Finland at War: the Winter War 1939-40

Finland at War 1939-1945 #1

by Vesa Nenye

The story of the 'Winter War' between Finland and Soviet Russia is a dramatic David versus Goliath encounter. When close to half a million Soviet troops poured into Finland in 1939 it was expected that Finnish defences would collapse in a matter of weeks. But they held firm. The Finns not only survived the initial attacks but succeeded in inflicting devastating casualties before superior Russian numbers eventually forced a peace settlement.

This is a rigorously detailed and utterly compelling guide to Finland's vital, but almost forgotten role in the cataclysmic World War II. It reveals the untold story of iron determination, unparalleled skill and utter mastery of winter warfare that characterized Finland's fight for survival on the hellish Eastern Front.

Finland at War: the Winter War 1939-40 is the premiere English-language history of the fighting performance of the Finns, drawing on first-hand accounts and previously unpublished photographs to explain just how they were able to perform military feats that nearly defy belief.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

STUNNING maps and photographs with captions full of detailed information that won't fit the battle narrative, from an array of Finnish climate-based tricks such as the smokeless two-log campfire technique to the comparative losses in horses in both wars.

As stunning as the maps are, this noob in Finnish geography still had trouble following some manœuvres: where is the main road to Viipuri?

Without discrediting the Stoic Finn image, the difficulties inherent in a materially inequal fight are layed bare. There were often not enough Finns to really contain those infamous motti's, briming with static tanks and slaughterable pack animals.

When Timoshenko unleashed 30 divisions to their 8 with enough firepower to go full frontal all over the Mannerheim line, all that sisu, cran, pluck... Couldn't compensate.

There's a few glimpses into the Russian experience of making good their escape out of a motti, or reverse, running the gauntlet of the harassed supply line into a Finnenkessel. You can't help but feel a little sorry for the Ukrainian frontoviks who couldn't even ski. The USSR had its Siberians at hand, why not use troops used to an Artic climate?

Makes current events feel very déjà vu.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

For people who don't understand why the FDF is the best military in all of Europe and why NATO just actually became somewhat militarily formidable with the admission of Finland, this book gives a decent foundation of where things have come from and are going. And despite the FDF's videos being in Finnish, catch them on YouTube if you can because you'll come away impressed with superior doctrine, technology, weaponry, and tactics. Recommended.

[Mika Jokinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Excellent book and well written. Good about this book: detailed battle descriptions, maps (could have been even more), high-quality photos and soldier dossiers. If you are interested in history or strategy games, this book is for you.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I received a free PDF copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

For those not keen on reading over-long reviews, or those who just want a distilled opinion, let me say this: Five stars, fantastic, a tour de force, buy it, go ye now and acquire this book. If you feel like reading anything more from me, by all means, please continue below.

Finland at War: The Winter War 1939–40 is the first of a planned a two-volume set covering Finland's military campaigns during the Second World War. This volume covers the Winter War (as per the subtitle) and the second volume will concern itself with the Lapland War and the Continuation War. Before I go any further, I should say that I am no expert on this subject, and the main reason I looked forward to the book was for the opportunity to learn more. For that reason I can offer no cogent critiques (if any are needed) of their scholarship, conclusions, or choice of sources. Hopefully other reviewers will go over this in some detail; I know I'd be interested to see it. With the disclaimer out of the way, let's discuss the many, many things I liked Finland at War.

The first thing I should mention is the photography. Almost without exception there is something new to look at every time you turn the page, and the pictures are well chosen and very informative. I learned what a reindeer trooper looked like, for example. And the caption told me what they sound like, that is, like nothing. No jingle bells to warn the Russian troopers about highly mobile weapon emplacements that never got stuck in the snow. In fact, all the captions in this book are informative . You will learn that at the beginning of hostilities a poorly funded Finnish army often neglected to provide its soldiers with warm winter coats. Luckily, the recruits had some experience living in Finland and were thus able to bring their own (very effective) coats from home.

In addition to the army, the text takes time to discuss the essential support the military received from outside the traditional rank and file. The Lotta Svärd -- a women's paramilitary group involved with observation, medical, and other duties -- for example. This was a group considered so dangerous that the Soviet Union would eventually call for their dissolution. I can also appreciate that book spends some time (though perhaps not enough) discussing native Laplanders' actions during the invasion. Essential as scouts and in other military roles, they suffered a great deal of hardship and displacement because of the Soviet invasion. This sort of discussion about Finland's miliatry auxilaries is typical of the writing team's attachment to context. While the text is very focused, it never neglects or glosses over things happening outside of the primary narrative. You always have a clear sense of what was happening outside of Finnish borders and troop movements.

