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Finnish Defense Forces post 160,000 WWII era photos online: (Original Post) Are_grits_groceries Jun 2013 OP
Cool! Thanks for Posting! Sherman A1 Jun 2013 #1
Weather conditions don't look too enthralling. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #2
Other way around Posteritatis Jun 2013 #3
Thanks for the explanation. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #4
Interesting pics. Finland's role in WWII seems to have been limited to it's own self interests. geckosfeet Jun 2013 #5
Don't blame them at all Are_grits_groceries Jun 2013 #7
And remember they'd only clawed back their independence after the First World War, too. (nt) Posteritatis Jun 2013 #8
wow, thats a new time-burner corkhead Jun 2013 #6

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)
2. Weather conditions don't look too enthralling.
Thu Jun 20, 2013, 05:35 AM
Jun 2013

As far as I'm aware Germany invaded in the early part of WW2 followed by the Russians later on.

Posteritatis

(18,807 posts)
3. Other way around
Thu Jun 20, 2013, 06:09 AM
Jun 2013

The Soviets invaded right at the start (and very nearly lost!), then the Finns allied with the Germans, then the Soviets invaded again. Towards the end they switched sides again to remove the remaining German forces on Finnish soil.

geckosfeet

(9,644 posts)
5. Interesting pics. Finland's role in WWII seems to have been limited to it's own self interests.
Thu Jun 20, 2013, 06:31 AM
Jun 2013

They did align with Germany to fight off the Russians, but later struggled to evict Germany.

Military history of Finland during World War II


The involvement of Finland in World War II was confined to the country's own defensive wars opposing aggression from the Soviet Union, except for the conquest of East Karelia in the Soviet Union by a combination of Finnish and German troops. In late 1944, after agreeing to do so in a peace treaty with the Soviet Union, Finland moved to expel German forces from Finland. Finns consider Finnish participation in World War II to be an extension of the Finnish wars for independence. From 1939 to 1945, Finland fought three wars: the Winter War alone against the Soviet Union, the Continuation War with Germany against the Soviet Union, and the Lapland War against Germany. In the end, Finland managed to defend its independence but had to cede nearly 10% of its territory, including one of its oldest cities, which was also its second largest city, Viipuri (from 1944 Vyborg), to the USSR. As a result of this territorial loss to the Soviets, many Finnish Karelians fled or were evacuated from their homes, relocating to areas that remained within the borders of Finland.


This is interesting in that Finland seems to have focused on it's own self interests during a time we generally think of countries joining with one of two global alignments - the allies or the axis. Finland appears to have acted independently of the goals and aims of both the allies and axis powers. It also sounds like they took the opportunity to align with Germany to ward of the Russians - an enemy they had in common. I am no expert on Finland's role in WWII but that is is how I read this short Wikipedia chronicle.

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)
7. Don't blame them at all
Thu Jun 20, 2013, 10:24 AM
Jun 2013

When you live in an area like that, you have to change allies quickly to survive. It is much easier to live in an area that is not prone to invasion.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

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