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. This book and max jakobsons book put the war firmly in its historical and political context. Kaila again a old book from 1950 but a good book about the battles and after war life of the people of lapland. The photographs and newspaper captions illustrate aspects of the book s topical matter from amore personalized perspective. 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. Their guerilla tactics were only aided by the freezing finnish. 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. 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. What are the best books to understand the finnish civil war. His poetry and short stories have been included in anthologies. Finnish ski troops used the rugged landscape to conduct hitandrun attacks on isolated soviet units.
World opinion at large supported the finnish cause. 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. 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. 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. In 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legend. 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. 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. The soviet union collapsed and moscow archives opened revealing new information about the winter war.
Are there any good books about the soviet invasion of finland. Much of the militarys materiel was outdated, and even proved unsuitable for the field during the winter war. There are a total of 20 winter war ww2 timeline november 30th, 1939 march th, 1940 events in the second world war timeline database. We have won just about enough ground to bury our dead. Besides the hungarian volunteer detached battalion, other hungarian volunteers fought in the winter war in the finnish army, travelling to finland individually. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 trotter, william on. 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.
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. 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 soviet attack on finland, 19391940 eloise engle, lauri. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles concerning the winter war and the continuation war, excluding literature in finnish and russian. 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. The winter war was fought in the four months following the soviet unions invasion of finland on november 30, 1939. 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 russofinnish winter war of 19391940 by william r. The book is mainly a factual but highly coloured description of the winter war which can probably be found much better elsewhere.
The story of the winter war between finland and soviet russia is a dramatic david versus goliath encounter. 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. Instructor at the light services combat school supervises practice with the suomi submachine gun. The winter war proved a costly victory for the soviets.
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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The finns not only survived the initial attacks but succeeded in inflicting devastating casualties before superior. Talvisota is a 1989 finnish war film directed by pekka parikka, based on the winter war, a novel by antti tuuri. The writing style is simplistic and poetic, giving the reader a boost in pride and rooting for the finns. Publishers weekly on november 30, 1939, the soviet unions red army invaded the young natio.
The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989. At the head of the resisting finnish forces stood field marshall mannerheim. We talk to finnish historian antero holmila about how that time is seen from a modern perspective. November 30 th, 1939, following the alleged shelling of russian troops by finnish soldiers, the soviet union launched an invasion on finland. The winter war goodreads meet your next favorite book. Other leading and trailing events may also be included for perspective.
I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. The finnish army of 160 000 men was opposed to an invading russian army consisting of 2000 russian tanks and 450 000 soldiers. Finland fought against big bad russia in the winter war. A short history of the winter war imperial war museums. In 1939, two finnish brothers are conscripted in the army to fight in the war between finland and the. 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. Aid from france to finland in the russofinnish winter war. Finnish defenders sometimes, though very rarely, took fallen frozen russian soldiers and posed them upright as psychological warfare. During the winter war the soviet red army invaded finland. Of the thousands literally of war books i have read in my 65 years this work would be in the top. Before the winter war, the finnish and soviet tactics had one thing in common. He says in his introduction that it is deeply indebted to halsti.
Entries are listed below by dateofoccurrence ascending firsttolast. The winter war by philip teir, tr by tiina nunnally. Numerically and technologically speaking, the massive soviet force had a tremendous advantage over the. Sweden did not become actively involved in the conflict, but did indirectly support finland. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 edwards recounts events, both shameful and heroic, with insight, conviction and considerable wit. I have never read a single volume history of one of my favorite countries, finland. Probably the best book on war that ive ever read among hundreds. 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. In the fighting, they lost approximately 126,875 dead or missing, 264,908 wounded, and 5,600 captured. 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.
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. When examining coverage of the winter war in the finnish press, we are dealing largely with the nations defence. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. 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. 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. Swedish volunteers in the russofinnish winter war, 19391940. List of books and articles about finnish history online.
But while the rest of the world dithered, finland was left alone to face the full might of the red army. 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. At the same year the film talvisota winter war was released which was the most expensive finnish movie at the time. Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. As a result of the war, the eastern third of sweden was established as the autonomous grand duchy of finland within the russian empire. 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 finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney war. In return, the finns postpone their peace talks with the.
The finnish air force had 116 airworthy planes on the eve of the winter war. Vaino linna 19201992 forms one of the most influential finnish writers of the postwar era. Thereupon massive soviet forces, dreadfully led, poorly trained and scandalously ill equipped for the arctic winter, stumbled forward into a massacre. Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia. 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. Common russian soldiers and finnish troops had a great deal of.
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. Finnish divisions, strength and equipment, tanks, air force and navy. It makes you think what it was like for the people who had to live in finland closeish to the boarder of russia. 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. The soviet tactics were, of course, much more demanding in this respect, as were their resources bigger for executing such attacks. Finlands war years 19391945 a list of books and articles. 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. 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.
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. 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. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. 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. Feb 22, 2011 it is included in his book finlands folk i kamp the finnish people at war from 1941. Russias invasion of finland, 19391940 by edwards, robert isbn. The french promise to send troops to aid finland, though the majority is planned to go to norway or sweden. Finland, a weak, sparsely populated, and diplomatically isolated nation, succeeded in imposing staggering costs on a far more potent aggressor. 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. One soviet general, looking at a map of the territory russia had acquired on the karelian isthmus, is said to have remarked. The finnish army was one of the smallest in europe. Jul 05, 2014 body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters to intimidate soviet troops, 1939. 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. Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article.
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. That is not to say i dont spend a lot of time reading about finland before and after trips i take there. Both were strongly emphasizing the attack, aiming for the encirclement and destruction of enemy forces. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii. Skis and reindeers make the finnish soldiers movable. R 714 fighters, dangerous to their own pilots as they were. During the winter war the material situation improved, but it still lagged behind the more modern and wellequipped red army. 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.
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. Finnish armed forces in the winter war 193940 ww2 weapons. 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. The soviets did so because they wanted a part of the finnish territory. 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. 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. This took place three months after the german invasion of poland that triggered the start of world war ii in europe. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war. Tanners minutebyminute descriptions of the wartime negotiations with the ussr indicate that the collapse of. For great britain, the blockade was an important weapon, and swedens demand to import freely favoured germany exclusively.
Body of frozen soviet soldier propped up by finnish fighters. Edwards the winter war is a mustread for anyone interested in the david vs. 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. 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. Start of finnish winter war sabaton official website. Plus the book downplayed the finnish alliance with the germans, but i gained respect for the tough fortitute of the finnish winter fighter. This experience led him to write a realistic novel, the unknown soldier, that earned him great success. Winter war alternative history finland alternative history. William trotters book provides a detailed and engaging account of the winter war. 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. It takes place in the late 1930s and the 1940s during the winter war against the soviet union and finland. Consequently, the finnish defence forces were lacking military materiel in almost all branches. 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. In my opinion its better than trotters book in that it does not wonder off after details too often.
The winter war when the finns humiliated the russians. Aid from france to finland in the winter war was significant in equipment and in artillery, if not in volunteers. However, this affected the way the winter war was remembered minimally. During world war i, sweden attempted to remain neutral and to assert its right to trade with the belligerent countries. Finlandswede philip teir is considered one of the most promising young writers in scandinavia. Originally a worker from a simple background, he took part in the fennosoviet wars of 19391944.