Continuation War (photos 56k Warning)

[Belaya Smjert]

Here are some photos from the continuation war..i hope that the picture
aren’t to big
Best regards
Belaya Smjert

Machine gun M/09 Maxim




flamethrower





Advancing





Happy Russian POW

[smc66]

Out of interest what is your view on the Continuation War? Should Finland have joined in with the German invasion of the Soviet Union?

[Belaya Smjert]

We wanted the territorial losses back from the winter war and also the extending the territory further east to protect the people living in East-Karelia .so if you ask me the war where right. But remember the goals off the war where not to marsh to Moscow with the Germans ..
Best regards
Belaya Smjert

[Glosters]

The Finns didn't invade the Soviet Union. They retook the Finnish land stolen by the Soviets in the Winter War. Mannerheim refused Hitler's requests to push into Russia or to join the siege of Leningrad. The only Russian land occupied was where local geography offered the Finnish Army a better defensive line for the expected counter-attacks. The Finns position was fully understood by Churchill who sent a personal message to Mannerheim regretting that as a Russian ally against Germany, Britain would be forced to declare war on Finland.

Unfortunately for Finland, they were victims of Stalin's aggression and he was allowed to get away with it.

Steve

[smc66]

Actually having studied the Foreign Office papers on the British declaration of war on Finland the British were not as understanding as you make out. Basically, the British were torn in their relations between supporting a democratic country and disabusing a blatantly pro-German foreign policy. Though there was a rservoir of goodwill between the countries, British relations with Finland had been growing colder throughout 1941 and they were not particularly keen on the transit agreements Finland made with the Germans. Initial British reactions were to try and get Finland out of it, when this wasn't forthcoming, Churchill instructed the Foreign Office to be pretty stiff with them, and when Mannerheim issued his order of the day on 10 July Churchill wrote 'In view of the obnoxious and aggressive attitude of Finland, I trust we have already seized all their ships and subjected the Finns to every inconvenience in our power." (PRO PREM 3/170/4 16 July 1941, Churchill note to Eden). On 30 July 1941 the British bombed German transports in Petsamo and Liinnehamari harbours and the Finns broke off diplomatic relations.

The declaration of war in December 1941 came about due to Soviet pressure though Churchill had originally suggested it to Stalin, "We will declare war upon them should they continue beyond the old frontiers." (PRO PREM 3/170/1 4 September 1941 Churchill note to Stalin). Churchill's personal note to Mannerheim was a last ditch attempt to pull Finland out of the war, but the reply he received was little more than a least of greivances.

The bit about Finnish military only advancing strategically is a bit of a myth too. Yes they did have one eye on possible Allied reactions to their advance and reacted accordingly, however, German troops were allowed to use Finnish territory to invade the Soviet Union; advances in East Karelia were designed to try and reach the Murmansk railway and Mannerheim did promise to join the German army on the River Svir; Finally the Finnish government did stage manage at Voukkineimi on 20 July 1942 a meeting of Karelians who wished to be united with Finland. This is what the British took umbrage too.

[aetheling]

Perhaps the question should be what choice did Finland have but to fight the continuation war. Finland's desire was to remain neutral but The Soviet Unions attack in 1939 made that position impossible. If Finland allied themselves with the England, the USA, and the Soviet Union they would have become occupied like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, under the guise of soviet protection. Neutrality was not an option because Stalin would not have it. The third option of joining the axis was the lesser of three evils. It afforded the opportunity to take back the land that they rightly felt was stolen from. (How would Americans feel if they had to cede California to Japan and relocate the entire popuation of that state in a matter of weeks, and allow for Japan to have bases in Maryland, and Florida). Plus Germany was willing to provide desperately needed food and raw materials, and military aid in quantities sufficient to help, something the west did only in greatly appreciated but merely token amounts in 1939.

[hunter07]

To my understanding Russia started the war against Finland for two reasons.
1. To establish defensive possition in case Germany decided to invade Russia from Finland. Stain was not a complete idiot, he knew that the war against Germany was coming.
2. Russia wanted to test out its new military strategies, which by the way, obviously did not work.

I agree that Finland had the right to the territory that it lost during the 1939 war but to join Nazi Germany in its conquest, in my opinion, was a moral mistake.

[smc66]

I'm not sure the Finns would have gone the way of the Baltics. The setting up of the puppet Kuusinen government two days after the Winter War began suggests that Finland may have gone the way of eastern Europe between 1945-48 rather than lose their independence completely. Then again when they did have the oppotunity to do this in 1948 the Soviets took the 'Finlandisation' route instead.

Yes, Finnish choices were limited but they still took choices themselves that moved them into the orbit of the Germans and it is this the British objected to.

[Kiwiwriter]

Originally posted by smc66@Jun 11 2005, 12:34 PM
I'm not sure the Finns would have gone the way of the Baltics. The setting up of the puppet Kuusinen government two days after the Winter War began suggests that Finland may have gone the way of eastern Europe between 1945-48 rather than lose their independence completely. Then again when they did have the oppotunity to do this in 1948 the Soviets took the 'Finlandisation' route instead.

Yes, Finnish choices were limited but they still took choices themselves that moved them into the orbit of the Germans and it is this the British objected to.

Quoted post

The "Kuusinen Government" was set up in Terijoki, a seaside resort just north of Leningrad, and the Soviets insisted they would only negotiate peace with that state. However, in March 1940, they jettisoned Kuusinen, an American-born Finn (like much of the CPUSA leadership), and he vanished back into deserved obscurity.

[nolanbuc]

I have always found the Continuation War to be a curious sort of paradox in the story of WWII. It is interesting how the Western democracies chose to handle this issue, since they obviously had to be sympathetic to the Finns cause, but had their hands tied to aid the enemy of a vital ally.

As for the Finns themselves, allying with the enemy of an enemy in a struggle for survival vs. the USSR was perhaps a moral mistake, but a practical neccesity. As has been stated here, they did not join the Germans in the seige of Stalingrad, and they were not in a war of conquest.

One question, however: while I realize that the Finns were not Fascists, is it clear whether they fully understood the depth of the Nazis depravity at the time?

Thanks for sharing the great pictures, BTW!