Hungarian Exhibitions Open in Finland

Arranged by the MoD Institute and Museum of Military History and the Hungarian Cultural and Scientific Centre, one of the exhibitions shows the Hungarian-related events of the Winter War fought between the winter of 1939 and the early spring of 1940, a crucial conflict in Finland’s history. As it is known, Hungary was the first country to send volunteers as an organized unit to fight alongside the Finnish Army, when the Soviet Union launched an offensive against the country. Of the initial 25,000 volunteers, Hungary selected 350 men, organized them into a more than 350-strong battalion and sent this unit to Finland, where it reinforced the local forces in defence between March and May 1940.

The other exhibition brought to Finland is entitled “The Hungarian Air Force – Past and Present", and has already been on view in the Baltic countries. Its main goal was to introduce the people of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania to the Hungarian Air Force, which was guarding their airspace between September 2015 and January 2016. With the homecoming of the Hungarian detachment of the Baltic Air Policing mission, the travelling exhibition is now being hosted in the Mikkeli Infantry Museum together with the one devoted to the Winter War. It is expected to move on to Stockholm in February or March so that it can present there the dedication and professionalism of Hungarian pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians.

Photo: Capt. Péter Soós