History: World War II Photography, Finnish Defense Forces, Finland

From 1352 until 1808 Finland was officially an integral part of the Swedish Realm, including first only the south-western lands inhabited by the Finns but expanding east as time went by.
Finnish soldiers fought in at least 38 known wars of Sweden, all of them having something to do with either power struggles within the Swedish royal family or struggles between Sweden and other nations.
• Autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland
As a result of the so called Finnish War of 1808-1809 Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire until Finland's declaration of independence on December 6, 1917. During that period the Finnish army participated in the wars of Russia, such as the Crimean War - during which, in 1855, the French and the English navies attacked Finland - and the First World War.