From Europe News:
Finland’s Second Invasion
British Freedom 5 December 2011
By George Whale
December 6th is Independence Day in Finland, for it was on that day in 1917 that the Finnish parliament formally adopted the declaration of independence, representing Finland’s secession from the Russian Empire. After centuries of domination, first by Sweden and then by Russia, the Finnish people were finally able to "step forward as a free nation among the other nations in the world.”
It was the Bolsheviks who decreed that "the Peoples of Russia”, including Finland and the Baltic regions, be granted right of secession – one of the few positive outcomes of the Bolshevik revolution. For the Baltic states independence was short-lived, whilst for Finland it was the trigger for a brief but bitter civil war between Reds (communists) and Whites, with the Whites eventually triumphing, if triumph is the right word for a conflict that ripped apart many families and communities. Afterwards life settled into some kind of normality as the new presidential democracy turned its energies to modernising an economy that until then had been mainly agricultural.
The sovereign Finns could barely have suspected that only twenty years later their country would again be plunged into bloody turmoil, by the new Russian Empire of vile dictator Josef Stalin. In 1939, the Soviets demanded permission to build military bases on Finnish soil. When the Finnish government refused this belligerent demand, Stalin orchestrated an attack on a Russian border post and, blaming it on Finland, used it as a pretext for invasion. So began the Winter War of 1939-40, one of the most momentous events in Finnish history.
The Soviet Army began amassing on Finland’s border during November 1939, and at the end of that month some 21 divisions (around 450,000 men) crossed over. Facing a Finnish army of only 180,000 men (many of them raw conscripts), and possessing overwhelming superiority in tanks, guns and aircraft, the Soviets were confident of a quick victory.
What they hadn’t bargained for was the fierce resolve of the Finnish soldiers. Led by Commander-in-Chief Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (who after the War became President of Finland), they responded with magnificent defiance to the attack on their homeland:
Utilizing local knowledge, white camouflage, and skis, Finnish troops were able to inflict staggering casualties on the Soviets. Their preferred method was the use of ‘motti’ tactics which called for fast-moving light infantry to swiftly encircle and destroy isolated enemy units. As the Finns lacked armor, they developed specialized infantry tactics for dealing with Soviet tanks. Utilizing four-man teams, the Finns would jam the tracks of enemy tanks with a log to stop it then use Molotov Cocktails to detonate its fuel tank. Over 2,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed using this method. After effectively halting the Soviets during December, the Finns won a stunning victory on the Raate Road near Suomussalmi in early January 1940. Isolating the Soviet 44th Infantry Division (25,000 men), the Finnish 9th Division, under Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo, was able to break the enemy column into small pockets that were then destroyed. Over 17,500 were killed in exchange for around 250 Finns. (From The Winter War: Death in the Snow, by Kennedy Hickman.)
Under Marshall Semyon Timoshenko, the Soviets launched a second, massive offensive. Again they suffered huge casualties, but through sheer weight of numbers eventually broke through defensive lines. Finland, receiving minimal assistance from neighbours Sweden and Norway, had no choice but to negotiate a settlement – the Moscow Peace Treaty – involving substantial concessions of territory. There followed an uneasy peace, during which Finland took the opportunity to re-arm. Conflict resumed in June 1941 (the so-called Continuation War), but Finland survived undefeated, a sovereign, democratic nation still. (...)
Posted December 5th, 2011 by pk
Finland’s Second Invasion
British Freedom 5 December 2011
By George Whale
December 6th is Independence Day in Finland, for it was on that day in 1917 that the Finnish parliament formally adopted the declaration of independence, representing Finland’s secession from the Russian Empire. After centuries of domination, first by Sweden and then by Russia, the Finnish people were finally able to "step forward as a free nation among the other nations in the world.”
It was the Bolsheviks who decreed that "the Peoples of Russia”, including Finland and the Baltic regions, be granted right of secession – one of the few positive outcomes of the Bolshevik revolution. For the Baltic states independence was short-lived, whilst for Finland it was the trigger for a brief but bitter civil war between Reds (communists) and Whites, with the Whites eventually triumphing, if triumph is the right word for a conflict that ripped apart many families and communities. Afterwards life settled into some kind of normality as the new presidential democracy turned its energies to modernising an economy that until then had been mainly agricultural.
The sovereign Finns could barely have suspected that only twenty years later their country would again be plunged into bloody turmoil, by the new Russian Empire of vile dictator Josef Stalin. In 1939, the Soviets demanded permission to build military bases on Finnish soil. When the Finnish government refused this belligerent demand, Stalin orchestrated an attack on a Russian border post and, blaming it on Finland, used it as a pretext for invasion. So began the Winter War of 1939-40, one of the most momentous events in Finnish history.
The Soviet Army began amassing on Finland’s border during November 1939, and at the end of that month some 21 divisions (around 450,000 men) crossed over. Facing a Finnish army of only 180,000 men (many of them raw conscripts), and possessing overwhelming superiority in tanks, guns and aircraft, the Soviets were confident of a quick victory.
What they hadn’t bargained for was the fierce resolve of the Finnish soldiers. Led by Commander-in-Chief Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (who after the War became President of Finland), they responded with magnificent defiance to the attack on their homeland:
Utilizing local knowledge, white camouflage, and skis, Finnish troops were able to inflict staggering casualties on the Soviets. Their preferred method was the use of ‘motti’ tactics which called for fast-moving light infantry to swiftly encircle and destroy isolated enemy units. As the Finns lacked armor, they developed specialized infantry tactics for dealing with Soviet tanks. Utilizing four-man teams, the Finns would jam the tracks of enemy tanks with a log to stop it then use Molotov Cocktails to detonate its fuel tank. Over 2,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed using this method. After effectively halting the Soviets during December, the Finns won a stunning victory on the Raate Road near Suomussalmi in early January 1940. Isolating the Soviet 44th Infantry Division (25,000 men), the Finnish 9th Division, under Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo, was able to break the enemy column into small pockets that were then destroyed. Over 17,500 were killed in exchange for around 250 Finns. (From The Winter War: Death in the Snow, by Kennedy Hickman.)
Under Marshall Semyon Timoshenko, the Soviets launched a second, massive offensive. Again they suffered huge casualties, but through sheer weight of numbers eventually broke through defensive lines. Finland, receiving minimal assistance from neighbours Sweden and Norway, had no choice but to negotiate a settlement – the Moscow Peace Treaty – involving substantial concessions of territory. There followed an uneasy peace, during which Finland took the opportunity to re-arm. Conflict resumed in June 1941 (the so-called Continuation War), but Finland survived undefeated, a sovereign, democratic nation still. (...)
Posted December 5th, 2011 by pk
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