Lars Hattinen

Lars Paul-Erich "Lasse" Hattinen (16 May 1923, Kuorevesi – 3 January 1961) was at the time the youngest Finnish World War II flying ace and a commercial airliner pilot. He achieved 6 air victories with the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 between 25 June and 30 July 1944. Hattinen is recognized as the only pilot who flew the Mörkö Morane (also called "Bogey" and "Ogre Morane"[1]), the plane's version developed in Finland.[2] His three victories flying this plane were the only kills scored by the fighter.[3] He had four regular victories flying Morane planes when he achieved his first Yak-1 victory in 1944.[2] On his last flight, his plane caught fire and he only barely survived with burns.

After the war, he worked as an airliner pilot for the Finnish flag carrier Aero O/Y. He was the pilot of the ill-fated Aero Flight 311 which crashed in Kvevlax in January 1961. The investigation revealed that Hattinen and his co-pilot, neither of which survived the crash, had been drinking heavily the night before the flight.[4]

References
  1. Joseph, Frank (2011). The Axis Air Forces: Flying in Support of the German Luftwaffe: Flying in Support of the German Luftwaffe. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-313-39591-8.
  2. Stenman, Kari; Ehrengardt, Christian-Jacques (2014). Morane-Saulnier MS.406 Aces. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-343-4.
  3. Stenman, Kari (2012). Finnish Aces of World War 2. London: Osprey Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-78200-540-7.
  4. "DC-3 tyyppisen lentokoneen OH-LCC maahan syöksyminen Koivulahdella 3.1.1961" (PDF). Safety Investigation Authority. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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