This thesis examines Finnish soldiers’ experiences on the battlefield during the Winter War (1939-1940) and the Continuation War (1941-1944) through analyzing 245 war letters written by seven individuals who fought in the conflicts. A thematic data analysis approach is employed as a method to explore the narratives within these letters. The main themes expressed in the letters are identified and analyzed using the analytical framework of ”imitation of life” as presented by Povrzanović Frykman (2008) and Maček (2009), which serves as a guiding lens through which the soldiers’ representations of war are interpreted, focusing on their efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy and continuity amidst the disruptions of war. Additionally, the construction of enemy images and gender dynamics in the correspondence are analyzed. The Finnish soldiers’ letters depict a stark contrast between the brutality of war and their attempts to preserve elements of civilian life through acts of imitation, such as focusing on certain aspects of life like food and nature. Delving into the subjective experiences and emotional narratives as presented in the war letters, this thesis provides a nuanced understanding of human dimensions in wartime existence. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on soldiers’ wartime experiences and war letters, and offers insights into the complexities of war and the enduring legacies of conflict on individual and collective memory.

This essay attempts to bring the experiences of eight soldiers to light, seven of them Swedish and one English, that took part in the fighting on the western front as volunteers in the French foreign legion during World War One. The main source material consists of letters sent between these soldiers and another Swedish ex-foreign legionnaire, Sven Blom, both during Mr. Bloms recovery from wounds which put him out of service in late 1914, and through Mr. Bloms work as first secretary of the Swedish consulate in Paris, with the last letters dating to 1918. The letters, which are part of a large archive left behind by Sven Blom, are transcribed and analyzed in this essay to answer five questions posed in order to ascertain the experiences and mindset of these soldiers. Are there any common themes in the soldiers’ letters? Are there any examples where Swedish national identity is commented on by the soldiers? What is their experience of the war, and what do they choose to tell Mr. Blom about? How do they feel they are treated by the French system and French soldiers? And, what are the soldiers’ opinion of reports from the war, like their fellow Swede Elow Nilson’s articles in the Swedish newspaper Vecko-Journalen?