The m/19 tunic was Finland's first attempt at a standardized uniform for all of its forces. It was heavily influenced by the Germanic/Prussian characteristics of the day.

A close up of the very intricate brocade of the model of 1922's shoulder boards. This particular example indicates that the tunic belonged to an officer of the 2nd artillery division.

An extremely rare m/22 summer tunic from the Mikka Teras collection.  Notice that the uniform still retains the ornate shoulder boards and collar piping of the heavier wool tunic.  Also the three button closure of the blouse is very reminiscnet of the Russian style summer blouse. The uniform is set off by the tunic belt with shoulder strap in the m/22 style. It is an exceptional accessory to this tunic.  Overall this is an extrmeely rare tunic in exceptional condition-the center piece of a Finnish unifrom collection without doubt.

The next phase of the uniform improvements came with the introduction of the model 1927 version to both the Army and Civil Guard.  This tunic was much more suited to field conditions with the addition of the cargo pockets but was very heavy in construction. The first versions were more brown in the color of the wool. Later version had a decidedly green hue to them.  This Civil Guard soldier was attached to the Häme district as can be told by colors of the sleeve patch and wears a large wool cap for protection from the cold weather of winter time

Finland

The Army's light weight summer tunic of 1932. This model in its green color was constructed of a heavy weight cotton and would be the basis for the later m/36 summer tunic. These jackets are quite scarce today for the collector to find. This particular tunic was made at the Army clothing factory and was constructed and accepted for use in 1935. It is a size "2" as indicated in the ink stamping.

Another outstanding piece from the Mikka Teras collection. This Civil Guard issue m/32 summer tunic carries all of its identification insignia and arm badge. Notice the collar insignia of the Civil Guard-two fir sprigs indicating an officers position and the green piping on the shoulder epaulets denoting infantry service .

A side view of the SK m/32 tunic above displaying the Souljeluskunta district badge. In this case the Helsinki area.

One of the most important elements of a capable fighting force is the ability of rapid and accurate information exchange between units. One of the pioneers of this training was the Civil Guard and its training programs aimed at young men. This program, very much like our Boy Scouts but with a paramilitary emphasis was the basis for the early communication units and couriers like the one depicted here. This Civil Guard "Youth" member wears the uniform and cap of the boys program based upon the Souljeluskunta's model of 1930 summer uniform. He wears the Laplander style boots with curled toes to aid in the quick insertion into skis. These high calf length boots were also worn in the summer months. His dispatch satchel can be seen hanging from his left shoulder. The patch on the sleeve is the marking of this organization and a like badge is seen in the second photo.

The Finnish prototype model of 1934 tunic as modeled off the German model of 1932 combat tunic. A copy of this tunic was obtained from German sources in 1933 so that an example was on hand to work off. Photo is taken from "Asepuku m/36" by Petteri Leino.

The Finnish and German wartime Infantry tunics in comparison. The left is the Finnish m/36 version and on the right the German counterpart.   This photo was taken on a private tour arranged at the Sotamuseo in Helsinki Finland.

This is a typical Naval uniform of the Finnish forces of the day. Dark blue wool with a double row of brass lion embossed buttons adorn the front of the tunic. A standard leather belt with the m/22 style pressed steel buckle provide a finished look on the tunic as well as a carrying point for any equipment. Dark blue wool straight leg trousers, the seamen's beret and ankle length boots complete the set. This naval soldier is armed with the Swiss supplied MKMS select fire "sub-machine gun/rifle" in a caliber of 9mm. Only 300 of these robust rifles were produced and 282 of them were sold to Finland where they saw service in the Navy and Coastal Artillery units. This rifle featured the unique ability for the stick magazine to fold up into a recess in the forearm of the stock. This seamen depicted served upon the warship "Torunmaa".

