Hey all - just for the fun of it I'm going to share an old Irish joke about annoying neighbours. This joke goes back a long way in history but I think if you substitute Finland for Ireland and Russia for the UK you will get the same resulting humour. I hope you enjoy it! God created the world and was very proud of his achievement and wanted to show it off. So he called over the Angel Gabriel and said to him - look! Look at this beautiful thing I created that I call earth. There are seas and skys', animals and birds, it's stunning. Everything is equal and in balance, birds fly in the air, animals walk on the land, fish swim in the sea etc.. There is day and night. Everything equal and everything in balance. Then God said to the Angel, but there is one special place I want to show you, it's called Ireland (you can substitute Finland here). And God said to the Angel, it's the most perfect place I created, magical people, magical drink called Guinness, magical music, magical food etc. etc. The Angel was amazed but said to God, I thought you created everything equal and in balance. God said I did - wait until I show you the absolute b**tards I put next door to them :)
Your questions about mobilization... Those are things which are critical to our defence. Therefore the mobilization process is kept secret. It will work, I can assure you. Israel just gave a demonstration how to get 200000 guys into arms within just 48 hours.
I have one joke too. One day, every nation was told to say something nice about each other. When it was the finns turn to say something nice about the Russians, they said "Russians have the best neighbours."
One part of this Battlefield 2020 always gives me chills... The part when the news anchor says "Finland is at war". He is not an actor but an actual news anchor so it feels too real.
@@JTRetroReactions To be more precise : there are NO actors in this video. They are all FDF personnel, conscripts, and public figures. Even that well known news anchor has a military rank of a Captain. He knows the weight of those words, as do most "boys" over the age of 20.
Finland was one of the first countries to react by ordering war equipment when war in Ukraine broke out. A few weeks ago there was a news piece in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper where a logistics command officer of the FDF said that the weapon stocks are filled to the brim and we need to commence building new storage sites (mined into the bedrock) because there are still lots of weapons to be delivered that Finland has ordered. As a side note Finland has the second largest stockpile of HIMARS missiles in the world after the US. Also Finland is probably the biggest artillery shell manufacturing country in Europe at the moment, the production lines are running 24/7. I think we are good.
Thanks Samps for sharing that - good to hear - as I have said here before - better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it! Have a good weekend!
You don't get a weapon to take home after conscript service in Finland. The location of the weapons is not publicly known but Finnish Defence Forces has a lot of storage space mined into bedrock all over Finland. Overall, secrecy is the name of the game. You're supposed to keep your exact conscript training secret, too.
in some situations you can buy weapon after service, but in order to do that you need rifle- or ERVA, erittäin vaarallinen (extremy dangerous) - license. know few friends who did it and got license.
@@antcommander1367 Even with ERVA license, you still cannot own a rifle that can shoot bursts. ERVA allows getting a semi-automatic variant of the service rifle and allows using the same 30 cartridge magazine that's used in the conscript service. Without ERVA, you can still apply for semi-automatic variant of service rifle but you're limited to 10 cartridge magazine.
@@MikkoRantalainen what i meant what they bought off FDF was Tarkkuuskivääri 7.62 TKIV 85 with overused barrel. not Rk62. though in later they got semi variants of rk.
Also why the service weapon is so one of the best AK variants. Imagine how many people have used the same rifle throughout the years. Wish i could remember the number of mine but sadly i forgot something i thought i couldnt forget :D
Did my military service in Uudenmaan Prikaati (Nylands Brigad), the only brigade in Finland to offer education in Swedish, as we're about 300,000 native speakers, and also the only brigade to train coastal jaegers which are just marines, the whole "jaeger" tag in the Finnish military comes from the fact that its structure was originally based of the imperial german army, especially the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion. I was in the heavy (120mm) mortar company though so I never got to do much "marine" training, it was always the light (81mm) mortar squads that got all the glory (as in taistelukenttä 2020) because they were the ones working closely with the coastal jaegers.
Thanks Rejonntt for watching the video and for sharing your background. I always enjoy hearing about other Peoples service and experience. I only found out that Swedish was an official State language of Finland from doing the Talvisota reaction as I never new that before but given your history it's not surprising. Thanks also for the information about the Jaegers which I guessed at but didn't know for sure! My 1998 reaction will be out later in the week. Have a great weekend!
Finnish ports are quite open these days. In the olden days (about 10-20 years ago) there were garrison islands in front of most of the big port cities with coastal artillery. Today, they are deployed only during a possible war. Otherwise, Finland has mobile coastal missile units around its coast that can be moved to the desired area. In addition, there is usually a garrison in the nearby areas/cities of large ports that can react quickly. The use of the cargo ship shown in the simulation for military operations is very likely and actually difficult to prevent without prior knowledge. The fact that the area in question - Hanko is at the tip of a fairly long promontory makes the scenario easier. Sergeant, Coastal Missile Fire Director
Thanks Zami for watching the video and the comment - I appreciate it! Makes sense - if they want to send meat waves put them into the Finnish Mincer! Have a good weekend.
@@petrusinvictus3603 finland’s artillery is also one of the most accurate and capable artilleries. Only thing we are currently lacking is a good missile defense system, but even that is on the way (bought from israel). We also have great cyber security systems as finland is one of the top countries in terms of IT development.
About the sizes of armies: the Finnish Air Force is said to estimate that if they have one tenth of the enemy numbers they are about even in strength. The same goes with the Army: the doctrine is to stop and destroy the enemy. That has worked rather well for the last 1000 years. We are still here.
You can't argue with what has been proven to work mate! Thanks again for the additional information on the sizes of the Air force etc. - much appreciated!
What are u talking about? 1809 russians took over Finland like nothing. From finns. Or do u think, that mostly swedish was here fighthing, even Finland was part of Sweden. Fins are useaful and tough idiots, what bigger coyntries use for their own benefits. Nothing more.
Greetings from Finland. We are really prepared. When we were kids our parents told us what happened during the previous wars. We have been raised and trained in military. It is just basic thing in here. Just be ready for the worst. Thanks for the good video! Keep on doing this!
Greetings back to you from Ireland mate - thanks for watching the video and for the comment. I appreciate it! It was kind of similar here when I was growing up as my elderly neighbours would tell me stories about being children during the War of Independence and stuff like that which is one of the reasons I joined the Army but because of the troubles in the North at lot of that nationalism was kept on the low key and died out as a result. The IRA were also against the Republic although not actively fighting them - there were just against the concept which made them enemies of the state - so yeah strong nationalism was kept low key as a result. Have a good rest of your Sunday.
The Finnish basic tactic is to allow the enemy to pass in along some of the roads leading in from Russia to Finland duw to the terrain, that causes the enemy to get into bottle necks and exposed to AT units and different types of artillery to halt the enemy. Coastal Jaegers are Marines/Marine Commandos specialised in war along the coasts and archipelago. They have plenty of co-op with the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Royal Marines, US Marines etc. Finland and Sweden have also a unit named ATU that is made up by Finnish coastal jaegers and Swedish coastal rangers. The tube launcher is a newer version of the classic LAW72, when I served as APILAS shooter in the AT platoon at the Coastal Jaegers I carried 2 of these LAW72´s besides the heavy APILAS launcher and my RK62, we normally aimed for the hull/track and or turret ring depending on weapon used.
Thanks again mate for all of that info. As I mentioned to a commenter below, the charge in the LAW 72 makes sense given the Russian Armours propensity for cooking off and destroying the Tank. Thanks also for clarifying on the Coastal Jaegers and the additional info around the link up with allied forces. What defence do you have prepared though against a rear attack against Sweden which I was postulating in my commentary?
@@JTRetroReactions The ATU and other units of the Coastal Jaegers, Air Force and Navy and SOF are those who fastest can react for a attack on the Swedish islands Gotland and Öland and or the Finnish island Åland.
Nice Reaction video. As a Finn it's somehow comforting to know that in other European countries there exist some people, who understand how severe existential threat Russia is for not only the Eastern European countries, but for the whole security system of our beloved Europe.
Thanks for your kind words on the video. We've had a very similar history in Ireland to you guys with our neighbour, over the last 800 years so I think we get it more then most
The defensive strategy changed some 10 years ago, right before I went to do my mandatory service. It's propably changed a little after that, especially from lessons learned in Ukraine. But this is how I remember it: Instead of holding ground and fortifying frontline positions extensively, the ground forces try to maximise attacker casualties while giving ground against matching or overwhelming forces. Contact with the enemy, shell the enemy to buy time while mining the roads and blowing up bridges, fall back and set up a new defensive position. Stuff like that. The military has lots of mobile artillery units that can keep peppering the enemy consistently without the danger of counter battery fire.
Oh, yeah..I was going to say that it's pretty much the same in Sweden as well. (Sadly said with a tone of surprise ;-) Since when you think of it, it's really rather 'self-explanatory'. A nation that knows full well that it doesn't have 'the numbers' - 'guerilla-style' is what you've got! Scout, Mission, Execution and Retreat - do it all over again [incl. move of base]). And Go Finland! (A proud Swede here)
Cheers mate - and lots of love right back to Sweden! I will be doing some Swedish military reactions soon enough so stay tuned for those. Have a good one!
this video allways give some chills for me :D im glad that FDF can predict very well how Russian army works and how they act in different scenarios. Even this video is made before Ukrainian war, there is still pointed out different things how Russia do its job before and after full-scale invasion.
Thanks for watching the video Juhani and for the comment. I only wish we had the same common sense you guys had. One of the things I alluded to in my commentary is that all of the transatlantic internet cables from US to Europe run through Irish waters and Russia has been peeking a lot around there. You can google Irish Fishermen vs Russia from a year or two ago and in fact today we signed an alliance agreement with NATO to protect those strategically important waters for all in Europe - I just wish we would do it ourselves - Government would rather spend it on illegals and woke crap. Have a good weekend
In 2030's our Nordic block will have a fleet of ~140 F35s (NOR 52, DEN 27, FIN 64) and Sweden alone should add around 120 operational Gripens to that tally.
Thanks user for watching the video and the comment. Good upgrade! And definitely better then the Cesnas we have to use over here :) Have a good weekend!
Some additional details: Currently the FAF has 55 F/A-18 C and 7 D models. All the D models can do everything the C:s do, so in total there are 62 Hornets. Also there are few dozens of Hawks for support and air-to-surface tasks.
Thanks timoterava - good to hear from you again and thanks for that additional info. What's the difference between the C & D models - year of production of capabilities in terms of specs? I'm so envious of you guys in a good way - our poor Air Corp are flying Cesna's and I'm not joking unfortunately.
@@JTRetroReactions Thanks for the new video! You already got the correct answer, so I'm not going to repeat it. We definitely need our defence forces and all the equipment and troops. Unfortunately we are using money we don't have. Still it is way cheaper than being invaded and possibly occupied. I'd rather have the Cessnas than russia as a neighbour...
When it comes to equipping and arming reservists in case of war, there are some reservists activated earlier that are assigned with establishing these equipment depots around the country in classified locations. When it comes to the security of ports they are usually guarded by the Border/Coast Guard. They are under the jurisdiction of the ministry of the interior, but in case of war they can be integrated into the Defense Forces.
Thanks Sampo for watching the video and for the comment. Good to hear - but it's still risky as it only takes on quisling for those locations to be revealed to an enemy - I think it would be better to allow people to take guns home with them - but that's just me - others will have other ideas. Have a nice weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions Just have to drop a line here too :). Not after being a recruit and seeing who else is doing their mandatory service with you :D I don't know how the Swiss do it but giving everyone guns would be a huge risk and filtering out those who you could give guns and those who you should never give them is just not probably worth it from resources standpoint. Actively training (it's basically a hobby) reservists have still semi-automatics and pistols and hunters have a lot of long rifles.
Whilst I respect your viewpoint mate, I also respectfully disagree. The whole point of basic training and service is to teach someone how to use a firearm properly and to respect it both in terms of the protection it provides but more importantly the danger it poses to both the owner and to others. If someone hasn't learned that in their service or basic training, then they are not fit for service or for being a reservist. From my point of view it's hard to argue that someone should be given a weapon in times of emergency but that they are not capable weapons owners outside of that and should not be let near a weapon outside of that. If they are irresponsible and a danger with a weapon then they will be as much if not more so in an emergency / panic situation. It's logical to me anyways but most people would have your viewpoint which is fair enough
@@JTRetroReactions Oh, it's not the handling I'm worried about. It's negligence. Without thorough checking you would be giving very dangerous guns to potential criminals, drunks, drug abusers, people with mental illness etc. There would be a huge risk for either misuse or just losing them by theft etc. People can be 20-40 years in reserve. A lot can change in that time. Doing constant checks for 300k people would be a lot of work. You could argue giving them maybe for some selected rapid response troops, but not sure if it makes a big difference for the same selected troops to know exactly from where and how to get those guns from fast.
Thanks mate - again I respect your view but would still I suppose state that Criminals will always get guns - they have the means - the mentally ill shouldn't have guns anyways - forces or non-forces and that is a gap in my opinion if these reserves don't have to undergo annual medical assessments. Also someone who is mentally ill with a murderous intent would stab as quick as shoot. I suppose to sum up my position would be, those who wish to do harm will do it regardless of access to weapons and those who don't want to do harm won't. Of course that's a generalisation and there would be exceptions but you can also state that having an armed population would allow them to take care of those exceptions so it's swings and roundabouts for me. Again just my view and of course you're entitled to yours and the majority would probably side with your view.
The Finnish Air Force operates F/A-18 Hornets (so called Legacy Hornets) with two mid-life-upgrades added to them during their service life as the main combat aircraft but in 2021 The Fighter HX programme chose the F-35A as the replacement for the Hornets (64 air frames). The F-35As are planned to enter service in Finland in 2025-2030 time frame.
Thanks Chap for watching the video and the comment. The Hornet was a great plane of it's time for the price but it's dated so good to know that you are upgrading. At least you're not using friggin Cesnas and Augustas that our poor Air Corp is stuck with.
I am - entirely in the pay of Mr Banana man himself ha ha two bunches of bananas per secret revealed in the comments ha ha - as I said I was just speculating - I don't need a bunch of Jaegers at my door :) Thanks for your kind comments on the reaction - I appreciate it! Have a great weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions Haha! I'm not Finnish but if any Finn who actually knows the answers to all your questions, (delivered in that friendly Irish lilt), answered on TH-cam.. it could land him in prison for life - for treason 😀 ;-)
The ports usually have some border guards nearby or in the ports themselves, but they're not really kitted out for tanks and such. The port they attacked was in Hanko which has a border-guard base within 10 minutes and a military base a 30 min drive away.
What I found interesting about the 98 version (that reaction will be out tomorrow) is that they focused more on port defence and using the terrain to your advantage. It made an interesting contrast between the two
I don't think the FDF want to disclose everything they have planned in case of war because the enemy is watching, too. I don't usually have high trust in the competency of the government but national defense is a sacred matter in Finland so I actually trust us to be as ready as one can. We've had time to prepare and the threat has always remained the same. There's no excuse not to have a force designed to fight russian invasion.
Thanks Suppo for watching the video and of course you're correct that they wouldn't and obviously can't disclose everything. In fact, I would say the smart thing to do is to put all of your outdated tactics in videos like these so that your enemy studying it is basing their battle plans on something that no longer exists. Of course you would also sprinkle some nuggets of truth in there to make it realistic to the enemy but it would be limited to that which the enemy already knows or suspects.
Coastal jagers are marines. Some of them “green barets”. Ports and the whole coastal line is covered by several coastal fortresses and the support of long range missiles from inland.
Oh, and no worries about security. Military Ports are guarded. Sivilian Ports are not guarded, but under 24/7 surveilance. And yes Border Guard, Coast Guard and Finland Customs are claffied as Law Enforcer Specialists, thus having both police and military training on their specific fields, allowing them to be rapidly integrated and deployed as a First Responder Militia. + We do have 54 000+ Indirect Nuclear Attack Proof Bunkers all over the country. th-cam.com/video/922Db-kztC0/w-d-xo.html
@@SeppoJanhonen This, on video is not the utmost critical or anyway vital information of the Finland Defence Forces, so it's useless to Russians. Besides there isnt anything on the video, that our Eastern Neighbor would already know about us.
I come from a huge Finnish military family. Because I born and live in Sweden, people was asking what happened if Finland gets invaded? I couldn't serve the military, due to my autism never allowed me to serve the Swedish armed forces. Luckily, I got some cousin and uncles, where to whom they taught me some basic 101 medical care and such. And all said the same ting: Do not panic. Be calm and think before hand. But I would come to Finland and do some ting, to support my brothers and sisters. That feeling I've for Finland is so deep that if Finland is in danger, I'll be there. No matter what.
Thanks for sharing your story mate. Also, I have served with Autistic people in the military but most of them were diagnosed later in life but were fine Soldiers but I suppose it depends on where you are on the spectrum. I don't know enough to comment. I applaud your patriotism though! Every little helps in a war situation so being willing to do whatever you can is enough.
We aren't allowed to take our service rifle to home, but we have over 1,5 million civilian guns. And I've heard there's some talks about a law to tax reduce for guns for reservists, I hope it will happen. I personally own over 10 guns and the day war in Ukraine started I started to load more ammo, just in case... And I know few of my friends did also.
Thanks for watching the video Leopold - much appreciated! Thanks also for the additional context around the home ownership of weapons. Unfortunately it's not the same over here. A couple of shotguns is all I am allowed as I'm now too long out of the service to qualify for the forces exemptions on high calibre or pistols. Enjoy your weekend.
I know few friends at colonel level. Believe they have wargamed for decades. Its disperse everythin and when you hit, get together and hit hard, then disperse again. I can assure you they have thouhgt. Cant spesify more info. But i have confidence.
No, Finnish harbors are not at river inlets. And yes, two hours after the command all the naval routes will be mined. Except those secret ones in military use. And yes, there still is a naval artillery, 130 mm guns at strategic entrances. Those turrets are very small, hard to hit with any weapon. And yes, there's a lot of coastal mobile defense missiles from several sources.
It is crazy that this video was released just a year before Russia started the troop level escalation for the full invasion of Ukraine. And as a Finn, what really gives me the chills, is that they are using real media people in it. Like the news cast in this video uses the livery of Yle (the BBC of Finland) and one of their news anchors. Of course this went a little bit old quite fast as now Finland is a member NATO. 19:39 This is not so crazy idea. Civillian cargo ships are a very good way to transport mechanised troops. Heh, also a funny thing from that point of the video is that Finland still has so many old Soviet equipment in storage that they can fully use those for this video for the added realism. 26:06 They actually changed the tactics from full-on to more mobile thing. But this is also the reason why Finland has one of the largest artilleries in Europe and the "Lake-Finland" is full of bottlenecks. The challenge here are the airborne troops and attacks through the ports. 26:51 No, we don´t have anti-personnel mines since Finland is a part of the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention. Yep, yep, yep. Thank you for reacting to this! It is always nice to see how foreigners react to this. I think why we have this what we have, is because of we think the question is not if, but when. If someone comes and says "Russia will not attack Finland", I can just reply with the fact that an attack to Finland (or what it has been called back then) from the East during the last 1000 years has come in average of every 44 years.
