This post can be considered an introduction to one of my armies for Konflikt '47. As many of my friends know by now, I love writing narratives and developing lore for basically everything I have that's a hobby and Konflikt is no exception. We've got some really cool plans and ideas for our future Konflikt games and I figured it'd be best to start with introducing the factions.
In traditional Bolt Action, I primarily played Finland and Italy—a factor that ultimately led to my decision to play both in Konflikt as well (that and the fact the Finland gets access to the new German panzermechs was also another deciding factor). In this post, I'm going to detail the IC lore and background behind my faction of the Finns who have deemed themselves the "Vapaan Soumen Armeija" aka the "Free Finnish Army".
Overview
The Free Finnish Army, often abbreviated to "VSA" based on its native name Vapaan Soumen Armeija, is a primarily anti-Soviet unaligned faction of the Finnish Resistance with the main goal of liberating Finland from Soviet occupation.A breakaway faction from the German-backed SS Freiwilligen Division, the VSA espouses the ideology of an independent Finland without the assistance of the authoritarian government of the Nazi Third Reich. As a result of Finland's complicated political situation, the VSA receives no direct support from any countries and is entirely reliant on local Finnish Resistance cells for resources as well as their own training in self-sufficiency.
Most of the active military personnel of the VSA are former members of the Finnish Pori Regiment and are veterans of both the Winter War and subsequent conflict with the Soviets in the Continuation War. Trained from youth in the art of the rifle, members of the VSA are highly skilled in the art of long-range shooting and their dogged determination and perserverance makes them tough fighters. As a result, the VSA is well-suited for the ambush tactics that they commonly employ as they are highly trained, well versed in the mountainous terrain of their homeland, and familiar with its characteristically harsh winters. However, despite their skill, the small size of the VSA (estimated at only 200 actual combatants) is considered their biggest weakness and makes them incapable of fighting in long-term engagements.
Equipment
Equipment
The forces of the Free Finnish Army primarily use a combination of German equipment that was stolen when the VSA broke from the Freiwilligen Division and any salvagable equipment they are capable of repairing in the field.
Captured Mosin-Nagant rifles and stolen Kar98ks make up the largest part of the VSA small arms arsenal with a limited number of varying anti-tank rifles and StG 44s (often reserved for the elite Shocktroopers the VSA employs as its primary assault infantry). Several Maxim machine guns and MG42s are known to be in service with the VSA alongside at least one captured PaK 40 75mm AT cannon and a number of Soviet 105mm and 122mm howitzers.
Vehicles are very precious commodities in the arsenal of the VSA and are religiously maintained to keep them at optimal working order. They are crewed by the most technically inclined members of the Army and their use on combat missions is almost always limited to support roles. While no true inventory of the VSA's vehicle arsenal exists, it is known that at least one Thor and one Zeus were hijacked from the SS Freiwilligen Division when the newly organized VSA disappeared into a blizzard on the fateful night of 20 November 1946. A number of Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs have allegedly been used in VSA ambush operations with at least one report of a Jagdpanzer IV, although the latter has never been confirmed.
Opponents
The Free Finnish Army primarily fights against the Soviet Union and the majority of reported actions involving the VSA are recorded as ambushes involving Soviet supply columns. However, their political position which distances them from Nazi Germany has put them at odds with pro-German Finnish Resistance cells which includes the SS Freiwilligen Division. Although rare, inter-Finnish fighting has also been reported by non-aligned observers of the conflict. While the VSA is not opposed to the western powers, it has inadvertently engaged in combat with British paratrooper units on more than one occasion.
Captured Mosin-Nagant rifles and stolen Kar98ks make up the largest part of the VSA small arms arsenal with a limited number of varying anti-tank rifles and StG 44s (often reserved for the elite Shocktroopers the VSA employs as its primary assault infantry). Several Maxim machine guns and MG42s are known to be in service with the VSA alongside at least one captured PaK 40 75mm AT cannon and a number of Soviet 105mm and 122mm howitzers.
Vehicles are very precious commodities in the arsenal of the VSA and are religiously maintained to keep them at optimal working order. They are crewed by the most technically inclined members of the Army and their use on combat missions is almost always limited to support roles. While no true inventory of the VSA's vehicle arsenal exists, it is known that at least one Thor and one Zeus were hijacked from the SS Freiwilligen Division when the newly organized VSA disappeared into a blizzard on the fateful night of 20 November 1946. A number of Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs have allegedly been used in VSA ambush operations with at least one report of a Jagdpanzer IV, although the latter has never been confirmed.
Opponents
The Free Finnish Army primarily fights against the Soviet Union and the majority of reported actions involving the VSA are recorded as ambushes involving Soviet supply columns. However, their political position which distances them from Nazi Germany has put them at odds with pro-German Finnish Resistance cells which includes the SS Freiwilligen Division. Although rare, inter-Finnish fighting has also been reported by non-aligned observers of the conflict. While the VSA is not opposed to the western powers, it has inadvertently engaged in combat with British paratrooper units on more than one occasion.
