Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

The Winter War

The conflict between Finland and Russia is one of the most important conflicts in WW2. Unlike the murky conflicts in Spain, Vietnam and Algeria, the Finnish war provided a clear vision of both good against evil and how Stalin planned for the future of Europe. The first lesson was heeded so well that thousands of people tried to get to Finland to fight, while the second was forgotten until 1944.

The book begins with a short history of Finland and its relations to its conquerors, both the Swedes and the Russians. Until 1898, the Finns were reasonably well treated by their foreign overlords, but after the new Tsar was crowned, things became a lot worse. The Finnish underground allied with Germany in 1916 and was able to tear itself free when Russia collapsed into civil war. The Finns then fought a brutal civil war which ended with a victory for the ‘whites’ and Finland became a parliamentary democratic nation.

The book then discusses the history of Finland’s relations with the USSR. The Finns rejected the Russians first demands because they believed that they would be a precursor to worse demands – after the Finns had given up most of their defences. Stalin, however, appears to have merely wanted the extra ground as a barrier to attack from the west and was dumbfounded at the Finnish refusal. This history is a well-balanced blend of narrative and analysis. Trotter's overt sympathy for the justice of Finland's cause does not blind him to the justified fear of Nazi Germany that led Russia to demand a buffer zone in front of Leningrad. Similarly, Trotter's admiration for the Finnish army's fighting power does not prevent him from presenting its limitations as well as achievements.

The book then discusses the opening moves in the war, massive Finnish success against incompetent Russian officers and demoralised Russian troops. However, the Russians slowly bled the Finns white, but the Finns were able to make them hesitate. The book does note that if the Russians had noticed they held a full plan of the Finnish defences, they would have been able to defeat the Finns in the first battle.

Using guerrilla fighters on skis, even reindeer to haul supplied on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of one of the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bay but won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts. Its surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", when starving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resist the cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and were ambushed as they stopped to eat.

The book also details the allied response; Britain and France offered meaningless help, including a crazy plan to bomb Russian oil wells in Baku, and limited help from Sweden. The outside world could do little to help, although one hopes that the deflection of many communists from the American communist party and the decision of the Finnish communists to fight for Finland gave Stalin some sleepless nights.

In the end, Finland was ground down, but at a price that made even Stalin weary of trying to subdue the whole nation. The Russians took extra land, and then failed to do anything to reconcile with the Finns. Naturally, the Finns joined Germany in 1941, but their refusal to take extra territory may have – ironically – contributed to the German defeat. An attack from the north against Leningrad would have made the defence of that city even harder than it was in history.

In 1944, the tide turned and the Germans were in full retreat. The Finns made a peace with Russia that – again – lost them the territory taken in the winter war. However, the Russians were unwilling to pay the price of subduing the Finns and Finland remained independent, even when the rest of the border nations were falling under the soviet yoke.

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