Thanks for watching the video mate and for all of that very helpful information. Interesting points. I would say that the usefulness of artillery has been born vindicated but also reduced by the war in Ukraine. Drones and counter battery seem to be arguements against towed or fixed artillery but mobile systems like Himars are the way to go
Thanks for watching the video Bat - Hopefully you enjoyed Dublin - you were in the Posh part - you should have come down to the slums where I live - you would have had a better time - Lapland I do need to visit some day. Have a good weekend.
A little tip for the future, if someone hasn't already said this, almost all videos of the Finnish Defense Forces nowadays also have English subtitles.Finland also has bomb shelters that cover civilians and population shelters, which take into account tourists who may be in the country, remember that there are more than 60,000 of these shelters in Finland and a total of almost four million people can be placed in them, some of the shelters are also resistant to a direct nuclear attack. Finland's air defense does not use Patriot systems, but has made deals with NASAMS and Israel last year for the David sling system. I am an anti-aircraft reservist myself, Russian armored vehicles usually have an automatic loader and the ammunition is placed in a circle in the turret, for this reason it is not worth firing them into the turret or at the junction of the turret and the frame.
Finished watching so collected "some" answers here :). Love your commentary again. Sweden's armed forces have been traditionally been focused in defending Swedish territory but last years there has been many agreements between Finland and Sweden and Sweden has been quite open they are ready to enter Northern Finland and Finnish Archipelago immediately if requested. Sweden has a strong navy and used to have a very strong air force, though they have reduced it significantly in the beginning of 2000's. They still have pretty decent air force though also with light AWACS planes that Finland doesn't have. Finland puts a lot of resources to Air Force and has 62 Hornets that are being replaced soon with 64 F-35. That is quite a big number for a small country. The bit about fortifications in the beginning is also interesting. Finnish Defence Forces have a tight cooperation with (construction) industry, so they can switch to producing military fortifications etc. in an instant. You cannot have automatic military rifles at home. Some active reservists who train voluntarily can have their own semi-automatic rifles. Coastal troops have land based long range and short range naval strike missiles, both are seen in the video (trucks firing in the end are the long range ones), there are also still some coastal artillery fortifications in the islands. Finland's coast is very difficult to navigate because of shallow rocky waters and lots of islands. Coastal jaegers and artillery are part of the navy. Unfortunately we have joined the Ottawa treaty and don't have anti-personnel mines, at least during peace time... I believe rough defence plan would be to deny the enemy from advancing using roads and fight in the forests or from the forests. In addition to Jaegers there are specifically trained guerrilla force called Sissis. For some unknown reason there are not that many large roads going directly from east to west... Btw. All the reporters are real reporters from Finnish state broadcasting company. That gives Finns a little more chills when watching this. That's also true for the older version, though I think all of them have already retired. There have been lots of sentiments in Finland also for cutting down the military, but luckily they have been in minority. And at the moment surprisingly there are no such talks at all. Of course some savings have been along the way, but nothing drastic. Military service was also streamlined in 2000's to be fast and efficient full time training and minimal garrison duty. Which was only smart, because people waiting in the garrison are a cost for the civilian economy.
Hey Mennin - thanks for all of the information and your kind comments again mate - it makes all the efforts that go into these videos worthwhile! The AWACs that Sweden has are definitely vital - are you guys planning to buy any with your F35 upgrades? Our lot in Government have our Air Corp flying Cesnas believe it or not but I ranted enough about how pathetically our Government treat our military. Your whole set up and I mean this in a very complimentary way is like a modern day Sparta - i.e. the civilian industry able to switch to military production at the drop of a hat! The bit about mines - it's the same here in Ireland but I think to be honest in a real confrontation - no one is going to care about the Ottawa treaty - winning becomes more important and smart military leaders know that. Hmm yes - the absence of large roads going from east to west is quite strange given the history of your neighbour - I'm being sarcastic in case that doesn't come across :) Thanks for the info on the reporters being real reporters as well - definitely adds to the realism for the home audience then. I will be releasing the 1998 reaction during the week. Have a great weekend mate!
@@JTRetroReactions No own AWACs being considered at the moment. They would have been part of the HX deal of the FAF had chosen the Gripen, but the F-35 won the competition and all the funding allocated for new aircraft went to that. I think the lesson learned from Ukraine is that we need to tighten up our AA umbrella next, David's Sling being now the first part of that upgrade. No news yet, but I'm pretty sure something more economic and aimed at anti-drone capability is pretty high on the list.
@@JTRetroReactions Saab offered us 2 AWACS + Gripens, but F-35 won the competition. And I believe air force will be busy with the F-35 for the near future + other branches want their money next. The difference between a mine and an anti personnel explosive can be just where you attach the wire to... Also even if you don't store mines you can store explosives. But honestly I have no idea what they have or don't have, and it is better that way. When they gave up the mines they did buy a lot more claymore type explosives. And of course there are lots of anti-tank mines which's use is probably trained for everybody. Ottawa doesn't limit them.
Thanks Corporal - I think it was wise to choose the F35 over the Gripen to be fair. It would be great for smaller countries like ours if we could get our hands on Iron Dome but no way the IDF are letting that out yet. Re: Anti-Drone warfare - excellent point and for me it's a combination of cyber warfare for the more sophisticated drones with good old fashioned tracking AA Guns for the cardboard or lesser drones. I like what Ukraine is doing setting up a specialised squad as I think it deserves it in modern times.
Thanks Mennin - as I mentioned to Corporal above, I think the F35 was the wiser choice but a pity about the AWACs. And yes you're right about the mines - one of the things we trained in was just a good old fashioned grenade and trip wire for guerilla activity in the countryside - also not limited by Ottowa and will take someone down - maybe not kill them but they are not going anywhere for a while.
Upcoming rant 😇 I'm far from an expert on the Finish defence force but my understanding is that they kept some of the 'cold war mentality' that Sweden abandoned. I'm no expert on the Swedish cold war mentality but I would call myself 'somewhat informed'. My grandpa was tortured to death by the Nazis invading Denmark and my dad escaped to Sweden because he had a price on his head. My dad is long gone (born 1926) but was uncommonly talkative his last years. He became a Swedish foot soldier the same day he entered Sweden. He was 13 years old but had experience that no Swede had so he was accepted. He/my dad trained as an demolition expert and went back to Denmark the same day that the Germans started retreating. Denmark had many military pilots but no airplanes so the Britts donatet some badly damaged Mosquitoes (the planes made of wood, cloth and paper). Somehow, my dad became the person responsible for their outfitting (the Germans got rid of all Danish experts so the most competent person was a 15 year old). He did however admit that they (the Danish air force) didn't get any of the planes functional before Germany surrendered. My 3 brothers and sister all joined the Swedish military (it was a higher call). I tried but came of age to late. One became a signalist (basicly drove around sending messages about the enemies actions/movements). One joined the cavalry (fast response, mainly using cars that looked civilian at a first glance). One became a dog handler for the air force (3 soldiers and 2 dogs responding to alerts coming from hidden installations). They only had light weapons (kulspruta/mg 45) but knew the dogs guarding said instillations. Knowing the dogs was EXTREMELY important since they were trained in a way that has been banned since WWI (desperate times/desperate solutions). My sister became a "lotta" that was allowed to fly military planes anywhere but was forbidden to fight, even if attacked. As stated, I wasn't born in time to become a soldier during the Soviet era. I was originally accepted as a heavy mechanic (I trained as a civilian car mechanic at that time). The military kept shrinking so I was redesignated 'guard' in a AA division. That division was dismantled so I joined the police instead. I was basically a janitor that understood basic technology. I changed batteries in flashlights, maintained the cars and made sure that the cafeteria was well stocked. One day i was told to stay an hour after my normal work hours. I just got a new girlfriend so I said NO. My answer seemed to be accepted. About 20 minutes later an EXTREMELY known politician tapped my sholder. In short, I staid. The station is long gone but I learned something really important that day: Having 4727737377237373737 possibilities is good but 4727737377237373738 is even better. It opened my eyes to the importance of me doing the right thing in a particular situation. Rant out.
Thanks Boek for watching for the video and for your very interesting comment. I really enjoyed reading it and thanks for sharing your family history. Respect to all of your Family who served and you have a good tradition there! You are 100% correct- better to be prepared and not need it then need it and not be prepared. Our government over here though are in cloud cuckoo land when it comes to the armed forces, amazing when you think my country has been at war for 850/950 years - but people nowadays think they are too 'evolved'. My warning is always this - less then 20% of the World are democracies and think and live like we do. You don't prepare on the basis of the the less then 20% - you prepare on the basis of the more then 80% you may have problems with - but they won't listen. Anyways, maybe the whole Ukraine thing might wake up the rest of the EU. My rant over :) Enjoy the rest of your day
Sorry, I just still wanna comment... About kids and elderly people. Some people would probably take their kids/parents overseas and maybe leave themselves, too. It always happens and I do think that a number of people SHOULD flee, for a multitude of reasons. Beacon has to be kept alive and in the absolute worst case scenario, these diasporas will be what is left; they will keep our culture alive. I think so about Ukraine, too. (I am half Ukrainian myself so current situation feels eery to me; my grandfather fought against Russia in winter war and now my Ukrainian relatives are doing the same. Russia just never amounts to anything else but a violent bully, it would seem.) But in general, I think majority of people would not send their kids/parents away. We did this during the winter war; a huge number of kids were sent to Sweden - sotalapset, children of war, we called them. This was a major trauma for the children and they came back quite broken due to the experience. I do not think we would do it again. Children are still better off with their parents in an environment they know and feel comfortable with. Besides, we have bunkers. So many and so big that we can fit whole Finland in them. I am not joking here, we can fit millions of people in our bunkers. That is where children would go; we would hide them and keep them safe there. As for the elderly people, let's be honest here; do we really think they would agree to leave? It's common for them not want to move away. Even in Ukraine in the most bombed cities you can still find some babushkas living there because that is their home and some darned Russians ain't gonna drive them away. Besides, let's be honest here; our elderly people would not shy away from the fight with Russia. I'm quite sure many would be immensely angry and would want to partake in the war effort in any way they can. Of course many of them would be physically too frail but those would then go to the same bunkers where we hide our kids. Other would help with logistics and infra. Army always needs a lot of civilian support to operate. And a running economy. So we ALL are necessary for the war effort, not just the actual soldiers who fight.
Thanks again mate for the comment and that all sounds very reasonable what you have outlined. If you have the bunkers then yes, that is what would make sense to keep safe those who cannot fight due to age or infirmity. I wasn't aware of those so that was great to hear.
FDF is very well trained to engage in querilla warfare, shock, terror tactics and psychological warfare, everything goes. Its you or the enemy, easy choice to make. Hit and run, and "motti" tactics are trained to every single ground force unit and some other nasty shenanigans too. Atttricion tactics are used all the time.
Thanks for watching mate and for the comment. Guerilla warfare is the most realistic chance of smaller nations like ours overcoming an overwhelming invasion if it breaks the first line of defences.
Hey everyone and thanks for watching the video. If you enjoyed the video please leave a like, comment or share. Also if you want to watch my full length reaction to Rukajarven Tie that is live now on Patreon as well as my exclusive reactions to Band of Brothers. You can get a 7 day free trial by clicking the link below. Also my reaction to the 1998 version of Taistelukentta will be out mid week. Cheers. patreon.com/JaysRetroReactions?Link
One thing you the viewer might not know or think about - the army personnel are not actors, but real military people, the news anchor you see is a real news anchor that we here see almost daily in TV news, why as he announces "Finland is at war" really sends shivers down at least for me.. just feels very real. Edit, when minelaying starts, you can see a soldier hanging one under a bridge on a hook - all bridges in Finland have hooks readily placed for just this purpose, also when there is a road passage that has been blown through a rock hill, one extra set of unused drillholes have been left so that the rock can be blown to block the road.
Thanks for watching anguilon - much appreciated! Thanks for sharing that information. I didn't know about the hooks on the bridges so that was interesting to hear and again sounds like great preparation. Have a good weekend.
The antitank weapon (smaller tube) is called kevyt kertasinko. You can only shot one time per tube. Aiming point is usulally between turret and main fraim.
Thanks mate for watching and for sharing the name of the weapon I appreciate it. Someone mentioned that this was the point of ammo cook of in Russian Tanks so makes sense with that explanation
Hit and run was already used in the Winter War, and Finland's terrain makes it really effective. I myself have been in the army in 1998/1999 and passed five times, but I can't comment on those other questions, you'd probably have to ask the defense forces in Finnish, and they probably wouldn't answer everything either. I think you have expert comments, and as a Finn, thank you for watching and commenting and bringing a really small-scale video about possible threats, mainly because we are awake here and the comet chain works professionally, etc. and we are part of NATO. Finland's terrain, the will to defend the country, a big reserve every time, etc. are the strength of the Finnish defense in my opinion. Nuclear weapons, well, that fallout would also hit Russia and Finland, after the Cold War, there are relatively large underground bomb shelters for nuclear weapons.
Thanks for watching mate and for your kind comments and for sharing that interesting information. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself for Finland but you never know with that neighbour of yours unfortunately!
Yeah indeed but I thought it was a Finnish thing as well. Some people in here said it used to be a thing but was phased out. I see pluses and minuses to that
@@JTRetroReactions It has not been a thing in Finland, EVER. What you are referring to is most likely the old "Suojeluskunta" activities (militia training) stuff, in which most of the well known heroes of WW2 participated. You could rent a rifle from the military, or use your own hunting rifles if you desired. They were essentially all the same back then (Mosin-Nagants). After Finland quote-unquote "lost" (yes, double ") the war, the Soviets banned the local militia activities, including the women's charity and aid groups like the Lotta Svärd. It's a shame that some of these old "rules" still live on even after USSR collapsed. That being said, if you want to be an active reservist, it is indeed quite possible to get personal gear and weapons fit for war-time SHTF combat and survival. Just need to stay follow the rules, not act like a tard, join the jolly SRA fellas, and keep on training.
My friend is Colonel in reseve, his last post was Finland Finlands Reserch Center Commander. He goes to his grave with all things he knows. He said to me: Believe me have played out all imaginable scenarios human mind can think. I believe him. I asked: Can we survive? He replied: Victory is allways an option. Grimm staff.🤔
Thanks for watching and to be honest I never expected to get answers to my questions, I was just putting out there what came to my mind as an old soldier
All I can say is; Beleave or not, we have our own magic tricks. Even the US military has been caught by surprises in several exercises. We have full confidence in our defensive ability and we also know how to apply. There is no road, highway, or street that the enemy could use without significant damage, if at all.
Great to hear and I don't doubt it friend! Hopefully it never comes to that! I understand that what is shown in a publically released video like this is stuff that is more then likely outdated and obselete in terms of tactics or deliberately used to confuse potential enemies - at least that is what I am presuming they did :)
When the war comes, our society is much safer for all civilians than any other in our immediate vicinity, which includes all of EU.... ..we have a comprehensive defense where everyone of age are liable for the collective effort. The public shelter systems we upkeep are unseen elsewhere in the World
Again I 100% agree with you mate and as I spoke about in the video it annoys me that a country like mine who has been at war with their neighbour for 800 out of the last 850 years spends nothing on defence. I compare to Finland to a modern day Sparta and I mean that as a compliment
"The tube launcher" is basically Norwegian-Finnish version of US developed M72 LAW. Warhead has shaped charge that pierces the armor and sprays insides of vehicles cabin with high velocity molten copper and steel. Quite nasty one
Thanks suppose for watching the video and the comment - much appreciated! That type of charge makes sense particularly seeing the vulnerabilities of the Russian Armour in Ukraine with it's propensity to cook off the ammo inside the Tank and do a turret toss. Interesting!
I'm pretty sure that's called: 102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW. That's also correctly written, in case someone is wondering if I "made a typo when I rolled my face on keyboard". It was the short version of like '102mm raskas lähipanssaritorjuntaohjus NLAW'. Which means about '102mm heavy close-range anti-armor missile' in English... ...I think I've cleared the case enough now, so no one thinks I made the name up. [EDIT:] I failed in a way I didn't expect, the 102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW was used earlier in video and which I somehow mixed in to this.
Okay, to be honest I didn't actually know which part of video supposeppo8856 was referring here which makes my previous comment incorrect information. It was most likely 66 KES 12 (better known as M72 EC LAW), or 66 KES 75 or 66 KES 88. I don't know much about those because I was trained with 112 RSKES Apilas (112mm raskas kertasinko Apilas/112mm heavy single-use recoilless launcher), which a bit older French tube which kind of... sucks to lauch. The warhead has some 300m/s muzzle velocity so IT LITERALLY feels like getting kicked a goalie kick on face while shovel gets smashed on your back when launched. You better have a buddy to pull your stunned body out of harms way in case there's infantry or the T-90 didn't get disabled and starts to give feedback with it's anti-personnel systems. There's a "trick" if you must use Apilas (tech from 70's) against T-90 with reactive armor. Trick is to hit the tank on about 1-2 inch cap directly between hull and turret. It will disable the turret and then some brave young man can go and pop it with for example commando 👉👈 "telamiina-kasapanos" or whatever explosives you have at hand and which can be bundled up to create boom equaling 3-5kg of TNT to get the "kasapanos-effect" and the sweet turret-pop as the autoloaders ammo storage decides: It's time to go off.
Well if by armour you mean under 3cm of reinforced steel (IFV's) yes, but against an MBT from the front and sides will only tickle, but can disable the tracks if hit accurately, or optics if hit directly in them on the turret.
We do not get to have our sevice weapon. (No guns at home). Only gun one can have is one for hunting mostly. If you are part of the first contact group then you might have some semiauto AR at home. Defence forces just uploaded new combat cam videi if you are interested.
You're forgetting about the sport-shooting and active reservist groups. It's indeed very possible to have an AK or AR at home. And many people do, even after the EU's silly attempt to disarm our people. Most old military champs are openly in favor of reservists having their own guns and gear at home. Even the government is kinda tipping in, with the planned tax reductions / returns they're planning for any self-purchased "field gear".
