How Finland Survived a 1,000,000+ Soviet Invasion (1939-1940) FULL DOCUMENTARY

In this history documentary we turn our attention to Winter War of 1939 which saw the Red Army invade Finland. While the conflict appeared one sided at the outset, the Finnish defenders stunned their world by holding the Soviet juggernaut at bay. In this Units of History series we will explore the soldiers who made this feat of arms possible in the face of the Russian Invasion of Finland.

We first explore the roots of the conflict between Finland and Russia and how this would inform the evolution of the Finnish Army in the lead up to the Winter War. We then cover the defensive doctrine which was to characterize the war and the nature of the soldiers who would conduct it. This includes a focus on the equipment of the Finnish Ski Troops responsible for manning the front lines and carrying out the defense in depth. In comparison Red Army troops had more numbers and equipment but lacked the specialized gear necessary to operate in winter conditions.

And finally we review the organization, tactics, and service history of these Finnish troops who were to hold the Red Army juggernaut at bay.

Sources:
Vesa Nenye, with Peter Munter and Toni Wirtanen: Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40 (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2015)
Pasi Tuunainen: Finnish MIlitary Effectiveness in the Winter War 1939-1940 (Helsinki: Palgrave MacMillan, 2016)
Philip Jowett, Brent Snodgrass, Raffaele Ruggeri: Finland at War 1939-45 (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006)

Credits:
Research = Mark Evans
Script = Mark Evans
Narration = Guy Michaels
Production = Penta Limited

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:44 Finnish-Soviet Geopolitics
06:40 Finnish Civil War
08:36 Interwar Period
12:17 Start of the Winter War
15:04 Equipment of Finnish Soldiers
20:54 Recap
22:54 Army Organization
30:07 Tactics & Training
31:28 Mobilization
34:05 Soviet Invasion
35:20 Karelian Front
36:31 Ladogo Front
37:28 Raate Front
41:36 Arctic Front
42:24 Last Stand of the Finns
43:55 End of the War

#history
#military
#documentary

[vitorpereira]

The Soviets thought the cold was their ally. But they merely adopted the cold while the Finish were born in it, molded by it.

[LL-ifpg]

When I visited Saint Petersburg, I was shocked to see their museums still claim Finland did start this war by attacking an innocent USSR

[OGRajamaki]

Thank you finally somebody got the fact that every soldier here in Finland even nowadays uses the skis. I hate the "special ski troops" myth that most YouTubers spread about Winter war.

[MsZeeZed]

Being so confident you only prepare 2 weeks of ammunition for the Red Army is a logistics strategy no-one should try to emulate 🤦🏻‍♀️

[lexluthor]

And this is why our war veterans told us to make sure that we don't end up alone again. We are not alone anymore we have 31 friends this time.

[FinUgShiet]

There's a saying in finnish: "If the enemy attacks from the west, it must have snuck there from the east."

[mv_]

Why Soviets failed:
1) Stalin had killed most able officers in his 30s purges.
2) Stalin expected the winter to be mild and many Soviet troops were in summer gear in -50° (quite many froze to death). General Winter worked for the Finns.
3) Terrain, terrain, terrain. Finns knew (and still know) how to defend their area best. The border between Russia and Finland is dense woods, lakes, bogs. The attacker needs much more than the usual advantage of 3:1 to make advance. The deadly guerilla warfare wears the invader down.
4) Soviets had no idea what they were fighting for. The Finns knew extremely well what was at stake.

[bandysxxx]

I grew up in northern Ontario, Canada. Every person/ family had an abundance of winter clothing. Snow shoes, skates and usually dad had an old Lee Enfield in the basement. As children we would play outside in the winter, snow and cold was nothing to us . I can just imagine the average Finlander had no problem finding enough wool socks and mitts to stay warm at -40 .

[janus]

While growing up in the '60s, my dad had a hunting rifle, which I was told, was an old Finnish Army rifle. I didn't think much of it at the time because even though we lived in the US, we had Finnish ancestry( both his, and Mom's, parents were born in Finland). It wasn't until recently, while watching a video on the Winter War, that I saw a picture of a Mosin-Nagant, and recognized it as being the same as my Dad's.

[brianjonker]

The aspect in this video I most appreciate is the back ground music is at a very low decibel compared to the narration and the winter wind sound effect is a nice touch to the background music.

[kevinlutz]

There is a large population of Finlanders on the north shore of Lake Superior. Fine citizens.

[BeauInPDX]

My grandfather and his brothers fought in this war, the stories they would tell us as kids when we visited will stay with me forever.

[Kiob]

I always thought Molotv Cocktails were a russian invention but the actual origin is way cooler:

The name's origin came from the propaganda Molotov produced during the Winter War, mainly his declaration on Soviet state radio that incendiary bombing missions over Finland were actually "airborne humanitarian food deliveries" for their "starving" neighbours. As a result, the Finns sarcastically dubbed the Soviet incendiary cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets" (Finnish: Molotovin leipäkori) in reference to Molotov's propaganda broadcasts. When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack and destroy Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the "Molotov cocktail", as "a drink to go with his food parcels"

[Albert__of_Belgium]

"He thought of the might he posessed, but not of his foes"

- Sabaton, *Talvisota*

[tommyhijmensen]

Thank you so much for this Invicta !
This war and its outcome may never ever be forgotten.
For our(native) finnish speakers here's a message;

Kunnia marsalkka Mannerheimille, Suomelle ja sen kansalle !
Eläköön Suomi !
(I hope i spelled that right)

Greetings from the Netherlands.
❤🇫🇮💪🏻🙏🏻

[brianjonker]

You should end with a chart showing the casualties from each side.

[gwskzys]

The finns have a well earned reputation of being highly competent and courageous.

[saloneju]

Fun fact: The precision rifle manufacturer SAKO started as a weapons manufacturer for the paramilitary Suojeluskunta-organization. The name comes from "Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja KOnepaja, " SAKO, which translates roughly as "the weapons and machine workshop of the Suojeluskunta-organization".

[karelianmghow]

He still stubbornly calls Finland a Baltic nation, even after being corrected at least 1, 000, 000+ times. An epic victory in a titanic struggle 🙃

[handlewhatever]

Dear finns, I am proud to have such badass neighbours
-Norwegian