Essentially, I have no criticisms of the text as stands. I suppose I would have liked for it to be longer. And the pre-war Finnish history lesson was cut a bit short for my tastes. I suppose, though, that if it were any longer it might be pushing the boundaries of a concise text. In any case, the state goals of the text have been achieved, and there is a truly outstanding book as result. I cannot recommend Finland at War highly enough and eagerly await the next volume in the series.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40' byVesa Nenye, Peter Munter and Toni Wirtanen was a fascinating read about a conflict I knew little about.

The history of Finland in the 20th Century, preceding the Winter War, is told. The Jäger movement and training in Germany of Finnish troops, which was done as a measure to stop Russia from taking over Finland. There was also a civil war in Finland. Along with all this, there is growing interest from Russia in taking over Finland. It should have been a pretty easy takeover because Finland was outnumbered and outgunned. The Russians didn't count on the tenacity of the Finnish soldiers. Using tactics like "motti," which is named after a unit of measure of firewood, the Finnish would systematically surround a smaller group of attackers and deal with them the way a predator separates out the weak members of a herd. Also, the Russians were terrified of Finnish soldiers and there ability to ski out of nowhere with guns and death.

There are quite a few photos as well as insets featuring many of the leaders from both sides of the war. There are maps and an extensive bibliography. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning about this conflict. It was very interesting.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Osprey Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very detailed look at the Finnish fight against the USSR in the Winter War, written by Finnish military veterans. So, it was a well researched and thorough book, with plenty of attention to the "noble Finns." That said, the book was balanced and fair, minus a nod here or there.

This book was more than I wanted. This would be perfect for a real military history buff or a college class. The book has excellent maps and biographies of the military leaders on both sides. In parts, I could've used more maps particularly when we're talking about attacks and counterattacks across, sorry, placenames that are 15 characters long with lots of double vowels.

Now, despite being more than I wanted, I am going to read the authors' next book on the Continuation War. I expect their focus and detail would be put to good use on that subject.

Other point from the book: the Finns are tough and good strategists (yeah see my first paragraph, I know). They adapted to what the Soviets were doing quite well and despite losing 10-20% of their land in the treaty, outlasted superior numbers and materiel.

Fun quote: "God forgives. The Finns do not." -- Red Army soldier (with Finnish ancestry)

[Aleksander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily accessible, comprehensive account of the Winter War. I feel like I understand it well now, and look forward to the following volume on the Continuation War.

The book is filled with photos and explanatory captions, and a couple of maps in every chapter shows where the action is happening. These maps are essential, since I knew virtually none of the Finnish place names that were being fought over. The narrative is sometimes a little dry and hard to follow, as it goes into what feels like minute detail on individual battles. I often had to constantly go back and forth between the text and the closest page with a relevant map, and even then it wasn't always clear to me where the battle was taking place. But there are enough maps and photos spread throughout, that the read never *feels* like a slog. And the war is over so soon that, just when I started to feel a little bewildered among the various theatres of war, it all ended very suddenly with a peace treaty.

The narrative is unabashedly pro-Finnish. While I don't personally mind reading all the mic-drop wise quotes from their General Mannerheim, followed by blood-drippingly evil Stalin comments, the biased framing felt unnecessary. At its core, this is an objective account of the military engagements taking place, and not a moral condemnation of communism. The latter is just decoration which I would have shaved off.

At least I hope it's just decoration? The military narrative seems accurate, but I found it odd that virtually all the historical photographs are from the Finnish side. As a reader, I obviously want to see soldiers, weapons and vehicles in action on *both* sides. Instead, all we get are Finnish soldiers smiling in front of rows of burning T-26s. Did the authors not find Soviet photographs from the war, which must surely exist? Does this mean they didn't use much Soviet sources at all? Hopefully, they just really wanted to show everyone the badass Finnish soldiers fighting off Goliath.

Every second page or so featured a profile of a commander on either side, with a photo and 3-4 paragraphs about their military career. A few are interesting, but virtually all of them are about minor commanders that I will never hear about again, and their career descriptions all started to read the same after a while. I stopped reading them altogether after a few chapters. If they did anything important, it's mentioned in the main narrative.

I wanted a good and simple overview of the Winter War, and this is exactly that.

[Blake Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40 by Vesa Nenye was interesting. I didn't know much of the conflict between the Finns and Soviets. The Finns did a heroic job defending their homeland from the Soviet invaders. Ski troops and arctic weather conditions made the difference. The Finns held out until March 15, 1940 when a truce went into effect. The Finns lost about 10% of their country in order to remain free of Soviet interference.

