By merely searching for “Helsingfors” the search results offered 250 monographs, 8 manuscripts and 28,159 newspaper and periodical articles! The ‘Winter War’ of 1939-1940 or the Russo-Finnish War was fought between the Soviet Union and Finland. The amazing story of Finland in World War II, 1939-1945. Even though the Finnish territory was spared of most of the fighting, it witnessed a series of military operations for three and a half months during the … (For further information about this, check out “100 years since Finland declared independence”). They are a worthy starting point for historians focusing on Finland as well as British or American history – indeed, it is fascinating to see Finnish history through the eyes of the international press, and this would certainly add an interesting angle to your research. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Guerrillas on skis, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, unfathomable endurance, and the charismatic leadership of one of this century's true military geniuses-these are the elements of both the Finnish victory and a gripping tale of war. In Gale Primary Sources, 2,323 newspaper and periodical articles can be found by searching for “General Bobrikoff”, of which 22 were published on June 17, 1904. The current circumstances caused by the global pandemic have highlighted the importance of digital primary sources. In 1939, tiny Finland waged war-the kind of war that spawns legends-against the mighty Soviet Union, and yet their epic struggle has been largely ignored. What I found, in short, was a highly Lieutenant Melin's soldiers mission is to penetrate the heart of … The shadow to this story was that “the working classes have no love for the Germans”. The same coin depicts both the pre-war Finnish history, with the withdrawing Swedish crown on the reverse side, and the post-war future of the country, with the Russian eagle symbol on the obverse side. Primary Sources offered me 339 newspaper and periodical articles. He expected a lightning victory of his own that would impress Hitler and increase Soviet security in the Baltic. What was special about contemporary coverage of the Crimean War was that it was one of the first “modern wars” due to the use of new technology such as the telegraph (invented in 1837). However, though the murder itself was strictly disapproved, Finland gathered sympathies for its oppressed state by the international press, as Richard Back Jensen argues.4 This point of view is evident in this Times article as well, which writes: “Amid the protests of the whole of Europe united in a common feeling of sympathy for the Finns and of rage and reprobation towards their oppressors, General Bobrikoff replied by suppressing the last remnant of their rights. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... World War II: The Baltic states and the Russo-Finnish War, 1939–40. In 1939, two Finnish brothers are conscripted in the army to fight in the war between Finland and the Soviet Union. The civil war was a catastrophe for Finland. The Red Army wanted to split Finnish forces above Lake Ladoga, north of the Mannerheim Line, as well as seize the coastal city of Petsamo along the Arctic Ocean to the north, to prevent oceanic intervention from Norway. Finnish troops were conscripted to fight in the wars the Swedish Empire engaged in. For most of Finland’s history, the country had lived on the periphery of world events, but for a few weeks during the winter of 1939-40, Finland stood at the center of the world stage. At the beginning of the First World War, Finland was an autonomous Great Duchy within the Russian Empire. – Finland in American News in the Late Nineteenth Century, Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld – A Great Arctic Explorer of the Nineteenth Century, https://link-gale-com.libproxy.helsinki.fi/apps/doc/CS100993680/GDCS?u=uhelsink&sid=GDCS&xid=f62ed578, http://hangonsotahistoria.fi/index.php/en/historia-4/rysk-befastning/, http://www.inventingeurope.eu/story/eye-witnessing-the-war-in-the-crimea-telegraph-vs-camera, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13688804.2019.1652090, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1445821, https://www.urheilumuseo.fi/suomen-talvikisat-1919-itsenaisen-suomen-ensimmaiset-suurkilpailut/. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. Omissions? Almost one year after the Finnish Civil War, the Times reported the condition of “Present-day Helsingfors” with a positive tune: “Helsingfors has practically regained its pre-war appearance” . The Finnish-Soviet nonaggression pact of 1932 was directed at the same concern but failed to quell Finnish fears of Soviet expansionism. Unlike the Winter War, which was a Soviet war of aggression against Finland, the Continuation War was a war of aggression initiated by the Finns, which attempted to rectify the territorial losses of the Winter War and pre-empt Soviet aggression. Profiting quickly from its understanding with Germany, the U.S.S.R. on October 10, 1939, constrained Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to admit... