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Posted on 03/23/2005 10:24:01 PM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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During the winter of 1939-40, the Finns fought the Soviet Union in an epic struggle for Karelia, the outcome of which can only be called miraculous.  The history of Karelia has been one of frequent warfare. A glance at a map will show why. The Karelian isthmus which lies north of St. Petersburg (Leningrad) and surrounds Lake Ladoga occupies a position not unlike the Holy Land in the Middle East. It is at the end of the Baltic Sea. Control of this land dominates the trade routes which head South and East to the Orient. The Karelian coat of arms reflects this. It shows the curved sword of the East opposed by the straight sword of the West over a large crown. From about 1200 AD on, Finland had been controlled by Sweden. In the 18th century the Tsars had made several forays into Finland and taken parts of Karelia. A secret agreement at Tilst between Napoleon and Alexander I of Russia gave the Tsar a free hand in the conquest of Finland, and in 1809 he exercised that option by taking the entire country. It was renamed the Grand Duchy of Finland.  Until the assassination of Alexander II in March 1881, Finland had been an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. She had her own language, parliament, armed forces, military conscription and coinage. Laws were passed which discriminated against Russian Orthodoxy in favor of Lutheranism and clearly favored non-Russian citizens. In 1891 a reaction to this practice became Russian policy with the declaration of Russian as the official language. In 1898 NI Bobrikov was appointed governor general of the Duchy. Bobrikov's style was uncompromising. Everything was to be subservient to Mother Russia. In 1901 Finland's legislature was stripped of its power, and in 1902 her independent armed forces suddenly found themselves an extension of the Tsar's army. Young men were conscripted to fight the Tsar's wars. The press was controlled and direct petitions to the Tsar were ignored. However, on June 16, 1904, Bobrikov was assassinated and a spirit of revolution swept the land. This was followed by a number of events throughout the Russian Empire which eventually brought down the monarchy.  On December 6, 1917, Finland declared its independence and fought its own version of the "revolution" in a civil war in which White forces under the leadership of Carl Gustav Mannerheim prevailed over Red Army. For 20 years, Finland, like others, had neglected its military despite warnings from Mannerheim. After World War I, Finland had been given control of the Åland Islands by the League of Nations and with the consent of Sweden with the understanding that no military forces were to be stationed on them.  Soviet Union´s and Finland´s troops in the beginning of Winter War With the rise of Hitler in 1933 and the ever increasing military build-up by Germany under Hitler and finally the acquisition of territories starting in 1938, Molotov and Stalin, himself, began secret negotiations with a few Finnish representatives in an attempt to force the Finns into giving up control of the Åland Islands, Hanko and other strategic islands in the Baltic plus a large strip of land to the north of Leningrad in return for indefensible parts of Soviet Karelia. However, the Finns could not do this without violating their trust with other Scandinavian countries and the League of Nations.  Hitler looked for any excuse to retake Poland which had been lost by Germany during World War I. In order to secure his Eastern frontier from attack from Russia which also had designs on parts of Polish territories, lost during World War I, Stalin and Hitler signed a "non-aggression pact." It included several secret agreements. It gave Germany the right to take all of Poland except the four Eastern-most counties. These, plus the Baltic States and Finland were to be given to Stalin, if he could take them.  On September 1, 1939, German troops crashed across the Polish frontier in a blitzkrieg and took Poland in a matter of weeks. Stalin's troops moved into the Baltic States and eastern Poland with ease. On November 26, 1939 a border "incident" at Mainila, which even the Russians did not believe, took place.  In Taipale, the bridges at Kiviniemi over River Vuoksi, Karelian Isthmus, were blown up. The enemy could cross the river but soon the Finns were succesfull in their attempts to stop the advancing enemy at the line Koukkuniemi-Terenttilä for the entire war.  Soviet infantry acrossing river Rajajoki in Karelian Isthmus 30th November 1939. Soviet photo. On November 30, 1939, it was Stalin's next move. 250,000 Russian troops under the cover of a coordinated air and artillery bombardment crossed into Finland to begin one of the least publicized and most costly campaigns in the annals of military history. It would be a "walk over;" General Meretskov estimated it would take only 10 to 12 days for his 26 well equipped 14,000 man divisions to reach Helsinki. Russian propaganda had been so convincing that it was felt that the Finns would be waving flags and welcoming the Red Army with open arms. Opposing him were nine poorly equipped 11,000-man Finnish divisions.  