Thereupon massive soviet forces, dreadfully led, poorly trained and scandalously ill equipped for the. The second world war had not yet begun in earnest and was known to the public as the phoney war. The soviet union collapsed and moscow archives opened revealing new information about the winter war. The 50th anniversary of the winter war started a new era in 1989.
The winter war was a war between the soviet union ussr and finland. Though trotters book gives quite a good overview of the winter war i would refrain from rating it too highly. And they were fed the same food as the people at the farm did. A soviet book of red army war heroes in the winter war. Pages 3347 from the saga of the karelo finnish republic by i. Faced with the difficulty of engaging with an overwhelmingly superior invading force, mannerheim placed his forces on a defensive footing, while making skilled use of the prevailing severe winter conditions and natural surroundings to harass the advancing russians. It began with a soviet invasion of finland on 30 november. There are not that many books available to the english reader on the winter war and this has always been a problem for the finnish collector and researcher. The red army soldiers were put to work in the finnish farms because the men were at war, and the guarding of these men was quite loose to be honest. Citing concerns about a potential attack by the germans, stalin demanded that finlands border with russia be moved back 16 miles along the. Edwards recounts events, both shameful and heroic, with insight, conviction and considerable wit.
The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 audiobook by william r. The russofinnish winter war of 193940 by william trotter. At the beginning of the 1990s the atmosphere changed. Being of finnish descent, i was very proud to read of the finns and what they were able to accomplish against the soviet aggressors. Scandinavia wwii books on the war in norway, denmark. My father had talked often of the winter war and this is the book that truly explains what sacrifices and hardships the finns had to face during that fateful time in their history. It is well written and structured, providing good contextualisation as to the path to war, the roles of key actors and events, detailed accounts of the various battles and how they fitted into the wider war, and gives a good overview from both finnish and soviet perspectives. Jul 20, 2016 finlands winter war with the soviet union, waged over the course of 105 days from november 1939 to march 1940, should be an object of study for all students of military strategy.
Trotter audio books, best sellers, author bio audible. It does offer a treatise of from pretty much solely from the finnish perspective to the winter war, but that is riddled with errors which luckily usually remain on the small detail level. The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 and millions of other books are available for instant access. The russofinnish winter war of 19391940 trotter, william on. They won the war in the sense that they could dictate the terms of peace in their favor. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Although documenting the winter war, it provides a fascinating. His poetry and short stories have been included in anthologies. The winter war ended in march 1940 with the signing of the moscow peace treaty. World unimpressed with winter war heroics yle uutiset yle. The finns are a proud people, and the book is from the finnish view so i would not call it 100% objective. The epic of the soviet finnish winter war, allen f. Aug 14, 2014 the finnish civil war 1918 offers an account of the history and memory of the conflict and traces its legacy in finnish society until today. Swedish volunteers in the russofinnish winter war, 19391940.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 by william r trotter online at alibris. New historical research questions the dearlyheld myth that the international community admired and applauded finlands bravery during the. Foreign support of finland in the winter war wikipedia.
World opinion at large supported the finnish cause. Finland was forced to cede 11 percent of its territory to the soviet union along with 30 percent of its economic assets. The russofinnish war of 193940 reprint by trotter, william r. Finlandswede philip teir is considered one of the most promising young writers in scandinavia. The background of the winter war covers the period before the outbreak of the winter war between finland and the soviet union in 19391940, stretching from the finnish declaration of independence in 1917 to the sovietfinnish negotiations in 19381939.