10:28 A Finn does not leave his home voluntarily. At least not if the culprit is Russia 13:06 Russian warfare includes tactical landings. The purpose of which is to block the defender's decision-making. Another purpose is to tie up the defender's reserves in a so-called pointless fight. Kajaani is next to the famous battle area of Raatteentie. 17:40 The defense forces have stored the weapons and equipment of the troops in several dozen locations during the war. Location is confidential information
Thanks mate but to me it's a dangerous risk as it would only take one traitor to compromise your defence. Just my opinion but I would allow, like Switzerland to have reservists bring arms home
We do not have any minefields at our borders. Those can be laid in hours, if needed. But we are very consent of the fact, that if we lay a minefield, after the war, if we win, we would have to clear that minefield by ourselves. And if we lose - we would have to clear that minefield as well... So responsible mining with mine charts is essential. Nor we do have anything anti-aircraft at our borders - anti-aircraft is something that should be moving all the time.
Thanks again mate - yes agreed on the mines and some other commenters mentioned this as well. It's a sensible approach to be honest. Yes and no on the AA - AA emplacements in times of peace are deterrents - in times of active warfare - agreed on the mobility except for the cities, nuclear plants etc. where you would need some sort of permanent emplacements as well to protect critical infrastructure
@@JTRetroReactions well, I do not believe the Russians would do any severe damage to nuclear plants. They need energy and they do not need fallouts. As we have seen in Zaporridsa, Ukraine.
Finnis Border Guard Jaeger - group/light-field-hospital-dressing-station medic ....trained in ranger/recon long-distance patrol and guerrilla tactics. I absolutely carry a rifle into action and we as medics were trained to acknowledge the Russians not giving a flying fk about the red cross band. There was sone talk about not shooting first, but what the underlying fact remains, if they're unable to fire first then there's is no problem to be solved. At the end of the day, Geneva suggestions don't matter when it's your own life at stake....If there's some uppity prosecuter willing to charge you afterwards, congratulations you've survived the war.
I agree mate and when I said the Irish army wouldn't break that rule I was being sarcastic. All Irish army medics on active UNIFIL duty in my day were packing
Finnish Air Force: 64 F/A-18 Hornets were bought back in the day to serve as combat aircraft, and recently an order for 64 F-35s was placed. There are also various training, transportation, surveillance and mapping/data gathering craft, the usual stuff.
@@JTRetroReactionsyes, but also finland isn’t allowed to have more than 64 fighter jets (or an ”army” instead of defense forces) due to the international laws(?)
@@opaliittiopa Thats old agreement with Soviet Union, which is not valid anymore. We can have as many fighter jets as we want, but 64 is the amount which should be "enough" vs. costs
Totally Janko but what was interesting that the simulation exercise of the VDV, sorry example paratroopers trying to take the Airport is exactly what happened in Ukraine - so credit to your scenario planners on that - they got it spot on as they did with the Saboteurs and the cyber attacks as well - all of that happened in Ukraine.
@@JTRetroReactions Finland's been preparing for such situation for the past 80 years now. We know how our enemy thinks and moves. When the 2022's invasion started, the common thought wasn't as much that of "That could've been us!", but rather "Well, that WAS us back in the day. Let's get to work!"
Why Finnish government doesn't warn people to get out the sick and the kids just after some cyber attacks on banks or other infrastructure: Were not supposed to be panicking, because that might be the one and only russian intent: To scare us to disrupt our daily lives and ultimately to bow to Russia in hopes of them ceasing posturing. So basically we are so geared towards quick action that once the heating / power / internet goes out, I know to power down my laptop and start dressing on the military supplied camos I have in my closet, because the call where to collect combat gear is sure to follow. From accountant to a soldier in less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile, let russia posture. They need to cross the border for any effect.
Thanks for watching the video Matt - I get it but I was talking about more that we had air attacks and tanks landing. At that stage I think having to worry about your Kids, your elderly parents etc. is more of a distraction for Troops hence I would personally advocate evacuation. Just my opinion of course particularly since Russia is known to attack Civilian areas as we see in Ukraine. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
I remember when I served in the Middle East as a peacekeeper there was a respect towards FDF coming from IDF. They thought our equipment was lower standard than theirs but the training of the troops and the esprit of the corps was regarded high. Regarding that the Finns were mainly reservists.
Fair enough mate - plenty have had other experiences and it probably depends on how hot your zone was - Both the Irish and the Norwegians had several run ins with the IDF including loss of life on all sides.
as a Finnish patriot, this is very emotional for me to watch this great video from Puolustusvoimat and I feel a strong will to defend my homeland. The scenarios are very real and possible, thanks to our stupid imperialist neighbor. They can try, but it's not worth it. Thanks for the good video
Thanks mate for watching the video and for sharing that information. I appreciate it. Your natural defenses are definitely helpful. Have a good weekend
Same in all small Countries to be honest. It would be similar here in Ireland. Although Russia has gone to 70 now in their drafts so it's not just limited to small nations :)
He aimed for the turret because it is trained that the russian armour weakpoint is the place between turret and the hull. Plus it is the place where most auto loader russian armour stores its ammo and the armour protection is weak
Unfortunately you're correct with the issue of arming the population. Finland has unnecessarily restrictive gun control laws ever since -97. You're no longer allowed to get a license even at rural locals, far away from effective range of the police, even for home security purposes. There are numerous weapon stashes around the nation but I'm sceptical how well their locations have been kept a secret. Enemy intelligence is likely to be more aware of their coordinates than what the intended user is.
Hmm - YT deleted my reply to you - second time that has happened today. Anyways, I was saying that you guys may have restrictive gun laws but it's even worse here in Ireland - basically most citizens can only have a double barreled shotgun or a .22 and that is only if they jump through multiple hoops to even get that. I agree with you that having weapons depots is dangerous - it only takes on quisling / traitor and one of your main defensive resources is taken out and surely any enemy worth their salt would attempt to get those locations before attempting any attack. I think the Swiss model is better but never going to happen in Ireland and it looks like the same in Finland. My point would be is that there is no point in training people in weapons and then not trusting them with it. If you can't trust them in peace time then you sure as hell won't be able to trust them in panic and emergency situations.
@@JTRetroReactions I'll try to reply in a way that doesn't get automatically deleted. I do believe there's a small chance that we'll move closer to Swiss model one day. It will require a home grown issue (gang violence is on the rise), admission of statistics and abandoning false equivalences. (USA data ≠ Finnish data) I'd argue that the increase in violent crime is indirectly tied to disarmed population and consequently why countryside is still safer than cities. Hunters tend to be rural and not every defence tool has been registered especially over the countryside. Burglars are also capable of feeling fear and making intelligent choices. A disarmed target is more attractive.
I couldn't agree with you more mate and to be honest one of the major issues I see across Europe currently is, as you said, US data = Euro country of your choice. Most of the issues I see across Europe are coming from the US. It's very weird but I think a lot of it is social media related and yes I'm aware of the irony of that comment
Well general conscription definitely wouldn't make sense for Ireland but investing much more into your navy and airforce, and today drones are very relevant too, even in sea drones does. Also idk if you have a defence agreement with England or not, that would definitely buff the capability of Irelands navy and airforce, by 100x. I think the English have a huge interest in those cables too.
Thanks mate but you're wrong and I'll explain why. We've only been at peace on this island since 2000. That's not long ago! Out of the last 900 years we've been at War for 879 of them. Also general conscription provides social benefits which I explore more in my 1998 reaction coming out later in the week
9:17 I'm thinking you probably have a basement full of detailed invasion plans of our country drawn out over the wall by now :DDDD On a more serious note was fun to watch your reaction and good insights too. I served in UNIFIL too and in a combined Irish-Finnish unit, albeit probably a lot later than you. Would not have changed the Irish for any other partner while there.
33:12 That was 66 KES 88, a 66 mm light anti-tank weapon model(-year) 88 (Norwegian made if I'm correct). He did target the base of the turret because he was trained to do so. It is quite weak side of IFV's armour. Also it can disable the turret from turning so it can be effective. Edit: apparently it is the newer model 12. Finland propably still has many 88 models in storage. I shot model 75 in back in 2007.
Thanks guys for watching and for the information. I appreciate it. The reason I expressed surprise at turret vs tracks is similar to small arms for you aim for the bigger target so tracks trump turret from that aspect. However what you explained also makes sense
Yes numb nuts as an ex solider with active duty under his belt. However what may have escaped your small Brain is that Ireland doesn't use tanks it uses Mowags and I didn't read about military stuff I did it! So I will take my knowledge over your book crap any day as guess who would survive in Battle - a hint - it would not be you - you would be a first day casualty!
26:00 Finnish tactics rely on constant scouting and harrassing the enemy to slow them down and also usage of artillery is a key. By the way, before 2nd WW there was a finnish artillery commander who invented "fire correction circle" that made finnish arty much more effective. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilho_Petter_Nenonen
Thanks iiro for watching the video and for the comment. Yes indeed and some of my commenters shared that link with me previously on my Talvisota and Unknown Soldier reactions, but I appreciate you making the effort to share it again - it was very kind of you. To be honest, same as Irish Military tactics for an invasion - hit and run and degredation through attrition is the most feasible strategy when you are a smaller country against overwhelming forces. Pitched battles tend to favour the larger army generally although smart tactics can sometimes outweigh that.
About VDV - They actually did quite well in Hostomel. Russian VDV is no joke. Of course by now they have been largely decimated but at the time, they actually DID take over Hostomel and fought hard and well. We cannot and should not underestimate Russians, they have and have always had good units. In Hostomel what ultimately ended up happening, in short, was that 1) Ukrainians did fight back HARD and while initially they had to withdraw and VDV was successful, VDV suffered heavy losses and when Ukrainians regroupped and counter-attacked, VDV did not manage to hold and was wiped out. Hostomel was taken back without Russians having had time to actually use it. --- And my final point. This is, ultimately, a pretty clean depiction of a possible warfare situation. You do not really see the ugly, despicable, horrific sides of war here; we see only one wounded person and even in his case all is quite clean and goes relatively well. We see some enemies dying - cleanly. Our own casualties are completely invisible. Of course I understand why all is depicted as it is but reality would so, so much worse... You have seen battle, it seems, so you know intimately how it is. I myself have not, I am no soldier, but I have been following war in Ukraine quite closely so - yeah. I wish this never comes true. We'll fight if we have to but I really wish we will never have to. We were traumatized in 1939 and now we have to watch how Ukraine is going through the same. :( And war IS traumatic. Even if you survive. Even if you win.
Thanks annaniskanen for watching the video and your comments and very good points that you make. I think though we'll agree to disagree on the VDV. The plan for Hostomel was a disaster and was planned by the VDV regardless of how well they fought. There is also a mission where they were in the South of Ukraine in the early days of the war and got wiped out by a local militia that was hastily put together using local vets, business men etc. The entire platoon got wiped out as they were just wandering about taking no care. But again you are entitled to your view and that is fine as well. Enjoy the rest of your sunday.
@@JTRetroReactions I do not think we necessarily disagree as I was talking about the VDV as a fighting force and as such VDV was dangerous and competent. However, you might be right in that the plan itself was a failure from the beginning; maybe, no matter how well VDV fought, they never really had a proper chance to hold Hostomel. I would guess their plan was based on Ukrainians not resisting almost at all and if that had happened, sure, it could have succeeded. But that itself was an immensely stupid assumption which just showcases the arrogance of the Russian army and decision making. Probably that arrogance was VDVs undoing in the south as well.
25:50 Suomella on alueellinen puolustusjärjestelmä. Sitä on käytetty 1960-luvulta alkean. Järjestelmää on päivitetty joka vuosikymmenellä. Meillä on kolmen tasoisia maavoimien joukkoja. 1. Operatiiviset joukot on parhaiten aseistettuja. Joita käytetään vastahyökkäyksiin jne. 2. Alueelliset joukot. Suomi on jaettu 6 osaan. Jokaisella alueella on tietty määrä alueellisia joukkoja. Ne pitävät tärkeät alueet. Mutta voivat vetääntyä ei tärkeiltä alueilta 3. Paikallisjoukot. Paikallisjoukot vartioivat selustaa. Mutta jos alueelta joudutaan vetäytymään, niin paikallisjoukot jäävät alueelle. Paikallisjoukot toimivat sissisodankäynnin keinoin vallatuilla alueilla. Kun vihollisen voima hyökkäykseen loppuu, niin alueet vallataan takaisin.
Thanks for watching the video mate and I appreciate the information and knowledge. I just approached this video as I would have if I had been shown it in a briefing room and with little to no knowledge of Finnish Defence Forces or tactics. But it was very interesting to learn about and impressive.
We don't get to take our service guns to home, no way, it would be mayhem :D. It's Switzerland which has that, and they don't have the bullets at home, as far as I understand. On the other hand we have one of the biggest hunting weapon amounts per capita in the world so there's lot's of good shooters here, good snipers.
That's good to know. I think there's pros and cons for not being able to bring your weapons home. I think it's more dangerous to be honest as one traitor giving away the locations of your weapons depots to screw up a lot of your defence plans
Finn here, Feb.2024. We get cyber attacks almost every month, sometimes twice a month. Russians are even attacking airliners GPS system in Eastern Finland, already for months!
Hmm - YT seemed to have removed my original reply. Anyways here it is again. Sorry to hear that - that's such a pain in the ar**s but luckily, even though Russia accounts for about 35% of worldwide cyber crime, they don't tend to be very clever or sophisticated unlike say the NKs who really come up with some nasty crap. When I worked in the private sector, we just tended to distract the Russians with honeypots and reverse hacks - reverse hacks of course being a legal grey area - but what's good for them is good for us was always my view. What type of attacks are they doing, do you know DDOS, Phishing, traffic sniffing, social engineering, deepfakes? Probably all of that - maybe not the deepfakes - I've only seen them come out of Asia so far.
I really don't know more accurately what type of crap they do but our different systems are repeatedly under some type of attacks. Also the air trafic above the Gulf of Finland is constantly heckled by Russians. Repeatedly causing close shave situations. Pests!
Thanks mate - I didn't even know that was happening so thanks for letting me know. I will share with you an old Irish joke about annoying neighbours - you can just substitute Ireland and the UK for Finland and Russia. Basically God created the world and was very proud of his achievement and wanted to show it of. So he called over the Angel Gabriel and said to him - look! Look at this beautiful thing I created that I call earth. There are seas and skys, animals and birds, it's stunning. Everything is equal and in balance, birds fly in the air, animals walk on the land, fish swim in the sea etc.. There is day and night. Everything equal and everything in balance. Then God said to the Angel, but there is one special place I want to show you, it's called Ireland (you can substitute Finland here). And God said to the Angel, it's the most perfect place I created, magical people, magical drink called Guinness, magical music, magical food etc. etc. The Angel was amazed but said to God, I thought you created everything equal and in balance. God said I did - wait until I show you the b**tards I put next door to them :)
I don't think the people taking over the airport were supposed to be VDV, but something more covert, as they used a civilian airliner to come in. So they don't have the heavy equipment VDV would have, but just whatever they could reasonably smuggle in with a civilian airliner. Soviet Union did the exact same thing in Czechoslovakia in '68 when bunch of special forces in civilian clothing boarded a civilian plane, upon landing took over the airport that only had some security guards for defense. So it's not the Hostomel airport scenario, but something more covert.
Fair enough mate - I wasn't aware of that incident in '68 so thanks for sharing that and yes the scenario makes sense in light of that! Thanks for watching the video and have a good of weekend.
Correcrion here, 6:52 : Actually "The Islands" are called Åland [Ooland] Archipelago and yes, they do speak Swedish for primary language, but they do belong to Finland.
The attack on the airfield wasn't done by paratroopers from what I understood but by a civilian aircraft smuggling soldiers or something of the sort. Presumably they were supposed to take over the airfield to secure a path for more reinforcements.
Given what we saw in Ukraine I would lean more towards them being VDV especially as you usually send in your more experienced/trained troops or SOF to operate behind enemy lines rather than regulars. Just my opinion though and you are entitled to yours
@@JTRetroReactions in the video the control tower receives a report of a civilian plane landing immediately followed by the assault begins. I presume it was similar to the tanks hiding in private cargo ships. What units they might represent is a different matter, but yeah probably vdv.
The larger plot is ridiculous, but all depicted situations are realistic and the people are actual conscripts (plus of of course some professional soldiers). The FDF videos always show Finnish personnel getting injured, not to create any unrealistic expectations. Even nowadays Finland can be hard to traverse with armored units, and giving up territory to channel the attack to advantageous defensive positions is basic doctrine.
Nice reaction! This is a great production from the Finnish Defence Forces, really like it. You should also check out the Swedish 'Jägarsoldat' series, a 16 part series about the Swedish Rangers. Really good! (But try to reach out to find someone to translate the first 5-6 episodes, then youtube will take it)
Thanks Peter for watching the video, for your kind comment and for the recommendation - I have added it to the reaction list and I have been looking for someone to give me Swedish reactions for a while. Please let me know if you have any good Swedish War Movies that I can react too as well.. I have AI that I use for translation so hopefully that will work for the first few episodes. I'm stoked now to be honest as I have been waiting a long time for Swedish recommendations so you made my day! Cheers mate and have a good weekend!
@@JTRetroReactions well, regarding Swedish war movies. You got me there, they are rare. I had to Google om that, managed to find a few. Most made way back in the 1920's. Found one from the early 70's made by Bergman, some kind of protest against the Vietnam War, but I have not seen that myself. There is one from 2011, Gränsen (The border) a fictive story about some Swedish soldiers entering occupied Norway during ww2, seen that one but cant say that it left any impression on me. If you know some Swedish history, you might know that we have not been to war for the last 250 years or so. Before that it is a different story, with Swedish armies roaming around Europe causing havoc for 100 years, so yes, we do have material to war movies... If you into music, check out a heavy metal band called Sabaton. (You dont have to be a metalhead to listen to them) They have a unique pitch, all their songs are about History with a focus on wartime. Really good. Just to get an idea, check out their song 'Christmas truce ' official music video. But otherwise I out my hope that you will like Jägar soldat series.
Thanks again mate - I'm surprised at the lack of War Movies - just like the Napoleonic Era - you guys in your Empire days had, as you said, a lot of great material to work with - maybe we should write a script and send it to hollywood so they can screw it up like the recent Napoleon movie - what do you think :) I am a massive metalhead mate and know Sabaton very well. I may do some music reactions later on - we'll see . Any other general Swedish movies you would recommend - sorry to bother you with these but my original idea with this channel was go through the best of Cinema from each Country coupled with some retro TV reactions for the old folks like myself - so if you have any spin them my way. Thanks again.
