by Carlo Cucut (Author)
After gaining independence in 1917, Finland fell into a three-month civil war, at the end of which the front formed by republicans, conservatives and monarchists put socialist and communist opponents to flight. Thus began the constitution of the Finnish Army (Suomen Armeija), based on conscription and, unfortunately, poorly armed. The Finnish Armored Corps can trace its origin back to 1919, when the Tank Regiment was formed on July 15, with FT-17 tanks. Between the First and Second World Wars, the Finnish army made an effort to modernize its armored forces, acquiring assets from abroad and reorganizing its structure several times. The Finnish armored units took part in 3 major conflicts: the Winter War (1939-40), the Continuation War (1941-1944) and the Lapland War (1944-45).