During the winter war the soviet red army invaded finland. The soviet union collapsed and moscow archives opened revealing new information about the winter war. Winter war alternative history finland alternative history. The finnish army of 160 000 men was opposed to an invading russian army consisting of 2000 russian tanks and 450 000 soldiers. The molotovribbentrop pact 1938 between nazi germany and the soviet union decided in secret that finland would become a part of the soviet sphere of interest. During the times of the cold war, numerous memoirs of high officers and wartime politicians as well as military history studies highlighted the role of. There are not that many books available to the english reader on the winter war and this has always been a problem for the finnish collector and researcher.
When examining coverage of the winter war in the finnish press, we are dealing largely with the nations defence. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 by william r. Finland, a weak, sparsely populated, and diplomatically isolated nation, succeeded in imposing staggering costs on a far more potent aggressor. Other leading and trailing events may also be included for perspective. World opinion at large supported the finnish cause. There are some old books which are good viisi sodan vuotta from wsoy its from 1958 and has alot of good photos and info on both the winter war and 194144 war including photos and info on the lapland war but its only with finnish text and a good book on the lapland war is lapin sota by toivo t. Plus the book downplayed the finnish alliance with the germans, but i gained respect for the tough fortitute of the finnish winter fighter. He says in his introduction that it is deeply indebted to halsti. The winter war by philip teir, tr by tiina nunnally. The book is mainly a factual but highly coloured description of the winter war which can probably be found much better elsewhere. Originally a worker from a simple background, he took part in the fennosoviet wars of 19391944. In my opinion its better than trotters book in that it does not wonder off after details too often. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles concerning the winter war and the continuation war, excluding literature in finnish and russian. In 1939, two finnish brothers are conscripted in the army to fight in the war between finland and the.
Lundes finland s war of choice is a book that concentrates on the war of 194144 and also has description of lapland war though only a bare mention of the winter war. Finnish defenders sometimes, though very rarely, took fallen frozen russian soldiers and posed them upright as psychological warfare. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war. Publishers weekly on november 30, 1939, the soviet unions red army invaded the young natio. Russofinnish war november 30, 1939march 12, 1940, also called the winter war, war waged by the soviet union against finland at the beginning of world war ii, following the conclusion of the germansoviet nonaggression pact august 23, 1939. The finnish air force had 116 airworthy planes on the eve of the winter war. The stories of finlands war children sue saffle in 2001, while living in finland, i became fascinated by stories about the mass evacuations of finnish war children during the winter 19391940 and continuation wars 19411944 fought mostly against the. At the same year the film talvisota winter war was released which was the most expensive finnish movie at the time. The soviets did so because they wanted a part of the finnish territory. This was my first book from this general series of military history books stackpole i believe and i will now be getting more from them. On war and the winter war florida state university.
Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 edwards recounts events, both shameful and heroic, with insight, conviction and considerable wit. Most books on the winter war suffer from micro analysis of battles and battle tactics, statistics and minutiae that numb a reader largly ignorant of this war and the other finnish wars of the period 19391945. William trotters book provides a detailed and engaging account of the winter war. The winter war was fought in the four months following the soviet unions invasion of finland on november 30, 1939. For most of finland s history, the country had lived on the periphery of world events, but for a few weeks during the winter of 193940, finland stood at the center of the world stage. The winter war, also known as the russofinnish war, was a david and goliath battle between the tiny finnish army and the ussrs mighty red army. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 by edwards, robert isbn. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Jul 05, 2014 body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters to intimidate soviet troops, 1939. It is older than many books upon the winter war and as such is written from a heavy finnish bias and limited access to archival material.
The finnish civil war 1918 offers an account of the history and memory of the conflict and traces its legacy in finnish society until today. Despite their much smaller size and strength, the finns were able to hold off the soviets for more than two months before the larger force redoubled its efforts and. Tanners minutebyminute descriptions of the wartime negotiations with the ussr indicate that the collapse of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A book about the winter war by vaino tanner, finland s foreign minister during the conflict, provides a different perspective, the author having been a leading social democrat, and principal on the finnish negotiating team. The background of the winter war covers the period before the outbreak of the winter war between finland and the soviet union in 19391940, stretching from. Battlefield scandinavia the forgotten front finnish. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles.
Swedish volunteers in the russofinnish winter war, 19391940. Probably the best book on war that ive ever read among hundreds. Faced with the difficulty of engaging with an overwhelmingly superior invading force, mannerheim placed his forces on a defensive footing, while making skilled use of the prevailing severe winter conditions and natural surroundings to harass the advancing russians. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 trotter, william on. Are there any good books about the soviet invasion of finland. The soviet tactics were, of course, much more demanding in this respect, as were their resources bigger for executing such attacks. Hi everyone, im attempting to find some information about my finnish grandfathers service in the winter war. In the fighting, they lost approximately 126,875 dead or missing, 264,908 wounded, and 5,600 captured.