@@JTRetroReactions The Empire era was somewhere controversial during the 60' and 70's. It didnt fit into the picture of Sweden that the rulers wanted to present to the world. No government foundings, no movie.... Well, if you want some military related, I would suggest 'Repmånad' from the end of the 1970's, a comedy. Old but still funny. Another is '9:e Kompaniet', from the mid 80', also a comedy.
No you are definately not allowed to take your assault rifle home with you after service. So reservist do not have assault rifles at home. It has been like that always. The only exeption were the paramilitary auxiliary forces, the Suojeluskunta before they were banned by the soviets in the peace treaty after ww2. Even during the service you cannot carry a weapon while you're visiting home on a weekend. If you want to own a fire arm in Finland you need to have a permit that is admitted by the police. And it depends on what kind of a gun it is, whether it is a hunting rifle or a hand gun for shooting practice. You have to go through psychological tests where they evaluate if you are mentally fit to own a gun safely. If I'm correct the current law doesn't allow you to store your gun in your home anymore but rather in a locker of the shooting club or shooting range where you go to do your target practice. This is for hand guns like pistols. I guess hunters still may keep their rifles in alocker at their homes. All and all they have made it more complex to get an permit and storing the weapons. And for a reason. There has been school shootings and we do not want the same problems as in USA
To be precise. semi automatic short barrel rifle which you are allowed to own is still an assault rifle, albeit you cannot have the automatic fire mode. Which would be 99% useless in combat anyway. And you can have them at home as long as you store them as required. Centralized storage was suggested, but that stupidity never became a reality.
Thanks for the background information on that. I see pros and cons to that. If you're going to trust people in an emergency with weapons you should trust them in normal times. Military weapons I'm talking about and I think you lose a lot more in defence then you gain in society by not having them at home. Just my view though and we have even stricter gun laws here
Sounds similar to here. Well not the semi auto, a..22 or double barrel shotgun is what you're more or less limited too here when a weapons safe and separate ammo safe.
@@JTRetroReactions I think you are giving a little too much credit to having a rifle at home. To fight a war you need cohesive units and the units need to be formed somewhere. And that somewhere might as well be the depot you get the guns and equipment. Squad and especially a platoon will also need heavier weaponry. E.g. when BMPs are driving off the ship in the video ad hoc gunmen would only get themselves killed.
I see your point but mine is very simple. One traitor revealing your depot locations puts your entire defence at risk. It's a big gamble to take. Just my view
There has been multiple breakins in waterresources in Finland during last four weeks. We have 300 000 soldiers and max 900 000 to go to war. This is among the largest armies in Europe if necessary and we have the support of Nato if everything goes to shit.
Hmm, interesting and concerning. It maybe Russia just rattling chains ahead of this NATO summit that is now taking place - hopefully that is all it is!
Tactic haven't changed from ww2. Hit and run or guerilla tactics. When you are in officer training (mandatory service) they tell you estimated time of death depending what you face. Ofc they don't tell that to normal soldiers. We have terrain what we know so that is always our advantage.
Pretty similar over here as well mate. It's what us smaller Countries have to do to survive when we need too - unfortunate but true. Have a good weekend!
Watching this video I can't help but think how much more human and economic resources we would be able to allocate to other things instead of preparing for an attack by our asshole neighbour. But you can't choose your neighbours. Luckily our society is strong , we can trust our government and institutions to do their job.
A truism all over the world teama. However, I still would be prefer to be in Finland's position then Ireland - I do believe there is a lot of truth generally in life in the statement, that is better to be prepared and not need something then to need it and not be prepared. In addition, I think conscription and service instills in young people a sense of national pride, service for the greater good and basic disciplinary skills etc. A lot of the youth nowadays are very self centred and make everything about them and I think conscription programmes like you have in Finland help counter that.
During the last big push in WW II 1944, soviets had 200 arttillery pieces per one front kilometer. 10 000 pieces all together. Initial fire misson lasted 135 minutes, grinding finnish positions and men into dust.
@@JTRetroReactions Soviets took no change this time. If we hadnt had Detachment Kuhlmey, a Luftwaffe unit, we wouldnt have been able to hold. You should look about that. Their performance is par none, they excelled, while fighting in a differnt country, and not for their people, but for Finnish troops. Because how history was written, their role has been down played.
@@JTRetroReactions " The unit flew some 2,700 missions and dropped 770 tonnes of bombs. It destroyed over 150 Soviet aircraft, about 200 tanks, and dozens of bridges and transport vessels. Personnel losses included 23 pilots killed and 24 wounded in battle. The unit lost 41 of its aircraft." They flew Stukas and FW 190 A 6`s.
Thanks mate for sharing. A few comments on the unknown soldier mentioned this unit too. If you have any movie or TH-cam videos that you could recommend on it then I would appreciate it
@@JTRetroReactions It turns out they are sparse. our YLE has , but its in the archive, and cant be watched outside Finland, with VPN it could work. But its in Finnish withou subtitles. I ll take a look if I can find it .
Finland's defensive doctrine is mobile. Fast reaction, co-operation between different sections of the military, fast troop mobilization and reaction to new situations. That's why we have no big stationary defensive emplacements. In modern warfare they aren't very useful. A big artillery emplacement guarding the sea with 30KM range that cannot move will be taken out by a 100KM range missile strike. It's better to hit and move, do as much as you can with what you have instead of even trying to sit and exchange blows. No superiority complex about "better tanks" or anything (like certain neighbor seems to always have... If it's not a new super fighter jet, it's a new super tank they can report in their media), they still get wiped out when hit (enough) all the same. Finland's tactic in an all out attack would be to disable the enemy's movement. We have mine layers that can drill anti vehicle mines into paved roads and bridges for example. Not meant as concealed mines, but as deterrent. You can't use the road. You can blow up the mines, but then you also can't use the road. Good luck moving vehicles through the terrain outside of roads here. And once the enemy's movement is blocked, we will use our artillery (which is one of the largest in Europe, as large as Poland's, Germany's, Sweden's and Norway's combined) to strike. Avoid face-offs where possible. Use geographical features to your advantage. Do not centralize forces into one place. Maintain information sharing, stay mobile, operational and effective after losses too (so that losing a fire control position does not effectively disable the entire unit, for example). That's also why we train against "relatively small and seemingly haphazard" attacks such as the ones show on this video. It's A LOT of trouble to just drive 1000 tanks into Helsinki, and those scenarios we are well prepared against. It's these small, unexpected attacks that can be dangerous and need to be understood. Need to handle everything at once, can't fall into disarray, that's what all this training is for.
Regarding numerical superiority: It only matters if you can bring them to bear. Finland is such a densely forested area that you can really just focus the forces on main transportation hubs and roads large enough to stop an armoured advance. Ukraine is just open fields and level terrain, which makes maneuvering much easier. In Finland the Russians would be funneled by the terrain much more. Also, we have the largest artillery in Finland and it's quality is much better than what the Russians have, so that also levels the playing field.
There are probably 10,000 soldiers in Ireland and the same number in reserve. We have 12,000 paid army personnel in Finland. And a year, about 22,000 go through training today. It is planned that 280,000 will be taken for frontline use. But there are 870,000 people who have completed the training. yes, there are weapons, but no proper protective equipment.
Thanks for watching the video. You're almost correct on the regulars over here - it's circa 8K now with between 2-4K in reserve. The number fluctuates. Mostly young kids giving it a go to see if they want to go full time - most don't as they realise it's not Call of Duty :) I still prefer your guys system. It makes sense for Countries with histories like ours. Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks Mikko for watching the video and for sharing that information with me. That's a substantial number and as I said I'm jealous we don't do that over here. Not only is it great for defence - but it assists in maturing young people into the adult world and builds a real sense of nationhood and community rather then the self centeredness we see a lot of today across the west, where everybody is a victim of something and expects people to bend for them rather then everyone working together as a society. You guys kind of remind me of a modern day Sparta and I mean that as a compliment.
The conscription numbers are soon to plummet under 20k/year as we lack the demographics in young men. It wouldn't be a problem should our birth rate be at 2.0 which is considered as a sustainable level. Our 1.4 - 1.7 is absolutely below bar. The talk about mandatory service for women isn't the answer to up the numbers. Policies benefitting larger family units are...
Now you're looking in the right direction. No joke mate look up if your prime Minister went through the WEF leader programme. He did as did ours in Ireland. Then look up who else in the EU went through that programme. Then read the WEF 2030 plan or watch my video on what the EU farmers protests are really about. The low birth rates all across the West will make sense. The lack of support for family etc will all make sense. Sounds like conspiracy but it's not and you can verify at the above sources
Great reaction! You have a lot of good insight. I also found that airport scene a bit too convinient without the enemy soreading out. But I suppose it was done like that to keep the runtime lower. I am no expert. But the ports have regular security during peace time (border guard, customs, police and private security companies (surveillance and security guards). But as shown in the video the security could be ramped up with military forces if needed. I have served with Irish troops a few times. To be honest I found them a bit rowdy for peacekeeping 😉 But I think in a real fight I would gladly have them on my side 💪🏻 If you want a deeper dive to our reservist system I would suggest the video "Reservin voima (strength of the reserves)" from finnish defence forces youtube channel. Keep up the good work!
Thanks matkahren for watching the video and for your very kind comments. I really appreciate that as a fair amount of effort goes into these videos and comments like yours make it worth it! Yip - that's us Irish - we are a rowdy bunch but if you check out some of the fighting videos on YT - I'm talking street brawls - you will see lots of international commenters saying that from their experience having Irish mates, there is no one they would rather fight alongside as the Irish will not back down or run no matter the odds. Also if you served with us, you have served with other UNIFIL Troops and I'm sure you know what I mean when I say there are a serious amount of runners amongst them - not looking at you Dutch or Indian Armies - cough cough :) Thanks also for the recommendation - I have added it to my reaction list so I will get to it soon. Have a good weekend!
Islands of strategic importans is Finnish Åland and Swedish Gotland. Åland is demilitarized Becouse of old treatys that should Be thrown in The bin. There have Been talking about The Åland islands in Finland after The invasion of russia to Ukraine. We must protect Åland but we can't put troops or fortify it beforehand🤯. Åland is Swedish speaking and they don't want Finnish troops there 😡🤬 they have special autonomy and they don't like finns and wanted to join Sweden but was granted autonomy. Sweden gave Even fake maps of Åland to international board to steal the island from Finland after we got independent,..
Thank you Jozq! That's them alright - I just couldn't remember the names. I didn't know that history about Aland though including the treaties and the views of the natives - so that was interesting to learn. I would agree with you that old treaties should be scrapped as we all know how well Russia respects treaties! Have a good weekend
You're welcome mate and thanks again for watching - I can feed one of my 25 children this weekend now - the others will have to fight harder for my love :) Just joking of course in case Child services read this!
If you are part of local forces . They call you or send a SMS . Tomorrow at 06.00 AM to meeting point . You get your rifles and ammunition . Later further details. For reservists meeting point in your garrison . More details and weapons on the place . TIME 3 Days . Then we have all 280.000 first wave soldiers with their wespons to meet the enemy.
Air superiority over Finland as s Nato country is not likely with the combined airforces of Nordic countries. In my opinion years and years of missile, drone and artiller strikes would be the most damage inflicting warfare from Russia. However we would survive thanks to our vast network of defence lines, bunkers and security of supply for defense force and the entire nation.
Thanks for watching the video. Yeah I don't disagree with what you said. I was just speaking from a fantasy perspective on what I would do if I was Russia planning an attack first step would be to build air superiority but after Ukraine I don't think you have to worry about that anyways regardless of NATO as they've been shown to be vulnerable
We have a Hornet’s and soon coming F35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Every port have today license plate reader and gate. In Finland we speak finish and swedish language and in this video also. Are they coast guards or marines? I dont tell you because russian desants look this video. Thank you, Sir 😊
20:31 Finnish Border Guard is in peacetime under interior ministry. In war they integrate to army, they are eqully armed than army light infantry, but have highly selected personnel. They are our LRRPs as an example. You must have physique of Moose to serve your conscription in Border Guard, but its possible. I have neighbour kid doing it. Well over 200cm, and NO fat. Would propably ran Sebastian Coe to ground, with rifle at his back.
27:00 We have *hitload of anti tank systems. laws, apilas, nlaws etc.. 33:22 well it's just pyrotech, so there's that. but they yelled "thin" so it's not a MBT (fat/thick) and they were shooting with LAWs. They targeted to turret as its one of the weakest parts to side-hit. Shooting to tracks might stop it ofc, but not eliminate.
@@JTRetroReactions It's a long time ago for me too (-05). I was in "anti-tank"-platoon. 66 KES 88 (M72A5), APILAS (112 RSKES Apilas) and "musti" (95 S 58-61 ) is familiar. e: and thanks for responding. That's cool :)
Finnish have never been allowed to take military weapons to their homes. There are several depots around the country where reservists will report and get their equipment
Thanks for watching the video. Some others here have said that it was a thing but was phased out and I do remember years ago people saying that Finland and Sweden were allowed to keep their weapons after service. Anyways I can't say for sure as an outsider
33:10 That tube launcher (called "kertasinko" or 66 KES 12 or 66 KES 12 RAK) is designed for armored vehicles and buildings, not against battle tanks. I guess they used that for this video to save money because launching a real NLAW costs about 10x more. And I agree that if you had to use one against a tank, you should aim to the tracks.
Thanks again Mikko -another commenter on here mentioned to me that the charge in that launcher was designed - almost like cluster munitions to spread and if that is the case, I can see why it would be useful against Russian Tanks given their propensity to have their ammo cook off when hit and do a Turret toss as we see a lot of in Ukraine - but I think they mentioned a different model then you - Either way the NLAWs would definitely do the job as we have seen in Ukraine.
@@JTRetroReactions Sure, even the "kertasinko" has shaped charge but that's not strong enough to surely destroy a tank unless you're a bit lucky. The 66 KES 12 is based on M72 LAW used by the US and the variant in Finland is M72 EC LAW Mk.I version which is claimed to have penetration 450 mm (~ 18 in) of rolled homogeneous armor steel plate in optimal conditions. NLAW is the weapon of choice if you have the option. It can penetrate 500 mm worth of armor and can attack the tank from 800 m distance and still put the full shape charge from top toward the bottom so tanks would need more than 500 mm worth of armor on the roof to be safe.
Nah, you use whatever tools you got at your disposal. The new LAWs are more than capable of penetrating old BMP and BTR armored vehicles (not "tanks") armor. They may easily immobilize even battle tanks, take out optics and coms, and in case of the old Cold War era trash Moscow still keeps sending, can even blow up the turret into bits with a lucky hit into the "neck".
Thanks for watching. When was that if you didn't mind me asking but from my perspective it wouldn't be the best tactic. Good armies have NCOs who can make defensive or offensive decisions on the ground as the situation changes. If we look at Russia in Ukraine that we see the mess that only attack can lead too. For me there needs to be a mix of both depending on the circumstances
Hey all - just for the fun of it I'm going to share an old Irish joke about annoying neighbours. This joke goes back a long way in history but I think if you substitute Finland for Ireland and Russia for the UK you will get the same resulting humour. I hope you enjoy it!
God created the world and was very proud of his achievement and wanted to show it off. So he called over the Angel Gabriel and said to him - look! Look at this beautiful thing I created that I call earth. There are seas and skys', animals and birds, it's stunning.
Everything is equal and in balance, birds fly in the air, animals walk on the land, fish swim in the sea etc.. There is day and night. Everything equal and everything in balance.
Then God said to the Angel, but there is one special place I want to show you, it's called Ireland (you can substitute Finland here). And God said to the Angel, it's the most perfect place I created, magical people, magical drink called Guinness, magical music, magical food etc. etc.
The Angel was amazed but said to God, I thought you created everything equal and in balance. God said I did - wait until I show you the absolute b**tards I put next door to them :)
Your questions about mobilization... Those are things which are critical to our defence. Therefore the mobilization process is kept secret. It will work, I can assure you. Israel just gave a demonstration how to get 200000 guys into arms within just 48 hours.
I have one joke too. One day, every nation was told to say something nice about each other. When it was the finns turn to say something nice about the Russians, they said "Russians have the best neighbours."
Interesting piece of history that I didn't know. Thanks for sharing mate
Good to know you guys are still investing heavily in your military particularly given current circumstances
Again very interesting to read mate. Thank you
One part of this Battlefield 2020 always gives me chills... The part when the news anchor says "Finland is at war". He is not an actor but an actual news anchor so it feels too real.
That would bring a lot of realism to the video for sure. Thanks for letting me know that
@@JTRetroReactions To be more precise :
there are NO actors in this video. They are all FDF personnel, conscripts, and public figures.
Even that well known news anchor has a military rank of a Captain. He knows the weight of those words, as do most "boys" over the age of 20.
Thanks for letting me know
He is a real news anchor in Finland. YLE, it means yleisradio. I agree with you. That was a chilling moment in this video.
@@samiauvinen6439 Really don't care to hear the presidental speech he is buffing for. EVER.
Finland was one of the first countries to react by ordering war equipment when war in Ukraine broke out. A few weeks ago there was a news piece in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper where a logistics command officer of the FDF said that the weapon stocks are filled to the brim and we need to commence building new storage sites (mined into the bedrock) because there are still lots of weapons to be delivered that Finland has ordered. As a side note Finland has the second largest stockpile of HIMARS missiles in the world after the US. Also Finland is probably the biggest artillery shell manufacturing country in Europe at the moment, the production lines are running 24/7. I think we are good.
Thanks Samps for sharing that - good to hear - as I have said here before - better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it! Have a good weekend!
You don't get a weapon to take home after conscript service in Finland. The location of the weapons is not publicly known but Finnish Defence Forces has a lot of storage space mined into bedrock all over Finland. Overall, secrecy is the name of the game. You're supposed to keep your exact conscript training secret, too.
Thanks again mate for that info - really helpful. Looks like I'll have to reassess my one man plan to invade Finland :)
in some situations you can buy weapon after service, but in order to do that you need rifle- or ERVA, erittäin vaarallinen (extremy dangerous) - license.
know few friends who did it and got license.
@@antcommander1367 Even with ERVA license, you still cannot own a rifle that can shoot bursts. ERVA allows getting a semi-automatic variant of the service rifle and allows using the same 30 cartridge magazine that's used in the conscript service.
Without ERVA, you can still apply for semi-automatic variant of service rifle but you're limited to 10 cartridge magazine.
@@MikkoRantalainen what i meant what they bought off FDF was Tarkkuuskivääri 7.62 TKIV 85 with overused barrel. not Rk62. though in later they got semi variants of rk.