Damage after first bombings 30th November 1939 Meretskov never suspected that his army was about to plunge into a frozen hell, the second coldest winter since 1828, and oppose Mannerheim, probably one of the greatest defensive tacticians since Robert E. Lee. So confident were the Soviets of a quick victory march to Helsinki that they came with parade bands, but without winter uniforms, without supplies for a protracted campaign and without medical services. Even more sinister was the fact that Stalin had purged most of his regular army officers two years earlier and placed most of the responsibility for the army in the hands of political commissars.  General Meretskov For 105 days the world held its breath and learned the word sisu, while Russians died at the incredible rate of nearly 10,000 per day and the Finns lost 250 per day. When the armistice finally came on March 13, 1940, the Finns counted 25,000 dead, 55,000 wounded, and 450,000 homeless, a terrible price for a country of only four million people. However, even the Finns did not know the devastation that they had caused the Russians until years later. All this was at the hands of an army of less than 250,000 (mostly light infantry, home guard units) with hardly any anti-tank weapons (except Molotov cocktails) and 41 operational fighter aircraft. In the words of my father-in-law, Antti Olavi Pönkänen, who fought in this war: "Our lakes are full of dead Russians."  The Russians attacked in company, battalion and regimental strength across frozen lakes, their dark uniforms easily visible against the white snow. Machine guns enfiladed the lakes and home guard troops, most of whom were expert shots, armed with one of the best military rifles ever made, the Sako Arms version of the Russian rifle, picked them off one by one. One Finnish soldier, Corporal Simo Häyhä was credited with more than 500 known kills.  Field Marshall Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim One of the most famous early battles of the Winter War occurred at Suomussalmi during December, 1939. The Russian 44th Division advanced along the Raate Road from the south and the 163rd Russian Division advanced from Juntusranta from the North. They were supposed to link up at Suomussalmi and then head West across Finland to Oulu and cut the country in half. Russian troop strength totaled 48,000 men, 335 cannon, 100 tanks and 50 armored cars. The Finnish defenders reinforced from a few thousand now numbered 17,000 with 11 cannons under the command of Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo; his only hope was to defeat the Russians in detail. And he did.  To slow down the 163rd in the north, Finnish ski troops made wide circling flanking movements of 20 to 30 miles under cover of the long night and caught the rear and middle parts of the column by surprise. They found Soviet soldiers huddled around fires in -40° weather easy prey to sub-machine gun fire and grenades. Almost any wound was fatal. As the 44th approached Suomussalmi down the Raate Road, they had to pass between Kuomasjärvi and Kuivasjärvi on a narrow isthmus. 350 Finns in hand-to-hand combat closed the isthmus. Trees were now felled across the road in front and behind with the 44th Division strung out along the road. The 163rd only six miles north engaged in desperate struggles to push the Finns west, but were stopped. Much of this fighting was hand to hand. After four days, both the 163rd and 44th were stopped dead in their tracks. Now Russians of the 163rd Division, after throwing their weapons away made an attempt to escape back to Russia. Two Finnish machine gun platoons and a guerrill a company helped them back to Russia.  Russian soldiers killed alongside their vehicles The 44th fared even worse. Trees blocked the roads which prevented movement. The frozen lakes around them were death traps. Any attack across the lakes were met with machine gun fire. The Russian dead were permitted lie frozen in the snow over the lakes until the thaw when their bodies sank to the bottom. Several attacks by the Finns further demoralized the Russians. Orders from the commanding general did not permit a fighting retreat. The 44th was out of food, freezing and had nowhere to go except to sit and be slaughtered at will. Of the 44,000 only 5000 made it back. The Finns captured intact 85 tanks, 437 trucks, 20 tractors, 10 motorcycles, 1620 horses, 92 artillery pieces, 78 anti-tank guns, and 13 anti-aircraft guns plus thousands of rifles, machine guns and a horde of ammunition. This was later used against the Russians in Karelia.  In the Karelian isthmus, Russian units were isolated from each other into motti, "log piles." There, surrounded, they froze and starved to death by the thousands or died by rifle fire and wounds. However, the Russians continued to reinforce in the South and keep the pressure on the Finnish line.
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"tattoo, tattoo, 5 minutes to lights out."
Good evenin guys...
Another busy day, a little work, alot of politics..
Evening w_over_w.
The reason the FInns sided with Germany in WWII was in part to regain the land they had to surrender.
Night Mayor.
The interview went well today, now we'll see what kind of story she writes.
free dixie,sw
Most dictators care only about retaining power and are willing to slaughter millions, even their own countrymen to retain it.