It borders on the gulf of bothnia and sweden in the west, on norway in the north, on russia in the east, and on the gulf of finland and the baltic sea in the south. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney war. The story is based on linnas experiences as an infantry man in the. Many of the stories and facts of the winter war have been gleamed from movies as well as internet sites dealing with the subject, but printed reference works are few and far between. The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989.
In return, the finns postpone their peace talks with the. It takes place in the late 1930s and the 1940s during the winter war against the soviet union and finland. Suomen sota was fought between the kingdom of sweden and the russian empire from 21 february 1808 to 17 september 1809. Much of the militarys materiel was outdated, and even proved unsuitable for the field during the winter war. The story of the winter war between finland and soviet russia is a dramatic david versus goliath encounter. Skis and reindeers make the finnish soldiers movable. This experience led him to write a realistic novel, the unknown soldier, that earned him great success.
March, 2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the winter war, the name finland gives to the phase of the second world war that lasted from november 30, 1939 to march, 1940. The winter war when the finns humiliated the russians. The thirty moranesaulnier fighter aircraft that france supplied for the finnish air force fought to great effect through the war, as did the 98 caudronrenault c. The tables listing the finnishcanadian volunteers in the winter war and finnishcanadians in the canadian armed forces during world war ii depict the reality of the wartime setting as it effected many families in canada. Both were strongly emphasizing the attack, aiming for the encirclement and destruction of enemy forces. I have never read a single volume history of one of my favorite countries, finland. This took place three months after the german invasion of poland that triggered the start of world war ii in europe. Common russian soldiers and finnish troops had a great deal of. During world war i, sweden attempted to remain neutral and to assert its right to trade with the belligerent countries. Their guerilla tactics were only aided by the freezing finnish.
Kaila again a old book from 1950 but a good book about the battles and after war life of the people of lapland. Finnish ski troops used the rugged landscape to conduct hitandrun attacks on isolated soviet units. The winter war of 19391940, also known as the russofinnish war, saw the tiny finnish army take on the might of the soviet unions gigantic red army. What are the best books to understand the finnish civil war. I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. Aid from france to finland in the russofinnish winter war. During the winter war the material situation improved, but it still lagged behind the more modern and wellequipped red army. Of the thousands literally of war books i have read in my 65 years this work would be in the top. Foreign support in the winter war consisted of materiel, men and moral support to the finnish struggle against the soviet union in the winter war. This book and max jakobsons book put the war firmly in its historical and political context. The french promise to send troops to aid finland, though the majority is planned to go to norway or sweden. For most of finlands history, the country had lived on the periphery of world events, but for a few weeks during the winter of 193940, finland stood at. The photographs and newspaper captions illustrate aspects of the book s topical matter from amore personalized perspective.
Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia. The finnish army was one of the smallest in europe. A short history of the winter war imperial war museums. There are not that many books available to the english reader on the winter war and this has always been a problem for the finnishcollector and researcher. Entries are listed below by dateofoccurrence ascending firsttolast. The finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective.
His poetry and short stories have been included in anthologies. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters. Sweden did not become actively involved in the conflict, but did indirectly support finland. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii. Winter war on november 30th 1939, three months after the outbreak of world war 2, the soviet union declares war on the neutral nation of finland. Finland believed the soviet union wanted to expand into its territory and the soviet union feared finland would allow itself to be used as a base from which enemies could attack. R 714 fighters, dangerous to their own pilots as they were. Numerically and technologically speaking, the massive soviet force had a tremendous advantage over the. As a result of the war, the eastern third of sweden was established as the autonomous grand duchy of finland within the russian empire. Winter war clip the writer, whose father had just joined the finnish army in the summer of 1939, believes that most people are tired of the propaganda films and history books that leave out uncle josephs genocide and simply magnify stalins defeat of hitler. Aid from france to finland in the winter war was significant in equipment and in artillery, if not in volunteers.
Questions dealing with the enemy and hostilities were naturally a dominant daily topic in finnish newspaper editorials and articles and the subsequent reputation of the winter war is dominated by an image of the finns complete. Before the winter war, the finnish and soviet tactics had one thing in common. Talvisota is a 1989 finnish war film directed by pekka parikka, based on the winter war, a novel by antti tuuri. When close to half a million soviet troops poured into finland in 1939 it was expected that finnish defences would collapse in a matter of weeks. But while the rest of the world dithered, finland was left alone to face the full might of the red army. One of the most valiant stories of world war iithe heroic finnish stance against the red army when russia invaded finland in november 1939, the international community reacted with a combination of shock and outrage. Finnish armed forces in the winter war 193940 ww2 weapons. As a result, the allies stopped a large percentage of swedens trade. The winter war proved a costly victory for the soviets.
