Both Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Carl Bildt and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre confirm a joint effort to defend Iceland’s air space as of 2011, expected to be joined by Denmark and Finland as the Nordic foreign minister ajourn in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Tuesday.

The arrangement is considered controversial, as Denmark, [...]]]>

Both Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Carl Bildt and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre confirm a joint effort to defend Iceland’s air space as of 2011, expected to be joined by Denmark and Finland as the Nordic foreign minister ajourn in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Tuesday.

The arrangement is considered controversial, as Denmark, Norway and Iceland herself are NATO members, as opposed to non-NATO countries Finland and Sweden.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas G. Støre.

In an interview on Norwegian national TV news Sunday evening, however, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs expressed no concern over this.

The joint Nordic force is expected to take over the derelict U.S. Naval Air Station Keflavik, once established.

The American military command The Iceland Defense Force (IDF) was responsible for Iceland’s defence between 1951 and 2006, at which point the last U.S. airmen left Icelandic territory. The country has been left without a dedicated military defence since.

Top photo: Norwegian F-16 on the ground (Wikimedia Commons)

Of course, this is old news to most of you, but recent discussions reminded me of a film project still in the making: The Iron Sky, made by Finnish director Timo Vuorensola. The original title, by the way, is Rautataivas. However scary, [...]]]>

Of course, this is old news to most of you, but recent discussions reminded me of a film project still in the making: The Iron Sky, made by Finnish director Timo Vuorensola. The original title, by the way, is Rautataivas. However scary, yet fascinating, the plot itself is very simple, really. And, as usual, I turn to Wikipedia for support:

As World War II comes to an end in 1945, Hans Kammler and other German scientists make a breakthrough in anti-gravity research. Nazi spaceships are sent to the “dark side” of the Moon to found the military base Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun). Their plan is to build a powerful fleet and return to conquer Earth. The film is set in the year 2018 when their descendants finally return.

So far all is well, but what really trigged me, was the obvious need to defend Finland’s siding with Nazi Germany during WW2 (see comments), and, once I remembered Vuorensola’s film project, I simply couldn’t help but thinking if maybe there’s still a fascination for the olden days’ ally in Finland, after all. Of course, I couldn’t say for sure, but the thought struck me as interesting.

Be that as it may. It’s movie time:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEueJnsu80

Then again, the Americans grabbed Werner von Braun right in front of their noses, didn’t they. Flew them to the moon, too, like a Frank Sinatra. Oh, the irony…

Dear Finnish friends: I truly hope you won’t take offence. I simply cannot help myself, sometimes.

According to Finnish historian Oula Silvennoinen Finland’s intelligence organisation Valpo and the German Reichssicherheitshauptamt cooperated in setting up a unit dubbed Einsatzkommando Finnland during World War 2, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter wrote last Sunday (in Swedish). The news struck Finland and Finnish historians to the [...]]]>

According to Finnish historian Oula Silvennoinen Finland’s intelligence organisation Valpo and the German Reichssicherheitshauptamt cooperated in setting up a unit dubbed Einsatzkommando Finnland during World War 2, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter wrote last Sunday (in Swedish). The news struck Finland and Finnish historians to the bone as Silvennoinen revealed a very limited number of details from his PhD thesis, to be defended this upcoming weekend.

Silvennoinen claims that the Finnish-German unit’s purpose was to deal with communists and Jews in the northern parts of the east front.

Finland’s role in WW2 has been fogged for decades. Post-war investigations were hampered repeatedly by vanishing suspects and evidence.

Recent findings show that Finland treated their POV’s most brutally.

If Silvennoinen’s findings can be proved, Finland’s history will have to be rewritten. There’s also the issue of the country’s responsibilities towards the Jewish community.