RUSSIANS RETREAT IN ARCTIC FROM FINNS, COLD AND SNOW (12/22/39)

Microfiche-New York Times archives, Cabrillo College Library | 12/22/39 | Lansing Warren, Otto D. Tolischus

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12 & 13

14

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime”.)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Reported in Flight – 2-3
Reich Thanks U.S. for Aid To Crew of the Columbus – 3
Daily Worker Critic Forced Out of Job On Refusal to Attack ‘Gone With the Wind’ – 3
Incidents in European Conflict – 4
Paris Yellow Book Charges Hitler Gave Czech President ‘3d Degree’ – 6-8
Duchess of Windsor Aids Front’s Christmas Cheer – 8
French Deny Ore Contract Termed Deal With Reich – 8
Soviet Fliers Bomb Civilians in Waves – 10-11
Hitler Felicitates Stalin on Birthday - 14

[abb]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/dec39/f22dec39.htm

Red Army suffers defeats in Finland
Friday, December 22, 1939 www.onwar.com

In the Winter War... The main Soviet attacks against the Mannerheim Line, around Summa, continues with less force. Meanwhile, Finnish forces catch the Soviet 44th Motorized Division as it approaches Suomussalmi to attempt the relief of the trapped Soviet 163rd Division. The Finns block the road in front and behind the Soviet force and inflict enormous casualties in the ensuing close quarter fighting.

In Bucharest... Romania signs a trade convention with Germany.

In Paris... The Chamber of Deputies votes credits of 304 billion francs for the production of armaments in 1940. Prime Minister Daladier announces the strengthening of the Maginot Line and the completion of new fortifications in northern France and the Jura Mountains.

In London... The British Ministry of Economic Warfare announces that the Allied Contraband Control has detained 870,000 tonnes of goods destined for Germany, since September 3rd.

[abb]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/22.htm

December 22nd, 1939
UNITED KINGDOM: The government states that it has seized 870,000 tons of goods destined for Germany since the war began.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Dromio sunk in collision off Whitby. (Dave Shirlaw)

NORWAY: Norway’s Defence Minister, Christian Frederik Monson is replaced by Colonel Birger Ljundberg. (Greg Kelley)

FINLAND: The Finns caught the Russian 44th Motorised Division as it approached Suomussalmi to attempt the relief of the trapped 163rd Division.

The Finns blocked the road in front of and behind the Russians and used their ‘motti’ tactics using Suomi sub-machine guns, very effective weapons for close range forest work, then going in with grenades and knives.

ROMANIA: Bucharest: Romania signs a trade convention with Germany.

INDIA: Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow recognises the Muslim League. Jinnah celebrates by declaring today a “day of deliverance and thanksgiving” to be observed by all Muslims in gratitude for their release from the “tyranny, oppression and injustice” of Congress Raj in the provinces.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-61 damaged SS Gryfevale. (Dave Shirlaw)

[demshateGod]

I saw a documentary about this. The Finns sure fought hard for that land but the Russians’ willingness to send their people to certain death won that territory. Which they still own. I wonder if there’s any desire by the Finns to have it back.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Howard Rushmore, the movie reviewer fired by the Daily Worker, lived an interesting life. He became a fervent anti-communist, testifying to Congress about communists and fellow travelers in Hollywood. Then he became the editor of the notorious Confidential magazine, the basis of the magazine in the movie L A Confidential. In 1958 he broke into a taxicab in which his estranged wife was a passenger, killed her and committed suicide.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I wonder if there’s any desire by the Finns to have it back.

There is a nostalgic longing for the lost lands, especially Karelia, but hardly any ethnic Finns, Karelians, or Sami live there any more, mostly Russians.

[dfwgator]

Hitler Felicitates Stalin on Birthday

I didn't know Hitler and Stalin swung that way.

[Cheap_Hessian]

I personally find the Winter War fascinating and my question is about the British. How did the UK diplomatically handle this war?

I have also been looking on YouTube and it looks like there are some decent foreign films on the Winter War. Here is a trailer of a film called The Winter War - Talvisota

[demshateGod]

Me too. If they had just a little more help that little country could have completely repelled the Soviet Juggernaut. Even so, what they were able to accomplish vs impossible odds is why Helsinki is still known by that name. What Americans accomplished against the might British is astounding which is possible why I admire what the Finns did.

[demshateGod]

I should have proof read that a little more, yikes!

[Cheap_Hessian]

From what I understand the Finns didn't mess around. They booby trapped everything and preformed effective guerrilla war tactics. The Finns used ad hoc anti-tank weapons like Molotov cocktails. It's hard to think of a worse war to fight in than a Russian in the Winter War.

Here is an article about the White Death. Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper, killed 542 Russians through the course of the war.

Here is a U.S. intelligence report on Finnish tactics in WWII from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 6, August 27, 1942.

[demshateGod]

Wow, thanks for the links. I guess a little research would tell me why the Russians chose to invade in winter but I’ll take the quick answer. Do you know?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper, killed 542 Russians through the course of the war.

The subject of White Death came up on November 30, the day the invasion began.

11/30/39

See Virginia Ridgerunner's reply #11.

[Cheap_Hessian]

My guess it was a combination of politics and arrogance. Also, there were strategic reasons because the USSR was worried at the time about attacks from enemies through Finland.

