Farber, Henry S. and Gowa, Joanne. Message Urging Finland to Break with Nazi Germany. "Finland's Foreign Policy 1940–1941: An Ongoing Historiographic Controversy,", Polvinen, Tuomo. The Finnish Army was caught by surprise, largely because of the complacency of the Finnish High Command which had failed to take the necessary defensive precautions during the preceding years. The first two of these – the defensive Winter War in 1939–1940, and the Continuation War alongside the Axis Powers in 1941–1944 – were waged against the Soviet Union. Militaria, collectibles, insignia, buttons etc. Some elements in Finland maintained the dream of "Greater Finland" which included the Soviet-controlled part of Karelia. In spite of this, Finland retained an independent, democratic form of government. During this period the Finns are known to have been harassing supply columns and even carrying out raids against fortified Soviet positions. From the autumn of 1944, the Finnish army and navy performed many mine clearance operations, especially in Karelia, Lapland and the Gulf of Finland. During the period of Russian rule the country generally prospered. Due to the war, elections could not be held, and therefore the Parliament selected the Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, the Finnish commander-in-chief, as president and charged him with negotiating a peace. There are a total of [ 39 ] WW2 Finnish Aircraft (1939-1945) entries in the Military Factory.  • Changsha The country was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, but was the only country on the Soviet pre-World War II border to retain democracy and a market economy. [1], After the Eastern Front and peace negotiations between the Bolsheviks and Germany collapsed, the German troops intervened in Finland and occupied Helsinki. Finnish military and government leaders saw that the only thing left to do was to negotiate a peace treaty with Moscow. The Finnish State Aircraft Factory at Tampere went into license-production with the Dutch Fokker C.X two-seat bomber and reconnaissance plane in 1938. The very first attack on November 30, 1939 was an aerial bombardment of the city of Helsinki and all along the Finnish-Soviet border. Photos WW2 Finnish army. Moreover, during the war, Finland kept its army outside the German command structure despite numerous attempts by the Germans to tie them more tightly together. [28] However, it is worth pointing out that nearly all Finnish military engagements in World War II were fought solely against an autocratic power, the Soviet Union, and the lack of direct conflicts specifically with other democratic countries leads others to exclude Finnish involvement in World War II as an example of a war between two or more democracies.  • Indonesian National Revolution. As a result, some political scientists name it as one of the few instances where a democratic country was engaged in a war against one or more other democratic countries, namely the democracies in the Allied forces.  • First Indochina War Finland and Germany had made an informal agreement and schedule for German troops to withdraw from Lapland to Norway. She wa…  • Hong Kong [2], Paasikivi led a delegation to Tartu in Estonia with instructions to establish a frontier from lake Ladoga in the south, via Lake Onega to the White Sea in the north. As relations with the Soviet Union changed during the war, Finland was placed in the situation of being for, then against and then for the overall interests of the Allied powers.  • Sevastopol The Lapland War was fought between Finland and Nazi Germany in Lapland, the northernmost part of Finland. Part 2: Pistols and Submachine guns (UPDATED) Part 3: Other Infantry Weapons. The Finnish army of 160 000 men was opposed to an invading Russian army consisting of 2000 Russian tanks and 450 000 soldiers. Finland entered a personal union with the Russian Empire as a grand duchy with extensive autonomy. Futhermore, Finnish army used small manevrous strike-group’s, like rangers. ... Finnish E-tool, WW2 model, surplus 25.99 USD Temporarily out of stock. [13] It seemed that the Red Army had inexhaustible amounts of ammunition and supplies, as attacks were always preceded by barrages, followed by aerial assaults and then random troop movements against the lines.  • Territorial changes of Germany Due to the war, elections could not be held, and therefore the Parliament selected the Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, the Finnish commander-in-chief, as president and charged him with negotiating a peace. The treaty imposed heavy war reparations on Finland and stipulated the lease of the Porkkala area near the Finnish capital Helsinki as a military base for fifty years. The Soviet Union kept up intense pressure on Finland, thereby hastening the Finnish efforts to improve the security of the country. As part of the Paris Peace Treaty, Finland was classified as an ally of Nazi Germany, bearing its responsibility for the war. Of these, 14 had 37mm Puteaux gun, rest were machine-gun versions. The Finns have come back out in a new way (typically just after I started my new army!) RESOLUTION Adopted by the Council of the League of Nations, 14 December 1939", http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1939/391214a.html. On 24 August 1939 Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. [15] A demanding peace proposal was sent to Finland by Molotov in mid-February, claiming more land for the USSR and significant diplomatic and military sanctions. The main strategic interest of Germany in the region were the nickel mines in the Petsamo area. [8] By late December, the two main fronts had come to a standstill as the Finns were counterattacking with more strength and the Soviets were being bogged down.  • Soviet occupations The actual loss of life, however, was not catastrophic. Message Urging Finland to Break with Nazi Germany. [22][page needed].  • Syrmian Front  • Korsun–Cherkassy A period of frantic diplomatic efforts and rearmament followed. [33] It was the only country that fought alongside Nazi Germany which maintained democracy throughout the war. During the inter-war period, the relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union was tense. dina egna pins på Pinterest.  • Overlord [26][27], Finland was an anomaly amongst German allies in that it retained an independent democratic government. [16], The tenacity of the Finnish people, both military and civilian, in the face of a superior opponent gained the country much sympathy throughout the world. On 9 June 1944 the Soviet Army launched its attack on Finland deploying five armies totalling 450,000 men and 10,000 guns. UNIFORMS: Uniforms of Finnish Armed Forces and Civil Guard . ", Nordling, Carl O. The proximity of the Finnish border to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) caused worry in the Soviet leadership. After the Soviet invasion was halted; however, Ryti resigned. The mines caused many military and civilian casualties, particularly in Lapland. Zeiler, Thomas W.; DuBois, Daniel M., eds (2013). Sold 25 in the last two weeks. The attack was denounced by the League of Nations and, as a result, the Soviet Union was expelled from that body on 14 December. See more ideas about finnish, world war two, army. The German and Finnish troops in Northern Finland were less successful, failing to take the Russian port city of Murmansk during Operation Silver Fox.  • Military production FORMATIONS (Tables of Organisation and Equipment): Formations 1: Finnish Civil War 1918 By February 28, Molotov made his offer an ultimatum with a 48 hour time limit, which pushed the Finnish leadership to act quickly. "The Fact of Democratic Peace,", Military history of Finland during World War II, aerial bombardment of the city of Helsinki, Finnish defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus, closing the blockade of the city of Leningrad, a major strategic offensive against Finland, Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, concentration camps were set up for Russian civilians.  • Morgenthau Plan Mannerheim favoured intervention against the Bolsheviks but suspicion of the White Russians who refused to recognise Finnish independence led to his aggressive policy being overruled, then the Bolshevik victory in Russia forestalled Finnish hostilities. These aircraft were used until the end of WW2. Of approximately 500 Jewish refugees, eight were handed over to the Germans, a fact for which Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen issued an official apology in 2000.  • Atomic bombings Porkkala was returned to Finnish control in 1956. The Finnish units were raised in provinces. Numerically and technologically speaking, the massive Soviet force had a tremendous advantage over the smaller Finnish army and should have made short work of any opposition provided by the Finns. The 1947 Paris Peace treaty signed by Finland stated that Finland had been "an ally of Hitlerite Germany" and bore partial responsibility for the conflict. Finland was one of Germany's most important allies in the attack on the Soviet Union, allowing German troops to be based in Finland before the attack and joining in the attack on the USSR almost immediately. Indeed, the long period of static positional warfare had undermined the morale of the troops and made the Red Army’s attack all the more successful.  • Manhattan Project This meant that the reservists knew each other, which resulted in a … Kuusinen. The Moscow armistice was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 19 September 1944 ending the Continuation War, though the final peace treaty was not to be signed until 1947 in Paris. Eventually the Soviet offensive was fought to a standstill in the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, while still tens or hundreds of kilometres in front of the main Finnish line of fortifications, the Salpa Line. On 6 December 1917, during the Russian Civil War, the Finnish parliament Suomen Eduskunta declared independence from Russia, which was accepted by the Bolshevik regime of the Soviet Union on 31 December.  • Military awards Finland lost Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941. On 25 June the Soviet Union launched a massive pre-emptive air raid against Finnish cities, after which Finland declared war and also allowed German troops stationed in Finland to begin offensive warfare. Weapons such as hand grenades and portable artillery systems are also featured in this listing. It was the only European country bordering the Soviet Union in 1939 which was still unoccupied by 1945.  •  • Romania [14] The Soviets, using new equipment and materials, also began using tactics of rotating troops from the reserve to the front, constantly applying pressure to the Finnish defenders. The military history of Finland during World War II encompasses three major conflicts. During World War II, Finland was in many ways a unique case. In November 2003, the Simon Wiesenthal Center submitted an official request to Finnish President Tarja Halonen for a full-scale investigation by the Finnish authorities of the prisoner exchange[23] In the subsequent study by Professor Heikki Ylikangas it turned out that about 2000 of the exchanged prisoners joined the Wehrmacht, but among the rest there were about 500 political officers or politically dangerous persons, who most likely perished in concentration camps. Finnish military and government leaders had seen that the only thing left to do was to negotiate a peace treaty with Moscow. On 4 September 1944 a ceasefire was agreed, and the Moscow armistice between Soviet Union and United Kingdom on one side and Finland on another was signed on 19 September.[23]. On 6 Dec, the United Kingdom declared war on Finland. This caused Great Britain to declare war on Finland on 6 December. The Soviet Union kept up intense pressure on Finland, thereby hastening the Finnish efforts to improve the security of the country. [9] In the north, however, the Finns had been pushed back to Nautsi and with reinforcements took the higher ground to halt the Soviet advance south of Petsamo. By the end of hostilities, Finland remained an independent country, albeit "Finlandized", but had to cede nearly 10% of its territory, including its fourth largest city, Viipuri (Vyborg), pay out a large amount of war reparations to the Soviet Union, and formally acknowledge partial responsibility for the Continuation War. Relative strengths of Finnish, German and Soviet troops at the start of the Continuation War in June 1941.  • West Hunan It was in fact the only democracy in mainland Europe that remained so despite being an involved party in the war. Finland was the only European country bordering the Soviet Union and still unoccupied by 1945. This attack pushed the Finnish forces approximately to the same positions as they were holding at the end of the Winter War. The village of Ivalo destroyed by Germans during the Lapland War. The Finnish army expelled the last of the foreign troops from their soil in April 1945. The war had caused great damage to infrastructure and the economy. The resulting war was to be called the Continuation War. After the Soviet offensive was halted, however, Ryti resigned. Finland entered a personal union with the Russian Empire as a grand duchy with extensive autonomy. German troops arrived in Finland and took up positions, mostly in Lapland. The Karelian Isthmus and the area of Lake Ladoga was the primary focus of the Soviet war effort. The period of peace following the Winter War was widely regarded in Finland as temporary, even when peace was announced in March 1940.  • Crete The MG armed was named “Naaras”. Lauri Allan Törni (28 May 1919 – 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Alan Thorne, was a Finnish soldier who fought under three flags: as a Finnish Army Second Lieutenant of the Fourth Independent Jäger Infantry Battalion against the Soviets in the Winter War and the Soviet-Finnish sub-theater of World War II known as the Continuation War; as a German Army Captain (under the alias … The Finnish army also advanced further, especially in the direction of Lake Onega , (east from Lake Ladoga ), closing the blockade of the city of Leningrad from the north, and occupying Eastern Karelia , which had never been a part of Finland before.  • Surrender of Germany It was a country which sided with Germany, but in which native Jews and almost all refugees were safe from persecution.  • Bagration On 16 March 1944, the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, called for Finland to disassociate itself from Nazi Germany. On 31 July 1941 the United Kingdom launched raids on Kirkenes and Petsamo to demonstrate support for the Soviet Union. The sea mine clearance lasted until 1950. Finland entered into the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance (YYA Treaty) with the Soviet Union in which the Soviet Union agreed to the neutral status of Finland. Finnish Air Force. With mixed equipment and nearly as mixed reputation, they still form an interesting part of Finnish Army’s endeavors in WW2. Jews in Finland During the Second World War, The Simon Wiesenthal Center, press information, Heikki Ylikankaan selvitys Valtioneuvoston kanslialle, http://www.kolumbus.fi/rastas/nyky/reasons_ww2.html, An essay about Jews in Finland during World War II, Jaeger Platoon: Finnish Army 1918–1945 Web Site, History of World War II by region and country, Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, and