Finnish Ranks

[Zipuli]

Hello! Was messing around with WW2 for a change and noticed that Finnish ranks were a bit funny...

If the "norm" is:

Pvt.
PFC
Cpl.
Sgt.
2nd Lt.
Lt.
Cpt.
Maj.
Lt. Col.
Col.
Brigadier

then Finnish ranks need a bit tweaking:

Sotamies
Korpr.
Kers. -> Alik.
Ylik. -> Kers.
Ltn. -> Vanrikki
Yliltn. -> Ltn.
Kapteeni
Majuri
Evrltn.
Eversti
Kenrmaj

This because Alikersantti (corporal) is a squad/section leader and Kersantti (sergeant) has received a promotion and usually is platoon second in command etc. and not your normal squad/section leader. Ylikersantti (and Vaapeli, Ylivaapeli and Sotilasmestari) is more rare than kersantti.

What comes to the officer ranks, 2nd Lt. is Vanrikki. 1st Lt. is Luutnantti. During WW2 Finnish army did not have a rank called Yliluutnantti (senior Lt.), that one was introduced later (and is in process of being removed again as we speak). So officer ranks went Vanrikki, Luutnantti, Kapteeni, Majuri etc...

Zip

[DRG]

I've lost track of how many Finns have been over that rank list in the past 10 years...

Don

[Zipuli]

"I've lost track of how many Finns have been over that rank list in the past 10 years..."

That's understandable, as you clearly are not a specialist in Finnish military history and dependent on "natives". But hopefully the quote above is not a reason to leave it as it is.

For NCOs there are 6 NCO ranks, when the game has only 2. Easily most numerous ones are(/were) Alikersantti (Corporal) and Kersantti (Sergeant), with the rest (Ylik. included) being rare, and also not ranks for squad leaders (Ylikersantti up till Sotilasmestari can be compared with US "Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant" etc. also not included in the games).

The rank "Yliltn." is plain wrong in this time period. There were a few holding that rank when the German trained Finnish Jägers returned from germany during WW1 (Oberleutnant). When the rank system for Finnish Army was created after the civil war (1919), the rank was removed by Mannerheim's orders and the rank holders became Luutnantti's (1st Lt.).

The rank of Yliluutnantti was introduced into Finnish Army in 1952. It will be again removed in near future (next few years). So in SPMBT -time frame it's OK (or not, as it's between 1st Lt. and Captain, something the US/UK rank system does not have - for this reason all Yliluutnanttis serve as Captains (Kapteeni) abroad - to be in line with other nationalities involved), not in WW2.

Here is a quite good and comprehensive book about it for all the other Finns who have been over the rank list in past 10 years and giving you guys more or less questionable data:

Palokangas, Marko: Itsenäisen Suomen sotilasarvot ja -arvomerkit : Suomen maavoimien sotilasarvojärjestelmä ja arvoasteiden merkitsemistavat vuosina 1917-2000. Tampere: Apali, 2000
(translation of the name: "Independent Finland's military ranks and insignia: Finnish Army military rank -system and insignia 1917-2000", and the author is one of the teachers in Military Academy, Department of Military History)

Zip