The Story of the Finnish Blue "Swastika"The Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest independent air forces in the world, founded on the 6th of March 1918. At that time there was a civil war (aka the Freedom War) ongoing in Finland, the White Army fought against the Red Guards which aimed to creation of a socialist state of Finland - like the revolutional forces in Russia on the same time.
A Swedish count Erich von Rosen wanted to support the White Army and presented the first aeroplane - Thulin (Morane-Saulnier) Parasol - to it. The aircraft was flown from Sweden to Vaasa. Actually the first aircraft arrived to Pietarsaari from Sweden on the 26th of February, but it got engine failure and was delivered later to the White Army. The Chief Commanding Officer of the White Army, General C.G.E Mannerheim, named that Morane-Saulnier Parasol -fighter as the Finnish Air Forces aircraft number One.
Count Erich von Rosen was a notable expeditor who had used a swastika as a personal good luck symbol painted to his aircraft during his journeys in the Orient and he let the same symbol be painted to the given aifcraft. The blue, horizontal swastika became on the 18th of March 1918 the official insignia of the White Army aircrafts and when the Freedom War ended, the official national insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The same insignia was also used later on the Finnish Army armoured vehicles, for some misunderstandings at the beginning, some swastikas were painted mirrored, actually they should be painted clockwise.
The blue swastika was used in the Finnish Air Force until the Second World War ended and as You have now read,
it has nothing to do with the Nazi symbol - tip pointed black swastika, which was actually a "party"-logo.
(This text is from
Lentolaivue26.org).
