The Winter War Epub

On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, theapital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tractsf territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by theinnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giantoviet military machine.;But this forgotten war, fought under brutal,ub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one ofhe most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis,ven reindeer to haul supplies on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks onanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of onef the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bayut won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts.ts surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", whentarving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resisthe cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and werembushed as they stopped to sup. Although by sheer attritional weight of

When Russian troops invade Finland during the winter of 1939-40, Marko, a young polio victim determined to keep his homeland free, joins the Finnish Army as a messenger boy.

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. 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.

On 30 November 1939 Stalin's Red Army attacked Finland, expecting to crush the outnumbered, ill-equipped Finnish forces in a matter of days. But, in one of the most astonishing upsets in modern military history, the Finnish defenders broke the Red Army's advance, inflicting devastating casualties and destroying some of the divisions that had been thrown against them. Eventually, in March 1940, the overhauled Red Army prevailed through the deployment of massive force. The Finns were compelled to cede territory and cities to their overbearing neighbour, but the moral victory was theirs. The courage and skill their army displayed in the face of the Soviet onslaught - and the chaotic and reckless performance of their opponents - had an important influence on the massive struggle that was about to break out between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. For this highly illustrated and original portrayal of this famously unequal struggle, Bair Irincheev has brought together a compelling selection of eyewitness accounts, war diaries, battle reports, and other records from the Finnish and Russian archives to reconstruct the frontline fighting, and he analyses the reasons for the Red Army's poor performance. Never before has the harsh reality of the combat in the depths of the northern winter been conveyed in such authentic detail. The arduous daily experience of the troops on both sides, the brutality of combat and the constant struggle against the elements are recalled in the words of the men who were there. AUTHOR: Bair Irincheev is an expert on the troubled twentieth-century history of Finland and Russia and has made a particular study of the Finnish army during the Winter War and the Continuation War that followed. He is based in Helsinki and recently compiled a highly illustrated survey of the Mannerheim Line which was Finland's principal defence against the Soviet Union. Among his previous publications is On the Roads of War: A Soviet Cavalryman on the Eastern Front. SELLING POINTS: * Compelling new account of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union * Based on eyewitness testimony, was diaries, battle reports, and other records from the Finnish and Russian archives * Authentic portrayal of frontline fighting in the harshest of conditions ILLUSTRATIONS: 90 illustrations *

How did warfare between tiny Finland and mighty Russia lead to changes that would ultimately aid the Soviets against the Nazis? Why was Russia so determined to annex Finland into the Soviet state? And why, when Finland ask for aid from the United States, did the United States fail to act? 'The Winter War' is a look at the conflict between Finland and Russia, and how it played out as a forerunner to the events of World War II. And the book also seeks to answer the disturbing questions of why when the United States was asked for aid, she did nothing...

On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tracts of territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by the Finnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giant Soviet military machine. But this forgotten war, fought under brutal, sub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one of the most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis, even reindeer to haul supplies on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of one of the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bay but won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts. Its surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", when starving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resist the cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and were ambushed as they stopped to sup. Although by sheer attritional weight of numbers Stalin eventually prevailed over the Finns, their pointed resistance enabled their country to remain free, even as other countries fell one by one.