Finnish mechanics unlocked the Buffalo's strengths

Although five Buffaloes were technically combat-ready before the Winter War ended, their pilots had not yet accumulated enough experience to use them in combat. In Finnish service the aircraft was known as the Brewster, with other nicknames, rather than the Buffalo. Crews considered it easy to fly, flexible, long-ranged, and straightforward to maintain. Mechanics improved reliability by reversing one piston ring in each cylinder, while Finland's cold climate reduced the overheating seen in the Pacific. Isolation from normal support encouraged crews to make their own modifications. Tactics and upkeep played to the Brewster's maneuverability rather than asking it to outrun faster fighters. The cited kill-loss ratio is thirty-three enemy aircraft destroyed for each Brewster lost.