Article about: Greetings all, I am trying to put together a Finnish Medic bag / kit. I have a number of items alreadly which I will show once I have taken some photos. My day job is as an Emergency Departm
I am trying to put together a Finnish Medic bag / kit. I have a number of items alreadly which I will show once I have taken some photos.
My day job is as an Emergency Department Nurse both for the NHS and the military so having read what I can on the subject I can figure out some bits of what they had, but I am trying to go for accuracy!
I'm guessing you are trying to complete or fill m/41 medic bag. Those basic bags came in two flawors, basic "Lääk.Mies" = medic bag and "Lääk.Alik." = Medic NCO bag.
After this was doctors bag with all syringes, morphine and stuff, I have seen one complete one, quite rare thing.
But I think all those bags had a cloth list stitched inside of the flap, written on them what they are supposed to contain. This is your source you want to find.
But I don't have any of those bags, sorry.
Medic Soldiers bag was very basic with only bunch of bandages.
Thanks for that. I did think it would be something like that. I have found a useful book from Finland specifically on the medical services of the land forces but I'm just waiting for it to turn up (and then translate it).
I have attached my small collection here, I have a rough translation of the contents of the medic pouch (which from photos appears to be given to the frontline medics).
1. 1 x roll of gauzes (?)
2. 3 x roll of cambric bandages
3. 3 x small first aid bandages
4. 1 x triangular cloth
I did check what Finnish medics were using in photos. And update to my answer.
In winter war and early continuation war, medics were still using ww1 German style leather medical pouches, which was standard for whole pre-war period.
Finnish medics also had German ww1 copy of 1 liter water bottle with leather straps. But apparently they were made in insufficient numbers and are absent in photos, and are normal water bottles.
Winter war 1939. Mm27 uniform medic, notice he has "early" medic bag.
Continuation war 1941
Then Finnish army updated and made new medical bags, they were introduced in 1942, but are called m/43 medic bags. "Lääk.Mies" = medic soldier bag and "Lääk.Aliups." = Medic NCO bag.
Medic's often have pistols in Continuation war photos.
1942 medical training center photo, notice 1L water bottle.
Includes:
~6 pcs triangular bandage (one is marked "Ase V 3")
~17 pcs bandage made of paper??
-pile of some sort of thin gauze
-smaller gauzes dated 26.2.-80
I think bag original content have been changed at least in 1980. I believe all these bandages are for training new conscripts. The content is one-sided, only bandages, and they arent even protected by any paper/plastic wrapping.
I remember training with paper bandages in service 2008.
Finnish army did a lot of re-purposing with various bags or boxes they had left surplus of all miscelannelous guns they had after war.
They didn't even produce new equipment late 40-ties and fifties and stayed afloat with equipment they had. It was cheaper to buy war-surplus than produce new stuff.
Still, difficult to guess original use with such bare interior.
Grey mountings could have held two pliers and pen.
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