Finnish Army Soldier
Continuation War
In the above photo this WWII Finnish solider is wearing a WWI Austrian helmet, and carrying extra ammunition in a cotton bandolier because the soldiers of Finland made use of a great deal of surplus WW1 equipment.
Shown here is the uniform m/36, the standard uniform of the Finnish Army of 1936 to 1945. This pattern of uniform remained in service until the 1970s.
In combat the Fin soldier could carry more ammunition by the use of the cotton bandolier, as seen in this photograph. It is made of a strong cotton khaki cloth, and has a simple adjustable buckle. The pockets are large enough to carry ten rounds of ammunition in each pocket. The pockets have a flap, which is held closed by a button. Each button is made of metal and painted black. The buttons are all marked with the words, for gentlemen, and appear to be British trouser fly buttons.
Finland issued its soldiers with a variety of helmets. It is not unusual to see in any group of Finnish soldiers a number of different helmets. In fact it does appear to be unusual to see one type worn by a group. Helmets other than First World War Austrian worn were Italian, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, Swedish, Polish. Some Russian and British helmets were used in the rear areas. The WW2 German type, did not see any substantial use in Finland.