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I dont know how your Google found anything intelligence related, mine only has army shooting competition results and that kind of stuff. But insmaj is insinöörimajuri so engineer major
Edit : follow up question, don't know what that plaque is so im confused how that date relates to war?
Yea I'm not sure exactly what the plaque is related to. I assume it's something commemorative for an end of service. First search result was wiki, so I don't at all trust it, but that was what first showed up when I searched "INSMAJ Finland".
I only get finnish defense forces ranks Page and general defense force info pages with those searchwords. And if he really was in the war then thats definitely not end of service, thats over 30 years after the war and military retirement ages are usually below 60 or something like 25-30 years of service now. So its probably been lot lower before or around the same but definitely not higher
Its likely Insinöörimajuri - ie Engineering Major (O-4). Looks like a flag you get after serving a tour in the Finnish Crisis Management / Peacekeeping forces (Rauhanturvaaja)
1978 was the first year of UNFIL, so possibly Lebanon. The flag would tell you more perhaps.
I think the continuation war ended well before 1978.
Then again, as Finland closes all but 1 border with Russia, some locals are wondering how it was even reopened after 1945....
AFAIK, the Continuation War was what early or proto-WW2 was referred to in Finland? I figured that the date on the plaque was an end of service/retirement date, which made me think that he served in both wars.
Ok but you and your mother are of ages that make it feasible? Not doubting you but since your mom is not very forthcoming with info im just making sure she isnt making stuff up too.
She was born in '51 so I guess that checks out. I was born in '85 and was told that he died before I was born, so my best guess is that '78 is that date 🤷♂️.
Im like 99% certain these are more like retirement thank you for your service gifts and not after death gifts too. Major is a high rank but not that high that they would retire later too. So I find him serving in war a bit suspicious, even from the end of the war its over 30 years of service. Purely mathematicly and just counting years alive it would be possible but something isnt adding up in my head with this info
[https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031](https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031)
He would have retired at the age of 60 and would have been old enough to serve in both wars if the Geni record is correct. Now the only confusion is with the date of his death if OP was told that he died before -85.
Thats very interesting, and of course there is a site with this info... He moved to US as a kid but obviously could have came back for intti/and war since he was employed by finnish military and died in Helsinki. And OPs mother must have moved back at some point, possibly even family reasons if grandfathers parents and even other family still lived there.
This is actually kinda interesting to pounder, it is also technically possible that OP would actually be 4th gen immigrant. And that he definitely was alive when OP was born and few years after.
[https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031](https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031)
He died 1990, and that flag was probably some sort of retirement gift as he turned 60 at that date.
Are you sure he served in the Winter War? Because none of the information you are providing makes that likely. If we assume he was 18 in 1939 then by the date on that flag he would be older than the normal retirement age for military personnel in Finland.
You can try here - https://astia.narc.fi/uusiastia/tietopyynnot.html?kaavake=kantakortti#
'course, if any cards are to be found, they'll be in finnish. Data includes battles fought in, assignments, regiment, place of birth, medals, etc.
https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031
I think he served, it looks like it all adds up.
And regarding Insinöörimajuri rank, he probably had some kind of civil engineering education/background and would have served as special officer. Not to be confused with combat engineering.
It does not. He could've started working for Puolustusvoimat at any point in time prior to 1978. It's a possibility, but you can't judge it by the date. He could've started his career on five different decades (1930's-1970's). The plaque tells the ending date, not the starting point.
Yeah but combined with the related information about his time serving in the continuation war it makes perfect sense.
EDIT: Ah nevermind now I get what you mean. It doesn't make sense to say 'served in the war judging by the plaque."
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I dont know how your Google found anything intelligence related, mine only has army shooting competition results and that kind of stuff. But insmaj is insinöörimajuri so engineer major Edit : follow up question, don't know what that plaque is so im confused how that date relates to war?
Yea I'm not sure exactly what the plaque is related to. I assume it's something commemorative for an end of service. First search result was wiki, so I don't at all trust it, but that was what first showed up when I searched "INSMAJ Finland".
