Weren't the Finnish people buddies with the Nazis? A Co-belligerent? Selective amnesia I suppose! And didn't your air force also use a swastika?

555 for the parody, but disagree with Susanna's opening comments to distance Finland from Nazi Germany. They were in fact partners in the invasion of the USSR in 1941 and Germany provided extensive arms to help Finland fight the USSR. A myth of "separate war" has evolved and Finns that committed war crimes were not prosecuted to the extent of the postwar Allied trials simply b/c Finland reached an agreement with the USSR and a new Govt was formed trying to erase cooperation with the Nazis. In Salla, the Finns had Stalag 309 that operated under the same rules of barbarity as in Nazi camps. VALPO also worked with both the Gestapo and Einsatzkommandos in rounding up Communists, Jews, and other undesirables for execution. That's a confirmed fact. Like the SS Dirlewanger Group, the Finns also employed criminals to hunt down partisans near their borders in cooperation with the SS. As for the swastika on their AF planes- No, that is a different, older symbol of good fortune dating back 5000 yrs to China and is linked to the Golden Sun Wheel. The Germans used the Hakenkreuz (Bent Cross) that originated in 1919 with Thule and became the Nazi Party symbol (odd fact: Thor's Hammer was the second choice) and is linked to the Black Sun of the Hollow Earth and Vril energy. It is also formed from the Black Sun wheel which contained Sig runes as spokes. The Hakenkreuz represents two Sig runes crossed. Sig= victory. SS insignia also two Sig runes but standing for Shutzstaffel or Hitler's initial bodyguard. Even when Finland turned against Germany through negotiations with the Soviets on territory, the Finns at first allowed a casual withdrawl by the Germans. But then some skirmishes and then fighting began and Germany burned Lapland to the ground as they moved over to Norway which remained secure even at the surrender.

Finland was co-belligerent with Germany against USSR 1941-1944.. Let's say it is no use to teach Realpolitik for small nation inhabitants. Let's leave it there.

The emblem of FinnAF was blue swastika 1918-1945. The swastika was the coat-of-arms of Swedish Count Erik von Rosen, who donated FinnAF her first airplane, Morane Parasol. FinnAF had it long before Nazis.

Original swastika has been around for 5000 years since China and Germany and the Allies used it on their planes for good luck since 1914, so technically Germany still used it before Finland but not as an AF nor National symbol. The Hakenkreuz is a variant of the swastika and is angled 45o with an entirely different background, so there is no comparison. And Susanna, Finland chose to fight with Germans and take their arms willingly and also committed war crimes. Your explanation sounds apologist at best. You are fortunate that you agreed to turn on your benefactor rather than have the Red Army divert forces to take your entire nation in 1945. You signed agreements. If Germany had more time and resources they probably would have destroyed your entire nation for betrayal, but Norway had to be strategically held in case the Fuhrer decided to go to S America via plane or U-boat. Norway had to endure German occupation for weeks AFTER VE-Day!!!

My aopologies Susanna if my last response seemed too rough, but you cannot have it both ways. Bragging about fending off the Soviets with superior aces, snipers, etc... and willingly joining the Germans KNOWING what they were about... and then trying to defend a mythical "separate war" for political reasons and crimes against humanity denial... just doesn't add up. Your nation didn't "use" Nazi Germany as a buffer against the USSR, your nation was the best Co-belligerent there was and willingly joined to fight the USSR knowing what the Nazis would do to them (kill 30 million of them). Germany was upset with the Finnish turn, but even more upset when you disrupted their withdrawl to Norway to appease the Soviets for sake of maintaining what territory you had left. Like Germany there was no way to defend against 220 Red Divisions approaching. Germany with 50 understrength divisions fought the Battle of Berlin and killed roughly 600,000 of their 2.2 million man army during the entire campaign. A tremendous amount of kills but they still got deluged and lost. Imagine what would have happened to Finland if they would have chose to swing north before Berlin. Argentina was also forced by the US and Britain to declare war on Germany in March 1945 in order to inspect German secret U-boats transferring above top secret weapons to Japan. Argentina gave in since it had no industry and relied on those Allied nations for money. Argentina was officially neutral but aided the Nazis during the war and even postwar. I admire the Finnish Soldier as second to the German soldier for fighting skill, but again the odds were against both Finland and Germany in manpower and machines, something the Allies and Soviets had in abundance and out of range for strategic bombing of significance by Germany.

A couple of comments:

1. There was that incident called Winter War 1939-1940, and Stalin planned to invade Finland on a slightest excuse again ASAP to finish the unfinished business. There would anyway have soon been a war, no matter what Finland herself had done. In such situation, offense is the best defense.

2. Stalag 309 was a special camp for "assumedly dangerous" POWs, such as hardcore Communists, Politruks and Party members. I don't recall the Allied troops handling the Waffen SS guys with exactly silken gloves...

3. VALPO did co-operate with Germans on rounding up "assumedly dangerous" prisoners, including Communists. But not Jews solely because of Jewishness or Judaism. Those Jews handed over were either Party officials, Politruks or Communists. [Most Party officials, Politruks or Communists handed over were goyim, though.]. No Jews of Finnish nationality or refugee status were handed over except the 8 arriving on S/S Hohenhörn. Five of them had previous criminal record.

4. The Soviet partisans at Finnish front were war criminals who warred on border region women and children and avoided Finnish troops. They were not hunted by penal units, but Yeager units composed of former frontier guards. The partisan warfare was especially ruthless - after the Soviet atrocities, Finns did not take prisoners. The Soviets themselves shot their own wounded.

5. The penal unit you mentioned was called "Musta Nuoli" (Black Arrow), and it was an ordinary infantry battalion led by legendary colonel Nikke Pärmi, not an anti-partisan unit. It was composed of prisoner volunteers. The felons usually fought with bravery, while those who had been sentenced from non-violent crimes defected often.

6. Realpolitik recognizes no ethichs, no morals and no right and wrong. It recognizes only defeat and survival. The enemy of your enemy is your friend, simply put. When Satan and Beelzebub fight and Beelzebub has attacked you, then Satan is your friend. Great nations behave like gangsters and petty nations like prostitutes. That's how it has always been and how it always will be.

Bad from start to Finnish

"Great nations behave like gangsters and petty nations like prostitutes". You have summarized the whole subject of geo-politics in one sentence. Explains everything.