Nsweden finnish winter war book

This book analyzes the multifaceted phenomenon of finnish military effectiveness in the winter war 193940. In the winter war of 193940, finland successfully fought off a soviet invasion. 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. Fire and ice is a timeless story of courage against all odds, of a people united to preserve their freedom. I recommend this book to those who want to see what the other side was going through in the winter war, and how that experience brought about changes in the soviet military. Feb 22, 2011 it is included in his book finlands folk i kamp the finnish people at war from 1941. The winter war that the soviet union launched against finland in 1939 grew out of territorial disputes that had existed between the two nations for more than two hundred years. A brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. The winter war 19391940, where the soviet union invaded finland to impose their.

The winter war was fought in the four months following the soviet unions invasion of finland on november 30, 1939. Before the winter war, the finnish and soviet tactics had one thing in common. Finnish military effectiveness in the winter war, 1939. 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. Would stalin have stopped at the exchange of territory that he wanted to move the border 25 kilometres back from leningrad, and lease of the hanko peninsula to the ussr for 30 years in exchange the soviets offered to cede to finland about 8,800 square kilometers of karelia along the finnish. The winter war occurred between the finland and the soviet unionwho started the war in hopes of new territoryduring the harsh winter of 19391940. Sweden did not become actively involved in the conflict, but did indirectly support finland. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles concerning the winter war and the continuation war, excluding literature in finnish and russian. Sisu is what allowed finnish soldiers to creep close to soviet tanks to throw grenades, plant charges, and even attempt to crow bar off their treads. 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. It was certainly the heart of their resistance during the winter war. Finnish military effectiveness in the winter war, 19391940.

In terms of machines of war was this disparity very clearly highlighted so this post covers finnish armour in world war ii. 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 the finnish declaration of independence in 1917 to the sovietfinnish negotiations in 19381939. The story of the winter war between finland and soviet russia is a dramatic david versus goliath encounter. That is not to say i dont spend a lot of time reading about finland before and after trips i take there. 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. All members in good standing are free to post here. As a result of the war, the eastern third of sweden was established as the autonomous grand duchy of finland within the russian empire. I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. Before we return to the foreign press for a final summation, its perhaps also worth taking a look at the finnish press and the winter war more specifically, how the finnish newspapers reacted to, and reported on, the winter war. Finnish defenders sometimes, though very rarely, took fallen frozen russian soldiers and posed them upright as psychological warfare. Plus the book downplayed the finnish alliance with the germans, but i gained respect for the tough fortitute of the finnish winter fighter.

Finland, a weak, sparsely populated, and diplomatically isolated nation, succeeded in imposing staggering costs on a far more potent aggressor. Both were strongly emphasizing the attack, aiming for the encirclement and destruction of enemy forces. It makes you think what it was like for the people who had to live in finland closeish to the boarder of russia. 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. It is included in his book finlands folk i kamp the finnish people at war from 1941. Sovietrussian view of the reasons of the winter war and establishment of the karelo finnish soviet socialist republic. Finnish armour in the winter war of wwii playing with. The finnish people feel that sisu constitutes the heart of their national culture. The book is mainly a factual but highly coloured description of the winter war which can probably be found much better elsewhere. The finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish. Pages 3347 from the saga of the karelofinnish republic by i. Finnish winter war era division and infantry regiment were much lighter and more weakly equipped armamentwise than their soviet equivalents, hence the major improvement made by starting of continuation war was giving them additional units, which gave them reasonable antitank and antiaircraftcapacity, that they had been earlier lacking. Common russian soldiers and finnish troops had a great deal of.

Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article. If you too make this assumption you will be sadly dissappointed. Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. Finlandswede philip teir is considered one of the most promising young writers in scandinavia. I purchased this book believing that it would be a war diary or at least a collection of interviews with swedish volunteers from the winter war. The epic of the soviet finnish winter war, allen f. For great britain, the blockade was an important weapon, and swedens demand to import freely favoured germany exclusively. The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 by william r. The soviet union collapsed and moscow archives opened revealing new information about the winter war. Finland at war, the winter war 193940 warlord games. A finnish army just a third the size of the soviet. Winter war alternative history finland alternative history.

Sovietrussian view of the reasons of the winter war and establishment of the karelofinnish soviet socialist republic. The winter war 193940 general military 9781472806314. The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989. The winter war when the finns humiliated the russians.

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 finnish air force had 116 airworthy planes on the eve of the winter war. Jan 20, 2018 the war between russia and finland, generally referred to as the winter war, lasted from november 30th1939 to march th, 1940. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. 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. 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. After this so called continuation war, the border was again brought to the 1940 line, which was the result of the winter war, which again was the result of. This book describes the struggle for power between two totalitarian dictatorships in the north of europe and the battle for survival of a small nation caught between them. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a. 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. 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. It takes place in the late 1930s and the 1940s during the winter war against the soviet union and finland. Published in 1954, the unknown soldier chronicles the continuation war between finland and the soviet union during 19411944 from the viewpoint of ordinary finnish soldiers. 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.

