that it wouldn't fare well against the I-153.

As the D-21 isn't in the game, which is a shame, so only pilot's accounts are available.

It is strange how the Finnish B-239s won most of thier encounters with the Yak and La.