Quote:
Originally Posted by Targan
Medic, did the Sámi people as a group participate in the Winter War? At the time were they considered to be citizens of Finland (or did they consider themselves as such)? I'm guessing they must have participated in the war as individuals. Their arctic fieldcraft would have been superb.
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It would have been, yes, and as far as I know, they served. The thing is, though, their numbers are limited - not all those living in the Finnish Lapland are Sami. People there can also be partially or completely ethnic Finns. The Lapland was also a battlefield, though the main front was on Karelian Isthmus. The Soviets attacked with three divisions, met by two Separate Battalions (17th and 26th), Infantry Regiment 40, 7th and 9th Battalions of the "Replacement Brigade", two batteries of artillery, three Companies (10th and 11th Separate, the third one I'll dig up when I have time), and finally, Reconnaissance Group 11.
With woodless and relatively uncovered, flat terrain, defense was difficult, so the Finns used mostly guerilla tactics aided by the fact, the winters in Lapland are practically a constant night due to the location on the globe. They managed to successfully fight the Soviets with odds of 1 to 5 for the advantage of the Soviets.