Swedish volunteers in the russofinnish winter war, 19391940. Drawing on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, pasi tuunainen shows how by foc. The epic of the sovietfinnish winter war by allen f chew isbn. In his first book, journalist edwards delivers a lively, opinionated account of this halfforgotten but major war. 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. The public face of this treaty was a tenyear period of nonaggression between nazi germanyand stalins russia. At the head of the resisting finnish forces stood field marshall mannerheim. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war. I have never read a single volume history of one of my favorite countries, finland. Suomen sota was fought between the kingdom of sweden and the russian empire from 21 february 1808 to 17 september 1809. Dec 23, 20 how a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a massive soviet army. Standard histories of world war ii tend to treat the russofinnish winter war which lasted from november 30, 1939 to the middle of march, 1940 as a kind of prelude or sideshow to the main event, but at the time the plight of the valiant finns, invaded by the russian giant, aroused worldwide sympathy leading in fact to the ouster of the ussr from the league of nations. Jul 05, 2014 body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters to intimidate soviet troops, 1939. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles.

Finlands heroic struggle to preserve independence and defend its territories, citizens, and culture against the russian superpower to the east has been acknowledged many times, as have the bravery and resourcefulness of the finnish troops in the 105day conflict termed the russofinnish winter war of 193940 hereafter shortened. The story of the hungarian volunteers was published by antal ruprecht in a bilingual hungarian and finnish book in 2003. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters to intimidate soviet troops, 1939. World opinion at large supported the finnish cause. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney war. Jan 01, 2006 finlands fierce resistance changed the course of world war ii and saved a democracy. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. The winter war was a war between the soviet union ussr and finland. It proved impossible to move them in the first echelons, as the attacks were almost always made through rugged terrain. This site has been the online leader in mosin nagant research more many years and is without a doubt the site others are compared to. The winter war is always topical when speaking about finnish selfconsciousness says antero holmila, a researcher at the university of jyvaskyla with a background in british academia, and the editor of a book entitled talvisota muiden silmin the winter war through the eyes of others.

The title implies that the book will focus on the swedish volunteers in the russo finnish winter war. It began with a soviet invasion of finland on 30 november 1939, three months after the outbreak of world war ii, and ended three and a half months later with the moscow peace treaty on march 1940. Pages 3347 from the saga of the karelo finnish republic by i. List of books and articles about finnish history online. In other words, finnish troops did not enter the territory of russian socialist soviet republic until much later. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. A finnish ski patrol, lying in the snow on the alert for russian troops.

On november 30, 1939, the soviet unions red army invaded the young. He says in his introduction that it is deeply indebted to halsti. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a massive. His poetry and short stories have been included in anthologies. The authors cover enough of the geopolitical problems that led up to the winter war, along with the military operations and first person accounts, to give you a pretty broad overview of the war from the finnish perspective. The winter war 30 november 1939 march 1940 was a conflict fought between the soviet union and finland. Finnish antitank units and tactics in the winter war. 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. Despite the passage of time, it is clear that in finland, the winter war is forever frozen into the nations.

Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia. Finnish weapons, russian weapons, soviet weapons, history, the winter war, militaria, and. Nov 30, 20 our main sources for this article were the hundred day winter war. Nenye, vesa, munter, peter, wirtanen, toni, birks, chris. This is a good book if you are looking for an introductory volume on the winter war.

It began when the soviet union tried to invade finland soon after the invasion of poland. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a massive soviet army. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by the miniatures page. Our main sources for this article were the hundred day winter war. Finlands gallant stand against the soviet army modern war studies by gordon f. Drawing on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, pasi tuunainen shows how by focusing on their own strengths and pitting these against the weaknesses of their adversary, the finns were able to inflict heavy casualties on the red army whilst minimizing their own losses. The swedish volunteer corps provided 9,640 officers and men. This took place three months after the german invasion of poland that triggered the start of world war ii in europe. 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. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters. Share read this book and over 1 million others with a kindle unlimited membership. The soviet military forces expected a victory over finland in a few weeks, because the soviet army had many more tanks and planes than the finnish.

In 1930s, as the finnish general staff had evaluated the finnish defenses, it had predicted that the red army would use its tanks mainly on the karelian isthmus and even in there mostly on the roads only. The winter war showed also that atguns werent suited for offensive operations in the finnish winter. 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. At the same year the film talvisota winter war was released which was the most expensive finnish movie at the time. The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 eloise engle, lauri. One finnish war veteran, lars loflund, believes there was nothing wrong with the russian people. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii. What are the best books to understand the finnish civil war. Finland in wwii can best be described as having three phases. The soviet tactics were, of course, much more demanding in this respect, as were their resources bigger for executing such attacks. During world war i, sweden attempted to remain neutral and to assert its right to trade with the belligerent countries. In 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legend.