Finland's de-navalized Buffaloes left New York for Bergen in January and February 1940, then moved by rail to a Swedish assembly site near Gothenburg. Saab assembled the crated aircraft and began adapting them almost immediately. An early Finnish test flight at very low altitude and high speed ended with an overheated engine and a forced landing that damaged the propeller and belly panels. A Brewster test pilot then demonstrated the aircraft against Finland's Fiat G.50 fighters. The G.50 was faster in level flight, but the Buffalo could outturn it, confirming that the design's useful advantage lay in maneuverability rather than speed.
Chapter · 38:10-40:33
Swedish assembly and the Fiat G.50 comparison
De-navalized Buffaloes traveled through Norway to Swedish assembly, where early testing showed they could outturn Finland's faster Fiat G.50 fighters.