Also why the service weapon is so one of the best AK variants. Imagine how many people have used the same rifle throughout the years. Wish i could remember the number of mine but sadly i forgot something i thought i couldnt forget :D
Did my military service in Uudenmaan Prikaati (Nylands Brigad), the only brigade in Finland to offer education in Swedish, as we're about 300,000 native speakers, and also the only brigade to train coastal jaegers which are just marines, the whole "jaeger" tag in the Finnish military comes from the fact that its structure was originally based of the imperial german army, especially the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion. I was in the heavy (120mm) mortar company though so I never got to do much "marine" training, it was always the light (81mm) mortar squads that got all the glory (as in taistelukenttä 2020) because they were the ones working closely with the coastal jaegers.
Thanks Rejonntt for watching the video and for sharing your background. I always enjoy hearing about other Peoples service and experience.
I only found out that Swedish was an official State language of Finland from doing the Talvisota reaction as I never new that before but given your history it's not surprising. Thanks also for the information about the Jaegers which I guessed at but didn't know for sure!
My 1998 reaction will be out later in the week.
Have a great weekend!
Finnish ports are quite open these days. In the olden days (about 10-20 years ago) there were garrison islands in front of most of the big port cities with coastal artillery. Today, they are deployed only during a possible war. Otherwise, Finland has mobile coastal missile units around its coast that can be moved to the desired area. In addition, there is usually a garrison in the nearby areas/cities of large ports that can react quickly. The use of the cargo ship shown in the simulation for military operations is very likely and actually difficult to prevent without prior knowledge. The fact that the area in question - Hanko is at the tip of a fairly long promontory makes the scenario easier. Sergeant, Coastal Missile Fire Director
Thanks mate for watching and the information. It was very interesting to read
Finland has the largest artillery in Western Europe, this is the deterrent for Russia's meat wall tactic.
Thanks Zami for watching the video and the comment - I appreciate it! Makes sense - if they want to send meat waves put them into the Finnish Mincer! Have a good weekend.
Yes, Finland has some Guns, but as your partner knows its how to use them, or IT, C3, Communication,... too many hearts coming☺😜...
@@petrusinvictus3603 finland’s artillery is also one of the most accurate and capable artilleries. Only thing we are currently lacking is a good missile defense system, but even that is on the way (bought from israel). We also have great cyber security systems as finland is one of the top countries in terms of IT development.
About the sizes of armies: the Finnish Air Force is said to estimate that if they have one tenth of the enemy numbers they are about even in strength. The same goes with the Army: the doctrine is to stop and destroy the enemy. That has worked rather well for the last 1000 years. We are still here.
You can't argue with what has been proven to work mate! Thanks again for the additional information on the sizes of the Air force etc. - much appreciated!
What are u talking about? 1809 russians took over Finland like nothing. From finns. Or do u think, that mostly swedish was here fighthing, even Finland was part of Sweden. Fins are useaful and tough idiots, what bigger coyntries use for their own benefits. Nothing more.
Greetings from Finland. We are really prepared. When we were kids our parents told us what happened during the previous wars. We have been raised and trained in military. It is just basic thing in here. Just be ready for the worst. Thanks for the good video! Keep on doing this!
Greetings back to you from Ireland mate - thanks for watching the video and for the comment. I appreciate it! It was kind of similar here when I was growing up as my elderly neighbours would tell me stories about being children during the War of Independence and stuff like that which is one of the reasons I joined the Army but because of the troubles in the North at lot of that nationalism was kept on the low key and died out as a result. The IRA were also against the Republic although not actively fighting them - there were just against the concept which made them enemies of the state - so yeah strong nationalism was kept low key as a result. Have a good rest of your Sunday.
The Finnish basic tactic is to allow the enemy to pass in along some of the roads leading in from Russia to Finland duw to the terrain, that causes the enemy to get into bottle necks and exposed to AT units and different types of artillery to halt the enemy.
Coastal Jaegers are Marines/Marine Commandos specialised in war along the coasts and archipelago. They have plenty of co-op with the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Royal Marines, US Marines etc. Finland and Sweden have also a unit named ATU that is made up by Finnish coastal jaegers and Swedish coastal rangers.
The tube launcher is a newer version of the classic LAW72, when I served as APILAS shooter in the AT platoon at the Coastal Jaegers I carried 2 of these LAW72´s besides the heavy APILAS launcher and my RK62, we normally aimed for the hull/track and or turret ring depending on weapon used.
Thanks again mate for all of that info. As I mentioned to a commenter below, the charge in the LAW 72 makes sense given the Russian Armours propensity for cooking off and destroying the Tank.
Thanks also for clarifying on the Coastal Jaegers and the additional info around the link up with allied forces.
What defence do you have prepared though against a rear attack against Sweden which I was postulating in my commentary?
@@JTRetroReactions The ATU and other units of the Coastal Jaegers, Air Force and Navy and SOF are those who fastest can react for a attack on the Swedish islands Gotland and Öland and or the Finnish island Åland.
Thanks mate - You're always a great source of information! Have a lovely weekend
@@JTRetroReactions Thank you and have a great one you too!
Cheers mate. I will :)
Nice Reaction video. As a Finn it's somehow comforting to know that in other European countries there exist some people, who understand how severe existential threat Russia is for not only the Eastern European countries, but for the whole security system of our beloved Europe.
Thanks for your kind words on the video. We've had a very similar history in Ireland to you guys with our neighbour, over the last 800 years so I think we get it more then most
The defensive strategy changed some 10 years ago, right before I went to do my mandatory service. It's propably changed a little after that, especially from lessons learned in Ukraine.
But this is how I remember it: Instead of holding ground and fortifying frontline positions extensively, the ground forces try to maximise attacker casualties while giving ground against matching or overwhelming forces. Contact with the enemy, shell the enemy to buy time while mining the roads and blowing up bridges, fall back and set up a new defensive position. Stuff like that.
The military has lots of mobile artillery units that can keep peppering the enemy consistently without the danger of counter battery fire.
Cool. Thanks for sharing. That's the way I trained as well but that's windy 30 years ago so I'm not sure it's the same here now either
Oh, yeah..I was going to say that it's pretty much the same in Sweden as well. (Sadly said with a tone of surprise ;-) Since when you think of it, it's really rather 'self-explanatory'. A nation that knows full well that it doesn't have 'the numbers' - 'guerilla-style' is what you've got!
Scout, Mission, Execution and Retreat - do it all over again [incl. move of base]).
And Go Finland! (A proud Swede here)
Yeah true mate. Us smaller nations can't really do much else. Going head to head long term is a disaster
@@JTRetroReactionsExactly! ;-) Going head to head is to be avoided, at all cost!
Love from Sweden
Cheers mate - and lots of love right back to Sweden! I will be doing some Swedish military reactions soon enough so stay tuned for those. Have a good one!
this video allways give some chills for me :D im glad that FDF can predict very well how Russian army works and how they act in different scenarios. Even this video is made before Ukrainian war, there is still pointed out different things how Russia do its job before and after full-scale invasion.
Thanks for watching the video Juhani and for the comment. I only wish we had the same common sense you guys had. One of the things I alluded to in my commentary is that all of the transatlantic internet cables from US to Europe run through Irish waters and Russia has been peeking a lot around there. You can google Irish Fishermen vs Russia from a year or two ago and in fact today we signed an alliance agreement with NATO to protect those strategically important waters for all in Europe - I just wish we would do it ourselves - Government would rather spend it on illegals and woke crap.
Have a good weekend
In 2030's our Nordic block will have a fleet of ~140 F35s (NOR 52, DEN 27, FIN 64) and Sweden alone should add around 120 operational Gripens to that tally.
Good to hear mate and thanks for watching the video
Finland has ordered 64 jets (f-35 fighter jets) to replace 55 Boeing F/A-18 Hornets.
Thanks user for watching the video and the comment. Good upgrade! And definitely better then the Cesnas we have to use over here :) Have a good weekend!
Some additional details:
Currently the FAF has 55 F/A-18 C and 7 D models. All the D models can do everything the C:s do, so in total there are 62 Hornets.
Also there are few dozens of Hawks for support and air-to-surface tasks.
Thanks timoterava - good to hear from you again and thanks for that additional info. What's the difference between the C & D models - year of production of capabilities in terms of specs? I'm so envious of you guys in a good way - our poor Air Corp are flying Cesna's and I'm not joking unfortunately.
@@JTRetroReactions The difference between C & D IS that C is single seater and D is two seated training version.
@@JTRetroReactions
Thanks for the new video! You already got the correct answer, so I'm not going to repeat it.
We definitely need our defence forces and all the equipment and troops. Unfortunately we are using money we don't have. Still it is way cheaper than being invaded and possibly occupied.
I'd rather have the Cessnas than russia as a neighbour...
When it comes to equipping and arming reservists in case of war, there are some reservists activated earlier that are assigned with establishing these equipment depots around the country in classified locations.
When it comes to the security of ports they are usually guarded by the Border/Coast Guard. They are under the jurisdiction of the ministry of the interior, but in case of war they can be integrated into the Defense Forces.
Thanks Sampo for watching the video and for the comment. Good to hear - but it's still risky as it only takes on quisling for those locations to be revealed to an enemy - I think it would be better to allow people to take guns home with them - but that's just me - others will have other ideas.
Have a nice weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions Just have to drop a line here too :).
Not after being a recruit and seeing who else is doing their mandatory service with you :D
I don't know how the Swiss do it but giving everyone guns would be a huge risk and filtering out those who you could give guns and those who you should never give them is just not probably worth it from resources standpoint. Actively training (it's basically a hobby) reservists have still semi-automatics and pistols and hunters have a lot of long rifles.
Whilst I respect your viewpoint mate, I also respectfully disagree. The whole point of basic training and service is to teach someone how to use a firearm properly and to respect it both in terms of the protection it provides but more importantly the danger it poses to both the owner and to others.
If someone hasn't learned that in their service or basic training, then they are not fit for service or for being a reservist. From my point of view it's hard to argue that someone should be given a weapon in times of emergency but that they are not capable weapons owners outside of that and should not be let near a weapon outside of that.
If they are irresponsible and a danger with a weapon then they will be as much if not more so in an emergency / panic situation.
It's logical to me anyways but most people would have your viewpoint which is fair enough
@@JTRetroReactions Oh, it's not the handling I'm worried about. It's negligence. Without thorough checking you would be giving very dangerous guns to potential criminals, drunks, drug abusers, people with mental illness etc. There would be a huge risk for either misuse or just losing them by theft etc. People can be 20-40 years in reserve. A lot can change in that time. Doing constant checks for 300k people would be a lot of work.
You could argue giving them maybe for some selected rapid response troops, but not sure if it makes a big difference for the same selected troops to know exactly from where and how to get those guns from fast.
Thanks mate - again I respect your view but would still I suppose state that Criminals will always get guns - they have the means - the mentally ill shouldn't have guns anyways - forces or non-forces and that is a gap in my opinion if these reserves don't have to undergo annual medical assessments. Also someone who is mentally ill with a murderous intent would stab as quick as shoot.
I suppose to sum up my position would be, those who wish to do harm will do it regardless of access to weapons and those who don't want to do harm won't. Of course that's a generalisation and there would be exceptions but you can also state that having an armed population would allow them to take care of those exceptions so it's swings and roundabouts for me.
Again just my view and of course you're entitled to yours and the majority would probably side with your view.
The Finnish Air Force operates F/A-18 Hornets (so called Legacy Hornets) with two mid-life-upgrades added to them during their service life as the main combat aircraft but in 2021 The Fighter HX programme chose the F-35A as the replacement for the Hornets (64 air frames). The F-35As are planned to enter service in Finland in 2025-2030 time frame.
Thanks Chap for watching the video and the comment. The Hornet was a great plane of it's time for the price but it's dated so good to know that you are upgrading. At least you're not using friggin Cesnas and Augustas that our poor Air Corp is stuck with.
your questions sound like your working for our enemy :D Just kidding, good reaction and yes, we are prepared in Finland
I am - entirely in the pay of Mr Banana man himself ha ha two bunches of bananas per secret revealed in the comments ha ha - as I said I was just speculating - I don't need a bunch of Jaegers at my door :)
Thanks for your kind comments on the reaction - I appreciate it!
Have a great weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions Haha! I'm not Finnish but if any Finn who actually knows the answers to all your questions, (delivered in that friendly Irish lilt), answered on TH-cam.. it could land him in prison for life - for treason 😀 ;-)
The ports usually have some border guards nearby or in the ports themselves, but they're not really kitted out for tanks and such. The port they attacked was in Hanko which has a border-guard base within 10 minutes and a military base a 30 min drive away.
What I found interesting about the 98 version (that reaction will be out tomorrow) is that they focused more on port defence and using the terrain to your advantage. It made an interesting contrast between the two
I don't think the FDF want to disclose everything they have planned in case of war because the enemy is watching, too. I don't usually have high trust in the competency of the government but national defense is a sacred matter in Finland so I actually trust us to be as ready as one can. We've had time to prepare and the threat has always remained the same. There's no excuse not to have a force designed to fight russian invasion.
Thanks Suppo for watching the video and of course you're correct that they wouldn't and obviously can't disclose everything. In fact, I would say the smart thing to do is to put all of your outdated tactics in videos like these so that your enemy studying it is basing their battle plans on something that no longer exists. Of course you would also sprinkle some nuggets of truth in there to make it realistic to the enemy but it would be limited to that which the enemy already knows or suspects.
Coastal jagers are marines. Some of them “green barets”. Ports and the whole coastal line is covered by several coastal fortresses and the support of long range missiles from inland.
Thanks mate for watching and for sharing that information. Much appreciated
Oh, and no worries about security. Military Ports are guarded. Sivilian Ports are not guarded, but under 24/7 surveilance. And yes Border Guard, Coast Guard and Finland Customs are claffied as Law Enforcer Specialists, thus having both police and military training on their specific fields, allowing them to be rapidly integrated and deployed as a First Responder Militia.
+ We do have 54 000+ Indirect Nuclear Attack Proof Bunkers all over the country. th-cam.com/video/922Db-kztC0/w-d-xo.html
Thanks Make for watching the video, the link and the additional information - I appreciate it! Have a good evening.
I just wonder how clever it is to share information on the Finnish defence in open internet? Our Eastern neighbour will certainly be interested on it…
@@SeppoJanhonen This, on video is not the utmost critical or anyway vital information of the Finland Defence Forces, so it's useless to Russians. Besides there isnt anything on the video, that our Eastern Neighbor would already know about us.
@@Make573Thanks, Make! That's what I wanted to hear! 😊 Mukavaa kesää!
I come from a huge Finnish military family. Because I born and live in Sweden, people was asking what happened if Finland gets invaded? I couldn't serve the military, due to my autism never allowed me to serve the Swedish armed forces. Luckily, I got some cousin and uncles, where to whom they taught me some basic 101 medical care and such. And all said the same ting: Do not panic. Be calm and think before hand. But I would come to Finland and do some ting, to support my brothers and sisters. That feeling I've for Finland is so deep that if Finland is in danger, I'll be there. No matter what.
Thanks for sharing your story mate. Also, I have served with Autistic people in the military but most of them were diagnosed later in life but were fine Soldiers but I suppose it depends on where you are on the spectrum. I don't know enough to comment. I applaud your patriotism though! Every little helps in a war situation so being willing to do whatever you can is enough.
We aren't allowed to take our service rifle to home, but we have over 1,5 million civilian guns. And I've heard there's some talks about a law to tax reduce for guns for reservists, I hope it will happen. I personally own over 10 guns and the day war in Ukraine started I started to load more ammo, just in case... And I know few of my friends did also.
Thanks for watching the video Leopold - much appreciated! Thanks also for the additional context around the home ownership of weapons. Unfortunately it's not the same over here. A couple of shotguns is all I am allowed as I'm now too long out of the service to qualify for the forces exemptions on high calibre or pistols. Enjoy your weekend.
I know few friends at colonel level. Believe they have wargamed for decades. Its disperse everythin and when you hit, get together and hit hard, then disperse again. I can assure you they have thouhgt. Cant spesify more info. But i have confidence.
I get it mate. Thanks again and have a good weekend
No, Finnish harbors are not at river inlets. And yes, two hours after the command all the naval routes will be mined. Except those secret ones in military use. And yes, there still is a naval artillery, 130 mm guns at strategic entrances. Those turrets are very small, hard to hit with any weapon. And yes, there's a lot of coastal mobile defense missiles from several sources.
Thanks for watching the video mate and the insights - I appreciate it. Apologies for the late reply as well, I have been busy editing and recording.
It is crazy that this video was released just a year before Russia started the troop level escalation for the full invasion of Ukraine. And as a Finn, what really gives me the chills, is that they are using real media people in it. Like the news cast in this video uses the livery of Yle (the BBC of Finland) and one of their news anchors.
Of course this went a little bit old quite fast as now Finland is a member NATO.
19:39 This is not so crazy idea. Civillian cargo ships are a very good way to transport mechanised troops. Heh, also a funny thing from that point of the video is that Finland still has so many old Soviet equipment in storage that they can fully use those for this video for the added realism.
26:06 They actually changed the tactics from full-on to more mobile thing. But this is also the reason why Finland has one of the largest artilleries in Europe and the "Lake-Finland" is full of bottlenecks. The challenge here are the airborne troops and attacks through the ports.
26:51 No, we don´t have anti-personnel mines since Finland is a part of the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention. Yep, yep, yep.
Thank you for reacting to this! It is always nice to see how foreigners react to this.
I think why we have this what we have, is because of we think the question is not if, but when. If someone comes and says "Russia will not attack Finland", I can just reply with the fact that an attack to Finland (or what it has been called back then) from the East during the last 1000 years has come in average of every 44 years.
Thanks for watching the video mate and for all of that very helpful information. Interesting points. I would say that the usefulness of artillery has been born vindicated but also reduced by the war in Ukraine. Drones and counter battery seem to be arguements against towed or fixed artillery but mobile systems like Himars are the way to go
I was three weeks in Dublin mostly in Sandymount. Great times.👍There is more guns than people in Lapland. I'm reservist from Laplands jägerbrigade🇫🇮✌️
Thanks for watching the video Bat - Hopefully you enjoyed Dublin - you were in the Posh part - you should have come down to the slums where I live - you would have had a better time - Lapland I do need to visit some day. Have a good weekend.
A little tip for the future, if someone hasn't already said this, almost all videos of the Finnish Defense Forces nowadays also have English subtitles.Finland also has bomb shelters that cover civilians and population shelters, which take into account tourists who may be in the country, remember that there are more than 60,000 of these shelters in Finland and a total of almost four million people can be placed in them, some of the shelters are also resistant to a direct nuclear attack. Finland's air defense does not use Patriot systems, but has made deals with NASAMS and Israel last year for the David sling system. I am an anti-aircraft reservist myself, Russian armored vehicles usually have an automatic loader and the ammunition is placed in a circle in the turret, for this reason it is not worth firing them into the turret or at the junction of the turret and the frame.
