Lotta Svärd
The history of women in the Finnish military is, however, far longer than just since 1995. During the Finnish Civil War, the Reds had several "Naiskaarti" (Women's Guard) units made of voluntary 16- to 35-year-old women, who were given rudimentary military training. The reactions on women in military were ambivalent during the Civil War. The fighting women of the Reds were shunned in the White propaganda but in the Red side propaganda they were admired and also compared to the "amazons of old". The White side founded their own female organization, Lotta Svärd in November 1918. While the "Lottas" were not front line fighting units per sé, as a paramilitary organization they handled several important second-line duties freeing men to the actual fighting service. A voluntary Lotta unit manned a searchlight battery of Finnish anti-aircraft artillery in defense of Helsinki in 1944. After the Continuation War, Lotta Svärd was declared a "paramilitary organization" and absolved in 1944.