During the Winter and Continuation War, Finnish pilots scored impressive victories with an assortment of airplanes of several different countries. Fighter planes like the Fokker D.XXI, Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406 and 410, Brewtser 239 "Buffalo" and the famed Messerschmitt ME 109's all served in Finnish combat squadrons along with captured or repaired Soviet aircraft of several types. This pilot is outfitted with a typical flight suit of the time as he studies the operational map. Note his heavy fur lined jumpsuit gloves along with the Browning "Hi-Power" in its holster on his flight belt. Finland ordered about 3000 pistols prior to the War for service with its Air Force, primarily with fighter pilots and aircrews.

This lance sergeant is assigned to a unit in the Carelian Guards. Wearing a light weight cotton summer tunic m/36 in , he is ready to move forward to the border in 1941. The Finnish Army was desperately short of helmets during the Winter War of 1939-40 and looked elsewhere for headgear. Germany responded to a request by sending 50,000  m/34 helmets to its Finnish ally for combat troops from the now occupied Czechoslovakia. This trooper wears his breadbag and Finnish produced leather load bearing straps. A Finnish stick grenade is tucked into his m/32 belt which is fastened with the  embossed Finnish lion buckle. A spare 72 round drum is at the ready for his deadly kp/31 Suomi sub machinegun.

A Finnish trooper assigned to the KevOs 2 Infantry Regiment in late 1941. Wearing the wool version of the new model of 1936 tunic, this soldier is wearing a German supplied m/16 helmet. His shoulder straps have the early embroidered insignia of his unit and regiment number-the crossed skis on a bicycle wheel of the Jaeger regiments. This group of soldiers was most feared amongst the Soviet troops and often served as a quick reaction and "shock troops" in heavily contested areas. This Finn has armed himself with a captured Tokarev semi automatic rifle-the SVT 40. Many thousands were captured at the close of the Winter War and in the early stages of the Continuation War (1941-1944) as the Finn's refer to World War 2.  On his right shoulder is a spare barrel in its green leather carrier for the Lahti Saloranta light machine gun. A captured Soviet ammunition/magazine pouch for the rifle is on his belt. It held two spare 10 rd. magazines for the rifle.

Here you can see period photograph of a tank crew for a Sturmgeschütz 40 G assault gun taking a few minutes to resupply its 75mm main gun with AP ammunition. Notice the tanks commander in his leather m/36 pattern tunic as shown in detail on the other large photo plates of this section. In 1943 Finland bought 30 Sturmgeschütz 40 G model assault guns from Germany to supplement the amour divisions who sorely lacked the punch needed to defeat the Soviet armor of the day -the T34. With a Soviet offensive looming Finland requested and received another 29 Sturmgeschütz III G's from Germany in the summer of 1944. The StuG 40 was highly effective with the Finnish amour divisions during the Continuation War from 1943 to 1944. Do to the terrain limitations that gave the defenders a distinct advantage and the excellent marksmanship qualities of the crews, this tank was highly feared by the Soviet Red Army. During the fighting Finland lost but 8 of its StuG assault guns but destroyed 87 Soviet tanks of all types and an untold number of auxiliary vehicles and field guns of all types.

Here the complete tank commanders uniform can be seen in detail. The special m/36 tunic made of black leather along with the black leather "breeches" can be seen on this commander. His padded leather tankers helmet is held in his left hand. This tunic is extremely rare die to the small number of armored crews and the limited production of the leather tunics. During the war these tunics were discontinued in favor of the heavy canvas type jumpsuit or the simple winter wool or lightweight cotton summer version of the m/36 uniform.

Here you can see the leather m/36 commanders tunic on the left along with the padded tankers helmet worn for protection while in the fighting vehicle. The radio earphones are incorporated into the helmet.You can see the plug in cord for this headgear in the commanders hand. He is armed with the standard sidearm of the Finnish Army of the day the m/23 Luger. The right side figure is shown with the grey canvas jumpsuit that became prevalent later in the war. This figure is more than likely a radio operator/gunner than a commander due to the lack of rank insignia on his uniform and the standard enlisted mans cockade worn on his m/36 cap.