Finished watching so collected "some" answers here :). Love your commentary again.
Sweden's armed forces have been traditionally been focused in defending Swedish territory but last years there has been many agreements between Finland and Sweden and Sweden has been quite open they are ready to enter Northern Finland and Finnish Archipelago immediately if requested.
Sweden has a strong navy and used to have a very strong air force, though they have reduced it significantly in the beginning of 2000's. They still have pretty decent air force though also with light AWACS planes that Finland doesn't have.
Finland puts a lot of resources to Air Force and has 62 Hornets that are being replaced soon with 64 F-35. That is quite a big number for a small country.
The bit about fortifications in the beginning is also interesting. Finnish Defence Forces have a tight cooperation with (construction) industry, so they can switch to producing military fortifications etc. in an instant.
You cannot have automatic military rifles at home. Some active reservists who train voluntarily can have their own semi-automatic rifles.
Coastal troops have land based long range and short range naval strike missiles, both are seen in the video (trucks firing in the end are the long range ones), there are also still some coastal artillery fortifications in the islands. Finland's coast is very difficult to navigate because of shallow rocky waters and lots of islands. Coastal jaegers and artillery are part of the navy.
Unfortunately we have joined the Ottawa treaty and don't have anti-personnel mines, at least during peace time...
I believe rough defence plan would be to deny the enemy from advancing using roads and fight in the forests or from the forests. In addition to Jaegers there are specifically trained guerrilla force called Sissis. For some unknown reason there are not that many large roads going directly from east to west...
Btw. All the reporters are real reporters from Finnish state broadcasting company. That gives Finns a little more chills when watching this. That's also true for the older version, though I think all of them have already retired.
There have been lots of sentiments in Finland also for cutting down the military, but luckily they have been in minority. And at the moment surprisingly there are no such talks at all. Of course some savings have been along the way, but nothing drastic. Military service was also streamlined in 2000's to be fast and efficient full time training and minimal garrison duty. Which was only smart, because people waiting in the garrison are a cost for the civilian economy.
Hey Mennin - thanks for all of the information and your kind comments again mate - it makes all the efforts that go into these videos worthwhile!
The AWACs that Sweden has are definitely vital - are you guys planning to buy any with your F35 upgrades? Our lot in Government have our Air Corp flying Cesnas believe it or not but I ranted enough about how pathetically our Government treat our military.
Your whole set up and I mean this in a very complimentary way is like a modern day Sparta - i.e. the civilian industry able to switch to military production at the drop of a hat!
The bit about mines - it's the same here in Ireland but I think to be honest in a real confrontation - no one is going to care about the Ottawa treaty - winning becomes more important and smart military leaders know that.
Hmm yes - the absence of large roads going from east to west is quite strange given the history of your neighbour - I'm being sarcastic in case that doesn't come across :)
Thanks for the info on the reporters being real reporters as well - definitely adds to the realism for the home audience then.
I will be releasing the 1998 reaction during the week. Have a great weekend mate!
@@JTRetroReactions No own AWACs being considered at the moment. They would have been part of the HX deal of the FAF had chosen the Gripen, but the F-35 won the competition and all the funding allocated for new aircraft went to that.
I think the lesson learned from Ukraine is that we need to tighten up our AA umbrella next, David's Sling being now the first part of that upgrade. No news yet, but I'm pretty sure something more economic and aimed at anti-drone capability is pretty high on the list.
@@JTRetroReactions Saab offered us 2 AWACS + Gripens, but F-35 won the competition. And I believe air force will be busy with the F-35 for the near future + other branches want their money next.
The difference between a mine and an anti personnel explosive can be just where you attach the wire to... Also even if you don't store mines you can store explosives. But honestly I have no idea what they have or don't have, and it is better that way. When they gave up the mines they did buy a lot more claymore type explosives.
And of course there are lots of anti-tank mines which's use is probably trained for everybody. Ottawa doesn't limit them.
Thanks Corporal - I think it was wise to choose the F35 over the Gripen to be fair. It would be great for smaller countries like ours if we could get our hands on Iron Dome but no way the IDF are letting that out yet. Re: Anti-Drone warfare - excellent point and for me it's a combination of cyber warfare for the more sophisticated drones with good old fashioned tracking AA Guns for the cardboard or lesser drones. I like what Ukraine is doing setting up a specialised squad as I think it deserves it in modern times.
Thanks Mennin - as I mentioned to Corporal above, I think the F35 was the wiser choice but a pity about the AWACs. And yes you're right about the mines - one of the things we trained in was just a good old fashioned grenade and trip wire for guerilla activity in the countryside - also not limited by Ottowa and will take someone down - maybe not kill them but they are not going anywhere for a while.
Upcoming rant 😇
I'm far from an expert on the Finish defence force but my understanding is that they kept some of the 'cold war mentality' that Sweden abandoned.
I'm no expert on the Swedish cold war mentality but I would call myself 'somewhat informed'.
My grandpa was tortured to death by the Nazis invading Denmark and my dad escaped to Sweden because he had a price on his head. My dad is long gone (born 1926) but was uncommonly talkative his last years.
He became a Swedish foot soldier the same day he entered Sweden. He was 13 years old but had experience that no Swede had so he was accepted.
He/my dad trained as an demolition expert and went back to Denmark the same day that the Germans started retreating.
Denmark had many military pilots but no airplanes so the Britts donatet some badly damaged Mosquitoes (the planes made of wood, cloth and paper).
Somehow, my dad became the person responsible for their outfitting (the Germans got rid of all Danish experts so the most competent person was a 15 year old).
He did however admit that they (the Danish air force) didn't get any of the planes functional before Germany surrendered.
My 3 brothers and sister all joined the Swedish military (it was a higher call). I tried but came of age to late.
One became a signalist (basicly drove around sending messages about the enemies actions/movements).
One joined the cavalry (fast response, mainly using cars that looked civilian at a first glance).
One became a dog handler for the air force (3 soldiers and 2 dogs responding to alerts coming from hidden installations). They only had light weapons (kulspruta/mg 45) but knew the dogs guarding said instillations. Knowing the dogs was EXTREMELY important since they were trained in a way that has been banned since WWI (desperate times/desperate solutions).
My sister became a "lotta" that was allowed to fly military planes anywhere but was forbidden to fight, even if attacked.
As stated, I wasn't born in time to become a soldier during the Soviet era. I was originally accepted as a heavy mechanic (I trained as a civilian car mechanic at that time).
The military kept shrinking so I was redesignated 'guard' in a AA division.
That division was dismantled so I joined the police instead. I was basically a janitor that understood basic technology.
I changed batteries in flashlights, maintained the cars and made sure that the cafeteria was well stocked.
One day i was told to stay an hour after my normal work hours. I just got a new girlfriend so I said NO. My answer seemed to be accepted.
About 20 minutes later an EXTREMELY known politician tapped my sholder. In short, I staid.
The station is long gone but I learned something really important that day:
Having 4727737377237373737 possibilities is good but 4727737377237373738 is even better. It opened my eyes to the importance of me doing the right thing in a particular situation.
Rant out.
Thanks Boek for watching for the video and for your very interesting comment. I really enjoyed reading it and thanks for sharing your family history. Respect to all of your Family who served and you have a good tradition there!
You are 100% correct- better to be prepared and not need it then need it and not be prepared. Our government over here though are in cloud cuckoo land when it comes to the armed forces, amazing when you think my country has been at war for 850/950 years - but people nowadays think they are too 'evolved'.
My warning is always this - less then 20% of the World are democracies and think and live like we do. You don't prepare on the basis of the the less then 20% - you prepare on the basis of the more then 80% you may have problems with - but they won't listen. Anyways, maybe the whole Ukraine thing might wake up the rest of the EU.
My rant over :)
Enjoy the rest of your day
Sorry, I just still wanna comment...
About kids and elderly people. Some people would probably take their kids/parents overseas and maybe leave themselves, too. It always happens and I do think that a number of people SHOULD flee, for a multitude of reasons. Beacon has to be kept alive and in the absolute worst case scenario, these diasporas will be what is left; they will keep our culture alive. I think so about Ukraine, too. (I am half Ukrainian myself so current situation feels eery to me; my grandfather fought against Russia in winter war and now my Ukrainian relatives are doing the same. Russia just never amounts to anything else but a violent bully, it would seem.)
But in general, I think majority of people would not send their kids/parents away. We did this during the winter war; a huge number of kids were sent to Sweden - sotalapset, children of war, we called them. This was a major trauma for the children and they came back quite broken due to the experience. I do not think we would do it again. Children are still better off with their parents in an environment they know and feel comfortable with.
Besides, we have bunkers. So many and so big that we can fit whole Finland in them. I am not joking here, we can fit millions of people in our bunkers. That is where children would go; we would hide them and keep them safe there.
As for the elderly people, let's be honest here; do we really think they would agree to leave? It's common for them not want to move away. Even in Ukraine in the most bombed cities you can still find some babushkas living there because that is their home and some darned Russians ain't gonna drive them away. Besides, let's be honest here; our elderly people would not shy away from the fight with Russia. I'm quite sure many would be immensely angry and would want to partake in the war effort in any way they can. Of course many of them would be physically too frail but those would then go to the same bunkers where we hide our kids. Other would help with logistics and infra. Army always needs a lot of civilian support to operate. And a running economy. So we ALL are necessary for the war effort, not just the actual soldiers who fight.
Thanks again mate for the comment and that all sounds very reasonable what you have outlined. If you have the bunkers then yes, that is what would make sense to keep safe those who cannot fight due to age or infirmity. I wasn't aware of those so that was great to hear.
FDF is very well trained to engage in querilla warfare, shock, terror tactics and psychological warfare, everything goes. Its you or the enemy, easy choice to make.
Hit and run, and "motti" tactics are trained to every single ground force unit and some other nasty shenanigans too. Atttricion tactics are used all the time.
Thanks for watching mate and for the comment. Guerilla warfare is the most realistic chance of smaller nations like ours overcoming an overwhelming invasion if it breaks the first line of defences.
Hey everyone and thanks for watching the video. If you enjoyed the video please leave a like, comment or share. Also if you want to watch my full length reaction to Rukajarven Tie that is live now on Patreon as well as my exclusive reactions to Band of Brothers. You can get a 7 day free trial by clicking the link below. Also my reaction to the 1998 version of Taistelukentta will be out mid week. Cheers.
patreon.com/JaysRetroReactions?Link
One thing you the viewer might not know or think about - the army personnel are not actors, but real military people, the news anchor you see is a real news anchor that we here see almost daily in TV news, why as he announces "Finland is at war" really sends shivers down at least for me.. just feels very real.
Edit, when minelaying starts, you can see a soldier hanging one under a bridge on a hook - all bridges in Finland have hooks readily placed for just this purpose, also when there is a road passage that has been blown through a rock hill, one extra set of unused drillholes have been left so that the rock can be blown to block the road.
Thanks for watching anguilon - much appreciated! Thanks for sharing that information. I didn't know about the hooks on the bridges so that was interesting to hear and again sounds like great preparation. Have a good weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions you too!
@@angulion Cheers mate. Will do!
The antitank weapon (smaller tube) is called kevyt kertasinko. You can only shot one time per tube. Aiming point is usulally between turret and main fraim.
Thanks mate for watching and for sharing the name of the weapon I appreciate it. Someone mentioned that this was the point of ammo cook of in Russian Tanks so makes sense with that explanation
Hit and run was already used in the Winter War, and Finland's terrain makes it really effective. I myself have been in the army in 1998/1999 and passed five times, but I can't comment on those other questions, you'd probably have to ask the defense forces in Finnish, and they probably wouldn't answer everything either.
I think you have expert comments, and as a Finn, thank you for watching and commenting and bringing a really small-scale video about possible threats, mainly because we are awake here and the comet chain works professionally, etc.
and we are part of NATO.
Finland's terrain, the will to defend the country, a big reserve every time, etc. are the strength of the Finnish defense in my opinion.
Nuclear weapons, well, that fallout would also hit Russia and Finland, after the Cold War, there are relatively large underground bomb shelters for nuclear weapons.
Thanks for watching mate and for your kind comments and for sharing that interesting information. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself for Finland but you never know with that neighbour of yours unfortunately!
It's Switzerland which lets its citizens keep the service rifles after the military service.
Yeah indeed but I thought it was a Finnish thing as well. Some people in here said it used to be a thing but was phased out. I see pluses and minuses to that
@@JTRetroReactions It has not been a thing in Finland, EVER. What you are referring to is most likely the old "Suojeluskunta" activities (militia training) stuff, in which most of the well known heroes of WW2 participated. You could rent a rifle from the military, or use your own hunting rifles if you desired. They were essentially all the same back then (Mosin-Nagants). After Finland quote-unquote "lost" (yes, double ") the war, the Soviets banned the local militia activities, including the women's charity and aid groups like the Lotta Svärd. It's a shame that some of these old "rules" still live on even after USSR collapsed. That being said, if you want to be an active reservist, it is indeed quite possible to get personal gear and weapons fit for war-time SHTF combat and survival. Just need to stay follow the rules, not act like a tard, join the jolly SRA fellas, and keep on training.
Pretty much the same as here then. If you join a gun club and enter shooting competitions then you can get a lot more gear.
Must say, threre are many people who comment Finnish army videos. Your questions are relevant and wise
Thanks for watching mate and for the kind compliments. I appreciate it!
My friend is Colonel in reseve, his last post was Finland Finlands Reserch Center Commander. He goes to his grave with all things he knows. He said to me: Believe me have played out all imaginable scenarios human mind can think. I believe him. I asked: Can we survive? He replied: Victory is allways an option. Grimm staff.🤔
Thanks for watching and to be honest I never expected to get answers to my questions, I was just putting out there what came to my mind as an old soldier
All I can say is; Beleave or not, we have our own magic tricks. Even the US military has been caught by surprises in several exercises. We have full confidence in our defensive ability and we also know how to apply.
There is no road, highway, or street that the enemy could use without significant damage, if at all.
Great to hear and I don't doubt it friend! Hopefully it never comes to that! I understand that what is shown in a publically released video like this is stuff that is more then likely outdated and obselete in terms of tactics or deliberately used to confuse potential enemies - at least that is what I am presuming they did :)
When the war comes, our society is much safer for all civilians than any other in our immediate vicinity, which includes all of EU.... ..we have a comprehensive defense where everyone of age are liable for the collective effort. The public shelter systems we upkeep are unseen elsewhere in the World
Again I 100% agree with you mate and as I spoke about in the video it annoys me that a country like mine who has been at war with their neighbour for 800 out of the last 850 years spends nothing on defence.
I compare to Finland to a modern day Sparta and I mean that as a compliment
Helicopters in the video were NH90👍
Thanks for watching the video Sami and for confirming they were NH-90s - I appreciate it! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
"The tube launcher" is basically Norwegian-Finnish version of US developed M72 LAW. Warhead has shaped charge that pierces the armor and sprays insides of vehicles cabin with high velocity molten copper and steel. Quite nasty one
Thanks suppose for watching the video and the comment - much appreciated! That type of charge makes sense particularly seeing the vulnerabilities of the Russian Armour in Ukraine with it's propensity to cook off the ammo inside the Tank and do a turret toss. Interesting!
I'm pretty sure that's called: 102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW.
That's also correctly written, in case someone is wondering if I "made a typo when I rolled my face on keyboard".
It was the short version of like '102mm raskas lähipanssaritorjuntaohjus NLAW'. Which means about '102mm heavy close-range anti-armor missile' in English...
...I think I've cleared the case enough now, so no one thinks I made the name up.
[EDIT:] I failed in a way I didn't expect, the 102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW was used earlier in video and which I somehow mixed in to this.
Okay, to be honest I didn't actually know which part of video supposeppo8856 was referring here which makes my previous comment incorrect information.
It was most likely 66 KES 12 (better known as M72 EC LAW), or 66 KES 75 or 66 KES 88. I don't know much about those because I was trained with 112 RSKES Apilas (112mm raskas kertasinko Apilas/112mm heavy single-use recoilless launcher), which a bit older French tube which kind of... sucks to lauch.
The warhead has some 300m/s muzzle velocity so IT LITERALLY feels like getting kicked a goalie kick on face while shovel gets smashed on your back when launched. You better have a buddy to pull your stunned body out of harms way in case there's infantry or the T-90 didn't get disabled and starts to give feedback with it's anti-personnel systems.
There's a "trick" if you must use Apilas (tech from 70's) against T-90 with reactive armor. Trick is to hit the tank on about 1-2 inch cap directly between hull and turret. It will disable the turret and then some brave young man can go and pop it with for example commando 👉👈 "telamiina-kasapanos" or whatever explosives you have at hand and which can be bundled up to create boom equaling 3-5kg of TNT to get the "kasapanos-effect" and the sweet turret-pop as the autoloaders ammo storage decides: It's time to go off.
Well if by armour you mean under 3cm of reinforced steel (IFV's) yes, but against an MBT from the front and sides will only tickle, but can disable the tracks if hit accurately, or optics if hit directly in them on the turret.
@@EdwardSkihands It's 66 KES 12 as it has the rails.
We do not get to have our sevice weapon. (No guns at home). Only gun one can have is one for hunting mostly. If you are part of the first contact group then you might have some semiauto AR at home.
Defence forces just uploaded new combat cam videi if you are interested.
Thanks for watching and for the recommendation mate. I'll add it to my list.
You're forgetting about the sport-shooting and active reservist groups.
It's indeed very possible to have an AK or AR at home. And many people do, even after the EU's silly attempt to disarm our people.
Most old military champs are openly in favor of reservists having their own guns and gear at home. Even the government is kinda tipping in, with the planned tax reductions / returns they're planning for any self-purchased "field gear".
10:28 A Finn does not leave his home voluntarily. At least not if the culprit is Russia 13:06 Russian warfare includes tactical landings. The purpose of which is to block the defender's decision-making. Another purpose is to tie up the defender's reserves in a so-called pointless fight. Kajaani is next to the famous battle area of Raatteentie. 17:40 The defense forces have stored the weapons and equipment of the troops in several dozen locations during the war. Location is confidential information
Thanks for watching the video and the information. I can understand the locations being confidential given the risk it would pose if they're lost.
