The Finnish Air Force will end its use of the swastika symbol on its official flags, AP news agency reported on Friday. The move aims to prevent "embarrassment" with Finland's NATO allies, and despite the symbol being adopted in 1918, before the Nazis rose to power, the historical connections with Nazi Germany cast a shadow over its continued use.
"We could have continued with this flag, but sometimes embarrassing situations can arise with foreign visitors," explained Colonel Tomi Bhem, head of the air defense force of the air wing in the Karelia region, in an interview with Finnish public broadcaster YLE. "Sometimes it's wise to move with the times."
Although Finnish defense forces claim the flag renewal program, launched in 2023 with Finland's NATO membership, is not directly related to alliance membership, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat revealed the symbol is perceived as "embarrassing in international contexts."
It was also reported that in 2021, German units refused to participate in a closing ceremony of a joint exercise due to the use of swastika flags.
The story behind the controversial symbol began in 1918, shortly after Finland gained independence from the Russian Empire. A Swedish count named Erik von Rosen donated Finland's first military aircraft, and the plane bore his personal symbol, a swastika. Von Rosen, who was a researcher and ethnographer, was the brother-in-law of Hermann Göring, a senior Nazi Party member and commander of the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force.
Finland fought alongside Nazi Germany in the Continuation War (1941-1944) against the Soviet Union, attempting to regain territories lost in the Winter War. Despite the military alliance, Finland refused to adopt Nazi antisemitic ideology, and Finnish Jews served in its army, and it refused to hand over its Jewish citizens to the Germans. Only at the war's end did Finland switch sides and declare war on Germany.
The new flags will feature an eagle instead of the swastika, and they will be introduced after their preparation is complete, though the Finnish military did not specify when this will be finished. "Von Rosen's swastika has been used by us since 1918, but we already removed it from most air force symbols in previous reforms," stated the message to AP. "Removing it from unit flags is simply a logical continuation."
