If you are here, then it is likely that you are familiar with the Sabaton song, Solider of 3 armies. While the story of Lauri Törni will be covered at some point in the future, he wasn’t the only Finnish soldier to serve in 3 armies.  Kaarlo Edvard Kivekäs, often nicknamed the General of Three Armies, served in the Imperial Russian Army, Ukrainian People's Army and Finnish Defence Forces. Sources:- Loikkanen, Jarmo – Harjula, Mirko: Kaarlo Kivekäs: Kolmen armeijan kenraali. Docendo 2017. ISBN 978-952-291-410-1 https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kenraalit/henkilo/205   ..read more

Today is Internation Women’s Day, a global celebration of the achievements of women throughout history, as well as bringing attention to social issues such as gender equality. I wanted to do my bit for this important day by sharing a story that has captured my heart and mind since I first heard about it a few years ago. It is the story of two Karelian sisters and how their actions during the confusing Kinship Wars period earned them the Military Medal.  Sources:-   Baron, Nick, The King of Karelia: Colonel P. J. Woods and the British Intervention in North Russia 1918-1919 : a Brief H ..read more

During my research for the Battle of Oulu, I came across a section that mentioned that the commander of Oulu’s Red Guard, Lennart Lindgren, had fought in the Second Boer War. This led to the story of the Skandinaviska Karen (the Scandinavian Corps) and their heroics at the Battle of Magersfontein. How a handful of Finns, alongside their Nordic brothers, heroically fought for freedom fighting in Africa. Sources:- Uola, Mikko. Finnish Warriors in the South African War. (Siirtolaisuus - Migration, 1977) Scandinavian Volunteers in the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902  http://samilitaryhistory.org/vo ..read more

The 30th of November was the 82nd anniversary of the start of the Winter War. Besides the dozens of posts made by Finns, Finnish History enthusiasts and a handful of Finnish Organisations, a post was created by the Russian Embassy in South Africa. The post on both Twitter and Instagram was full of inaccuracies, half-truths, and outright fabrications, and the response from various peoples was immediate and not without justification.  This is my response. Sources:- Backlund, Lawrence (1983).Nazi Germany and Finland, 1933–1939: A Waning Relationship Hjerppe, Riitta (1989). The Finnish econom ..read more

On the evening of the 29th February 1944, four Dornier Do 17Zs of Pommituslentolaivue 46 (or Bomber Squadron 46) joined the tail end of a returning stream of Soviet bombers. In what must have been a test of nerves, the aircrews kept in tight formation hoping not to be discovered.  As the formation made their preparations for landing, gear out, flaps down, the four interlopers carried on flying level, their bomb bays now opening. As they crossed over the airfield they dropped their payload. Explosions ripped through landing planes and the field’s facilities in equal measure. By the time th ..read more

With 2020 behind us, let's look towards a productive and happier 2021.I want to discuss my plans and goals for Finland at War this year ..read more

Tervetuola or Welcome to the first Episode of Officers’ Mess. Here, our Patreons at the Luutnantti or above level can have their questions answered. The support from Patreon allows me to keep the website and podcast going. So a big thank you to them ..read more

Just after midnight on the 3rd of October 1916, a hooded figure was escorted by Imperial Russian soldiers to a wooded area outside of the city of Oulu. The next day his corpse was buried by the tree in an unmarked grave. He would become the last person hanged in Finland ..read more

Finland may have celebrated its 100th birthday in 2017 but its military history stretches back centuries. Unfortunately, though the vast majority of its history isn’t translated into the English speaking world. This episode is going to give a brief introduction to Finnish Military History.   ..read more