Hello.

The first pic shows two finnish soldiers with a captured russian rifle...

jussi

The first pic shows two finnish soldiers with a captured russian rifle...

Jussi, I would have to look it up but are you sure? Looks German to me.

The rifle is without a doubt a Russian SVT 40 semi automatic rifle.

Cool..Shows you what I know! Looks like a serious battle rifle.

the story..............
 

Finnish soldiers during the Continuation War (1941-1944)
One is armed with German Luger P08 pistol and other one with a luger and a captured Soviet SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle.

Finns captured 4,000 SVT-40's during the Winter War and around 15,000 during the Continuation War.

Hi,

I'm curious if there is a source for this information? I would like to learn more about the distribution of the P.08 vs. the P.38 in the German forces during the war. Was this info gathered from Fallschirmjäger specific material? Is it known when the P.38 completely replaced the P.08 in Fallschirmjäger use?

Best regards,
DJ

Mostly gleaned through hundreds of photographs in FJ related books. I think the FJ transitioned from the P08 to the P38 in the same manner and time period as the Heer and other services , but perhaps, as an elite unit, receive the more modern firearm more quickly and completely. It is rare to see an FJ with a P08 after North Africa, which would be 1942.

Finland and the Western Allies

The Continuation War represents the only case of a genuinely democratic state participating in World War II on the side of the Axis powers, albeit without being a signatory of the Tripartite Pact. The United Kingdom declared war on Finland on 6 December 1941 (Finnish Independence Day), with Canada and New Zealand declaring war on Finland on 7 December and Australia and South Africa declaring war the

Cool, good info, I'll have to make note of it.

Thanks,
DJ