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. Given the actions of russia and russian proxy forces in recent. Thereupon massive soviet forces, dreadfully led, poorly trained and scandalously ill equipped for the arctic winter, stumbled forward into a massacre. A story well told weaving a combination of personal interviews, contemporary diaries and source material, historians, live reenactments, and computer generated graphics, fire and ice tells the story of the personal. The winter war was a war between the soviet union ussr and finland. But while the rest of the world dithered, finland was left alone to face the full might of the red army. The winter war began three months after world war ii started, and the war had full media attention as other european fronts had a calm period. 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. With overwhelming numbers advantages in men and firepower, the soviets were.
Michaels grandfather died one hour before the cease fire ended the war. Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia. It was the winter war that convinced hitler that invading russia would be a cake walk. Told from the perspective of marko, the fourteenyearold polio survivor, the story captures the heroic defense of finland from the soviet aggressor. Germany regarded its operations in the region as part of its overall war efforts on the eastern front and provided finland with. November 30 th, 1939, following the alleged shelling of russian troops by finnish soldiers, the soviet union launched an invasion on finland. The exact number of soviet casualties in the winter war has been uncertain for decades. These figures contradicted even the lowest finnish estimates. Winter war white death the russofinnish war 193940.
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 continuation war was a conflict fought by finland and nazi germany, as cobelligerents, against the soviet union ussr from 1941 to 1944, during world war ii. As the photos below show, the finnish troops made deft and deadly use of a vicious winter and unforgiving landscape to exact the maximum toll from russian. A very good and clear history of the sovietfinnish winter war. Winter war, russofinnish war, world war ii, russian revolution, adolf. The finns not only survived the initial attacks but succeeded in inflicting devastating casualties before superior. The winter war was an epic life and death struggle that changed the course of world war ii, and saved a democracy. Instead, the winter war became one of the ussrs most shocking defeats. The winter war is a thorough and complete treatise about an important but little known opening act in the second world war. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney 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. It shows how the finnishrussian winter war of 1939 influenced world war ii and how finland mobilized against the worlds largest military power. This book analyzes the multifaceted phenomenon of finnish military effectiveness in the winter war 193940. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 william trotter isbn.
The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989. After the war, in a meeting of the high council, minister molotov represented an estimate of 200 000 dead, wounded and missing soviet soldiers. The entire world, including the watching germans, expected the war to end in a crushing soviet victory in a manner or weeks, if. Plus the book downplayed the finnish alliance with the germans, but i gained respect for the tough fortitute of the finnish winter fighter.
My father had talked often of the winter war and this is the book that truly explains what sacrifices and hardships the finns had to face during that fateful time in their history. At the same year the film talvisota winter war was released which was the most expensive finnish movie at the time. Jan 01, 2006 finlands fierce resistance changed the course of world war ii and saved a democracy. 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. Jun 06, 20 written back in 1973 by a husband and wife team, this small 200 pages book is a good but relatively lightweight compared to other books on the subject introduction to the russofinnish war of 19391940. The russofinnish winter war, 193940, is a regimentaldivisional scale game simulating the war between finland and the soviet union in the winter of 193940. Dec 23, 20 instead, the winter war became one of the ussrs most shocking defeats. Feb 02, 2018 the winter war began in november of 1939, when the soviets invaded finland, seeking to claim finnish territory. My father had talked often of the winter war and this is the book that truly explains what sacrifices and hardships the.
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. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii. Numerically and technologically speaking, the massive soviet force had a tremendous advantage over the smaller finnish army and. Soviet attack on finland november 30, 1939march 1, 1940following the german invasion of poland in september of 1939, the soviet union also invaded poland from the east, seizing polish territory, and, in effect, establishing a buffer zone between soviet territory and. The story of the winter war between finland and soviet russia is a dramatic david versus goliath encounter. This is an hisorical fiction book about the winter war, the war between finland and russia in 193040. The influence of the winter war in popular culture has been deep and wide, both in finnish culture and worldwide. Being of finnish descent, i was very proud to read of the finns and what they were able to accomplish against the soviet aggressors.
I had bought a hardcopy of the book and was able to purchase the kindle. First published in the united states under the title a frozen hell. World opinion at large supported the finnish cause. During the ominous lull between the nazi conquest of poland and the assault on france. Messerschmitt me 262 schwalbe first flight over berlin after 61 years, historical footage. The winter war the soviet unions invasion of finland. I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. A finnish army just a third the size of the soviet force slowed and bloodied the invaders until a peace deal ended the war. World war ii came to the north when fighting broke out between soviet and finnish troops. Fire and ice documents this timeless story of courage against all odds by a people united to preserve their freedom. Finnish military effectiveness in the winter war, 19391940. Both were strongly emphasizing the attack, aiming for the encirclement and destruction of enemy forces. The winter war was a direct result of the nazisoviet nonaggression pact of august 1939.