Hey,this was great article!It is accurate and self being Finn I appreciate it greatly!
Thanks, the Winter War is mostly overlooked in the US.
An interesting note about Finnish sniper simo hayha,
most of his 500 kills were with an iron sighted M-28
Mosin Nagant.
Brief Background On Simo Häyhä
Simo Hayha was born in 1906 or 1905 (there seems to be two dates of his birth depending on the reference materials) in Rautajärvi, Finland. The town was in the shadow of the Soviet Union and as was the case with many border areas, the home of Mr. Häyhä was lost to the Soviets in the spoils of the Winter War. Like many of the towns and villages of this region the area was rural, and Mr. Häyhä was what people here in the U.S. would call an outdoorsman spending much of his time outside letting his skills sharpen.
In 1925 Mr. Häyhä joined the Finnish Army for his one year of mandatory service. He must have been suited well for the Army in some regards as when he left he had achieved the rank of corporal. Later Simo Häyhä joined the Suojelskunta (Finnish Civil Guard) serving in his home district. The Civil Guard is a difficult organization to explain to those in America but putting the Civil Guard in US terms it is much like a very well trained National Guard Unit. Even this description is far from perfect but should suffice for the purposes of this article. After his initial service he was content to join the rest of the population for a peaceful existence; however, the USSR under the dictator Stalin was to forever change the life of Mr. Häyhä and all of Finland with the Soviet invasion at the end of November 1939. This invasion was slated to be the end of Finland but in reality was just the opening of the Winter War, a war in which against all odds Finland remained free. While known before the war as a skilled marksman, Simo Häyhä was known more for his quiet disposition and good nature. While an expert marksman he was not a man of war but a man of peace that enjoyed the simple life around him
Simo Häyhä During The Winter War
Simo Häyhä was called into action during the Winter War with his service under the 6th Company of JR 34 on the Kollaa River. The Finnish stand at Kollaa is often referred to as "The miracle of Kollaa," as the Finnish action here was most heroic. The Finnish forces in the region were under the command of Major General Uiluo Tuompo and they faced the 9th and 14th Soviet Armies. At one point the Finns at Kollaa were facing 12 divisions, some 160,000 men. The Red Army losses in this arena were staggering as the brave Finns took their toll on the communist invaders. There have been those that called the Finnish defense of this key region "fanatical", and it was in the Kollaa area were the famous battle of "Killer Hill" took place with 32 Finns battling 4,000 Soviet soldiers. These were the hunting grounds of Simo Häyhä and it should be noted that even against massive odds the Kollaa positions were still in Finnish hands at the end of the war (March 1940).
Many remember Simo Häyhä only as using the Mosin Nagant M28 rifle with open sights and only credit his high kill total to his role as a sniper; however, this is not entirely correct as Häyhä was also an expert with the Suomi K31 SMG and a large number of the Soviets that he felled were from his K31. Above are examples of the tools of Simo Häyhä in his hunts in Kollaa.
Mr. Häyhä was credited with over 500 kills in his service during the Winter War with his service cut short as he was wounded on 3-6-40 by a Soviet sniper. Simo was shot in the face with what turned out to be an exploding bullet and he was taken out of action due to these wounds. The total time that Simo Häyhä served in the Winter War was 100 days with about 500 kills credited to him. His record is truly remarkable and is long since remembered in the nation of Finland.
In times of trouble it is often the quiet men that rise to greatness. This was indeed the case of the Finnish hero Simo Häyhä, who served on the horrendous Kollaa front in the Winter War of 1939-1940. The Finnish exploits on this front are known widely today as "The Miracle Of Kollaa" where the Finnish Army Infantry 34th Regiment’s 6th company overcame colossal odds against their survival. They did not just endure as they gave the Red Army invaders a fight that will forever be remembered. The Finnish lines continued to exist till the end of the War, being a true testament to the nation of Finland and the Finns that held the area. Simo Häyhä was a symbol of this front and he represents the true meaning of the word sisu - loosely translates to "Guts" in English.
From www.mosinnagant.net
I have several of these Finns, M-91s, M-27s, etc.
and they are the very best of the Nagants, with the
M-39 being the last evolution of their design, infact
Finnish forces today train using sniper rifles with these same actions.
May be in USA,it has been forgotten nowadays.But Winter War was pretty well covered in US-media in those days and it was noticed in puplic,which meant very much to Finns and I think many Finns are very grateful to you even today.
I believe Finland is the only country in the world that paid back its war loans. You have to respect that. :-)
Sadly in the US we don't even teach much of our history anymore.
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