Finland started the winter war book

Nov 30, 20 our main sources for this article were the hundred day winter war. This war began when stalin and his henchmen claimed. After the blitzkrieg attack on poland by germany, the winter war was the only other major military campaign until hitler unleashed blitzkrieg on western europe in the spring of 1940. Lundes finlands 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. After several months of fierce fighting during the socalled winter war, the soviets took control of some finnish territories. Jan 01, 2006 finlands fierce resistance changed the course of world war ii and saved a democracy. How finland lost world war ii to the soviets, but won peace. Winter war by william durbin nook book ebook barnes. It began with a soviet invasion of finland on 30 november 1939, three months after the outbreak of world war.

The timeline of the winter war is a chronology of events leading up to, culminating in, and resulting from the winter war. Dec 15, 2008 a breakdown of the war follows including the causes, finland and the ussrs expectations and advantages and disadvantages, propaganda techniques as well as war tactics for both countries, major battles, and ending with the effects of the winter war. At the same year the film talvisota winter war was released which was the most expensive finnish movie at the time. Dec 29, 2017 in the midst of wwii, stalin decided to invade the small nation of finland. Finland s stand against soviet aggression aroused the worlds admiration. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 trotter, william on. The winter war 193940 general military 9781472806314. After world war ii, finland would go on to become one of the ussrs closest partners in the west.

Russo finnish 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. Discussions on the winter war and continuation war, the wars between finland and the ussr. The treaty ending the winter war forced finland to cede 11 percent of its territory to the soviet union, yet the country maintained its independence and later squared off against russia a second. There was a long history of tension and violence between finland and the ussr.

Finlands gallant stand against the soviet army modern war studies by gordon f. 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. As relations with the soviet union changed during the war, finland was placed in the unusual situation of being for, then against and then for the overall interests of the allied powers. 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. World opinion at large supported the finnish cause.

The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 by william r. Joseph stalin and his inner circle were in a festive mood. During world war ii, finland fought the soviet union in the winter war and the continuation war and lost some land, but maintained independence. Plus the book downplayed the finnish alliance with the germans, but i gained respect for the tough fortitute of the finnish winter fighter. Aug 16, 2017 finlands stand against soviet aggression aroused the worlds admiration. 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.

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. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It takes place in the late 1930s and the 1940s during the winter war against the soviet union and finland. The winter war of 193940, in which stalin invaded finland to grab border territories and possibly to turn it into a communist state, was a disaster for the soviets. The winter war is a fantastic window into the littleknown war withina war between finland and the soviet union in 1940. Pretty much everybody was aware of, that if stalins orchestra gets to perform with the red army at town square in hel. After the soviet union lost its chance of a quick victory during december 1939 and after finland managed to achieve considerable victories, the attitude of foreign powers towards the finnish government started to change.

The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 eloise engle, lauri. The very day the war with finland started, i was in moscow with stalin. I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. Thus in all the total number of tanks employed in the winter war is around 6 000. The public face of this treaty was a tenyear period of nonaggression between nazi. The winter war was a direct result of the nazisoviet nonaggression pact of august 1939. Nikita sergeyevich khrushchev, a native ukranian, remembers very well. Fire and ice is a timeless story of courage against all odds, of a people united to preserve their freedom. Our main sources for this article were the hundred day winter war. A brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. The reason finland engaged in finlandization was primarily realpolitik. Finland s gallant stand against the soviet army modern war studies by gordon f. The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 engle, eloise, paananen, lauri on. It was, in a way, a classic case of being up against the wall.

The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 stackpole military history series 2 by engle, eloise, paananen, lauri isbn. Trotter has published twelve books as well as many articles. Finnish author erkki hautamaki was a councillor of education and a reservist in the finnish army, holding the rank of major. I cannot put this book down started yesterday morning, it has just gone. It makes you think what it was like for the people who had to live in finland closeish to the boarder of russia. 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. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney war. Learn more about the russo finnish war in this article. Finland participated in the second world war, twice battling the soviet union, and then against nazi germany. 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.

