The swastika, Crux Gammata, was known in ancient times as a magic symbol. It is found decorating artefacts over 5000 years old from many cultures, such as Greek, Egyptian, Indian, African and American as well as being used to decorate, in various forms, church walls from the middle ages. It was also popular in the Viking era.
The Lotta Svärd Organisation chose as its emblem a blue Finnish swastika on a ground of heraldic silver roses. The swastika as a national emblem was adopted in Finland at the time of independence in 1918 and first appeared on aircraft donated by Count Eric von Rosen, a Swedish aristocrat whose family coat of arms contained the swastika insignia. It was used by the Defence Forces in various forms up to the end of hostilities in 1944. It was replaced by the still current blue and white roundel seen on military uniforms, aircraft and vehicles today.
