In the autumn, the command of the Finnish armed forces decided to remove the conventional swastika from the designations of its units. The decision was made due to the cumbersome situations during cooperation with abroad partners, although the Finnish symbol had nothing to do with the swastika utilized by Germany during the 3rd Reich.
The removal of Finnish swastika caused the boom to detonate on all military gadgets with this symbol. According to the museum at Tikkakoski Air Force Academy, cups, keyrings and socks with historical Swastika of Finnish aviation vanish from the shelves. Collectors' aptets are so large that any products have been sold out and additional production and launch... pre-sales is needed. For gadgets with a symbol which may shortly be banned, a long line of volunteers awaits.
The museum authorities emphasize that Finnish swastika had no connection with Nazism. In Finland, it was utilized long before planet War II and referred to affirmative spiritual and historical meanings. It has been a mark of Finnish aviation since 1918, symbolizing independency and freedom.