Thanks mate but to me it's a dangerous risk as it would only take one traitor to compromise your defence. Just my opinion but I would allow, like Switzerland to have reservists bring arms home
We do not have any minefields at our borders. Those can be laid in hours, if needed. But we are very consent of the fact, that if we lay a minefield, after the war, if we win, we would have to clear that minefield by ourselves. And if we lose - we would have to clear that minefield as well... So responsible mining with mine charts is essential. Nor we do have anything anti-aircraft at our borders - anti-aircraft is something that should be moving all the time.
Thanks again mate - yes agreed on the mines and some other commenters mentioned this as well. It's a sensible approach to be honest. Yes and no on the AA - AA emplacements in times of peace are deterrents - in times of active warfare - agreed on the mobility except for the cities, nuclear plants etc. where you would need some sort of permanent emplacements as well to protect critical infrastructure
@@JTRetroReactions well, I do not believe the Russians would do any severe damage to nuclear plants. They need energy and they do not need fallouts. As we have seen in Zaporridsa, Ukraine.
Perhaps but they definitely would threaten you with it as they are threatening the West all the time over the last few years.
Finnis Border Guard Jaeger - group/light-field-hospital-dressing-station medic ....trained in ranger/recon long-distance patrol and guerrilla tactics.
I absolutely carry a rifle into action and we as medics were trained to acknowledge the Russians not giving a flying fk about the red cross band. There was sone talk about not shooting first, but what the underlying fact remains, if they're unable to fire first then there's is no problem to be solved. At the end of the day, Geneva suggestions don't matter when it's your own life at stake....If there's some uppity prosecuter willing to charge you afterwards, congratulations you've survived the war.
I agree mate and when I said the Irish army wouldn't break that rule I was being sarcastic. All Irish army medics on active UNIFIL duty in my day were packing
Finnish Air Force: 64 F/A-18 Hornets were bought back in the day to serve as combat aircraft, and recently an order for 64 F-35s was placed. There are also various training, transportation, surveillance and mapping/data gathering craft, the usual stuff.
Thanks again mate. It's a lot of expense for a smaller country such as mine and yours but necessary with your neighbour unfortunately
@@JTRetroReactionsyes, but also finland isn’t allowed to have more than 64 fighter jets (or an ”army” instead of defense forces) due to the international laws(?)
@@opaliittiopa Thats old agreement with Soviet Union, which is not valid anymore. We can have as many fighter jets as we want, but 64 is the amount which should be "enough" vs. costs
Worth to note that this was done before Russian invasion ro Ukraine.
Totally Janko but what was interesting that the simulation exercise of the VDV, sorry example paratroopers trying to take the Airport is exactly what happened in Ukraine - so credit to your scenario planners on that - they got it spot on as they did with the Saboteurs and the cyber attacks as well - all of that happened in Ukraine.
@@JTRetroReactions Finland's been preparing for such situation for the past 80 years now. We know how our enemy thinks and moves.
When the 2022's invasion started, the common thought wasn't as much that of "That could've been us!", but rather "Well, that WAS us back in the day. Let's get to work!"
Fair point mate
Why Finnish government doesn't warn people to get out the sick and the kids just after some cyber attacks on banks or other infrastructure: Were not supposed to be panicking, because that might be the one and only russian intent: To scare us to disrupt our daily lives and ultimately to bow to Russia in hopes of them ceasing posturing. So basically we are so geared towards quick action that once the heating / power / internet goes out, I know to power down my laptop and start dressing on the military supplied camos I have in my closet, because the call where to collect combat gear is sure to follow. From accountant to a soldier in less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile, let russia posture. They need to cross the border for any effect.
Thanks for watching the video Matt - I get it but I was talking about more that we had air attacks and tanks landing. At that stage I think having to worry about your Kids, your elderly parents etc. is more of a distraction for Troops hence I would personally advocate evacuation. Just my opinion of course particularly since Russia is known to attack Civilian areas as we see in Ukraine. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
idk someone must said this but YES they are leopard 2A 4 and 2 A 6, leopard 1 is a pretty old model
Thanks mate, I appreciate you answering that question!
I remember when I served in the Middle East as a peacekeeper there was a respect towards FDF coming from IDF. They thought our equipment was lower standard than theirs but the training of the troops and the esprit of the corps was regarded high. Regarding that the Finns were mainly reservists.
Fair enough mate - plenty have had other experiences and it probably depends on how hot your zone was - Both the Irish and the Norwegians had several run ins with the IDF including loss of life on all sides.
as a Finnish patriot, this is very emotional for me to watch this great video from Puolustusvoimat and I feel a strong will to defend my homeland. The scenarios are very real and possible, thanks to our stupid imperialist neighbor. They can try, but it's not worth it. Thanks for the good video
Thanks mate for watching and your kind words on the reaction. I appreciate it
We don't have minefields at the border. The border is mostly deep forest, swamps and lakes and there are not many roads crossing the border.
Thanks mate for watching the video and for sharing that information. I appreciate it. Your natural defenses are definitely helpful. Have a good weekend
In Finland, you cannot escape the war if you are 18-60 years old, everyone here helps in one way or another
Same in all small Countries to be honest. It would be similar here in Ireland. Although Russia has gone to 70 now in their drafts so it's not just limited to small nations :)
He aimed for the turret because it is trained that the russian armour weakpoint is the place between turret and the hull. Plus it is the place where most auto loader russian armour stores its ammo and the armour protection is weak
Thanks for watching and for that information which given that context now makes sense why he aimed for the turret.
Unfortunately you're correct with the issue of arming the population. Finland has unnecessarily restrictive gun control laws ever since -97. You're no longer allowed to get a license even at rural locals, far away from effective range of the police, even for home security purposes. There are numerous weapon stashes around the nation but I'm sceptical how well their locations have been kept a secret. Enemy intelligence is likely to be more aware of their coordinates than what the intended user is.
Hmm - YT deleted my reply to you - second time that has happened today. Anyways, I was saying that you guys may have restrictive gun laws but it's even worse here in Ireland - basically most citizens can only have a double barreled shotgun or a .22 and that is only if they jump through multiple hoops to even get that.
I agree with you that having weapons depots is dangerous - it only takes on quisling / traitor and one of your main defensive resources is taken out and surely any enemy worth their salt would attempt to get those locations before attempting any attack. I think the Swiss model is better but never going to happen in Ireland and it looks like the same in Finland.
My point would be is that there is no point in training people in weapons and then not trusting them with it. If you can't trust them in peace time then you sure as hell won't be able to trust them in panic and emergency situations.
@@JTRetroReactions I'll try to reply in a way that doesn't get automatically deleted.
I do believe there's a small chance that we'll move closer to Swiss model one day. It will require a home grown issue (gang violence is on the rise), admission of statistics and abandoning false equivalences. (USA data ≠ Finnish data)
I'd argue that the increase in violent crime is indirectly tied to disarmed population and consequently why countryside is still safer than cities. Hunters tend to be rural and not every defence tool has been registered especially over the countryside. Burglars are also capable of feeling fear and making intelligent choices. A disarmed target is more attractive.
I couldn't agree with you more mate and to be honest one of the major issues I see across Europe currently is, as you said, US data = Euro country of your choice. Most of the issues I see across Europe are coming from the US. It's very weird but I think a lot of it is social media related and yes I'm aware of the irony of that comment
Thank you! Great video and comments again! 👍
Thank you for watching as always mate and for the kind comments. The 1998 version will be out shortly
@7.something, Finnish Air Force has around 60 F/A-18´s with the latest avionics and absolutely latest weaponry. 64 F-35's ordered, starting from 2026.
Thanks for watching mate and for sharing that information. I appreciate it
Well general conscription definitely wouldn't make sense for Ireland but investing much more into your navy and airforce, and today drones are very relevant too, even in sea drones does.
Also idk if you have a defence agreement with England or not, that would definitely buff the capability of Irelands navy and airforce, by 100x. I think the English have a huge interest in those cables too.
Thanks mate but you're wrong and I'll explain why. We've only been at peace on this island since 2000. That's not long ago! Out of the last 900 years we've been at War for 879 of them. Also general conscription provides social benefits which I explore more in my 1998 reaction coming out later in the week
Nordic Airforce alliance includes ~250 fighter jets together. Finland itself have 62 F-18s
That's excellent to hear - thanks for letting me know and for watching
9:17 I'm thinking you probably have a basement full of detailed invasion plans of our country drawn out over the wall by now :DDDD
On a more serious note was fun to watch your reaction and good insights too. I served in UNIFIL too and in a combined Irish-Finnish unit, albeit probably a lot later than you. Would not have changed the Irish for any other partner while there.
At last! Someone understands :)
33:12 That was 66 KES 88, a 66 mm light anti-tank weapon model(-year) 88 (Norwegian made if I'm correct). He did target the base of the turret because he was trained to do so. It is quite weak side of IFV's armour. Also it can disable the turret from turning so it can be effective.
Edit: apparently it is the newer model 12. Finland propably still has many 88 models in storage. I shot model 75 in back in 2007.
Nope, newer 66 KES 12 as it has the rails.
@@wanhapatu damn you are right
Thanks guys for watching and for the information. I appreciate it. The reason I expressed surprise at turret vs tracks is similar to small arms for you aim for the bigger target so tracks trump turret from that aspect. However what you explained also makes sense
Useful to note that it is based on the US made M72 LAW.
@@mrwalter1049 That is correct.
Finland's strength is speed. Reservists have taken victories over other countries' professional soldiers in training with good leadership and speed.
who the fck asks are they leopard 2 for real :D if u have any sense of militaries and warcraft
Yes numb nuts as an ex solider with active duty under his belt. However what may have escaped your small Brain is that Ireland doesn't use tanks it uses Mowags and I didn't read about military stuff I did it! So I will take my knowledge over your book crap any day as guess who would survive in Battle - a hint - it would not be you - you would be a first day casualty!
Thanks for watching and for the comment - much appreciated!
26:00 Finnish tactics rely on constant scouting and harrassing the enemy to slow them down and also usage of artillery is a key. By the way, before 2nd WW there was a finnish artillery commander who invented "fire correction circle" that made finnish arty much more effective. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilho_Petter_Nenonen
Thanks iiro for watching the video and for the comment. Yes indeed and some of my commenters shared that link with me previously on my Talvisota and Unknown Soldier reactions, but I appreciate you making the effort to share it again - it was very kind of you.
To be honest, same as Irish Military tactics for an invasion - hit and run and degredation through attrition is the most feasible strategy when you are a smaller country against overwhelming forces. Pitched battles tend to favour the larger army generally although smart tactics can sometimes outweigh that.
About VDV - They actually did quite well in Hostomel. Russian VDV is no joke. Of course by now they have been largely decimated but at the time, they actually DID take over Hostomel and fought hard and well. We cannot and should not underestimate Russians, they have and have always had good units. In Hostomel what ultimately ended up happening, in short, was that 1) Ukrainians did fight back HARD and while initially they had to withdraw and VDV was successful, VDV suffered heavy losses and when Ukrainians regroupped and counter-attacked, VDV did not manage to hold and was wiped out. Hostomel was taken back without Russians having had time to actually use it.
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And my final point. This is, ultimately, a pretty clean depiction of a possible warfare situation. You do not really see the ugly, despicable, horrific sides of war here; we see only one wounded person and even in his case all is quite clean and goes relatively well. We see some enemies dying - cleanly. Our own casualties are completely invisible.
Of course I understand why all is depicted as it is but reality would so, so much worse... You have seen battle, it seems, so you know intimately how it is. I myself have not, I am no soldier, but I have been following war in Ukraine quite closely so - yeah. I wish this never comes true. We'll fight if we have to but I really wish we will never have to. We were traumatized in 1939 and now we have to watch how Ukraine is going through the same. :( And war IS traumatic. Even if you survive. Even if you win.
Thanks annaniskanen for watching the video and your comments and very good points that you make. I think though we'll agree to disagree on the VDV. The plan for Hostomel was a disaster and was planned by the VDV regardless of how well they fought. There is also a mission where they were in the South of Ukraine in the early days of the war and got wiped out by a local militia that was hastily put together using local vets, business men etc. The entire platoon got wiped out as they were just wandering about taking no care. But again you are entitled to your view and that is fine as well. Enjoy the rest of your sunday.
@@JTRetroReactions I do not think we necessarily disagree as I was talking about the VDV as a fighting force and as such VDV was dangerous and competent. However, you might be right in that the plan itself was a failure from the beginning; maybe, no matter how well VDV fought, they never really had a proper chance to hold Hostomel. I would guess their plan was based on Ukrainians not resisting almost at all and if that had happened, sure, it could have succeeded. But that itself was an immensely stupid assumption which just showcases the arrogance of the Russian army and decision making. Probably that arrogance was VDVs undoing in the south as well.
Fair enough mate - it's all good thanks for the additional context on your thinking - much appreciated! Have a good rest of your day!
25:50 Suomella on alueellinen puolustusjärjestelmä. Sitä on käytetty 1960-luvulta alkean. Järjestelmää on päivitetty joka vuosikymmenellä. Meillä on kolmen tasoisia maavoimien joukkoja. 1. Operatiiviset joukot on parhaiten aseistettuja. Joita käytetään vastahyökkäyksiin jne. 2. Alueelliset joukot. Suomi on jaettu 6 osaan. Jokaisella alueella on tietty määrä alueellisia joukkoja. Ne pitävät tärkeät alueet. Mutta voivat vetääntyä ei tärkeiltä alueilta 3. Paikallisjoukot. Paikallisjoukot vartioivat selustaa. Mutta jos alueelta joudutaan vetäytymään, niin paikallisjoukot jäävät alueelle. Paikallisjoukot toimivat sissisodankäynnin keinoin vallatuilla alueilla.
Kun vihollisen voima hyökkäykseen loppuu, niin alueet vallataan takaisin.
Thanks for watching the video mate and I appreciate the information and knowledge. I just approached this video as I would have if I had been shown it in a briefing room and with little to no knowledge of Finnish Defence Forces or tactics. But it was very interesting to learn about and impressive.
We don't get to take our service guns to home, no way, it would be mayhem :D. It's Switzerland which has that, and they don't have the bullets at home, as far as I understand. On the other hand we have one of the biggest hunting weapon amounts per capita in the world so there's lot's of good shooters here, good snipers.
We can't bring our service rifles home as reservists, but you can get yourself weapons for reservist activies and such.
That's good to know. I think there's pros and cons for not being able to bring your weapons home. I think it's more dangerous to be honest as one traitor giving away the locations of your weapons depots to screw up a lot of your defence plans
Finn here, Feb.2024. We get cyber attacks almost every month, sometimes twice a month. Russians are even attacking airliners GPS system in Eastern Finland, already for months!
Hmm - YT seemed to have removed my original reply. Anyways here it is again. Sorry to hear that - that's such a pain in the ar**s but luckily, even though Russia accounts for about 35% of worldwide cyber crime, they don't tend to be very clever or sophisticated unlike say the NKs who really come up with some nasty crap. When I worked in the private sector, we just tended to distract the Russians with honeypots and reverse hacks - reverse hacks of course being a legal grey area - but what's good for them is good for us was always my view.
What type of attacks are they doing, do you know DDOS, Phishing, traffic sniffing, social engineering, deepfakes? Probably all of that - maybe not the deepfakes - I've only seen them come out of Asia so far.
I really don't know more accurately what type of crap they do but our different systems are repeatedly under some type of attacks. Also the air trafic above the Gulf of Finland is constantly heckled by Russians. Repeatedly causing close shave situations. Pests!
Thanks mate - I didn't even know that was happening so thanks for letting me know. I will share with you an old Irish joke about annoying neighbours - you can just substitute Ireland and the UK for Finland and Russia.
Basically God created the world and was very proud of his achievement and wanted to show it of. So he called over the Angel Gabriel and said to him - look! Look at this beautiful thing I created that I call earth. There are seas and skys, animals and birds, it's stunning. Everything is equal and in balance, birds fly in the air, animals walk on the land, fish swim in the sea etc.. There is day and night. Everything equal and everything in balance.
Then God said to the Angel, but there is one special place I want to show you, it's called Ireland (you can substitute Finland here). And God said to the Angel, it's the most perfect place I created, magical people, magical drink called Guinness, magical music, magical food etc. etc.
The Angel was amazed but said to God, I thought you created everything equal and in balance. God said I did - wait until I show you the b**tards I put next door to them :)
@@JTRetroReactions 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 perfect!
Glad you liked it mate!
I don't think the people taking over the airport were supposed to be VDV, but something more covert, as they used a civilian airliner to come in. So they don't have the heavy equipment VDV would have, but just whatever they could reasonably smuggle in with a civilian airliner. Soviet Union did the exact same thing in Czechoslovakia in '68 when bunch of special forces in civilian clothing boarded a civilian plane, upon landing took over the airport that only had some security guards for defense. So it's not the Hostomel airport scenario, but something more covert.
Fair enough mate - I wasn't aware of that incident in '68 so thanks for sharing that and yes the scenario makes sense in light of that! Thanks for watching the video and have a good of weekend.
Points where you can cross the border are the same since the last time we were at the war, we have already trained for the attack once before :)
Very true mate! Thanks for watching the video. The 1998 reaction well be out shortly
Correcrion here, 6:52 : Actually "The Islands" are called Åland [Ooland] Archipelago and yes, they do speak Swedish for primary language, but they do belong to Finland.
Thanks Mate for the correction and for watching the video - I appreciate it! Enjoy your evening.
The attack on the airfield wasn't done by paratroopers from what I understood but by a civilian aircraft smuggling soldiers or something of the sort. Presumably they were supposed to take over the airfield to secure a path for more reinforcements.
Given what we saw in Ukraine I would lean more towards them being VDV especially as you usually send in your more experienced/trained troops or SOF to operate behind enemy lines rather than regulars. Just my opinion though and you are entitled to yours
@@JTRetroReactions in the video the control tower receives a report of a civilian plane landing immediately followed by the assault begins. I presume it was similar to the tanks hiding in private cargo ships. What units they might represent is a different matter, but yeah probably vdv.
Ah okay. I don't remember the English Subs showing that but I could but misremembering. Thanks for letting me know
The larger plot is ridiculous, but all depicted situations are realistic and the people are actual conscripts (plus of of course some professional soldiers). The FDF videos always show Finnish personnel getting injured, not to create any unrealistic expectations. Even nowadays Finland can be hard to traverse with armored units, and giving up territory to channel the attack to advantageous defensive positions is basic doctrine.
Thanks for watching and what you say makes sense so thanks for sharing
we have 54 F-16s, and 64 F-35s on order
Nice reaction! This is a great production from the Finnish Defence Forces, really like it.