Paperback edition of engle and paananens authoritative account of the winter war. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. The finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective. The book i read was the winter war by william durban. Finnish military effectiveness in the winter war, 1939. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii.

The soviet government, which had declined to start any negotiations with the finnish government in helsinki during december 1939 the ussr. The winter war occurred between the finland and the soviet unionwho started the war in hopes of new territoryduring the harsh winter of 19391940. After world war ii, the war reparations demanded by the soviet union forced finland to industrialise. Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article. Talvisota is a 1989 finnish war film directed by pekka parikka, based on the winter war, a novel by antti tuuri. This war began when stalin and his henchmen claimed that tiny finland attacked the u. 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 russo finnish winter war of 19391940 trotter, william on.

Are there any good books about the soviet invasion of finland. The winter war was fought between finland and russia between november 1939 and march 1940. If you are really interested in the winter war this is the one book to buy. He used a finnish produced m2830 rifle, a variant of the mosinnagant rifle, and a suomi kp31 sub machine gun. May 09, 2018 finland didnt surrender, nor were they winning by the time the moscow peace treaty was signed in 1940. He is believed to have killed over 500 men during the 193940 winter war, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war. The defender had no options, only survive or let the kossacks in. Military history of finland during world war ii wikipedia. It is an accurate representation of finland s winter war against the u.

A veteran of historical and strategy gaming in finland, peter munter founded a. The winter war, however, proved to be only a curtain raiser for finland s growing entanglement in world war ii. He makes use both of older materials and of american documents that have only become accessible to researchers in the 2010s. The analysis of the starting phases, the continuation and the final peace treaty. In 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legend.

In my opinion its better than trotters book in that it does not wonder off after details too often. One finnish war veteran, lars loflund, believes there was nothing wrong with the russian people. While the red army had some 2 000 tanks against finland at the start of the war, on march 1940, when the war ended, the red army had 2 998 operational tanks against finland. Despite the passage of time, it is clear that in finland, the winter war is forever frozen into the nations. This history is a wellbalanced blend of narrative and. Finland remained largely an agrarian country until the 1950s. Finnish antitank units and tactics in the winter war. Hautamaki has completed a lengthy process and fulfilled a historical task in his book finland in the eye of the storm, which marshall mannerheim and his trusted aid vilho tahvanainen left for future generations. On the other hand, the threat of the soviet union was used also in finlands domestic politics in a way that possibly deepened finlandization playing the socalled idankortti, east card.

Finnish military history is a subject rich in lessons, however most of it is in finnish and what little information is out there in english is. Marko finds unsuspected reservoirs of strength within. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war. Winter war started november 30th 1939 with a soviet offensive and ended in moscow peace treaty march th 1940 kyosti kallio was the president of the republic of finlandwinter war lasted 105 daysthe moscow peace treaty forced finland to cede land and cities to the soviet union, a tenth of its territory of the timein winter war 21 396 were. This book analyzes the multifaceted phenomenon of finnish military effectiveness in the winter war 193940. The amazing story of finland in world war ii, 19391945. Fire and ice documents this timeless story of courage against all odds by a people united to preserve their freedom. The soviet union collapsed and moscow archives opened revealing new information about the winter war. The winter war russia against finland a ballantine book this is another common book. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. While not just a finnish focused book, i definitely believe it should be added here and looks at an often overlooked area of finnish military history. The number of artillery pieces in the finnish army. I had firsthand knowledge of what happened, including the strategic miscalculation on our side. Why was finland so successful during the winter war.

