Finnish Lumberjacks

These men are 1900s Finnish forestry workers getting some exercise.  Given  their line of work, I would think they probably got plenty of on-the-job workouts, but I'm glad they demonstrated for us.

 

Finn

Leave it to Larry to find an SA-Kuva photo that I had never seen before.  The note attached said:  "1941-06-20-Vilppula-Matti Niherjuuri."  I think his name was Matti Vilppula, but the last 

word in the note does not show up on Google.  Maybe it's in Russia now.  I have this 

bizarre fantasy that Matti is leading a Finnish Army Sunday service's hymn singing

 in the nude, but the cigarette in his hand makes me think otherwise.

 

Finns in World War II

As many of you know, I have the great pleasure of having worked and become friends with six men from Finnland, so I'm always happy to post a series on their soldiers in the Second World War.  Today's set begins (and will end), appropriately enough, with a sauna photo.

 

Down time

I can't tell what these men are doing, but it looks like a relaxing moment.

 

Boiling pot

At first glance, I thought the naked guy was manning a very large stew pot, but I think he's actually 

doing his laundry.  I have to say that I really like the lighting and composition of this photo.

 

Charming

There's something charming and noble at the same time about this photo of a Finnish officer.

He was fighting for nothing less and nothing more than his country's national survival.

Although they were unwilling allies of the Germans, the Finns rejected Nazi ideology,

as well as Soviet Communism.  It was all about Finland being free and independent.

 

Bucket

Looks like a bucket of water is being handed off to go into the sauna.

 

Nice smile

I love the smile on the guy at left.

Another good one

This is another example of how good the Finnish war photographers could be.

The light, water, steam, and men combine to make a fine image.

 

What's in the water?

 

All but one of these guys is looking at something in the water to our right.

Ski Trooper and Dog

Being a dog lover, I'm prejudiced, but I think this picture of a ski trooper and his dog is beautiful.

 

Cheeky

This cheeky chub and his hilarious plumbing were an all-time favorite on my old tumblr.

How I ever waited this long to post him over here is beyone me.

 

Harvest Time

I don't know if these soldiers were part of an organized program to help farmers

 with the harvest, or if they simply pitched in to help on their own.

 

Old Favorite

Our last photo of the day shows a group of soldiers doing something quintessentially Finnish, 

enjoying a sauna.  It is a repeat from the first set I did on this theme

 after leaving tumblr over five years ago.

 

Finns

Leave it to Myselfixion to find an SA-Kuva photo of Finnish World War II soldiers 

that I didn't have.  You derriere fanciers will no doubt be delighted by this one.

 

Finland 1942

These are Finnish soldiers from 1942.

 

Sauna Time

Our theme today is saunas.  That will naturally produce several World War II photos from the Finnish Army, so we might as well start with one.  The Finns not only managed to retain their independence and eventually rid themselves of an uneasy alliance with the Germans, but they kept up morale by managing to  build and enjoy saunas in the most unlikely situations.

 

Emerging

Although lacking an SA-Kuva watermark, I'm pretty sure these are WWII Finns.

 

1943 Finland

While this photo does not have the usual SA-Kuva watermark, it is documented as having been made during the 1943 Finnish armed forces wrestling and boxing championship competition.

 

Personal favorite

This is one of my all-time favorite photos.  The setting is Finland (again) in 1941.