One hundred years later: the Finnish Air Force removed the swastika from its emblem
The emblem that adorned the Finnish military uniform from 1918, regardless of Nazi rule, was removed without official notice.
The connection came through a Swedish nobleman - who gave the young country a plane with his badge.
"The mission of the military is to protect the country, not an old symbol," said the professor who noticed the change
News agencies
04/07/2020
Saturday, 04 July 2020, 16:34
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Photo: Reuters, Editing: Assaf Drori
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The Finnish Air Force has removed the swastika from its emblem, without official announcement.
The Air Force has used the swastika since its inception in 1918, shortly after the state gained its independence and long before the Nazis came to power.
Until 1945, its planes wore a blue swastika on a white background, with no intention of showing allegiance to Nazi Germany, although the two countries cooperated during the war.
According to an Air Force spokeswoman, the emblem was removed from the planes after World War II, but the swastika remains on various IAF emblems, unit flags and decorations - which were displayed on the uniforms of some of the soldiers.
The corps added that the emblem was changed as early as January 2017, and became a golden eagle with a wing circle surrounding it.
"Because the symbols are displayed on the soldiers' uniforms, it was understood that it was not practical and there was no need to continue using the old symbol, which caused misunderstandings from time to time," it was reported.
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The symbol was changed as early as January 2017, and became a golden eagle.
Finland Air Force plane (Photo: AP)
Originally, it was a Swedish nobleman, named Count Eric von Rosen, who made the swastika identified with the Air Force.
The Count used the swastika as a personal mascot for good luck.
In 2018 he gave as a gift to the Air Force of the neighboring country, which had just gained its independence, a plane with a blue swastika painted on it.
It was the first aircraft of the Finnish Air Force, and those who came after it continued the tradition and displayed the blue emblem.
Supporters of the continued use of the symbol pointed out that there were no Nazis in 1918, which means that there was no connection between its use and Nazism.
However, although Leven-Rosen had no connection with the Nazis at the time, he later became a leading figure in Sweden's National Socialist movement in the 1930s.
He was also the stepbrother of senior German Nazi Hermann Goering, and according to Professor Tibienne - also a close friend of Hitler.
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The old emblem with the swastika, next to the new emblem after the change (Photo: Official website, Ministry of Defense of Finland)
According to Professor Tibo Tibienan, an academic from the University of Helsinki who was the first to notice the change of symbol, the swastika could be seen on buildings in the country as early as the 1920s.
"In Finland the thought is that it is a random sign of decoration - which is true to some extent," he said.
However, Tibienne claims he has never disagreed that the use of the swastika should be banned in Finland, as has happened in Germany.
"The army's mission is to protect the country, not to protect an old sergeant," he said.
Although the swastika is still in the Finnish Flight School emblem, the move to remove it from the corps emblem indicates that the military top is ready to advance from Count Van-Rosen and his blue-and-white swastika.
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