German perspective on Continuation/Lapland wars

[sid guttridge]

Hi Shadow,

The proposition that the Continuation War was a parallel war to WWII is something of a legal fiction. Finland was not a member of the Tripartite Pact and so technically it was not a member of the Axis. But in practice the Finns co-ordinated their war effort with the Germans and had German troops operating from their soil, so in practice they were as deeply commited to the Axis as formal Axis allies.

Similarly, the Lapland Campaign was co-ordinated with a simultaneous Soviet advance.

The legal fiction that Finland was fighting a parallel war only had value if the USSR was prepared to accept it for its own diplomatic purposes. Fortunately for Finland, it did.

Cheers,

Sid.

[sid guttridge]

Hi shadow,

What governed Soviet action towards Finland were other practical factors. They imposed the peace they wanted and it didn't much matter to them what spin the Finns put on it afterwards about "parallel wars" outside the Axis. This was really for Finnish internal and Western consumption.

If you look at the Finnish Armistice terms in 1944, they are similar to the Romanian Armistice terms. The practical difference was that the Red Army had to advance across Romania to continue prosecuting the war against Germany but it did not have to cross Finland to do so. As a result Romania was left with a Red Army presence to influence post-war politics and Finland wasn't.

Another important factor was that the USA had never declared war on Finland and, if I am not mistaken, Churchill did not include it in the Percentages Agreement. It may well be that Stalin viewed leaving Finland to its own devices as a trade off for consolidating Soviet influence elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

Cheers,

Sid.

[sid guttridge]

Hi Shadow,

Almost certainly not. The "Continuation War" as separate from the wider war is a purely Finnish construct.

Cheers,

Sid.

[phylo_roadking]

Sid, are you sure about the |percentages thing? I thought I remembered Helsinki at the very first been treated the same as Vienna in an occupied Austria, but the 1944 settlement changed that, and it became more neutral but within Soviet "influence".

[sid guttridge]

Hi Phylo,

Yes. Finland was not part of the Percentages Agreement. This easy to check.

I have never heard that Helsinki and Vienna were ever considered together. Their situations were very different. Berlin and Vienna, yes. Have you a source?

Cheers,

Sid.

[Max Boost]

Hi Phylo,

Yes. Finland was not part of the Percentages Agreement. This easy to check.

I have never heard that Helsinki and Vienna were ever considered together. Their situations were very different. Berlin and Vienna, yes. Have you a source?

Cheers,

Sid.

Helsinki and Vienna can't be considered since Finland or the capitol Helsinki were never occupied. After the armistice (Finland did not surrender) in Sebtember 1944, Soviets send a Control Committee (Valvontakomissio in Finnish) to Helsinki to control that the all armistice pact was fallowed. The committee had very large rights to search for documents, control the FA's reserves and for our new communist ministers to get people arrested. They also set up people as war criminals and few dozen were send to SU, without trial. Some of them spent 6 to 9 years in Stalin's camps.
In north, Soviets urged Finns to push Germans to Norway and even send one RA division as a thread to Suomussalmi. Germans retreated peacefully in the begining, they agreed with Finns a daily level where Finns would follow, so no combat was needed. But after Soviets agressions, Finns had to start "real war". Soviets demanded German KIA's and POW's as a proof that real fighting was going on. Shamefully, Finns had to hand over the POW's to Soviets.
Down in the south, Finland had to rent an area called Porkkala in the coast of Finnish Gulf to Soviet Union for 50 years. Soviets formed a military and naval base there, and Helsinki was inside the range of their heavy artillery. That was the ace of spade in the hands of Soviets, any negotiations could be ended pro-Soviets by flashing the fact that Porkkalas guns do turn 360 degrees. Soviet Union gave up Porkkala base in 1956 (hope I remember correct), well before the rent time was gone.
So Finland was not occupied after the war, but was very strickly controlled by the Soviets for the next decade.

Yours, Max

[estonian]

Similarly, the Lapland Campaign was co-ordinated with a simultaneous Soviet advance.
The legal fiction that Finland was fighting a parallel war only had value if the USSR was prepared to accept it for its own diplomatic purposes. Fortunately for Finland, it did.

Finnish Navi (176 small vessels) took part in the soviet landings to the Estonian islands 1944.

On 29 September 1944, the Soivet forces were ready for the attack. To cross the sound from Haapsalu to Muhu Island, the Soviets used American Lend-Lease amphibious craft. Their first landing location was at Kuivastu on the Island of Muhu.
http://www.feldgrau.com/baltsea.html

Not only "American Lend-Lease" carryed Red Army across the straits. Finnish Navi lost 16 small vessels and 22 motorboats in thease actions, 8 finnish seamans KIA. This "Finnish Flotilla" (Osasto Arho) was commanded by korvettenkapitän (komentajakapteeni) Olavi Arho.
http://www.verkkouutiset.fi/arkisto/Ark ... OSARHO.HTM