On November 30, 1939, the Soviet Union (USSR) invaded Finland, beginning the Winter War, which is also known as the First Soviet-Finnish War. Their forces totaled 450,000 men, and they bombed Helsinki, killing around 100 citizens and destroying more than 50 buildings.
Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
Finland was the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden until the beginning of the 19th century, when, from February 21, 1808, until September 17, 1809, the Russian Empire waged war against the Kingdom of Sweden. Russia annexed Finland and made it a buffer state, which gave the Grand Duchy of Finland autonomy for a century. At the end of the 19th century, Russia began the policy of russification which bolstered the Finnish self-determination movements.
The USSR Was Trying To Regain Lost Territories
With the collapse of the Russian Empire, Finland became sovereign after a four-month civil war in May 1918, joining the League of Nations in 1920. Up until the early 1930s, Finland contended with conflict between the conservative and socialist parties, and in 1931, they outlawed the Communist Party. By the time of the USSR’s invasion, the extreme political parties had diminished, and the export-oriented economy was growing. In 1932, the USSR and Finland signed a non-aggression pact; this pact was reaffirmed in 1934. In 1938, after Stalin gained absolute power, the USSR began trying to regain the provinces from Tsarist Russia they lost. Finland began the process of “refresher training” as the situation unfolded.
Finland Refused To Concede To The USSR's Demands
Finnish soldiers gathering breakfast from a field kitchen during "additional refresher training" at the Karelian Isthmus on 10 October 1939. Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
In 1939, the USSR and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which included a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe into spheres of interest, with Finland in the Soviet sphere. As the situation in Europe intensified, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were forced to accept treaties that allowed the USSR to establish military bases on their soil. Finland refused, and Russia made preparations to invade.
During negotiations between the Soviets and a Finnish delegation on October 5, 1939, the Russians demanded that the border be moved westward 19 miles east of Vyborg; that Finland destroy existing fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus; cede the islands in the Gulf of Finland and the Rybachy Peninsula; and lease the Hanko Peninsula for 30 years as the Soviets established a military base there. In return, the USSR would cede Repola and Porajärvi municipalities n Eastern Karelia. Ultimately, the Finns rejected the Soviet’s offers and returned home, believing that negotiations would continue. Although the Soviets claimed that they were trying to secure the border to protect Leningrad, evidence suggests that they intended to conquer Finland and establish a puppet government.
The Invasion Began With A False Flag Operation
The bombing of Helsinki. Source: (Rare Historical Photos/colorized).
Four days before the war began, a Soviet border guard post near Mainila was shelled by an unknown party. According to the Soviets, four border guards were killed and nine were injured. Both Russian and Finnish historians concluded that it was a false flag operation. The Soviets then renounced the non-aggression pact and claimed this was Finnish provocation. It wasn’t until the 1980s that doubt was cast on the Soviet version of events.
Before the war began, the USSR expected that it would be over quickly and result in total victory for the USSR. The Soviet generals liked the Blitzkrieg tactics employed by the Germans, but these tactics were not suited to Finland; Finland lacked paved roads, the army centers were deep inside the country, and much of the terrain was comprised of forests and swamps. Much of the border was impassable, and the geography dictated the Finnish strategy.
The League Of Nations Expelled The USSR
Dense forests of Ladoga Karelia at Kollaa. A Soviet tank on the road in the background according to the photographer. Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
Finland’s large force of reservists had experience from the civil war and was trained in basic survival techniques, including skiing, and, although they didn’t have proper uniforms, they all had warm civilian clothing. The Finns faced a shortage of weapons and ammunition.
After the aerial attack, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov claimed that they were dropping humanitarian aid; the Finns sarcastically called these “Molotov bread baskets.” On December 1, the USSR created a puppet government, called the Finnish Democratic Republic. On December 14, Finland brought the invasion to the League of Nations, which expelled the USSR on December 14.
The Finns Fought Back With What They Had
Soviet tracks at Kianta Lake, Suomussalmi during a Finnish pursuit in December 1939. Nordic combined skier Timo Murama is pictured. Soviet tracks at Kianta Lake, Suomussalmi during a Finnish pursuit in December 1939. Nordic combined skier Timo Murama is p
The Finns lacked anti-tank weapons, but they figured out that they could use logs and crowbars to jam them into the bogie wheels, and they could lob Molotov cocktails to destroy them. They managed to destroy 80 Soviet tanks in the border engagements. As the war progressed, the Finns had the weather (the winter was exceptionally cold), the terrain, their ability to ski, and the long dark nights on their side. They wore white snow capes which acted as camouflage, and the cold weather led thousands of Soviet troops to die of frostbite. The Finns also used guerrilla tactics. And the Soviets underestimated “sisu” a Finnish world that cannot be translated but roughly equates to inner strength in the face of adversity.
Despite The Fight, Finland Ceded Territory
Body of frozen Soviet soldier propped up by Finnish fighters to intimidate Soviet troops, 1939. Source: (Rare Historical Photos).
Germany and Sweden both desired an end to the Winter War. On February 25, the USSR detailed peace terms, and four days later, Finland entered into negotiations. On March 12, 1940, The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed. By the end of the war, the number of casualties for the Soviets was high, and the situation was an embarrassment to the USSR. Finland lost more than Russia’s pre-war demands, ceding nine percent of its territory and being dragged into World War II. While both the Finns and the Soviets sustained losses, the war emboldened the Germans. The peace held for 15 months, until June 1941, when Nazi Germany began Operation Barbarossa and the Continuation War began.
