# Finland, December 30, 1939



## Colin1 (Dec 31, 2009)

Sorry
I only noticed this today in yesterday's paper, doesn't quite belong in the 'War in Europe 65 years ago' thread as it wasn't 65 years ago
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*Soviet Troops Reported in Revolt*
*Fierce fighting among detachments*

'Planes and machine guns bomb own soldiers'

_From our special correspondent, Helsinki, Friday_

A revolt was reported late tonight to have broken out among Soviet troops in the Salla sector of the Finnish Arctic front. The official Finnish News Agency stated that Russian 'planes have been forced to bomb and machine-gun their own troops in this area.

"There has been fierce fighting between Russian infantry detachments" added the statement. "While shooting was going on, shouting and cries could be heard".

A detachment of Finnish troops, it was reported tonight, reached and damaged the Murmansk railway which carries the supplies from Leningrad to the Russian troops in the far north. Transport has been interrupted, stopping food supplies to Murmansk where the civil population was said to be in a state of revolt.

The Finnish ski patrols which have penetrated Russian territory east of Salla, were not confined, I was told today, to the one 'Suicide Company' of 250 men who were first sent forward to attack the Murmansk railway.

Several patrols of 100 or 200 men each are now operating behind the Russian forces attacking towards Kemijaervi. The Soviet forces, estimated at 10,000 men are thus completely cut off, since Finnish patrols are believed to have destroyed their slender lines of communication.

General Wallenius, commanding the Finnish Northern Army, has collected a considerable force to oppose the Russians, who are expected to make a frenzied push towards Kemijaervi.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports stated that the original 'Suicide Patrol' had penetrated as far as Kandalaksha, the important Russian base at the head of Kandalaksk Bay, an arm of the White Sea. 

Exceptionally good war maps have been found on the bodies of Russian officers on the Salla front. They are of better quality than those used by the Finnish General Staff itself.

It is understood that these maps are of German origin and were prepared by the cartographical department of the German High Command.

There is very little change in the deadlock before the Mannerheim Line on the Karellian Isthmus. The Russians are still collecting huge reinforcements. These include Siberian troops who have been transferred from Manchuria because of their familiarity with severe weather conditions and the accuracy of their shooting.

Finnish military circles believed that an attempt might shortly be made to land Russian parachute troops behind the Mannerheim Line. Dispositions have been made accordingly.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 31, 2009)

Very cool!


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## RabidAlien (Dec 31, 2009)

Anybody know any good books covering the Russo-Finnish war? I always love to hear stories of the underdog totally porking the guys attacking them!!!


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## Juha (Dec 31, 2009)

Hello Colin
I'd say that the news were typical wartime propaganda. 
At Salla a reinforced Soviet Infantry Div attacked, it had for. ex a tank battalion and reinforcemets incl. a mountain regiment, altogether some 22.500 men. At first against this force there was a single independent battalion without a single gun, it did not have even a single A/T gun. Soil was frozen and early on there was not much snow so tanks were really a nuissance to Finns. Finns were compelled to sent several more battalions to stabilize the situation, most consisted of poorly equipment reservists, especially those formed in Southern Finland suffered from very cold winter first because of lack of tents.

Hello RabidAlien
I know lot of good book on Winter War, but they are all in Finnish. I remeber leafing over a Ballantine book on Winter war around 1970, but cannot say anything other on it that usually Ballantine/Purnell softbacks were good.

Juha


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## RabidAlien (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks, Juha....I'll search Amazon for WinterWar.


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## Juha (Dec 31, 2009)

Hello RabidAlien
I took a short look, Wikipedia article seems to be OK as seems to be the following links The Battles of the Winter War -Main Page The Winter War 1939-1940


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 31, 2009)

I've always admired the Finns and the can of "Wop Ass" they bestowed upon the Soviets. It was interesting how the Soviets placed a bunch limitations on Finland and its military in the post war years.

It goes to show you what a determined people and a well trained military can accomplish!


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## Shinpachi (Jan 1, 2010)

I once had a pen friend in Finland when I was a high school boy.
Her name was Arja and she was pretty. She stirred up my interest about her nation and I learned some about her nation's history.

Not only Winter War but the following Jatkosota(Continuation War) was tragic with no support from other nations except Nazi but I was impressed with the people's bravery to make their country survive as an independent nation so much.

