Short answer: the M/36 uniform
Most Finnish soldiers in WWII wore the M/36 uniform. The main items were a steel-grey wool tunic and trousers, a field cap, a grey wool greatcoat, leather belts and black leather boots. In summer, soldiers wore a cotton tunic and a side cap. In winter, they used fur hats and white snow clothing. Older m/22 and m/27 uniforms were still used in the early war, so a single photograph can show mixed kit.
The M/36 and the earlier uniforms it replaced
The M/36 was introduced in 1936 after a field equipment board judged the m/27 field uniform unsuitable for combat and for parade duty. The M/36 was based partly on German designs of the period. It replaced most of the m/22 tunics in service, but the older uniforms did not disappear overnight.
Two wartime periods matter here:
- Winter War (1939–40): many soldiers still wore older items, including m/22 and m/27 pieces, alongside new M/36 kit.
- Continuation War (1941–44): the M/36 became the common uniform, although wartime shortages changed materials and details.
Tunic and trousers
The M/36 tunic was short, with six large buttons and a folded collar closed by two metal hooks. Its cloth was steel-grey wool. Trousers were issued in breeches, riding breeches and straight-leg styles. The summer tunic was cotton and often looks light grey.
Headgear by season
- Field cap m/36: the standard field cap, nicknamed verikauha. It has a white-blue-white cockade and lion buttons at the front.
- Summer cap m/39: a side cap for warm weather, sometimes called venelakki or suikka.
- Fur hat m/39: a winter hat in fake fur with folding ear flaps.
Greatcoat and rain gear
The greatcoat m/36 was heavy grey wool, often four to five kilograms when dry. Many were close copies of the earlier m/22 coat, changed mainly by their shoulder straps. Raincoats and oilcloth jackets were privately bought by officers and senior NCOs and are less common.
Boots, belts and equipment
Black jackboot-style leather boots were standard, and Laplander boots were also used. A leather belt m/30 with a roller buckle was common for enlisted men and NCOs. Officers used the m/27 belt. Short laced boots (m/34) were tested in the 1930s but never became common.
Insignia and collar patches
Collar patches showed the service branch. Infantry used green with a white frame. Field artillery used red. The Air Force used bright blue with black frames. Lion-emblem buttons were made from brass or copper, then zinc, and later Bakelite during the war.
Wartime changes and mixed kit
Shortages affected cloth, buttons and insignia. Officers sometimes moved rank markings to the tunic collar to avoid drawing sniper fire. Helmets were drawn from several sources, including German-pattern, Italian, Swiss and Czechoslovak designs, and captured Soviet leather tank helmets. A foreign helmet does not mean a piece is unusual or non-Finnish. For the complete picture, see Finnish military uniforms of WWII.
How to check a piece
- Date the cloth. M/36 wool is steel-grey and heavy. Post-war M/65 cloth is thinner and often diagonal.
- Check the cap. The m/36 field cap has a softer, lower visor than the later M/65 cap.
- Check the buttons. Lion buttons of brass, zinc or Bakelite each indicate a different period.
- Check the collar patches. Branch colours and frames help place a tunic, but collar patches were often swapped.