Winter War: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:37, 23 April 2004

Revision as of 18:31, 26 April 2004

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== Background ==

Finland had a long history of being a part of the [[Sweden|Swedish kingdom]] when it was conquered by [[Russia]] in [[1808]]. Following the end of [[World War I]], and the revolution that brought Soviet power to government in Russia, Finland had declared itself independent on [[December 6]], [[1917]]. The German-Finnish ties¹ remained close, although Finnish sympathy for the [[Nazi]]s was very sparse. The relationship between the Soviet Union and Finland was tense and frosty, in particular after the two periods of forced [russification]]. [[Josef Stalin]] feared that Germany would attack sooner or later, and was keen to avoid a German attack on [[Leningrad]] (now: Saint Petersburg) via Finnish territory.

Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a mutual nonaggression agreement, the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]], on [[August 23]], 1939. The Pact also included a secret clause allocating the countries of [[Eastern Europe]] between the two signatories. Finland was agreed to be in the Soviet "sphere of interest". The German attack on [[Poland]], [[September 1]]st, was followed by a Soviet invasion from the east. In a few weeks they had divided the country between them. The countries in the neighbourhood realized their fate could be the same. During the fall of 1939 Stalin demanded that Finland and the [[Baltic countries]] allow the Soviet Union to set up military bases on their soil - supposedly for defensive purposes. The Finnish government felt it had little alternative but to refuse Stalin's demands; on [[November 30]] the Soviets attacked with 23 divisions of 450,000 men who quickly reached the [[Mannerheim Line]]. Formerly classified Soviet archives have revealed documents proving that theThe war was based on a bogus border incident in which- the Sovietsso-called fired"shots onof andMainila" killedwhere Soviet artillery fired on their own soldiers, blaming it on the Finns. andWhile replyingthe inclaims kind.have never been considered credible by the Finns, they were only recently proven false by formerly classified documents.

Stalin expected to conquer the whole country by the end of the year, installing aA puppet regime, was created in the ocupied Finnish town of [[Terijoki]] (now [[Zelenogorsk]], Russia) on [[December 1]], [[1939]] under the auspices of the [[Finnish Democratic Republic]], and headed by [[Otto Ville Kuusinen]] for both diplomatic purposes (it immediately became the only Soviet-recognized Finnish government) and for military ones (it was hoped to cause Finnish [[Socialist]] defections). It was not particularily succesful. This republic existed until [[March 12]], [[1940]]. Its territoryand was eventually incorporated into Russia, intothe Russian [[Karelo-Finnish SSR]].

== The War ==

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In addition, to the surprise of both the Soviet leadership and the Finns, it turned out that the majority of the Finnish [[Socialist]]s did not support the Soviet invasion but fought alongside their compatriots against the common enemy. Many Finnish [[Communist]]s had moved to the Soviet Union in the [[1930s]] to "build Socialism", only to end up as victims of Stalin's [[Great Purges]], which led to widespread disillusion and even open hatred of the Soviet regime among Socialists in Finland. This partial healing of the wounds and rifts after the [[Civil War in Finland]] ([[1918]]), and [[Finland's language strife]], is still referred to as "the Spirit of the Winter War," although it should also be noted that many communists were not allowed to fight in Finland's [[conscription]] army because of their political background.

Soviet arrogance and/or incompetence was an important factor. The attackers weren't expecting much of a struggle, and due to Stalin's purges the commanders of the Red Army had suffered 80% peacetime losses. These were commonly replaced by people less competent but more pleasing to their superior, and tactics which were obsolete by [[World War One]] were sometimes witnessed. Tactics were strictly "by the book", what with a failed initiative carrying a high risk of execution. The Soviet army was also far less well prepared for winter warfare, particularily in forests, and heavily used vulnerable motorized vehicles. The so-called "Raatteentie Incident", where a Russian unit was wiped out after marching on a forest road straight into an ambush with Finnish soldiers on all sides, is still used in military academies as an example of what ''not'' to do.

Soviet arrogance was also a factor. One famous case was the so-called "Raatteentie Incident", where a Russian unit was wiped out after marching in the middle of a forest road straight into an ambush, with Finnish soldiers on all sides. Equipment shortage was another factor for the Finnish side. At the beginning of the war, only those soldiers who had been receiving basic training had uniforms and weapons. The rest had to make do with their own clothing with a semblance of insignia added and, in some cases, with their own guns. These mismatched "uniforms" were nicknamed "Model Kajander" after the Prime Minister [[Aimo Cajander]]. The Finnish tried to alleviate the shortages by making extensive use of the equipment, weapons and ammunition captured from the enemy.

Soviet arrogance was also a factor. One famous case was the so-called "Raatteentie Incident", where a Russian unit was wiped out after marching in the middle of a forest road straight into an ambush, withThe Finnish soldiers on all sides. Equipmentequipment shortage wasis anotheralso factor for the Finnishworth sidenoting. At the beginning of the war, only those soldiers who had been receiving basic training had uniforms and weapons. The rest had to make do with their own clothing with a semblance of insignia added and, in some cases, with their own guns. These mismatched "uniforms" were nicknamed "Model Kajander" after the Prime Minister [[Aimo Cajander]]. The Finnish tried to alleviate the shortages by making extensive use of the equipment, weapons and ammunition captured from the enemy.

Fortunately, the army had not changed the [[caliber]] of its weapons after independence and was able to use Soviet rounds.

== Foreign support ==

World opinion at large supported the Finnish cause. The World War hadn't really begun yet, for the time being the Winter War was the only real fight going on, on which the world's interest was focused. The Soviet aggression was generally deemed totally unjustified. Various foreign organizations sent material aid, such as medical supplies. Finnish immigrants in the [[US]] and [[Canada]] returned home, and many volunteers traveled to Finland (one of them actor-to-be [[Christopher Lee]]) to join Finland's forces. Sweden, for once not neutral, contributed with military supplies, cash, credits, humanitarian aid and some 8,700 Swedish volunteers prepared to die for Finland. Foreign correspondents in [[Helsinki]] wrote, and even greatly exaggerated, reports of supposed Finnish ingenuity and successes in combat.

Already within a month, the Soviet leadership began to consider to blewblowing the operation off, but Finland's government was reached by a preliminary peace offer (via Sweden's government) first in the end of January. Until then, Finland had factually fought for its existence. When credible rumours reached the governments in Paris and London, the incentives for military support were dramatically changed. Now Finland fought "only" to keep as much as possible of her territory in Leningrad's neighbourhood. But of course the public could know nothing about this – neither in Finland, nor abroad. For the public opinion, Finland's fight remained a struggle on life or death.

In February 1940 the [[Allies]] offered to help. 100,000 troops were to disembark at the [[Norway|Norwegian]] port of [[Narvik]] and allegedly support Finland via Sweden. However, only a small fraction was intended for Finland. Suspicions that the objective of the operation was to capture and occupy the Norwegian shipping harbour of Narvik and the [[Swedish iron ore (WWII)|North-Swedish iron ore fields]], in order to halt export to Germany, and fear of thereby becoming the battle ground of Allied and German armies, caused Norway and Sweden to deny transit. After the war it became known that the commander of the Allied expedition force actually was instructed to avoid combat contact with the Soviet troops.