1940 The Frozen Dead of Russia

Italian Newsreel. February 23, 1940.By the end of the winter, it became clear that the Russian forces were becoming exhausted, and German representatives suggested that Finland should negotiate with the USSR. Soviet casualties had been high, and the situation was a source of political embarrassment for the Soviet regime. With the spring thaw approaching, the Russian forces risked becoming bogged down in the forests, and a draft of peace terms was presented to Finland on February 12. Both the Germans and the Swedes were keen to see an end to the Winter War; the latter feared the collapse of its neighbor. As Finland's Cabinet hesitated in face of the harsh Soviet conditions, Sweden's King Gustaf V made a public statement, in which he confirmed having declined Finnish pleas for support from Swedish troops.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Winter
• War
• Karelia
• Finland
• Russia
• USSR
• 1940

[Adleri]

Its easy to say that "The idea was to fight nazis not get invaded" as british or american.

You had oceans between nazis and high population, economy, military so on..

Small countrys like Finland, Sweden, Switzerland just tried to stay alive and be on a map. Sweden and Switzerland did great, Finland had to fight first Soviets. 1941 you had to choose side. Cooperation with germany was Finlands only option, because of WinterWar. Even if Finland choosed to fight germans, soviets could backstab.

[noonsight2010]

@MokomaSusi You evidently do not know the meanming of the word "allies".

[MokomaSusi]

@noonsight2010

If UK and France could not win against Wehmacht (they had better forces than germans) then how could Finland? Same goes to Switzerland.

[noonsight2010]

@MokomaSusi I stand corrected over the swastika. I've no doubt Finland displayed it as a positive emblem of good fortune as it was and is in India, before the Nazis hijacked it. The idea was to fight the Nazis, not get occupied by them. Sweden has a lot to answer for here as well as Switzerland.

[MokomaSusi]

@noonsight2010

Could have joined allies? And then then get occupied by Germany... no thanks. Finland started to use Swastika in 1918... years before anyone even know who Hitler was. It's actually still used in FiAF flag.

I think that Finland faired very well in those times... could have gone a lot worse for us.

[NeutralExistence]

@hereinweymouth

Thus why Pearl Harbor was clearly allowed to happen by those in charge, to put a Japanese face on the "hate" billboard, and allow the serfs to be riled up into a froth. Then all the war-profiteering Nazi's like the Rockefeller, Ford etc... could scoop up all your "war taxes" into making their corporations unstoppable monopoly's.

Actively supported your interests, and nothing else, such is war.

[noonsight2010]

@hereinweymouth I never said neutrality was an option. Joining the Allies could have been. The Finns were so deep in Nazi collaboration you even had swastikas on your aircraft. The fact is Finland aided the Nazis. I have no respect for neutrality in WW2 either. It was an immoral position given the evil of the Axis powers.

[hereinweymouth]

@NeutralExistence American domestic politics at the time required neutrality -- don't get involved in European wars. So we did business with both sides until December 1941. We were actively supporting Britain and Russia.

[hereinweymouth]

@noonsight2010 Neutrality was not an option for Finland. They had two choices:Germany or Russia. Russia started the Winter War so Finland knew Russia was not to be trusted.

Finland was granted independence by Russia. Finland meant to keep that independence from Russia.  You think Finns were Hitler's toy turds? Ihre Gedanken sind Scheiss

[noonsight2010]

@NeutralExistence Absolutely. Switzerland and Sweden in particular are culprits. Sadly the present arms race goes back to Anglo-German and Anglo-French rivalry from the 19th Century, which led to machine guns, chemical weapons, submarines, Dreadnoughts, military aircraft, heavy artillery and WW1. After that there was no turning back and we still live with the consequences.