My feeling for Finland is always


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## GrauGeist (Jan 1, 2010)

Man, if there were ever a lopsided war that ended in favor of the underdog, the war between Russia and Finland is it.

Completely outnumbered, the Fins opened a serious can of whupass on the Soviets and bled them hard.


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 1, 2010)

I agree, and talk about embarrassing Stalin.


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## Juha (Jan 1, 2010)

Hello RabidAlien
How I could forget, if you have intrest on early war Soviet tanks and like to know a Russian PoV, in fact fairly balanced one, I have noticed only a few oddities, mostly like the one at the beginning of the chapter on fighting N of the Lake Ladoga. The book claimed that Finnish IV Corps got as reinforcements 8 infantry battalions and one infantry regiment when in fact the reinforcements were 5 infantry battalions and one infantry regiment. Now the inf. rgt of course consisted of 3 infantry battalions, so IV Corps got as reinforcements altogether 8 infantry battalions. That isn’t the only that kind of error in the book and I cannot say are those errors made by the writer or by the translator. The latter may well has been the culprit because I have noticed accusations of sloppy work directed against the publisher before. Most annoying faults of the book are that ends of some chapters are missing, one even ends at midword. But even with those errors IMHO the book is worth of its price. In the end there are technical specs of Soviet tanks and 40 pages of colour profiles and colour 3-views on Soviet and 4 pages on Finnish AFVs. And lot of B/W photos.

And the book is Maksym Kolomyjec’s Tanks in the Winter War 1939 – 1940. Leandoer Ekholm förlag, Stockholm 2008. ISBN 91-9755896-0-8.

Juha


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## Juha (Jan 1, 2010)

And thanks for the kind words towards Finns, dear fellows.
We had paid a high price on our independence.

Juha


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## RabidAlien (Jan 1, 2010)

Thanks again, Juha, got those Bookmarked!


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## Lucky13 (Jan 2, 2010)

We Swedes and Finns love each other sooo much, especially during hockey games, don't we Juha?


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## Lucky13 (Jan 2, 2010)

Don't know about these.....

The Winter War: Russia's Invasion of Finland, 1939-1940: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Edwards: Books

The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War: Amazon.co.uk: Allen F. Chew: Books

The Winter War: The Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40: Amazon.co.uk: William R. Trotter: Books


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## Juha (Jan 3, 2010)

Oh those ice-hockey matches
now I have not followed them for ages but many years ago Finns had a bad/good habit to loose them during the last few minutes.

Juha


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## Lucky13 (Jan 3, 2010)

Haven't watched any hockey games for ages either Juha. Remember though, that the fight between Sweden and Finland was the one that I was always looking forward to....
Have to say that the Winter War is just as overlooked as the Norway front....


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## Colin1 (Jan 9, 2010)

*Finns win biggest victory*

*Enemy division smashed, chased into Russia*

*1,000 prisoners, 43 tanks, 1,170 horses taken*

_From our special correspondent HELSINKI, Finland_

News of a Finnish victory near Suomussalmi in Finland's 'waist-line' even greater than the one a fortnight ago in the same region, was released by the General Staff this afternoon. It was the smashing of the 44th Russian Division of between 15,000 and 18,000 men.

When the details became known, amazing scenes took place in Helsinki. Bells were rung, flags were hung out from every house and in the streets complete strangers embraced in their excitement. The battle was fought between Suomussalmi and Raate, a village on the Russo-Finnish border directly south of Suomussalmi. It culminated in the utter annihilation of the 44th Russian Division, which, as recently reported in The Daily Telegraph, was thrust forward by the Soviet Command to the support of the 163rd Division, defeated by the Finns under General Wallenus.

A special official Finnish communique issued here today, announcing the victory, stated:

Objective Achieved
"The principal objective in the fighting in the southern part of the Suomussalmi sector of the last few days has been the defeat of the 44th Division of the enemy, which was advancing from the direction of Raate towards Suomussalmi.

The objective has been achieved and the enemy's forces were in the main destroyed.

Up to the present over 1,000 prisoners have been taken and much booty. This includes: 102 field guns, 43 tanks, 10 armoured cars, 1 aeroplane, 20 tractors, 278 motor vehicles of various kinds including 10 anti-tank cars armed with four-barrelled anti-aircraft machine-guns, 1,170 horses, innumerable other weapons and 47 field kitchens.