The amazing story of finland in world war ii, 19391945 a soldier with a pack reindeer, on slippery ice, near the tiny village of nautsi, in northern lapland, finland, on october 26, 1941. Historically, when the soviet union attacked finland on november 30 1939, sweden declared itself a nonbelligerent rather than a neutral power and sent money, weapons, ammunition and volunteers among them several military pilots with planes to aid finland in the fight against the su. We have won just about enough ground to bury our dead. At the head of the resisting finnish forces stood field marshall mannerheim. One soviet general, looking at a map of the territory russia had acquired on the karelian isthmus, is said to have remarked. Start of finnish winter war sabaton official website. That is not to say i dont spend a lot of time reading about finland before and after trips i take there. We talk to finnish historian antero holmila about how that time is seen from a modern perspective. During the ominous lull between the nazi conquest of poland and the assault on france, the soviet union sought palpable assurances from neutral, democratic finland to protect vulnerable leningrad against attack, ostensibly from the british or the french, but in fact from hitler. Jul 20, 2016 finlands winter war with the soviet union, waged over the course of 105 days from november 1939 to march 1940, should be an object of study for all students of military strategy. Finnish divisions, strength and equipment, tanks, air force and navy.
Under the pretext of seeking territorial changes to protect the city of leningrad, the vast red army envisions a quick victory against the small and poorly equipped finnish defence force. Feb 22, 2011 it is included in his book finlands folk i kamp the finnish people at war from 1941. While few in the west even remember its name, the winter war launched a chain of events that just might have brought down hitler, handed the allies victory during world war ii, and thus shaped the last 75 years of world history it was 1938 and the soviet union sought to bolster their newlychristened city of leningrad from a possible german attack on the eve of world war ii. Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland.
The battle ended with the treaty of moscow in which the soviet leaders managed to gain a larger proportion of finnish territory than they wanted before the conflict started. The amazing story of finland in world war ii, 19391945. Besides the hungarian volunteer detached battalion, other hungarian volunteers fought in the winter war in the finnish army, travelling to finland individually. There are a total of 20 winter war ww2 timeline november 30th, 1939 march th, 1940 events in the second world war timeline database. The only surviving member of the family from that era thinks he served in the th regiment, swedish speaking finns which i think is abbreviated to jr in most historical documents. May, 1918 between the leftist red guard supported by some 40,000 soviet troops and favoring close ties with the ussr and the conservative finnishnationalist white guard, led by marshal carl gustav emil mannerheim and aided by german troops, the white guard emerged victorious. Vaino linna 19201992 forms one of the most influential finnish writers of the postwar era.
The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 eloise engle, lauri. List of books and articles about finnish history online. The finnish literature society, publisher of books from finland, is of unique importance as a collector of finnish folk poetry and folk tradition, a publisher of literature and a promoter of research into the finnish language and history. Consequently, the finnish defence forces were lacking military materiel in almost all branches. For great britain, the blockade was an important weapon, and swedens demand to import freely favoured germany exclusively. William durbin when russian troops invade finland during the winter of 193940, marko, a young polio victim determined to keep his homeland free, joins the finnish army as a messenger boy. Finland fought against big bad russia in the winter war. Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article.
November 30 th, 1939, following the alleged shelling of russian troops by finnish soldiers, the soviet union launched an invasion on finland. It tells the story of a finnish infantry regiment jr 23, which consists almost solely of men from southern ostrobothnia, focusing mainly on a platoon of reservists from kauhava. It is well written and structured, providing good contextualisation as to the path to war, the roles of key actors and events, detailed accounts of the various battles and how they fitted into the wider war, and gives a good overview from both finnish and soviet perspectives. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. It makes you think what it was like for the people who had to live in finland closeish to the boarder of russia. Thereupon massive soviet forces, dreadfully led, poorly trained and scandalously ill equipped for the arctic winter, stumbled forward into a massacre. The winter war of 19391940 was a military conflict between the soviet union and finland that began with a soviet offensive on 30 november 1939two months after the start of world war ii and the soviet invasion of poland and which ended on march 1940 with the moscow peace treaty. The finns not only survived the initial attacks but succeeded in inflicting devastating casualties before superior. The writing style is simplistic and poetic, giving the reader a boost in pride and rooting for the finns. In 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legend. Edwards the winter war is a mustread for anyone interested in the david vs. Instructor at the light services combat school supervises practice with the suomi submachine gun.