The winter war is a fantastic window into the littleknown warwithinawar between finland and the soviet union in 1940. The number of red army troops who froze to death is unknown. The winter war of finland and russia is the first television documentary to examine the conflict in detail. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. War can be viewed as an overall strategic victory for finland despite the territorial. The weather during the war was the coldest finnish winter ever registered. Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article. 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. Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. The winter war is a fantastic window into the littleknown war withina war between finland and the soviet union in 1940. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. This book is an exceptionally interesting account of the soviet invasion of finland, presumably to acquire, at the least, finnish land as a buffer against a possible nazi advance via norway. 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. Winter war with finland from 30 november 1939 to 12 march.
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. 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. Aug 04, 2018 messerschmitt me 262 schwalbe first flight over berlin after 61 years, historical footage. Why was finland so successful during the winter war.
Finlands fierce resistance changed the course of world war ii and saved a democracy. How a small force of finnish ski troops fought off a. The winter war tells the davidgoliath story, and the diplomatic back story. Much neglected, if not entirely unknown, in americans world war two frame of reference, is the war as it played out in the nordic regions. This book examines the leadup to the hostilities, the fighting that left more than 126,000 soviet troops killed or missing, and the wars ramifications. It was, in a way, a classic case of being up against the wall.
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. The winter war began in november of 1939, when the soviets invaded finland, seeking to claim finnish territory. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 edwards, robert isbn. Despite superior military strength the soviet union advance was halted by finland. The soviet tactics were, of course, much more demanding in this respect, as. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war.
Pretty much everybody was aware of, that if stalins orchestra gets to perform with the red army at town square in hel. 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 winter war 1989 is a finnish movie that tells the story of the 100 day winter war fought by finland against the soviet union from november 30, 1939 to march, 1940. In russian historiography, the war is called the soviet finnish front of the great patriotic war. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 chapel hill, nc. Jul 05, 2014 the weather during the war was the coldest finnish winter ever registered. These operations are discussed in a hundreds of books and can be found on an infinite number of websites. The finnish army of 160 000 men was opposed to an invading russian army consisting of 2000 russian tanks and 450 000 soldiers. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 by edwards, robert isbn.
Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 paperback may 27, 2009 by robert edwards author. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. In one case during preparations for battle the number of soldiers evacuated due. When finland rejected the demand, the soviet union launched an attack on november 30, 1939, beginning the russofinnish war. 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. Before the winter war, the finnish and soviet tactics had one thing in common. Jan 20, 2018 the war between russia and finland, generally referred to as the winter war, lasted from november 30th1939 to march th, 1940. In 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legend. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
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. Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish. Finnish military effectiveness in the winter war, 1939. It was partially occupied by the russians during the invasion and almost completely destroyed in the fighting. The russofinnish winter war of 193940 check date values in. The finnish air force had 116 airworthy planes on the eve of the winter war. There is an excellent museum dedicated to the battle and impressive monuments to both sides, including the famous liekki flame monument, dedicated to. 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. The winter war the soviet unions invasion of finland 193940. This history is a wellbalanced blend of narrative and. The public face of this treaty was a tenyear period of nonaggression between nazi germanyand stalins russia. Ussr russia finland world war ii winter war photos. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 paperback january 1, 2000 by william trotter author 4.
On 30 november 1939, the soviet unions powerful red army invaded the tiny nation of finland. At the stirring center of the story lie the resourcefulness and resolve of the finnish people, who against all military oddsin want of ammunition, food, sleep, and troopsfought a blundering. Fire and ice the winter war of finland and russia youtube. When finland rejected the demand, the soviet union launched an attack on november 30, 1939, beginning the russo. Toni wirtanen the story of the winter war between finland and soviet russia is a dramatic david versus goliath encounter. He understood the russian soldier and knew that a finnish defeat was inevitable. 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. The finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective. Fire and ice is a timeless story of courage against all odds, of a people united to preserve their freedom.
The winter war when the finns humiliated the russians. A brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. 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. The winter war the soviet unions invasion of finland 193940 the second world war was a vast conflict with hardfought clashes in places such as stalingrad, normandy, north africa, italy and the pacific theater. The photographs and newspaper captions illustrate aspects of the book s topical matter from amore personalized perspective. The soviet tactics were, of course, much more demanding in this respect, as were their resources bigger for executing such attacks. The defender had no options, only survive or let the kossacks in. Written back in 1973 by a husband and wife team, this small 200 pages book is a good but relatively lightweight compared to other books on the subject introduction to the russofinnish war of 19391940. In one case during preparations for battle the number of soldiers evacuated due to frostbite injuries was close to 10,000. With jason agnello, joe brady, phillip courtney, paul gitsis. Russian infantry divisions numbering 30,000 men by lightly equipped finnish forces a third as large. It seems to be the most commonly seen book on the winter war and is the one you can find in most libraries.
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