Fighting Finns
Finland Winter War Medal
Today's post is about Finland's Winter War and the medal which was awarded to combat servicemen and civilians who fought against the USSR in the winter of 1939/40.
Prior to World War 2 Finland's relationship with the USSR was complicated and strained. Before the First World War Finland sat within the Russian Empire as a fairly autonomous state. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 Finland took advantage of the chaos and declared independence. After the Revolution the country that was to became the Soviet Union in 1922 quickly recognized the newly seceded state which later achieved full sovereignty after a brief but brutal civil war in May 1918. A non-aggression pact was signed between the two states in the early 1930s.
Facing the aggression of Nazi Germany after the beginning of hostilities in Europe in 1939 the leader of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin regarded Finland as a threat to the west of the country, mainly as a convenient springboard to be used by the Germans for invasion. He also considered failing to stop the Finnish independence movement as a missed opportunity. Reversing their previous policy of non-aggression the Soviet Union now regarded Finland and other bordering states to be potential 'buffer' states to subjugate and bring under formal control to protect their western flank. Following non-productive negotiations the Soviet Union and a false flag attack on a Soviet border town hostilities began in November 1939.
The Soviet Union's advance into Finland was slow. Using guerrilla tactics, skis and winter survival skills - with which most troops were trained - the Finnish Army was able to take on superior numbers and degrade them effectively and prevent the enemy from overrunning the country quickly. They could also take advantage of limited hours of daylight in the arctic circle and of course the extreme cold. Although not universally equipped with proper winter clothing Finnish troops were snow-camoflaged and had layered clothing. The Russian counterparts were generally not well equipped (or winter-camoflaged) and suffered terribly from the -40 degree conditions.
As it became clear that Finland's forces were becoming in danger of being totally destroyed - and Stalin wishing to preserve his forces for a potential conflict with Germany - negotiations began in March 1940 to bring hostilities to an end supposedly against the wishes of the Soviet commanders who believed were finally making serious inroads. A peace treaty was agreed in March and the Winter War was ended at the cost of significant chunks of Finnish territory but Finland kept her sovereignty.
To commemorate the huge sacrifice of Finland's population - civilians and soldiers alike - President Kallio signed the document in August 1940 to establish the official Winter War 1939/40 medal. Between 1940 and 1992 over 700,000 medals were awarded, from boys and girls who passed messages, women who washed uniforms and canteen staff - anyone who aided the war effort was eligible for the medal.
The medal was struck in austere blackened iron and designed by Major Aarno Karimo. It depicts a snow-covered rifleman surrounded by provincial coats of arms of Finland. The reverse displays a wreathed conifer with the message ‘KUNNIA ISÄNMAA’ meaning literally ‘Honour Fatherland’ which can be translated to 'For the Honour of the Fatherland'. The black ribbon with thin red stripes can feature crossed swords for combat troops and also a clasp signifying the branch of service. The picture above has the KENTTÄARMEIJA clasp or Field Army - specifically individuals who supported frontline troops from the rear and thus is one of the more common and less sought after versions. Other support versions exist for Home Defence, Coastal Defence, Air Defence and a further 11 combat versions which feature the clasp denoting a major battle such as the Karelian Isthmus (KARJALAN KANNAS) which are rarer and therefore more sought after.
Finland was rightly proud of her war effort which led to her survival as an independent state and in retrospect avoided the tyranny of many other states who fell into the USSR's orbit.
Further reading here.
