Women dressed in military uniforms participating in a memorial or commemorative event outdoors, with trees in the background, some women carrying flowers.

THE Lotta Svärd

The Lotta Svärd was a major volunteer organization for women between 1918 and 1944, with over 100,000 women joining by 1939. They played crucial roles in logistics, manufacturing, medicine, radiotelegraphy, and air surveillance, freeing up men to fight on the front lines. By the end of the war, the organization was the largest voluntary auxiliary in the world.

The name ‘Lotta Svärd’ originates from the collection of works by Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg ‘The Tales of Ensign Stål’. One poem tells the story of a woman called Lotta Svard, who follows her husband to the battlefront of the War of 1808-1809 - also known as the Finnish War - to care for the wounded and assist where she could. During the Finnish Civil War, many women volunteered to take care of civil and auxiliary duties, and were later referred to as ”Sisters of Mercy and the Lotta Svärds on the battlefield” in Mannerheim’s 1918 speech. In the interwar period, the Lotta Svärd became an integral part of Finnish society, providing opportunities for women that were seldom seen elsewhere in the world. Girls from the age of eight could join the junior organisation, the Little Lottas, which reached 13,000 members by 1935.

A person dressed in winter clothing with skis and a camera stands in a snowy landscape with trees and a building in the background.
Black and white photo of a group of women and a man at a cafe or kitchen counter. The women are serving coffee or tea with cups and a teapot present, and the man is dressed in a military uniform.
The Lotta Svard tending to outdoor stove in a wooded outdoor setting during WW2.

At the outbreak of the Winter War in 1939, Lotta Svärd membership surged with over 100,000 women volunteering to help defend Finland. These women became integral in manufacturing, administration, logistics, and provided medical support. During the Continuation War, the Lotta Svärd filled roles including radio operation, veterinary medicine, and air surveillance - allowing more men to fight on the front lines; established canteens and kiosks close to the front lines, which provided soldiers with respite and commodities; and served in casualty evacuation centres, arranging for the war dead to be returned for burial at their local churches. Overall, membership numbers rose to 242,000, making it the largest voluntary auxiliary organisation in the world! 

During the conflicts, 291 Lottas died - 140 from diseases caught on duty, 66 killed on the front, 47 in air raids and 34 in accidents. All Lottas are buried in war heroes' graves in their local church parishes. After the war, the Soviet Union demanded the ban of all organisations that it considered to be paramilitary, fascist or semi-fascist, which included the Lotta Svärd.