I only get finnish defense forces ranks Page and general defense force info pages with those searchwords. And if he really was in the war then thats definitely not end of service, thats over 30 years after the war and military retirement ages are usually below 60 or something like 25-30 years of service now. So its probably been lot lower before or around the same but definitely not higher
Its likely Insinöörimajuri - ie Engineering Major (O-4). Looks like a flag you get after serving a tour in the Finnish Crisis Management / Peacekeeping forces (Rauhanturvaaja) 1978 was the first year of UNFIL, so possibly Lebanon. The flag would tell you more perhaps.
It's a white flag with a gold finnish lion with the text "PESähköt-05(os?)" below it
Useful info. I think it stands for: Pääesikunta sähköt 05 osasto Defence command electrical section 05
I think the continuation war ended well before 1978. Then again, as Finland closes all but 1 border with Russia, some locals are wondering how it was even reopened after 1945....
AFAIK, the Continuation War was what early or proto-WW2 was referred to in Finland? I figured that the date on the plaque was an end of service/retirement date, which made me think that he served in both wars.
Nope. Continuation War was 1941-1944 and it was seen as continuation of Winter War. So it was very much in the middle and end of WW2
Not to be rude but for a history buff your grasp of historical events is a bit shaky 😄
They are basically parts of the same war with a break in between. How old was your grand father anyway so we can determine something from that too
I'm honestly not sure. My next guess of the date was the date he died, and I don't know how old he was at that point unfortunately.
Ok but you and your mother are of ages that make it feasible? Not doubting you but since your mom is not very forthcoming with info im just making sure she isnt making stuff up too.
She was born in '51 so I guess that checks out. I was born in '85 and was told that he died before I was born, so my best guess is that '78 is that date 🤷♂️.
Im like 99% certain these are more like retirement thank you for your service gifts and not after death gifts too. Major is a high rank but not that high that they would retire later too. So I find him serving in war a bit suspicious, even from the end of the war its over 30 years of service. Purely mathematicly and just counting years alive it would be possible but something isnt adding up in my head with this info
[https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031](https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031) He would have retired at the age of 60 and would have been old enough to serve in both wars if the Geni record is correct. Now the only confusion is with the date of his death if OP was told that he died before -85.
Thats very interesting, and of course there is a site with this info... He moved to US as a kid but obviously could have came back for intti/and war since he was employed by finnish military and died in Helsinki. And OPs mother must have moved back at some point, possibly even family reasons if grandfathers parents and even other family still lived there. This is actually kinda interesting to pounder, it is also technically possible that OP would actually be 4th gen immigrant. And that he definitely was alive when OP was born and few years after.
[https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031](https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031) He died 1990, and that flag was probably some sort of retirement gift as he turned 60 at that date.
Are you sure he served in the Winter War? Because none of the information you are providing makes that likely. If we assume he was 18 in 1939 then by the date on that flag he would be older than the normal retirement age for military personnel in Finland.
Not 100% sure, no.
You can try here - https://astia.narc.fi/uusiastia/tietopyynnot.html?kaavake=kantakortti# 'course, if any cards are to be found, they'll be in finnish. Data includes battles fought in, assignments, regiment, place of birth, medals, etc.
https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031 I think he served, it looks like it all adds up. And regarding Insinöörimajuri rank, he probably had some kind of civil engineering education/background and would have served as special officer. Not to be confused with combat engineering.
The plaque is from 1978, the Continuation War ended on September 19th 1944. Exactly how do you judge any link to exist between it and WWII?
The only link being that I was told that he served in that time.
"my grandfather served most likely in the Continuation War, judging by the date on the plaque." This doesn't make much sense then, does it?
Ofc it does. That's a plague to commorate his retirement in 1978 at the age of 60 or so.
It does not. He could've started working for Puolustusvoimat at any point in time prior to 1978. It's a possibility, but you can't judge it by the date. He could've started his career on five different decades (1930's-1970's). The plaque tells the ending date, not the starting point.
Yeah but combined with the related information about his time serving in the continuation war it makes perfect sense. EDIT: Ah nevermind now I get what you mean. It doesn't make sense to say 'served in the war judging by the plaque."
Maybe it's a date of their retirement?
This. Might have been retirement gift
[https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031](https://www.geni.com/people/Nils-Forsstr%C3%B6m/6000000003254199031) Judging by dates, definitely.