Medic's ramblings about Finland

[Medic]

I've been a bit busy with work lately, but here we go again.

During the first battles of the Winter War, the biggest concern for the Finns was the Soviet use of tanks. As I mentioned earlier, Finland had only 32 tanks to begin with and most conscripts had never seen one live before they encountered them on the battlefield. Also, Finns were lacking anti-tank weaponry as well as anti-armour tactics, which caused some concern among the troops, but with the Soviets implementing their tanks in a frontal charge, Finns soon improvised and begun to produce Molotov Cocktails, made out of glass bottle filled with gasoline, alcohol (and often wood tar). This proved to be very efficient against the Soviet tanks.

Not only Soviet tankers used the frontal charge as tactic in assault. Finns deflected wave after wave, when Soviet infantry charged over open ground. The Soviet troops were inexperienced mostly and when led by officers who were either ardent communists and relentlessly whipped their men in to the fire or ones that were not so ardent communists, but were whipped themselves by the political officers, the Soviet charges hardly ever mounted to nothing but slaughter on their side.

Finns also had the advantage of weather. Accustomed to cold and snow and having the advantage of the terrain being mostly forest wilderness and lacking roads, they made easy work of Soviet armour even without heavy anti-tank weapons. The winter of 1939-1940 was exceptionally cold, the temperature reaching -43 centigrades (-45 Fahrenheit), the ill-equiped Soviets died of frostbite and hypotermia in numbers. Finns also had winter gear for camouflaging themselves, which made them relatively unseen.

Even if the Soviets had superiority in both number and material, Finns succeeded against them by using guerilla tactics and wearing the enemy down. The Finns cut Soviet units in to smaller sectors that were, in turn, cut in to even smaller ones and soon the Finns could attack the enemy from any and all directions. These pockets of enemy were called "motti" by the Finns.

It has been said, the Soviet soldier had no choice in the war. If he refused to fight or tried to flee, he was shot. If he tried to sneak through cover, he would freeze to death. They would not surrender either, because the Soviet propaganda machine told them, the Finns would torture them to death.

During the 1920ies, Finns had constructed the Mannerheim-line on the Karelian isthmus. It was not unlike the Maginot Line, except that it was less dense and the flanks of the fortifications were mostly protected by large bodies of water.

One of the most famous Finnish soldiers was alikersantti (junior NCO equal to corporal) Simo Häyhä, who is even today considered one of the most, if not the most successful snipers ever. He was credited with 505 confirmed kills with a rifle, using only iron sights. On top of it, he was also credited for over 200 kills with the Finnish KP/31 submachinegun. To clarify his capability, Simo Häyhä gathered the kills prior to March 6th, 1940, when he was hit by a bullet that practically destroyed his jaw. He survived the hit, regaining consciousness on March 13th, the day the peace was declared. He was promoted to vänrikki (2nd lieutanant) by Field Marshal Mannerheim. He passed away on April 1st, 2002, at the very ripe age of 96.

One of the most famous battles of the Winter War was the Battle of Raate road. On December 7th, 1939, the Soviet 163rd division captured the town of Suomussalmi, but was cut off from friendly troops and the Soviets sent the 44th Rifle Division, a unit of mostly Ukrainian troops very much unaccustomed to winter, to rescue. The Finns lost 402 men K.I.A., while the Soviet losses were between 7,000 to 9,000 killed and 1,300 captured. The battle provided much needed materiel in huge amounts for the Finnish troops including over 40 tanks and 71 artillery pieces, which came to a real need as majority of the Finnish artillery was very old pieces, mostly 1902 model 76mm gun howizers.

[ShadoWarrior]

Originally Posted by Medic

One of the most famous Finnish soldiers was alikersantti (junior NCO equal to corporal) Simo Häyhä, who is even today considered one of the most, if not the most successful snipers ever. He was credited with 505 confirmed kills with a rifle, using only iron sights. On top of it, he was also credited for over 200 kills with the Finnish KP/31 submachinegun. To clarify his capability, Simo Häyhä gathered the kills prior to March 6th, 1940, when he was hit by a bullet that practically destroyed his jaw. He survived the hit, regaining consciousness on March 13th, the day the peace was declared. He was promoted to vänrikki (2nd lieutanant) by Field Marshal Mannerheim. He passed away on April 1st, 2002, at the very ripe age of 96.

Why is this fellow pretty much unknown in the West, or at least here in America? And why hasn't anyone made a movie about his exploits?

[Targan]

Originally Posted by ShadoWarrior

Why is this fellow pretty much unknown in the West, or at least here in America? And why hasn't anyone made a movie about his exploits?

Simo Häyhä has been talked about on these forums before, and any web search focussing on military sniping records will turn up his name. I agree that a film detailing his exploits would be exceelent to see.

[Medic]

Originally Posted by Targan

Simo Häyhä has been talked about on these forums before, and any web search focussing on military sniping records will turn up his name. I agree that a film detailing his exploits would be exceelent to see.