British North Borneo, Finnish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, German prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, German prisoners of war in the United States, Italian prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, Japanese prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, Japanese prisoners of war in World War II, Polish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, Romanian prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Finland_during_World_War_II?oldid=5338851, Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls, Forster, Kent. Finland was Nazi Germany’s co-belligerent in WW2* as being attacked by the Soviet Union in 1939, but only received limited assistance, first from the West (France and UK) and up to 1944, from Germany. Of all the European countries fighting, only three European capitals were never occupied: Moscow, London and Helsinki. The Soviet Union did not accept this "friendliness" and pressured Finland to take a more active role in pushing the Germans out of Lapland, thus intensifying hostilities. ", This page was last edited on 6 January 2021, at 23:48. The Finnish Air Force was not an independent arm but formed part of the Army under its own commander.  • Leyte By March 13, 1940 the Winter War was officially over, the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed and the Soviet Union had gained more territory than it originally demanded.[17].  • Shumshu, • Attacks on North America "Polities and Peace", Russert, Bruce. The actual loss of life, however, was relatively light. According to the Finnish records 19,085 Soviet prisoners of war died in Finnish prison camps during the Continuation War, which means that 29.6% of Soviet POWs taken by the Finns did not survive. [citation needed]. A secret clause of this agreement marked Finland as part of the Soviet sphere of influence.  • Western Ukraine Arms purchases were balanced between East and West until the fall of the Soviet Union. In December 1941, the Finnish army took defensive positions. The Grand Duchy of Finland, as the country was named until 1917. [5] Strategic goals of the Red Army included cutting Finland in half and capture Petsamo in the north and Helsinki in the south. Finland was “invited” to join, but did not met Soviet demands and an invasion took place on November, 30, 1939.  • Lithuania However, about 1,000 POWs were shot, primarily when attempting to escape.  • Mariana and Palau The conditions for peace were similar to those previously agreed in the 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty, with Finland being forced to cede parts of Finnish Karelia, a part of Salla and islands in the Gulf of Finland. In 1809, the Russian Empire took Finland from Sweden in the Finnish War. The second front was in central Karelia, where the Soviet forces were to advance to the city of Oulu, cutting the country in half. Soviets at first have a great casualities with small success. [6], The Winter War was fought in three stages: the initial Soviet advance, a short lull and then a renewed Soviet offensive. The field synagogue operated by the Finnish army was probably a unique phenomenon in the Eastern Front of the war. Everything relating to the Finnish army, old and new, can be found right here!  • Soviet Union (Barbarossa)  • Cryptography On 12 October the Soviet Union started negotiations with Finland concerning parts of Finnish territory, the Karelian Isthmus, the Gulf of Finland islands and the Hanko Peninsula. "The Great Powers and Finland 1941–1944,", Kelly, Bernard. Th…  • Project Hula The first camp was set up on 24 October 1941, in Petrozavodsk. [21] Finnish Jews fought alongside other Finns for their country's freedom. Finland was dependent on food, fuel, and armament shipments from Germany during this period, and was influenced to sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, a less formal alliance than the Tripartite Pact seen as by the Nazi leadership as a "litmus test of loyalty". The main strategic interest of Germany in the region was the nickel mines in the Petsamo area. Before that several other military units had also been formed while Finland belonged to Sweden. [22], Approximately 2600 to 2800 Soviet prisoners of war were exchanged for 2100 Fennic prisoners of war from Germany.  • Operation Keelhaul During this period, starting at 1941 but especially after the major German defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad, intermittent peace inquiries took place. This led to a long period of relative calm in the front line, lasting until 1944. [16] The Finnish people were worn down and could no longer hold out against such vast, well-supplied numbers.  • Lend-Lease Finnish Austro-Hungarian M17 Steel Helmet, Surplus, Grade 2 153.99 USD 276.99 USD Finnish Jews were not persecuted, and even among extremists of the Finnish Right they were highly tolerated, as many leaders of the movement came from the clergy. Learn more about the Russo-Finnish War in … Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). "The Great Powers and Finland 1941–1944,". 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