Political background of the winter war a brief swedish and finnish history 7 the geographical location problem the nonaggression treaty between germany and the soviet union 15 soviet demands on finnish territory 18 molotovs address to the supreme soviet of the soviet union 21 swedens military preparedness 26. Before we return to the foreign press for a final summation, its perhaps also worth taking a look at the finnish press and the winter war more specifically, how the finnish newspapers reacted to, and reported on, the winter war. Many of the stories and facts of the winter war have been gleamed from movies as well as internet sites dealing with the subject, but printed reference works are few and far between. My first contacts with the winter war came through skimming picture books. They also gained more than they had initially demanded from finland before launching their surprise inva. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. At the head of the resisting finnish forces stood field marshall mannerheim. Until a comprehesive military history of the war is written this book is the best avaiable. In this last video for 2018 we present you the first finnish victory during the winter war. Before the winter war, the finnish and soviet tactics had one thing in common. Hi everyone, im attempting to find some information about my finnish grandfathers service in the winter war. Trotters account is the best one yet of this unique war. The war, therefore, became an infantry duel, waged across a frozen landscape.
The winter war of 19391940 was a military conflict between the soviet union and finland that began with a soviet offensive on 30 november 1939two months after the start of world war ii and the soviet invasion of poland and which ended on march 1940 with the moscow peace treaty. Finland, a weak, sparsely populated, and diplomatically isolated nation, succeeded in imposing staggering costs on a far more potent aggressor. William trotters book provides a detailed and engaging account of the winter war. Sovietrussian view of the reasons of the winter war and establishment of the karelo finnish soviet socialist republic. Foreign support in the winter war consisted of materiel, men and moral support to the finnish struggle against the soviet union in the winter war. Winter war alternative history finland alternative history. Firstly, i have the uk edition, titled the winter war. Share read this book and over 1 million others with a kindle unlimited membership. It began with a soviet invasion of finland on 30 november 1939, three months after the outbreak of world war ii, and ended three and a half months later with the moscow peace treaty on march 1940.
The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 by trotter, william r isbn. Jan 01, 2000 in 1939, tiny finland waged war the kind of war that spawns legendsagainst the mighty soviet union, and yet their epic struggle has been largely ignored. The soviet attack on finland, 19391940 stackpole military. The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 first edition by trotter, william r isbn. Publishers weekly on november 30, 1939, the soviet unions red. As the book explains, the germans were able to draw upon the experiences of their finnish allies, plus their own resllience, to wage an effective war against the soviet union in the far north and threaten the strategic ports of murmansk and archangel. This book analyzes the multifaceted phenomenon of finnish military effectiveness in the winter war 193940. The underlying cause of the winter war was soviet concern about nazi germanys expansionism. The russo finnish winter war of 19391940 by william r.
On war and the winter war florida state university. This is a book of battlessavagely fought, often with great heroism on both sides. Russofinnish war november 30, 1939march 12, 1940, also called the winter war, war waged by the soviet union against finland at the beginning of world war ii, following the conclusion of the germansoviet nonaggression pact august 23, 1939. I find this to be a more apt title than the more excitingly titled american edition. Learn more about the russofinnish war in this article. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The league of nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the soviet union from the organisation. Drawing on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, pasi tuunainen shows how by focusing on their own strengths and pitting these against the weaknesses of their adversary, the finns were able to inflict heavy casualties on the red army whilst minimizing their own losses.
The winter war when the finns humiliated the russians. Since its publication, vom kriege hereafter referred to in the text as on war has been thoroughly scrutinized by many authors, but few of them apply his trinitarian method to a specific war, and none could be found who employ it to analyze the winter war. It was an epic battle of a tiny finnish force of four thousand men against a. Jun 01, 2008 a brisk, efficient account of one of the most overlooked episodes of world war iithe soviet invasion of finland. Why did the soviet union lose the winter war of 1939. The only surviving member of the family from that era thinks he served in the th regiment, swedish speaking finns which i think is abbreviated to jr in most historical documents. The stories of finlands war children sue saffle in 2001, while living in finland, i became fascinated by stories about the mass evacuations of finnish war children during the winter 19391940 and continuation wars 19411944 fought mostly against the. The book paints a unified picture of finland that redeemed its freedom through a blood offering. Not many escaped as they knew what waited for them in the ussr. As it is impossible to prevent anybody to copy material from web sites, in case you copy any of my maps, sketches etc. This book is an amateurish military history of an oft overlooked conflict at the very beginning of wwii.
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