You should also check out the Swedish 'Jägarsoldat' series, a 16 part series about the Swedish Rangers. Really good! (But try to reach out to find someone to translate the first 5-6 episodes, then youtube will take it)
Thanks Peter for watching the video, for your kind comment and for the recommendation - I have added it to the reaction list and I have been looking for someone to give me Swedish reactions for a while. Please let me know if you have any good Swedish War Movies that I can react too as well.. I have AI that I use for translation so hopefully that will work for the first few episodes.
I'm stoked now to be honest as I have been waiting a long time for Swedish recommendations so you made my day! Cheers mate and have a good weekend!
@@JTRetroReactions well, regarding Swedish war movies. You got me there, they are rare. I had to Google om that, managed to find a few. Most made way back in the 1920's. Found one from the early 70's made by Bergman, some kind of protest against the Vietnam War, but I have not seen that myself. There is one from 2011, Gränsen (The border) a fictive story about some Swedish soldiers entering occupied Norway during ww2, seen that one but cant say that it left any impression on me.
If you know some Swedish history, you might know that we have not been to war for the last 250 years or so. Before that it is a different story, with Swedish armies roaming around Europe causing havoc for 100 years, so yes, we do have material to war movies...
If you into music, check out a heavy metal band called Sabaton. (You dont have to be a metalhead to listen to them) They have a unique pitch, all their songs are about History with a focus on wartime. Really good. Just to get an idea, check out their song 'Christmas truce ' official music video.
But otherwise I out my hope that you will like Jägar soldat series.
Thanks again mate - I'm surprised at the lack of War Movies - just like the Napoleonic Era - you guys in your Empire days had, as you said, a lot of great material to work with - maybe we should write a script and send it to hollywood so they can screw it up like the recent Napoleon movie - what do you think :)
I am a massive metalhead mate and know Sabaton very well. I may do some music reactions later on - we'll see .
Any other general Swedish movies you would recommend - sorry to bother you with these but my original idea with this channel was go through the best of Cinema from each Country coupled with some retro TV reactions for the old folks like myself - so if you have any spin them my way. Thanks again.
@@JTRetroReactions The Empire era was somewhere controversial during the 60' and 70's. It didnt fit into the picture of Sweden that the rulers wanted to present to the world. No government foundings, no movie....
Well, if you want some military related, I would suggest 'Repmånad' from the end of the 1970's, a comedy. Old but still funny. Another is '9:e Kompaniet', from the mid 80', also a comedy.
Thanks mate. I appreciate those recommendations
No you are definately not allowed to take your assault rifle home with you after service. So reservist do not have assault rifles at home. It has been like that always. The only exeption were the paramilitary auxiliary forces, the Suojeluskunta before they were banned by the soviets in the peace treaty after ww2. Even during the service you cannot carry a weapon while you're visiting home on a weekend. If you want to own a fire arm in Finland you need to have a permit that is admitted by the police. And it depends on what kind of a gun it is, whether it is a hunting rifle or a hand gun for shooting practice. You have to go through psychological tests where they evaluate if you are mentally fit to own a gun safely. If I'm correct the current law doesn't allow you to store your gun in your home anymore but rather in a locker of the shooting club or shooting range where you go to do your target practice. This is for hand guns like pistols. I guess hunters still may keep their rifles in alocker at their homes. All and all they have made it more complex to get an permit and storing the weapons. And for a reason. There has been school shootings and we do not want the same problems as in USA
To be precise. semi automatic short barrel rifle which you are allowed to own is still an assault rifle, albeit you cannot have the automatic fire mode. Which would be 99% useless in combat anyway.
And you can have them at home as long as you store them as required. Centralized storage was suggested, but that stupidity never became a reality.
Thanks for the background information on that. I see pros and cons to that. If you're going to trust people in an emergency with weapons you should trust them in normal times. Military weapons I'm talking about and I think you lose a lot more in defence then you gain in society by not having them at home. Just my view though and we have even stricter gun laws here
Sounds similar to here. Well not the semi auto, a..22 or double barrel shotgun is what you're more or less limited too here when a weapons safe and separate ammo safe.
@@JTRetroReactions I think you are giving a little too much credit to having a rifle at home. To fight a war you need cohesive units and the units need to be formed somewhere. And that somewhere might as well be the depot you get the guns and equipment.
Squad and especially a platoon will also need heavier weaponry. E.g. when BMPs are driving off the ship in the video ad hoc gunmen would only get themselves killed.
I see your point but mine is very simple. One traitor revealing your depot locations puts your entire defence at risk. It's a big gamble to take. Just my view
There has been multiple breakins in waterresources in Finland during last four weeks. We have 300 000 soldiers and max 900 000 to go to war. This is among the largest armies in Europe if necessary and we have the support of Nato if everything goes to shit.
Hmm, interesting and concerning. It maybe Russia just rattling chains ahead of this NATO summit that is now taking place - hopefully that is all it is!
18:59
? Sorry not sure what you're referring too.
Tactic haven't changed from ww2. Hit and run or guerilla tactics. When you are in officer training (mandatory service) they tell you estimated time of death depending what you face. Ofc they don't tell that to normal soldiers. We have terrain what we know so that is always our advantage.
Pretty similar over here as well mate. It's what us smaller Countries have to do to survive when we need too - unfortunate but true. Have a good weekend!
Watching this video I can't help but think how much more human and economic resources we would be able to allocate to other things instead of preparing for an attack by our asshole neighbour. But you can't choose your neighbours. Luckily our society is strong , we can trust our government and institutions to do their job.
A truism all over the world teama. However, I still would be prefer to be in Finland's position then Ireland - I do believe there is a lot of truth generally in life in the statement, that is better to be prepared and not need something then to need it and not be prepared.
In addition, I think conscription and service instills in young people a sense of national pride, service for the greater good and basic disciplinary skills etc. A lot of the youth nowadays are very self centred and make everything about them and I think conscription programmes like you have in Finland help counter that.
During the last big push in WW II 1944, soviets had 200 arttillery pieces per one front kilometer. 10 000 pieces all together. Initial fire misson lasted 135 minutes, grinding finnish positions and men into dust.
Thanks for watching the video - that is a lot of artillery to be pounding any positions for any length of time - more WW1 style then WW2.
@@JTRetroReactions Soviets took no change this time. If we hadnt had Detachment Kuhlmey, a Luftwaffe unit, we wouldnt have been able to hold. You should look about that. Their performance is par none, they excelled, while fighting in a differnt country, and not for their people, but for Finnish troops. Because how history was written, their role has been down played.
@@JTRetroReactions " The unit flew some 2,700 missions and dropped 770 tonnes of bombs. It destroyed over 150 Soviet aircraft, about 200 tanks, and dozens of bridges and transport vessels. Personnel losses included 23 pilots killed and 24 wounded in battle. The unit lost 41 of its aircraft." They flew Stukas and FW 190 A 6`s.
Thanks mate for sharing. A few comments on the unknown soldier mentioned this unit too. If you have any movie or TH-cam videos that you could recommend on it then I would appreciate it
@@JTRetroReactions It turns out they are sparse. our YLE has , but its in the archive, and cant be watched outside Finland, with VPN it could work. But its in Finnish withou subtitles. I ll take a look if I can find it .
Finland's defensive doctrine is mobile. Fast reaction, co-operation between different sections of the military, fast troop mobilization and reaction to new situations. That's why we have no big stationary defensive emplacements. In modern warfare they aren't very useful. A big artillery emplacement guarding the sea with 30KM range that cannot move will be taken out by a 100KM range missile strike. It's better to hit and move, do as much as you can with what you have instead of even trying to sit and exchange blows. No superiority complex about "better tanks" or anything (like certain neighbor seems to always have... If it's not a new super fighter jet, it's a new super tank they can report in their media), they still get wiped out when hit (enough) all the same.
Finland's tactic in an all out attack would be to disable the enemy's movement. We have mine layers that can drill anti vehicle mines into paved roads and bridges for example. Not meant as concealed mines, but as deterrent. You can't use the road. You can blow up the mines, but then you also can't use the road. Good luck moving vehicles through the terrain outside of roads here. And once the enemy's movement is blocked, we will use our artillery (which is one of the largest in Europe, as large as Poland's, Germany's, Sweden's and Norway's combined) to strike. Avoid face-offs where possible. Use geographical features to your advantage. Do not centralize forces into one place. Maintain information sharing, stay mobile, operational and effective after losses too (so that losing a fire control position does not effectively disable the entire unit, for example).
That's also why we train against "relatively small and seemingly haphazard" attacks such as the ones show on this video. It's A LOT of trouble to just drive 1000 tanks into Helsinki, and those scenarios we are well prepared against. It's these small, unexpected attacks that can be dangerous and need to be understood. Need to handle everything at once, can't fall into disarray, that's what all this training is for.
Thanks mate for watching the video and for all of that information which was useful to understand. Much appreciated
Couple of relating vidoes: "Total Defense: A View From Finland" and "Why Finland Has 54,000 Nuclear Bunkers".
Brilliant mate - thanks for those recommendations, I appreciate it and I have added them to my reaction list. Have a good weekend.
Regarding numerical superiority: It only matters if you can bring them to bear. Finland is such a densely forested area that you can really just focus the forces on main transportation hubs and roads large enough to stop an armoured advance. Ukraine is just open fields and level terrain, which makes maneuvering much easier. In Finland the Russians would be funneled by the terrain much more. Also, we have the largest artillery in Finland and it's quality is much better than what the Russians have, so that also levels the playing field.
There are probably 10,000 soldiers in Ireland and the same number in reserve. We have 12,000 paid army personnel in Finland. And a year, about 22,000 go through training today. It is planned that 280,000 will be taken for frontline use. But there are 870,000 people who have completed the training. yes, there are weapons, but no proper protective equipment.
Thanks for watching the video. You're almost correct on the regulars over here - it's circa 8K now with between 2-4K in reserve. The number fluctuates. Mostly young kids giving it a go to see if they want to go full time - most don't as they realise it's not Call of Duty :) I still prefer your guys system. It makes sense for Countries with histories like ours. Enjoy your weekend!
5:35 For a comparision, Finland trains 21000 soldiers every year as part of the conscript army.
Thanks Mikko for watching the video and for sharing that information with me. That's a substantial number and as I said I'm jealous we don't do that over here. Not only is it great for defence - but it assists in maturing young people into the adult world and builds a real sense of nationhood and community rather then the self centeredness we see a lot of today across the west, where everybody is a victim of something and expects people to bend for them rather then everyone working together as a society.
You guys kind of remind me of a modern day Sparta and I mean that as a compliment.
The conscription numbers are soon to plummet under 20k/year as we lack the demographics in young men. It wouldn't be a problem should our birth rate be at 2.0 which is considered as a sustainable level. Our 1.4 - 1.7 is absolutely below bar. The talk about mandatory service for women isn't the answer to up the numbers. Policies benefitting larger family units are...
Same issue all across the west mate instead of rewarding families to have more kids they import. It makes no logical sense
@@JTRetroReactions Damn, my data was outdated. Just checked it and in 2023 the total fertility rate dropped down to 1,28.....
Now you're looking in the right direction. No joke mate look up if your prime Minister went through the WEF leader programme. He did as did ours in Ireland. Then look up who else in the EU went through that programme. Then read the WEF 2030 plan or watch my video on what the EU farmers protests are really about. The low birth rates all across the West will make sense. The lack of support for family etc will all make sense. Sounds like conspiracy but it's not and you can verify at the above sources
Great reaction! You have a lot of good insight. I also found that airport scene a bit too convinient without the enemy soreading out. But I suppose it was done like that to keep the runtime lower.
I am no expert. But the ports have regular security during peace time (border guard, customs, police and private security companies (surveillance and security guards). But as shown in the video the security could be ramped up with military forces if needed.
I have served with Irish troops a few times. To be honest I found them a bit rowdy for peacekeeping 😉 But I think in a real fight I would gladly have them on my side 💪🏻
If you want a deeper dive to our reservist system I would suggest the video "Reservin voima (strength of the reserves)" from finnish defence forces youtube channel.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks matkahren for watching the video and for your very kind comments. I really appreciate that as a fair amount of effort goes into these videos and comments like yours make it worth it!
Yip - that's us Irish - we are a rowdy bunch but if you check out some of the fighting videos on YT - I'm talking street brawls - you will see lots of international commenters saying that from their experience having Irish mates, there is no one they would rather fight alongside as the Irish will not back down or run no matter the odds.
Also if you served with us, you have served with other UNIFIL Troops and I'm sure you know what I mean when I say there are a serious amount of runners amongst them - not looking at you Dutch or Indian Armies - cough cough :)
Thanks also for the recommendation - I have added it to my reaction list so I will get to it soon.
Have a good weekend!
@@JTRetroReactions
Yeah, Irish soldiers: Bunch of mad lads, with great hearts 💪🏻Definately not runners.
Have a good weekend, too!
Cheers mate - I never got to serve the with Finns but would have liked too - have a good one!
Islands of strategic importans is Finnish Åland and Swedish Gotland. Åland is demilitarized
Becouse of old treatys that should Be thrown in The bin. There have Been talking about The Åland islands in Finland after The invasion of russia to Ukraine. We must protect Åland but we can't put troops or fortify it beforehand🤯. Åland is Swedish speaking and they don't want Finnish troops there 😡🤬 they have special autonomy and they don't like finns and wanted to join Sweden but was granted autonomy. Sweden gave Even fake maps of Åland to international board to steal the island from Finland after we got independent,..
Thank you Jozq! That's them alright - I just couldn't remember the names. I didn't know that history about Aland though including the treaties and the views of the natives - so that was interesting to learn. I would agree with you that old treaties should be scrapped as we all know how well Russia respects treaties!
Have a good weekend
@@JTRetroReactions good weekend to you as well and thank you for the video. 👍
You're welcome mate and thanks again for watching - I can feed one of my 25 children this weekend now - the others will have to fight harder for my love :) Just joking of course in case Child services read this!
Excellent!
Thanks mate - hopefully you will enjoy it
If you are part of local forces . They call you or send a SMS . Tomorrow at 06.00 AM to meeting point . You get your rifles and ammunition . Later further details.
For reservists meeting point in your garrison . More details and weapons on the place . TIME 3 Days .
Then we have all 280.000 first wave soldiers with their wespons to meet the enemy.
Sounds well prepared and great to hear. Thanks for sharing
Air superiority over Finland as s Nato country is not likely with the combined airforces of Nordic countries. In my opinion years and years of missile, drone and artiller strikes would be the most damage inflicting warfare from Russia. However we would survive thanks to our vast network of defence lines, bunkers and security of supply for defense force and the entire nation.
Thanks for watching the video. Yeah I don't disagree with what you said. I was just speaking from a fantasy perspective on what I would do if I was Russia planning an attack first step would be to build air superiority but after Ukraine I don't think you have to worry about that anyways regardless of NATO as they've been shown to be vulnerable
We have a Hornet’s and soon coming F35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Every port have today license plate reader and gate.
In Finland we speak finish and swedish language and in this video also.
Are they coast guards or marines? I dont tell you because russian desants look this video. Thank you, Sir 😊
Thanks mate for watching and for the information you did share. I appreciate it. 1998 version is coming shortly
20:31 Finnish Border Guard is in peacetime under interior ministry. In war they integrate to army, they are eqully armed than army light infantry, but have highly selected personnel. They are our LRRPs as an example. You must have physique of Moose to serve your conscription in Border Guard, but its possible. I have neighbour kid doing it. Well over 200cm, and NO fat. Would propably ran Sebastian Coe to ground, with rifle at his back.
Interesting to hear - thanks for sharing mate and for watching another of my videos - much appreciated!
27:00 We have *hitload of anti tank systems. laws, apilas, nlaws etc..
33:22 well it's just pyrotech, so there's that. but they yelled "thin" so it's not a MBT (fat/thick) and they were shooting with LAWs. They targeted to turret as its one of the weakest parts to side-hit. Shooting to tracks might stop it ofc, but not eliminate.
Fair enough mate. I've been a long time out of the game so technology changes. Thanks for watching
@@JTRetroReactions It's a long time ago for me too (-05). I was in "anti-tank"-platoon. 66 KES 88 (M72A5), APILAS (112 RSKES Apilas) and "musti" (95 S 58-61
) is familiar.
e: and thanks for responding. That's cool :)
@@3M46DN1M I was 98 so yeah it's been an eternity at this stage in terms of tech
Finnish have never been allowed to take military weapons to their homes. There are several depots around the country where reservists will report and get their equipment
Thanks for watching the video. Some others here have said that it was a thing but was phased out and I do remember years ago people saying that Finland and Sweden were allowed to keep their weapons after service. Anyways I can't say for sure as an outsider
33:10 That tube launcher (called "kertasinko" or 66 KES 12 or 66 KES 12 RAK) is designed for armored vehicles and buildings, not against battle tanks. I guess they used that for this video to save money because launching a real NLAW costs about 10x more. And I agree that if you had to use one against a tank, you should aim to the tracks.
Thanks again Mikko -another commenter on here mentioned to me that the charge in that launcher was designed - almost like cluster munitions to spread and if that is the case, I can see why it would be useful against Russian Tanks given their propensity to have their ammo cook off when hit and do a Turret toss as we see a lot of in Ukraine - but I think they mentioned a different model then you - Either way the NLAWs would definitely do the job as we have seen in Ukraine.
@@JTRetroReactions Sure, even the "kertasinko" has shaped charge but that's not strong enough to surely destroy a tank unless you're a bit lucky. The 66 KES 12 is based on M72 LAW used by the US and the variant in Finland is M72 EC LAW Mk.I version which is claimed to have penetration 450 mm (~ 18 in) of rolled homogeneous armor steel plate in optimal conditions.
NLAW is the weapon of choice if you have the option. It can penetrate 500 mm worth of armor and can attack the tank from 800 m distance and still put the full shape charge from top toward the bottom so tanks would need more than 500 mm worth of armor on the roof to be safe.
@@MikkoRantalainenIt was used against a BMP-2 which is very easy to penetrate (in from one side, out from the other).
Nah, you use whatever tools you got at your disposal.
The new LAWs are more than capable of penetrating old BMP and BTR armored vehicles (not "tanks") armor.
They may easily immobilize even battle tanks, take out optics and coms, and in case of the old Cold War era trash Moscow still keeps sending, can even blow up the turret into bits with a lucky hit into the "neck".
I was never trained nothing Else but attack when i did my time in army leading my mens.
Thanks for watching. When was that if you didn't mind me asking but from my perspective it wouldn't be the best tactic. Good armies have NCOs who can make defensive or offensive decisions on the ground as the situation changes. If we look at Russia in Ukraine that we see the mess that only attack can lead too. For me there needs to be a mix of both depending on the circumstances
I have my own ifv and tank etc etc. WITH me. Those are our taxis.