Though they tried remaining neutral. The Finns sided with Germany and helped with the Axis invasion of Russia in the summer of 1941. Interesting fact, the United States of America didn't declare war on the Finns....

Blake

[Laurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well out together book.
It has obviously stood upon the many books on the Winter War that has proceeded it and it doesn't shy away from that. However it does take a longer, more detailed look at the battles, especially the more glossed over ones like in Lapland. It is also beautifully filled with maps, pictures and small bios of important figures in both Finland's and the USSR'S Militaries.
The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was it did gloss over certain battles, like the infamous tank battle of Honkaniemi and sometimes seems in a rush to close up a chapter. But definitely a great book for anyone interested in military history.

[Marko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä on kiitettävän helppolukuinen ja todella runsaasti komeita kuvia sisältävä yleisteos Talvisodasta.

Jos jotain negatiivista on haettava, niin kirja painottaa minun makuuni liiaksi sitä, että mikä osasto milläkin hetkellä taisteli missäkin paikassa ja kenen johtamana. Olisin pärjännyt vähemmälläkin infolla.

Myös pikkuriikkisenä huomiona on nostettava esiin, että IKL:n kutsumista vain ”kommunisminvastaiseksi ja kansallismieliseksi puolueeksi” hieman nostatti kulmakarvoja.

Kirja oli kuitenkin positiivinen yllätys. Oli mukavan leppoisa ja nopea lukukokemus!

[Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely detailed record of who did what, where, when and why in the Winter War, clearly from a Finnish perspective, but trying to be accurate about other actors as well. The editing and/or translation is sometimes a bit odd, but it is well-organized and thorough. It could possibly benefit from being a bit less thorough in some cases, or perhaps with more summaries to keep the overall picture visible as well as the details.

[Larmie Fahrendorff · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative but difficult read

Although I found this book interesting, it was very difficult for me to follow. I was not knowledgeable about this conflict so it was informative, but the Finnish names were very difficult and the strict military battle descriptions were much deeper than I was , prepared for.

[Christopher Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives a good analysis of a little known war that is often shadowed by the Second World War. I consider myself a history nerd, but even I didn't know this war even existed until a few months ago. There should be more in-depth books on this war like this one.

[Michael Morehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being 50% Finnish, it was essential (I felt) to read about these tough, independent Finns in their struggle for independence from the Russians. They were true victors and their independence remains yet today! Sisu, my Finnish family!

[Jacob]

Felt like reading a textbook

[Paul Kinzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finland At War: The Winter War, is one of the best written military history books I've read. The story of the Winter War is fascinating, and this is the most detailed, well organized account I've come across. The interspersed maps, high quality archival photos, and leader dossiers, along with excellent narrative and organization make for a top notch book. The only nit is that the text on the maps is really, really small, and some could use a little context (and a magnifying glass!). It is best read in hard cover, the quality of the paper and print, especially the photos and graphics, is outstanding. The sidebars of key Finnish and Russian personnel are well done, and can be read at your leisure without interrupting the narrative.

[Matthew Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, but not a spectacular one. It's textbook type layout is not something that I especially enjoyed, but the little commander bio inserts made for an interesting extra. Organizing it by region rather than chronological layout is something that makes sense, but is annoying nonetheless.

The premier feature of this book is easily the range of photos that it includes. They are very detailed and are very crisp considering when and where they were taken.

The read itself was interesting as it provides much information on a war that is often overshadowed by WWII. This is good as it acknowledges the work of the Finns, who despite losing the war inflicted heavy losses on the Soviets and gained the respect of both enemies and allies. It also adds contextual justification for the later Finnish alliance with Nazi Germany, which was based on military need, rather that ideological identification.

Overall a good read, not critical to the WWII narrative, but an interesting addition to the bank of information.

[Mikko Saari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Varsin naseva ja kattava esitys talvisodasta. Kiitoksia runsaasta kuvamateriaalista ja sodan taustalla vaikuttaneiden kenraalien esittelyistä. Teksti alkoi pidemmän päälle vähän puuduttaa, sen verran sankasti siinä eri joukko-osastojen nimiä ja numeroita vilisee. Tällainen kaipaisi aina seurakseen interaktiivisen kartan, joka havainnollistaisi joukkojen liikkeitä.

[Mike O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book about a little known, to me, period of history covering actions both major and minor.
There are few nits to pick. Overall, the writing is clear, covers all the different areas and sets up the situation for the Continuation War as German allies.
Well worth the cost.

[Reko Ukko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and somewhat unique book on the winter war - split between the different fronts, the book delves into the variety of action on both sides as well as giving insight about the various commanders and characters on each side. It reads like some good material for a wargame research...