A close up of the shoulder strap and its sewn insignia. This feature quickly disappeared on the tunics produced during the war. This tunic is 1939 dated and still retained the feature. You can see the rank patch on the collar of the three chevrons indicating this soldier holds the rank of a full sergeant.

A early version of the summer m/36 tunic with sewn infantry insignia. This tunic belongs to a lieutenant from opening stages of the "Continaution War" of 1941.

A m/36 summer tunic displaying the later version of the Jaeger units. This style insignia was pinned to the strap by four metal wires that passed through the strap and were folded over to secure the pin. These soldiers were mobile and made use of skis in the winter and bicycles in the warmer months. On this summer tunic the collar tabs are that of light infantry (green background with gold piping) as compared to the infantry (green-white) winter tunic above.
This summer tunic is 1941 dated andwould have been issued to the fast moving troops taking part in the Continuation War.

A coastal artillery sergeant takes a quick compass reading on incoming shell directions as he heads towards his battery. Wearing the "winter" wool tunic and the darker gray wool breeches of the m/36 uniform, this sergeant is armed with one of the 94,500 Italian Carcano m/38 short rifles ordered from Italy in 1940. Almost all of these rifles were relegated to rear echelon troops and artillery battery's.  On his belt he wear a small pistol of Spanish origin. In Finnish service the pistol was called the m/19 but American collectors often name this pistol the "Ruby". A flashlight is attached to his breast pocket button to light the ranging charts at his coastal gun emplacement and a set of captured Russian binoculars hang from his neck. This soldier wears a tunic from 1944 and the late black plastic/bakelite buttons are clearly visible. The wool on this late tunic is quite coarse and the smooth texture of the early models was lost in the production haste to provide enough gear to the troops in the field. His shoulder straps bear the crossed cannons behind a flaming bomb insignia. The helmet is one of 25,000 German m/35 helmets that were supplied to Finland in the autumn of 1941.

URR issued winter m/36 tunic. This 1940 dated tunic was issued to a sergeant in the cavalry and has late war bakelite replacement buttons, not the earlier painted gray steel style. In general dragoon tunics tend to run smaller in size, as those soldiers on horseback were in a general sense slighter in build and very athletic. These soldiers would have been issued a belt and Y-straps to carry gear in the field and the tunic is equipped with rear belt hooks to help bear a heavy load. It is difficult today to locate NCO or enlisted men's m/36 tunics, as most surviving examples are of the officer variety. There are many theories as to why enlisted and NCOs tunics are hard to locate, but the simplest reason is that officers could afford to retain and store such items for memories sake. The enlisted men often did not have this luxury. After the war many of the units were mustered out of the service with just the tunic, pants and boots on their feet. As such their tunics were worn in everyday life until suitable civilian clothing could be found. Then the tunic often served as a work jacket or coat. The overall survival rate of the Finnish Dragoon Regiment tunics (there were three, the URR or Uusimaa Dragoon Regiment - Uudenmaan Rakuunarykmentti and the HRR or Häme Cavalry Regiment - Hämeen Ratsurykmentti and the standard cavalry of the army) are exceptionally rare today for the later stages of the war, these elite units were decimated in the defense of the Finnish homeland.
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A close up showing the rear of the m/36 summer tunic and its added belt loops to assist in hold the leather belt in position. This picture also details the rear of the load bearing straps often called "Y" straps due to the design. The soldiers puuko (knife) is in its wartime produced pressed cardboard sheath-due to lack of leather supplies, is on his belt.

The interior of the winter wool m/36 tunic. Note the brown cotton lining into the sleeves and about half way down the jacket for comfort. The belt straps in the center are for attaching the steel hooks that helped to hold up the leather belt on the wool tunic. They hooked into the straps and then passed out through the slits in the rear of the tunic. The inside pocket for personal effects or a combat bandage is at the lower right corner. The maker and size info is evident on the right side of this tunic

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