HELSINKI- Finland’s Air Force (FIN) is preparing to phase out swastikas from a small number of unit flags, a move aimed at avoiding awkward situations with NATO allies after the country formally joined the alliance in 2023.
The symbol, long associated internationally with Nazi Germany, has been part of the Finnish Air Force since 1918, decades before the Nazis adopted it. But as Finland integrates more closely with Western partners, officials say it is time to update the flags and adopt imagery that better reflects modern identity.
Photo: By Hylsy4 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130391783Finland Air Force to Retire
The Finnish Defense Forces confirmed that a renewal plan for Air Force unit flags began in 2023, coinciding with the country’s NATO membership. Officials stressed the initiative was not directly tied to joining the alliance but was meant to modernize the force’s symbols.
Colonel Tomi Böhm, commander of the Karelia Air Wing’s air defense unit, told public broadcaster YLE that while the swastika could have remained, it risked creating unnecessary tension during visits from foreign counterparts. “It may be wise to live with the times,” he said.
The new flags will feature an eagle emblem, replacing the traditional swastika imagery. The Defense Forces did not provide a timeline but said the updated flags will be used at parades, ceremonies, and official events.
Finnish #Swastika flags will perhaps be seen less soon. Air Force of Finland decided to get rid of the symbol. Also, my book History of the Swastika was just published. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/WcQbJDgSc8
— Teivo Teivainen (@TeivoTeivainen) August 30, 2025
The swastika first appeared in Finland’s Air Force in 1918, when Count Eric von Rosen of Sweden donated the country’s first military aircraft. The plane bore von Rosen’s personal blue swastika symbol, which the newly established Air Force then adopted as its official insignia.
For decades, the swastika appeared on Finnish aircraft, flags, medals, and training academy emblems. Its use was meant as a symbol of good fortune and strength, not tied to Nazi ideology.
However, von Rosen’s family ties to Hermann Goering, who later became head of the Luftwaffe under Hitler, added an uncomfortable historical link.
The insignia was removed from aircraft after World War II, but it remained on several unit flags introduced in the 1950s. These flags are the ones now being retired.
Photo: By Gian Marco Anzellotti from Roma, Italia – Finland – Air Force British Aerospace Hawk 51A HW-353 / 1 (cn 312405), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44175290NATO Membership and International Perception
Finland joined NATO in April 2023 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ending decades of military non-alignment. As a new member, aligning with the symbolism and traditions of Western partners has taken on greater importance.
Professor Teivo Teivanen of the University of Helsinki explained that the swastika’s presence has caused tension in the past.
In 2021, German Air Force units declined to attend a closing ceremony in Lapland after learning Finnish swastika flags would be displayed.
For allies such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands, the swastika remains a powerful negative symbol. While Finnish officials long argued the design was unrelated to Nazism, the shift reflects a broader desire to avoid misinterpretation and strengthen cooperation within NATO.
Photo- US Air Forces in EuropeA Century of Change
The Finnish Air Force’s gradual removal of the swastika has been underway for years. The emblem was quietly dropped from the Air Force Command’s unit badge several years ago, and most emblems and insignias no longer use it. The latest step of replacing the unit flags continues this long-term reform.
According to the Defense Forces, “The traditional Von Rosen swastika emblem, in use since 1918, has already been removed from most other Air Force emblems during earlier reforms, so its removal from the unit flags is a logical continuation of this work.”
The transition marks the end of more than a century of swastika use in Finnish military aviation, underscoring how historical symbols can evolve—or be retired—under the weight of new alliances and global perception.
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