Finnish Army Badges of Rank during WWII

Before the war officers and special officers (medical officers, engineer officers etc…) used also unit insignias in shoulder straps in addition of lions. Lion was the first marking and unit insignia was on top of it. This probably changed during the war – using only either lions or unit insignia at seems to have been quite usual among officers during the war. The unit insignias used by officers before the war and during it were made from metal. The officer’s shoulder straps were typically non-removable. Officers seem to have used the lions in this way until Interim Peace (1940 – 1941), at which time adding them to tunics was forbidden, but the officers didn’t have to remove the lion-symbols from tunics, which had them already. Naval officers were exception to this.

Rank Badges - Finnish Generals and Senior Officers

Rank Badges - Junior Officers and N.C.O.s

Rank Badges - Officers of the Services

Before the war ordinary soldiers carried sewn (or painted in some rare cases) markings indicating the unit they served in this way. The unit markings were sewn with yellow thread. The units, which didn’t have own unit insignia used just fighting arm symbol. The shoulder straps used by non-officers were removable, so this was possible. According photographs also some non-officers seem to have worn the unit insignias made from metal already before the war (even if it was forbidden). After Winter War many of the old units were abolished and new ones established, but nobody made new unit insignias for them. In some cases unit insignias made from metal were available, but not for free (soldiers could buy them and use the insignias while having a leave at homefront). Because many units no longer had unit insignias Finnish soldiers assumed the basic parts of unit markings (indicating to with fighting arm the unit belonged) and started carrying them in similar manner, but now they indicated only service arm instead of unit. Example of this: "crossed rifles" symbol with number "2" below it indicated Infantry Regiment 2 before the war, but wearing only "crossed rifles" symbol indicated that the soldier served in infantry. Issuing the unit insignias for free (at that point they were always made from metal) didn’t continue until after WW2.

Arm-of-Service Badges

Commemorative badges

Basically it seems that in officer tunics one could use shoulder straps with either:

	Both lions and unit insignias (and say its pre-war arrangement of officer who served already before the war and which nobody changed during the war – as this happened)
	Only lions (and say its wartime arrangement)
	Only unit insignias (and say its wartime arrangement)
	Only fighting arm symbol (and say its wartime arrangement belonging to officer whose unit didn’t have unit insignia)

BTW: These unit insignias have rather nice nickname among Finnish soldiers – "satiaiset" (= crab louse).

Jarkko Vihavainen - Jaeger Platoon http://ankkurinvarsi.com/jaeger/

Commemorative badges

Military Schools and Courses

	Page 1 - The M/36 Uniform		Page 3 - Membership Application Information
	Page 2 - Approved Weapons		Page 4 - Correct Insignia for Uniforms / Badges of Rank