Every war the Estonian Air Force has fought
Estonia’s air arm fought one war of its own, in 1918–1920; in 1940 it did not resist, and the Estonians who flew in the Second World War did so in German and Soviet units, not in the Estonian Air Force. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the War of Independence in 1918 to the Second World War, when Estonian airmen flew under two foreign flags.
| Conflict | Years | Against | Main aircraft | Sorties | Aircraft lost | |
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| Estonian War of IndependenceVabadussõdaAir half-company of the Engineer Battalion, later the Aviation Company | 1918–1920 | Soviet Russia (Red Army) | Farman HF.30 and other captured or abandoned types | |||
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Reconnaissance and liaison with captured and abandoned aircraft. The unit was formed on 21 November 1918 with no aircraft at all; the Red Army attacked Narva a week later. Its first machine was a French-built Farman HF.30 captured from the Soviets in January 1919, and the Defence Forces’ history dates the first combat sortie to 15 February 1919. Abandoned German aircraft and further trophies were pressed into service, and by 22 February 1919 the Defence Forces count 40 aircraft, 28 of them serviceable, with 476 personnel. By the end of the war Estonia had 44 aircraft, though fewer than half could fly. The air arm’s contribution was small next to the army’s and the armoured trains’, but it gave the new state an air service from its first months. Outcome The Treaty of Tartu (1920) ended the war; Estonia’s independence was recognised by Soviet Russia. The Defence Forces’ English and Estonian pages give the aircraft counts; no independent sortie or loss figures were found.
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| The communist uprising of 1 December 1924the seizure of Lasnamäe airfieldAviation Regiment (air division at Lasnamäe, Tallinn) | 1924 | Communist insurgents | Two military aircraft hijacked (types not recorded in the source) | 1 | ||
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The target, not a participant: insurgents seized the air division’s airfield and barracks. On 1 December 1924 about 279 armed communists tried to seize Tallinn. One of their few successes was the military airfield and air division barracks at Lasnamäe, where some soldiers joined them. Reinforcements soon forced them out. As the attempt collapsed, the attackers took two military aircraft and tried to fly to the Soviet Union; one was forced to land near Narva, the other crossed the border. Two air force lieutenants were court-martialled for collaborating and sentenced to death. For the young air force it was an embarrassing episode that exposed how thinly its bases were guarded. Outcome The uprising failed within hours; two air force lieutenants were court-martialled for collaboration and sentenced to death. All details are from English Wikipedia; the aircraft types and the names of the airmen were not found.
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| The Soviet occupation of EstoniaJune 1940Estonian Air Force (Air Defence) | 1940 | Soviet Union | About 80 aircraft in 1939, including Bristol Bulldogs, Hawker Harts, Potez 25s and Avro Ansons | 0 | ||
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No resistance; aircraft remained in their hangars. Soviet forces entered Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on 17 June 1940. Estonia’s government did not fight, and Wikipedia records that the air defence took no action and its aircraft remained locked in their hangars. That summer the air force was turned into the aviation squadron of the 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps, staffed largely by former Estonian airmen, according to the Defence Forces. When Germany attacked in June 1941 many of them refused to evacuate east and hid in the forests; the Defence Forces’ history says a group of 36 fought NKVD units and several were killed. The interwar service ended without a shot being fired in its defence, and its fleet of about 80 aircraft vanished into Soviet hands. Outcome In the summer of 1940 the air force became the aviation squadron of the Red Army’s 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps. Wikipedia gives about 80 aircraft in 1939; the Defence Forces give a peak of 77 in 1932. Both are cited.
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| Second World War: Estonian airmen in German and Soviet serviceSeeaufklärungsgruppe 127 and the "Tasuja" squadronNot the Estonian Air Force: Estonian crews in Luftwaffe and Soviet units | 1941–1946 | Night group of about 45 aircraft (German service), U-2 (Po-2) biplanes (Soviet service) | ||||
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Maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrol and night attack on the German side; night bombing on the Soviet side. The Defence Forces’ own history includes this chapter, although no Estonian state air force existed. Estonians in German service were at first not allowed to fly, but in February 1942 the first all-Estonian flight was formed, and Estonian crews of Seeaufklärungsgruppe 127 flew maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Finland — reportedly the first Luftwaffe unit crewed by foreigners. A flying school at Liepāja trained Estonians and Latvians from 1943, and a night group of about 45 aircraft formed from them fought over Estonia in the summer and autumn of 1944 before leaving in September. About 3,000 Estonians served in Luftwaffe auxiliary air defence. On the Soviet side, the 87th Independent Night Bombing Squadron "Tasuja" (Avenger) flew U-2 biplanes with the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps; its first Estonian pilot joined only after Tallinn was taken in 1944. Outcome The German-side units evacuated in September 1944; the Soviet "Tasuja" squadron was disbanded in the summer of 1946. Estonians fought on both sides; this entry records service, not endorsement. The German unit designations are those of the Defence Forces’ history, machine-translated for this page, and were not cross-checked.
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Nothing matches that search.
Every figure, checked
- Estonian Defence Forces: Estonian Air ForceOfficial English page: structure (staff, air base, air defence, air surveillance, military aviation authority), commander, aircraft, history summary (1918, 44 aircraft in 1920, 77 in 1932, HQ 1994, air base 1997, surveillance wing 1998, BAP at Amari 1 May 2014).
- Kaitsevägi: Õhuvägi (Estonian-language air force page and history)Official Estonian spelling Õhuvägi; detailed history: 21 November 1918, first combat flight 15 February 1919, 44 aircraft 1920, 77 in 1932, Estonians in German and Soviet service, 16 December 1991, first commander 7 February 1994, 1997 inventory, radars.
- Estonian Defence Forces: History of the Defence ForcesAir half-company 21 November 1918; 40 aircraft (28 serviceable) and 476 personnel on 22 February 1919; Air Defence Staff 4 October 1930; restoration dates 1991.
Figures verified 2026-09-29. Back to the Estonian Air Force.