Clearing up of the ground and assembly of the booty is proceeding.

Many thousands of Russians were left dead on the battlefield.

The remnants of the Russian army have been driven back across the Russian frontier. There, their condition is desperate, as the Finnish ski patrol severed some time ago the branch railway which ensured their communications with headquarters and with their supply lines.

A Finnish ski patrol which penetrated the Russian lines a few days ago found a detachment of 120 Russian soldiers frozen to death at their posts".

I learned from Finnish military quarters that the 44th Russian Division had received orders from headquarters to capture Suomussalmi at all costs.


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 9, 2010)

"A Finnish ski patrol wich penetrated the Russian lines a few days ago found a detachment of 120 Russian soldiers frozen to death at their posts".

DAM!


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## Juha (Jan 9, 2010)

Now 44.Div was considered to be a good div and was very well armed, for ex it have had under its command 44 tanks, mostly T-26s, but it lacked much of winter gear and seems to have had motivation problems. Also it had not been mentally ready to forest fighting which is brutal short range fighting. So div was too passive and too road bound. That was a bit unusual, usually also Soviet troops tried to outflank Finnish positions by marching through forests to dominating features near the few roads or to important crossroads.

Finns officially got among others 29 A/T guns, 14 AAmgs, 85 field guns, 43 tanks, 10 armoured cars.

According to 44. Div HQ the div lost among others 12 four barrel AAmgs, 30 45mm A/T guns, 38 76mm field guns, 17 122mm howitzers and 14 82mm mortars and unspecific number of tanks.

Juha


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## Colin1 (Jan 10, 2010)

Juha said:


> Hello RabidAlien
> I know lot of good book on Winter War, but they are all in Finnish. I remeber leafing over a Ballantine book on Winter war around 1970, but cannot say anything other on it that usually Ballantine/Purnell softbacks were good


There seems to be this one

The Winter War: The Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40: Amazon.co.uk: William R. Trotter: Books


and this one

The Winter War: Russia's Invasion of Finland, 1939-1940: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Edwards: Books

I might just have one of them, anyone know if one or the other is the definitive work on the subject?


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## Colin1 (Jan 10, 2010)

Juha said:


> I know lot of good book on Winter War, but they are all in Finnish. I remeber leafing over a Ballantine book on Winter war around 1970, but cannot say anything other on it that usually Ballantine/Purnell softbacks were good


There seems to be this one

The Winter War: The Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40: Amazon.co.uk: William R. Trotter: Books


and this one

The Winter War: Russia's Invasion of Finland, 1939-1940: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Edwards: Books


plus plenty more advertised in the bar along the bottom; I might just have one of them, anyone know which might be the definitive work on the subject?


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## RabidAlien (Jan 10, 2010)

Got em on my Amazon list, thanks!


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## Lucky13 (Jan 11, 2010)

Wouldn't mind to read up the Winter War either....


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## mudpuppy (Jan 11, 2010)

I just started reading "Fighter Over Finland" by Luukannen (sp?) last night but even just 20 or so pages in it looks like it'll be a good read. the author stated in the foreward that the Winter War had more intensity; national pride, emotional weight for him than the latter conflicts of 1944. 
Even just the small portion i have read, it is interesting to see how he characterizes the Bulldog and the Fokker DXXI they are trained on. He describes intense training and speaks of all the positive aspects of each plane rather than its failings. It is still early in the authors memoirs; but i wonder if this may explain how the Finns manage to do so well with the Brewster B239.
Regards,
Derek


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## Timppa (Jan 11, 2010)

mudpuppy said:


> I just started reading "Fighter Over Finland" by Luukannen (sp?) last night but even just 20 or so pages in it looks like it'll be a good read. the author stated in the foreward that the Winter War had more intensity; national pride, emotional weight for him than the latter conflicts of 1944.



Hi Derek.
Luukkanen's book is definitely a good read. Also the Juutilainen's "Double Fighter Knight".
IMO the Finnish Winter War was not of national pride, it's was a fight of sheer survival.
It is speculated that the Katyn massacre was done to free more more room for the Finnish officers, caught after the anticipated occupation of Finland.
Katyn massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## mudpuppy (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Timppa, I just went back and looked at the foreword of Luukkanen's book again and you are spot on. I read it too quickly last night and made a rash assumption. Looking forward to reading more of it tonight and thanks for the recommendation of another book. 
Derek


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