Original Finnish WWII Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Uniform Set Consisting Of Cap, M36 Wool Tunic, Trousers and Greatcoat – Dated 1944 Original Items

Original Items: Only One Set Available. Now this is a fantastic, near complete Finnish Army uniform set from WWII. This is a perfect display starter set and only a few items would be needed to complete the full appearance. The uniform once belonged to a Finnish Lieutenant Colonel who served in an Artillery unit during the war. We have not been able to find any identifying markings, only what appears to be a 1944 date. All components are in wonderful condition and reflects honest, faithful years of service and is presented without any extensive damage.

The M36 uniform was the standard issue Finnish military uniform during World War 2 and after the war and remained in use all the way until 1960’s. It was designed by the Field Equipment Board (Kenttävarustustoimikunta) lead by Colonel Aarne Heikinheimo (later Major-General and Inspector of Infantry until his accidental death in test-firing event of 47-mm mortar prototype in year 1938) and composed of jaeger officers (former Finnish volunteers of Prussian Jaeger Battalion 27 of World War 1).

While tunic m36 was a direct further development from the experimental uniform m34, it also had some notable changes. The most notable of these is probably the change in color of the fabric to steel-gray, which is probably for the large part credited to a proposal made by Lieutenant General Harald Öhquist (1891 – 1971). The main reason for this change of uniform’s color was most likely a financial one – namely it allowed uniform items previously acquired for old military uniform m22 to be continued to be used with new uniforms. The other significant change was replacing the open collar design used in m34 with a “Polish-style” folded collar closed with two small metal hooks.

With introduction of these changes Finnish military tunic m36 became groin-length tunic made from steel-gray wool and is closed with a single row of six large
buttons, the lowest of which was slightly under waistline and standing folded collar which was closed with two metal clasps.

The tunic has large external breast pockets and even larger side pockets, which both have flaps closed with standard Finnish uniform buttons featuring a coat of arms lion emblem. There is no center seam in the back of the tunic, but there are seams on sides of the tunic. Back of the tunic has belt hooks made from metal for keeping the belt in its correct place which are unfortunately missing. Tunic collar is made from the same steel-gray wool as the rest of the tunic and is a folded standing collar about 5 – 7 cm /2 – 2.8 in height.

Tunic epaulets are made from the same wool as the rest of the jacket and about 6.0 – 6.5 cm (2.4 – 2.6 in) wide, getting narrower towards their end that is closed with small coat of arms lion emblem buttons.

The condition is excellent and appears without any significant damage or moth marks. All buttons are present and retain almost all of their original paint.

The greatcoat, trousers and cap are all in similar, wonderful condition and all appear to be complete with their original buttons and devices.

Truly a beautiful set that comes ready to display!

Approximate Measurements:
Jacket
Collar to shoulder: 10″
Shoulder to sleeve: 26”
Shoulder to shoulder: 17”
Chest width: 20″
Waist width: 18″
Hip width: 20”
Front length: 31.5″

Greatcoat
Collar to shoulder: 11.5″
Shoulder to sleeve: 24.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 19”
Chest width: 24.5″
Waist width: 31″
Hip width: 42”
Front length: 51″

Pants:
Waist: 17″
Inseam: 28.5″

Finland in World War II
Finland participated in the Second World War initially in a defensive war against the Soviet Union, followed by another battle against the Soviet Union acting in concert with Germany and then finally fighting alongside the Allies against Germany.

The first two major conflicts in which Finland was directly involved were the defensive Winter War against an invasion by the Soviet Union in 1939, followed by the Continuation War, together with Germany and the other Axis Powers against the Soviets, in 1941–1944. The third conflict, the Lapland War against Germany in 1944–1945, followed the signing of the Moscow Armistice with the Allied Powers, which stipulated expulsion of NSDAP German forces from Finnish territory.

By the end of hostilities, Finland remained an independent country, albeit “Finlandized”, having to cede nearly 10% of its territory, including Viipuri (Finland’s second-largest city [Population Register] or fourth-largest city [Church and Civil Register], depending on the census data), pay out a large amount of war reparations to the Soviet Union, and formally acknowledge partial responsibility for the Continuation War. As a result of this territorial loss, those living within these regions abandoned their homes, relocating to areas that remained within the borders of Finland.