Simo Häyhä didn't even consider himself much of a hero - he was, in his own eyes, just a decent marksman and a soldier. As for why Americans have not heard of him, I can only state that I've run in to Americans, who think polar bears walk the streets of Helsinki (the Finnish capital) and that we live in igloos (and I'm not even kidding or making his up, you know). Besides, from the American point of view, he fought on the wrong side.

As for the movie, Finland was considered an Axis nation after the war and being located right next to Soviet Union, not too many films about the war were made before the fall of the Soviet Union. Though Finland was never occupied, the Soviet threat forced us to adopt appeasement policy and certain things were pretty much censored on the level of taboo. However, now that Soviet Union is no longer, HBO is making a documentary/drama, Hemingway&Gellhorn, in which Simo Häyhä will appear, portrayed by Steven Wiig.

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by Medic

I can only state that I've run in to Americans, who think polar bears walk the streets of Helsinki (the Finnish capital) and that we live in igloos (and I'm not even kidding or making his up, you know).

don't feel bad they think the same way about Canada too

[Bullet Magnet]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

don't feel bad they think the same way about Canada too

No. We think your cities have moose and sasquatch populations that outnumber the humans however.

[Canadian Army]

Originally Posted by Bullet Magnet

No. We think your cities have moose and sasquatch populations that outnumber the humans however.

Moose do out number humans, but only in Newfoundland.

[ShadoWarrior]

Originally Posted by Medic

As for why Americans have not heard of him, I can only state that I've run in to Americans, who think polar bears walk the streets of Helsinki (the Finnish capital) and that we live in igloos (and I'm not even kidding or making his up, you know).

Probably the same muttonheads that think the Earth was created 6000 years ago.

Originally Posted by Medic

Besides, from the American point of view, he fought on the wrong side.

That's not a valid generalization. I think that you may find that many, if not most, Americans, given a choice between fighting on the "Nazi side" and fighting on the Stalinist (Soviet) side, would choose the Nazis -- after someone explained the facts to them (most Americans being clueless about both). IMO, while the Nazis were awful, Stalin was even worse. Most history that's still being taught today glosses over the fact that Stalin killed more Russians than all the people that Hitler and his Third Reich goons did.

Originally Posted by Medic

As for the movie, Finland was considered an Axis nation after the war and being located right next to Soviet Union, not too many films about the war were made before the fall of the Soviet Union. Though Finland was never occupied, the Soviet threat forced us to adopt appeasement policy and certain things were pretty much censored on the level of taboo.

Hence the Cold War term "Finlandization".

Originally Posted by Medic

HBO is making a documentary/drama, Hemingway&Gellhorn, in which Simo Häyhä will appear, portrayed by Steven Wiig.

Great news!

[Medic]

Originally Posted by ShadoWarrior

That's not a valid generalization. I think that you may find that many, if not most, Americans, given a choice between fighting on the "Nazi side" and fighting on the Stalinist (Soviet) side, would choose the Nazis -- after someone explained the facts to them (most Americans being clueless about both). IMO, while the Nazis were awful, Stalin was even worse. Most history that's still being taught today glosses over the fact that Stalin killed more Russians than all the people that Hitler and his Third Reich goons did.

Hence the Cold War term "Finlandization".

Great news!

The Americans (nor British, French nor everyone and their uncle) did much to stop the Soviets in the Watch Commission, when they decided, the Finnish reserve officer training was not needed, for an example, nor when a number of Finnish politicians were ordered to be sentenced for war crimes by the Soviets by a retroactive change of Finnish law, which was clearly against both Finnish constitution and the very principles of any western legal system. So yes, I still say, Finland was on the wrong side in the war, when U.S. of A. was concerned.

As I said earlier, history is what the victors write - the losing parties hardly ever get their say.

[manunancy]

Originally Posted by ShadoWarrior

That's not a valid generalization. I think that you may find that many, if not most, Americans, given a choice between fighting on the "Nazi side" and fighting on the Stalinist (Soviet) side, would choose the Nazis -- after someone explained the facts to them (most Americans being clueless about both). IMO, while the Nazis were awful, Stalin was even worse. Most history that's still being taught today glosses over the fact that Stalin killed more Russians than all the people that Hitler and his Third Reich goons did.

Considering the base population and the time he had to do it, Stalin's record while far from nice is probably better than the nazis's. And one can give him credit for one thing : he was fairly egalitarian in his heavy-handedness. Basicially anyone looking like he might challenge his power got a ticket for Siberia.

I would also point that even if the goulag was a far cry from a picnic, he never went for the planified industrial extermination of embarassing minorities - rather he had them displaced and spread over the USSR while planting a strong russian minority to act as a bullwark against nationalist impulses.

If you want to find worse than the Nazis, I'd rather pin that medal on Pol Pot and his Red Khmers. If you compare the damage they did with Cambodia's population, especially considering for how long they were in power, Stalin is a amateur.

[Targan]

Well as I've said before, I suspect that part of the reason why Stalin didn't lose any sleep at night over killing, displacing and generally mistreating large numbers of Russians was that he wasn't Russian.