The Buffalo originated with a 1935 requirement for a carrier-based fighter to replace the US Navy’s Grumman F3F biplanes. Brewster’s XF2A-1 prototype was selected in June 1938 and the first production aircraft began to enter service as the F2A-1 in April 1939. Slow delivery rates meant that the first squadron, VF-3, only became operational in late 1939, aboard the USS Saratoga.
Only 11 of the 54 F2A-1s produced went to the USN – the remainder were modified and sold to Finland, where they were highly successful in combat against the Red Air Force throughout the Continuation War of 1941-1944. This was partly due to their good reflector gunsights and reliable armament of four .5-inch heavy machine-guns.
However, the decisive factor was the considerable skill and expertise of the Finnish pilots, in marked contrast to their poorly trained Soviet opponents. (The Finns claimed no fewer than 459 Russian aircraft for the loss of 15 Brewsters in combat.)
Colonisation and cohabitation