OK, I will throw my pick into the mix. It is “ the 1987 Finnish film “Talvisota” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp0O78bNXfI about the 1939-1940 Winter War against the USSR when it invaded tiny Finland (total population three million) expecting a walkover. But the Soviets met with absolute disaster from the Finns’ sacrifice, bravery, and ferocious fighting ability against the largest standing army in the world at the time. Long covered up by the Soviets, Nikita Khrushchev in his memoirs stated the 100 day war had cost the Soviets one million men. This is doubted by some, but the lowest estimate for their losses is 250,000 before a armistice was agreed upon.
The Winter War was quickly overclouded by World War 2, but it still stands as one of the most memorable David versus Goliath military contests in history.
When the Nazis invaded the USSR in 1941, the Russians launched air raids against Finland and started the Continuation War. The Finns reacted by driving the Soviet forces out of former conquered Finnish lands before stopping at their original 1939 borders. Both sides entrenched and things relatively quite until June 9th, 1944, when the now victorious Soviets were driving the Nazis back toward Germany. The Soviets decided the time was ripe for exacting vengeance against Finland and launched a massive attack against the Finns. With huge Russian losses they drove the Finns back into Finland, until the miracle Battle of Ihantala, where the Finns, inflicting huge causalities stopped the Soviets cold.
The Finns had very few artillery pieces but they had worked out a great method where as each artillary battery could be supported by all other batteries for bringing fire power to bear at any given point. “The famed fire correction method of Finnish Artillery, which enabled easy fire correction and quick changes of targets.[5] At the critical Ihantala sector of the battle, the Finnish defenders managed to concentrate their fire to the extent of smashing the advancing Soviet spearhead.[27] The clever fire control system enabled as many as 21 batteries, totaling some 250 guns, to fire at the same target simultaneously in the battle; the fire controller did not need to be aware of the location of individual batteries to guide their fire, which made quick fire concentration and target switching possible. This concentration was considered a world record at the time.” Except for three tanks captured by the Finns, one Soviet tank brigade was simply annihilated.
The leading soviet spearhead led into the concentrated position at Tali-Ihantala, were wiped out by Finnish artillery and a counter attack. The Soviets finding themselves now bogged down in Estonia by Operation Bagration against the Nazis and badly needing their forces in Finland, began to withdraw troops and went over from offensive, to defensive operations. On September 4th, a cease fire and armistice went into effect with the same borders of 1941 from where the Finns had first went on the offensive.
In the WW2 era democratic Finland, was the only country invaded by the USSR which was not totally conquered and retained their freedom from Soviet domination.
The ten day 1944 action in Finland is when some of the largest battles of the Continuation War were fought.
Surprised no freepers mentioned my 2 favorite faith films:
At Christmas - ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
- still waiting for the 60’s re-make I saw it 1st as a teenager entitled
‘It Happened One Christmas’ [w/ lead male/female role reversal]
for the kids I have to give a nod to ‘A Christmas Story’ too
At Easter - ‘The Ten Commandments’ truly epic with Charleton Heston