A finnish machinegun crew, wearing white to blend with the background of snow, in action against russian troops during the winter war. It is much like the winter war the soviet attack on finland 19391940 by eloise engle and lauri paananen as this book is more a starting out point than a detailed work on the subject. After polands defeat in the autumn of 1939, the soviet union, wishing to safeguard leningrad, demanded from finland a minor part of the karelian isthmus, a naval base at hanko hango, and some islands in the gulf of finland. There have been numerous reasons proposed for the finnish decision to invade, with regaining territory lost during the winter war being regarded as the most common. The winter war, however, proved to be only a curtain raiser for finlands growing entanglement in world war ii. The winter war of 19391940 or the russo finnish war was fought between the soviet union and finland. The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 stackpole military history series new ed by engle, eloise, paananen, lauri isbn. Told from the perspective of marko, the fourteenyearold polio survivor, the story captures the heroic defense of finland from the soviet aggressor. During her childhood, war remained fresh in peoples minds the second world war which finnish historians divide into the winter war of 193940, the continuation war of 194144 and the lapland war of 194445 and the short but brutal finnish civil war of 1918, just months after finlands declaration of independence from russia. A breakdown of the war follows including the causes, finland and the ussrs expectations and advantages and disadvantages, propaganda techniques as well as war tactics for both countries, major battles, and ending with the effects of the winter war. It is an accurate representation of finlands winter war against the u. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 edwards recounts events, both shameful and heroic, with insight, conviction and considerable wit. Information of the soviet invasion of finland 1939 1940.

More than a war story, though, this is a tale of resilience and selfdiscovery. After nazi germany invaded poland in september 1939, russia attacked finland in november 1939. The story is based on linnas experiences as an infantry man in the. Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia. On the eve of the winter war in 1939, the ambience at the kremlin was calm and relaxed. The film focuses on two farmers from the municipality of kauhava in the province of pohjanmaaostrobothnia, brothers martti and paavo hakala, serving in a finnish platoon. Even though this book was written for older children and teens, i enjoyed it. The soviet union attacked with superior forces but finland resisted the invasion successfully, albeit without any chance of victory. 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. In the midst of wwii, stalin decided to invade the small nation of finland. For the finns this was a chance to right the wrongs of the winter war, and having reached suitable defensive positions, the army was ordered to halt. The league of nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the soviet union from the organisation. Finnish reservists leave their homes and go to war.

The soviet demands were refused by finland and the winter war started. 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. The underlying cause of the winter war was soviet concern about nazi germanys expansionism. The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989. The country was at first defending itself from an invasion conducted by the ussr in 1939. The treaty ending the winter war forced finland to cede 11 percent of its territory to the soviet union, yet the country maintained its independence and later squared off. 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. Its takes place in finland in the years 19391940, so when the soviet union was starting to invade. The winter war russia against finland a ballantine book this is another common book that can be located on ebay or with ease. The war had not started yet, but they were celebrating with copious amounts of vodka as if they had already won.

Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. William trotters book provides a detailed and engaging account of the winter war. Mar 24, 2016 in the aftermath of the winter war, finland found itself drawing ever closer to nazi germany and eventually took part in operation barbarossa in 1941. In his book political historian hannu rautkallio explores american attitudes towards finland during the second world war, when the country fought a winter war and continuation war against the soviet union. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. The winter war was a war between the soviet union ussr and finland.

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. The underlying cause of the winter war was the soviet concern about nazi germanys expansionism. The bizarre sausage war that inspired hitler history. With finlands economy growing in the 1930s, it became a tempting target for soviet aggression. While they indeed fought tenaciously during the winter war 19391940, they were on the fence and very close to losing huge amounts of territo. This is the story of the quagmire of 1939 that often isnt talked about between. On a november morning in 1939, soviet bombers began attacking helsinki, finland.

The peace treaty resulted in territorial losses for finland, including the finnish part of karelia. The war began when the soviet union attacked finland on 30 november 1939 and it ended march 1940. Publishers weekly on november 30, 1939, the soviet unions red army invaded the young natio. Nenye, vesa, munter, peter, wirtanen, toni, birks, chris. But finland held out for 105 bitterly cold, fiercely combative days, until march 15, 1940, when a peace agreement ended the short, savage winter war. The continuation war began 15 months after the end of the winter war, also fought between finland and the ussr. 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. This is a good book if you are looking for an introductory volume on the winter war. During her childhood, war remained fresh in peoples minds the second world war which finnish historians divide into the winter war of 193940, the continuation war of 194144 and the lapland war of 194445 and the short but brutal finnish civil war of 1918, just months after finland s declaration of independence from russia. The soviet union claimed parts of finnish territory mainly.