Transcript Finland`s Wars

Finland and WWII:
Three Wars
History of Finland
The Winter War, 1939-40
The Continuation War, 1941-44
Lapland War, 1944 - 1945
Brief History of Finland
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1155 A.D. Finland under Kingdom of Sweden
1808 Czarist Russia invades Finland
1809 Sweden surrenders Finland
“Grand Duchy of Russia”
Independence declared, 1917
(Bolshevik Revolution)
Civil War in Finland, 1918
Republic of Finland established, 1919
Constitution adopted
Finland: The Winter War
 Soviet-German NonAgression Pact, 1939
 Invasion by Soviet
Russia
 Nov 1939-March 1940
 Valiant effort with little
support
 Peace treaty, Finland
forced to cede
territories (%10) to
USSR
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Aspects of The Winter War
 Finnish forces were ill-equipped, but skillful
 Soviet attack stalled and even thrown back in
some areas
 USSR used air superiority, tanks, greater,
man-power to wear down Finnish defense
 Winter War drew world attention
The Continuation War
June 24, 1941- September 4, 1944
 Finland “co-belligerent” of Nazi Germany in
“Operation Barbarossa” (German attack on
USSR)
 Contested theories regarding reasons for
alliance, including:
 Finland’s security viewed as dependent on
collaboration with Germany (distrust of USSR)
 Opportunity to win back territories lost in WW
 Belief that Germany would win war.
The Continuation War
 Finland allowed Germans to attack via
Finland
 Declared war on USSR after bombing of
Finnish Cities
 Recaptured areas lost in Winter War
 Refused to join in attack on Leningrad
The Continuation War
Mannerheim President of Finland, August 1944  War in Static phase
1941 -summer 1944
 June 9, 1944: Soviets
attacked Finnish Front
(Karelian Isthmus)
 Nordic History’s largest
battle fought June 25July 6, 1944
 Armistice (USSR &
Finland, signed Sept.
1944
The Lapland War
Sept. 27, 1944 - April 27, 1945
 War fought against Germany, after signing of
armistice with USSR.
 Fighting in Northern Finland (Lapland)
 Finland under pressure from Allies and USSR
 Finns to disarm German troops and drive out
of Finland
 Finland required to withdraw to 1940-lines
 Finland to pay war indemnity to USSR
Results of Wars
 Loss of 85,000 Finnish lives 1939-1945
 Finland sole country among defeated
nations, not occupied by foreign troops
 Finland saved its independence (the Baltic
States annexed July 1940 by USSR)
 Continued development under democratic
government after Wars.
Väinö Linna (1920-1992)
 Self-taught factory worker
 Military service in
Continuation War (machinegun platoon)
 Author, first work in 1947
 Unknown soldier, 1954
 Historical Epic
 Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
 Backwoods Realism
 Working man’s perspective
 Regional types: Dialects