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. One Soon after the declaration of independence the Finnish Civil War erupted, in which the Soviets/Russians sided with the Reds – the communist rebels. The Finnish Civil War was fought between Reds (a section of the Social Democratic Party, agrarian and industrial workers) and Whites (the conservative based Senate with the help of the German Imperial Army, middle-class and upper-class people). Despite their much smaller size and strength, the Finns were able to hold off the Soviets for more than two months before the larger force redoubled its efforts and finally overran them. When Finland refused, the Soviet Union launched an attack on November 30, 1939, beginning the Russo-Finnish War. Russo-Finnish War, also called Winter War, (November 30, 1939–March 12, 1940), war waged by the Soviet Union against Finland at the beginning of World War II, following the conclusion of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (August 23, 1939). Finland experienced three wars from 1939-1945: the Winter War, the Continuation War and the Lapland War, during which 80,000 children were torn from their roots and sent abroad. Social Democratic Party, agrarian and industrial workers) and Whites (the Finland was involved because at that time it was part of the Russian Empire, in which, between 1809–1917, Finland was called “the Grand Duchy of Finland” or Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta in Finnish. On Thursday 11th April, Germans arrived in Espoo, a city next to Helsinki, and on Friday 12th April troops had arrived in central Helsinki. Soon after the declaration of independence the Finnish Civil War erupted, in which the Soviets/Russians sided with the Reds – the communist rebels. contended both during and after the conflict, I decided to focus on Helsinki to Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. The same accelerated speed of information transfer via the new telegram network that we saw impacting primary sources from 1904 was present in 1918 as well. (Whilst drawing too much comparison between historical events and current situations has its dangers, I could not help but ponder whether the reporting of the Crimean War that can be found in British Library Newspapers was one of the first steps towards the reality we live in today, where news of COVID-19 is available instantly, day in, day out, from hour to hour, from moment to moment, and whether this development in technology is changing society’s approaches and understanding of news as it did to those exposed to the new telegraph technology in the nineteenth century.). The news has caused the greatest excitement.” General Bobrikov died the morning the reports of the shooting were published, so the press could still not confirm the death in that day’s paper. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The main characters are Marko and Karl. on those areas. During the quarantine (and any other time!) The murder continued to be discussed in the British press days later, and the Times analysed the event from the imperial point of view. The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Finland. There is a debate in Finland on whether the country had a realistic option of not joining the German Operation Barbarossa, and about how much of the Finnish action was morally justified. However, I wanted to find out if the platform could also be Our Ambassadors study a variety of different disciplines, and all are open to receiving thoughts or questions from other students at their university about Gale Primary Sources. Updates? The Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic – Who Was Bruce Ismay? Sisu is what allowed Finnish soldiers to creep close to Soviet tanks to throw grenades, plant charges, … Finland's White Guard, the Whites, manag… Finland’s Office of the Prosecutor says a man from Sierra Leone has been charged with crimes against humanity, over his role in Liberia’s civil war two decades ago. Having approached Germany without reaching a formal alliance, Finland allowed German troops transit through the country after the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union in June 1941. Gibril Ealoghima Massaquoi is accused of killing civilians and soldiers who had just been disarmed … German forces landed on the shores of southern Finland on April 3, 1918 to put an end to the Finnish Civil War that had raged for more than two years, with more than 40,000 perishing on both sides. Finnish divisions, strength and equipment, tanks, air force and navy. As expected, the news spread without delay to Britain as well. The Hull Daily Mail was wise enough to predict two days before the battle that, given “German warships have already been seen off Helsingfors, the occupation of which will probably take place in the very near future” – the very near future, it turned out. focusing on Great Britain or America, since the collections seem mostly focused helpful when studying Finnish history! Finland during World War II The Winter War. As a result, it was apparent that I needed to limit my search somehow, and I decided to focus on the history of Finnish warfare and armed conflicts. However, that effort was squelched when the Finnish parliament chose not to ratify the agreement. interesting peephole into Finnish War History before the Second World War. Thursday 31st May saw the Finnish Prime Minister’s Officer announced the opening of an independent probe into those Finnish citizens who served in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. Fire and Ice: The Winter War of Finland and Russia - YouTube The murders were part of the resistance to the Russian oppression against the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland that had started at the end of the nineteenth century. The first steps in the history of Finnish aviation were taken with Russian aircraft. A soldier with a pack Reindeer, on slippery ice, near the tiny village of Nautsi, in northern Lapland, Finland, on October 26, 1941. Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Gale, A Cengage Company. 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