The quick answer is since the USSR politically split Europe with Germany, they wanted to reap the benefits of this strategically ASAP. Also, they didn't expect much resistance from Finland(think the Baltic countries and Eastern Poland). Russian generals were promising Stalin a quick and easy victory which added to Russian arrogance.

The politics are mostly spelled out in the the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Arrogance is highlighted in an excerpt from this article from encyclopedia.com.

"Although Stalin showed a genuine readiness to bargain at the Moscow talks, Finland would not compromise. Stalin fell back on an alternative plan: the Leningrad military district would mount a full invasion of Finland. Serious resistance was not anticipated because Finnish workers would welcome the Soviets as liberators and refuse to fight: to encourage them a Finnish Peoples' government was formed by communist exiles led by O. W. Kuusinen to collaborate with the invasion."

The strategic reasons can be highlighted by the final Soviet demands in the Treaty of Moscow in the following picture.

[CougarGA7]

Day 23 of the Winter War, December 22, 1939

The first 150-bed field ambulance from the Swedish Red Cross arrives in Finland.
Photo: SA-KUVA

Enemy losses at Tolvajärvi-Ägläjärvi exceed 2,000

• General Headquarters approve Lieutenant-General Öhquist's proposal for a counteroffensive in the western Isthmus.

• Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops advance at Ägläjärvi. By 15.30 the village is under Finnish control.

• Two Finnish battalions pursue the Soviet troops retreating towards River Aittojoki.

• The enemy loses over 2,000 men in the fighting at Tolvajärvi-Ägläjärvi.

• The Ministry for Foreign Affairs wires the Finnish envoys in London and Paris to tell them that Finland desperately needs military assistance.

• The first 150-bed field ambulance from the Swedish Red Cross arrives in Finland. The staff of the ambulance comprise 5 surgeons, 2 consultants and 10 nurses under the leadership of Professor G. Nyström.

• Abroad: the Norwegian National Theatre in Oslo presents a Finnish programme including Heimo Haitto, the 14-year-old violin prodigy.

• Argentina is the first country to respond positively to the League of Nations' appeal for aid to be sent to Finland.

• The Hungarian Pen Club awards its medal for 1939 to the Finnish poet Otto Manninen.

[CougarGA7]

For those interested in the French Yellow Book a copy of it can be found here.

The French Yellow Book

[BroJoeK]

"...my question is about the British. How did the UK diplomatically handle this war?"

"France had been one of the earliest supporters of Finland during the Winter War. The French saw an opportunity to weaken Germany's major ally if the Finns were to attack the Soviet Union.

"France had other motives as well, because it preferred to have a major war in a remote part of Europe over one on French soil. France planned to re-arm the Polish exile units and transport them to the Finnish Arctic port of Petsamo. Another scheme was to execute a massive air strike with Turkish co-operation against the Caucasus oil fields.

"The British, for their part, wanted to block the flow of iron ore from Swedish mines to Germany, because the Swedes supplied up to 40 percent of Germany's need. The matter was raised by the British Admiral Reginald Plunkett on 18 September 1939, and the next day Winston Churchill brought the subject in the Cabinet.

"On 11 December Churchill opined that the British should gain a foothold in Scandinavia with the objective of helping the Finns, but without a war on the Soviet Union. Because of the heavy German reliance on Swedish iron, Hitler had made it clear to the Swedish government in December that any Allied troops on Swedish soil would immediately provoke a German invasion.

"On 19 December the French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier introduced his plan to the General Staff and the British War Cabinet.

"In his plan, Daladier created linkage between the war in Finland and the iron ore in Sweden. There was a danger of Finland's collapse under Soviet hegemony. In turn, Nazi Germany could occupy both Norway and Sweden. These two dictatorships could divide Scandinavia between them, as they had already done with Poland.

"The main motivation of France was to export the European battle front to Scandinavia in order to protect French soil, whereas the British were concerned with reducing the German war-making ability.

"The Military Coordination Committee met the next day in London and two days later the French plan was put forward. The Supreme War Council elected to send notes to Norway and Sweden on 27 December in which they urged the Norwegians and Swedes to help Finland and offer the Allies their support.

"Norway and Sweden rejected the offer on 5 January 1940.

"The Allies then came up with a new plan, in which they would demand that Norway and Sweden give them right of passage by citing the League of Nations resolution as justification. The expedition troops would disembark at the Norwegian port of Narvik and proceed by rail toward Finland, passing through the Swedish ore fields on the way.

"This demand was sent to Norway and Sweden on 6 January, but it too was rejected six days later.

"Stymied but not yet dissuaded from the possibility of action, the Allies formulated a new plan on 29 January.

"First, the Finns would make a formal request for assistance. Then the Allies would ask Norway and Sweden for permission to move the "volunteers" across their territory. Finally, in order to protect the supply line from German actions, the Allies would send additional units ashore at Namsos, Bergen, and Trondheim.

"The operation would require 100,000 British and 35,000 French soldiers with naval and air support. The supply convoys would sail on 12 March and the landings would begin on 20 March.

Peace of Moscow

"The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed on 12 March 1940 and went into effect the following day."

[Cheap_Hessian]

Wow, thank you. It's interesting to speculate on what the consequences would have been if the allies actually had carried out this operation before the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed.

It's also interesting to see how ambitious these French plans were considering how pedestrian their defensive strategy was.