The Finnish Air Force is preparing to phase out swastikas from its unit flags after years of external pressure and “embarrassing situations” with international partners. Colonel Tomi Böhm, commander of the Karelia Air Wing, said the change is part of an ongoing flag reform and reflects the need to “live with the times.”
The swastika has been part of the Air Force’s identity since 1918, introduced by Swedish count Eric von Rosen, who donated an aircraft bearing the symbol during the Finnish Civil War. Although it predated the Nazi Party’s adoption of the swastika, the emblem became heavily stigmatised after World War II. Finland removed it from aircraft in 1945 but reinstated it on unit flags in the 1950s.
While Böhm insists there has been no political pressure and that the Air Force “can live with” the symbol, he acknowledged that global sensitivities have forced a rethink. A new set of flags is expected in the near future.