Helsinki city
Winter War
The origin of the conflict
Although under a non-aggression pact since 1932, tensions rose between Finland and the Soviet Union. Stalin wanted to establish a demilitarised zone on the border to strengthen the position of Leningrad. In 1938, he sensed the coming conflict in Europe and asked Finland to cede some of the Gulf islands to him. Finland did not want to give up without suitable compensation. Talks were held in Moscow on 12 October 1939, but they were not successful. Indeed, exchanges of territory were proposed. The Finns, represented by Paasikivi, wanted to think about it for a few days. So they proposed modifications, but accepted the Russian deal overall, while Stalin opposed it.
However, in the following days, at the beginning of November 1939, he tried again to propose a solution to the Finns, again without success.
Stalin chooses the second option, the balance of power
At first, Stalin established a balance of power, but without attacking directly. Together with the communist opponents of the Finnish regime who had taken refuge on his land, he decided to form a new government for Finland. This government was led by Otto Wille Kuusinen, who had been in exile since 1918. The Finns from the USSR formed the Finnish People's Army, refusing to recognise the capitalist government in their country of origin. In addition, the Red Army also began to regroup to put pressure on Finland. Propaganda was launched throughout the USSR: Finland would be in the pay of the big capitalist countries of the world. This would make Finland a risk for the USSR.
On 26 November 1939, a village near Leningrad was bombed. The Russians accused the Finns and demanded the withdrawal of their border troops. However, the Finns accused the Russians of orchestrating a false attack to start a conflict. There will be no turning back, despite the US offer to mediate between the two nations. The non-aggression pact of 1932 was broken.
On 30 November, the Soviets attacked Finland with over 400,000 men. The next day, Stalin pushed Otto Wille Kuusinen to declare his government legitimate. But this government remained a "shadow" government
The difficulties of the Winter War
The war was fought in terrible weather conditions, with the temperature often dropping below -40 degrees. The Finns were able to use this to their advantage. For example, they attacked during cold spells to surprise the enemy. Moreover, the Finnish communists enlisted in the army of their country, did not join the enemy camp despite their political convictions, to the great surprise of some and others.
For their part, the Russians were exhausted and quickly weakened. They sent soldiers from the south and east to avoid sympathy with their Finnish neighbours. But they were not used to the terrible winter conditions in this part of the world. In order to face the cold, they had to renew their numbers and their equipment, and to better think about their military techniques. But the lack of Finnish ammunition gave them the advantage.
The Finns held out until the end of February. This was due to the advantages on the ground and the international support they received, especially from Sweden. But their positions became increasingly difficult to hold, and there was a lack of equipment...
After the Winter War, a return to peace
Little by little, the Russians managed to organise themselves better and won important battles, such as Summa, which ended on 12 February 1940. The Finns hoped for Franco-British help, but the latter were slow to commit themselves. They wanted to go through Sweden to put the country at odds with Germany. Germany refused, which led the Finns to consider signing a peace treaty with the USSR. Alliances on both sides were frightening. The USSR's alliance with Germany and Finland's with the Allies.
The Russians demanded a lot from Finland, such as the concession of Hanko for 30 years or the annexation of various territories such as the Karelian isthmus and the shores of Lake Ladoga. Finland hesitated, still hoping for allies. However, Finland eventually committed itself completely to the peace process out of fear. This leads England to ensure that they will override the Swedish agreement, but it is already too late, it is 11 March 1940. The peace treaty between the Finns and the Russians was signed in Moscow on 13 March 1940 at 11 am. This Moscow Treaty pushed the Russian borders back into Finnish lands as they were in 1721. In addition, the Russians obtained the concession of Hanko, a strategic location to control the Gulf of Finland and thus best protect Stalingrad: their initial goal.
Although Finland eventually lost to Stalin's USSR, this winter war left a victorious impression of this "small" nation. Indeed, few believed that it could hold out for so long and without being completely annexed. This victorious image did not please Hitler, who for his part began to doubt the military capabilities of Stalin's USSR, then engaged with him in the war.