We all know WHY Finland became a so-called co-belligerent of the Axis Powers during WW2.
Finland was attacked by the USSR in the Winter War in November 1939 and despite not being
overrun completely the Finns had to cede territory to the Soviet Union.
After that Finland became a co-belligerent of the Axis. How did this take place?
How pro-Axis were the Finns to begin with?
That and more in this video, keep watching.
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First, an apology.
Over one year ago I did a poll in the community tab asking viewers which Axis Power or co-belligerent
you wanted me to cover.
Finland was favored hands down.
Yet, ever since I've covered all the others except Finland. This here is the first video in a series where we're gonna explore Finland's role in WW2.
There is much on YouTube about the Winter War so I will be kicking off right after this
conflict and explore Finland's role in WW2.
Perhaps I can cover the Winter War on location some day.
In this video we're gonna focus on the question: how did Finland become a co-belligerent?
Be aware that the history of this is murky and still debated as of today.
First some background!
In August 1939 Germany and the USSR signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.
A non-aggression pact where also so-called spheres of influence were decided.
Among other countries and areas Finland was for the Soviets to take.
When negotiations deadlocked the Soviets attacked Finland in November 1939.
The Winter War had started.
Many people know it as a war where the Soviets were very ineffective against the brave Finns
who put up stiff resistance.
And however this is true, the Soviets did in theory won the Winter War.
With the Moscow Peace Treaty (March 1940) Finland had cede areas to the USSR.
Finnish flags appeared at half-mast after the publication of the Winter War peace terms.
On the flipside: if the Finnish defences would've collapsed from the getgo a Soviet take-over
of the whole nation was perhaps possible.
And as it turned out: the Soviets wouldn't leave the Finns alone. After the Winter War
Moscow still wanted to attach the country to its buffer zone.
Germany was not indifferent towards Finland's fate during the Winter War.
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact forbade them to provide assistance to the Finns.
Yet, German strategy changed when the Allies (France and Great Britain) were planning a
military operation in the north of Scandinavia.
This was to cut off iron exports to Germany.
The German war industry depended on Swedish iron ore.
Therefore Hitler launched the succesful invasions of Denmark and Norway in April 1940.
The first German rapprochement to Finland came before the Winter War was over.
In February 1940 Hermann Göring sent a confidential message to Finland urging the country to make
peace hinting that all lost territories would be returned once the 'European war' was over.
That peace treaty came the following month.
To what extent Göring's message attributed to the readiness of the Finnish government
to accept the peace terms is contested.
In March 1940 a new Finnish Foreign Minister was appointed: the pro-German Rolf Witting.
Many among the Finnish government were pro-England but this country didn't come to Finland's
aid during the Winter War which left many dissapointed as Finland had to fend for itself.
There was a plan to create a Nordic Defence League together with Denmark and Norway, but
Moscow declared that this was in violation with the peace treaty.
Also Denmark and Norway were taken over shortly after by the Germans (April 1940).
In July 1940 Stalin completed the annexation of the Baltic states and intensified its demands
to Finland for a concession covering the Finnish nickel mines in the north of the country.
The Germans had also had their eyes on them.
Another way of pressuring the Finns was by delaying the trade agreement the Soviets signed
with the Finns that summer.
Meanwhile the Finns also signed trade agreements with Germany which increased Finnish imports
from Germany.
The Germans did make clear they didn't want to foresake their non-aggression relation with
the USSR.
In July they retreated from their demand for nickel from the Pechenga mines in the north.
Do notice that by now the Germans had taken over the whole of Norway and were stationed very close to these mines.
This move was largely tactical. Mid-August the German official Dr. Ludwig Weissauer carried out a secret investigation
of the Finnish defensive capacities and had talks with Finnish prime minister Risto Ryti
and Commander-in-Chief Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.
“The Finnish leaders’ message to Hitler was decisive: if Finland was once again left
to fight alone against the Soviet Union, it could not survive longer than three months.
Even if this estimate was pessimistic, it underlined two crucial points: the Finns would
in no circumstances capitulate to the Soviet Union, and so German support for Finland would
not be in vain.”
When Hitler read the report he decided to support Finland by allowing it to secretly
buy German weapons.
In exchange he asked German troops to be allowed to cross Finnish territory.
The request was granted by the Finnish government.
On their turn the Soviets were allowed to pass through Finland to reach Hanko.
In the Moscow Peace Treaty Hanko was leased to the Soviet Union as a naval base.
As plans for the German invasion of the USSR developed Finland got a more active role in
this, because Leningrad became a prime target.
Leningrad was located fairly close to the Finnish-Soviet border.
Mid-December the Finnish leadership got substantial knowledge about this.
Mannerheim's emissary met in Berlin with Hermann Göring and general Franz Halder and made two proposals:
a Finno-Swedish defence alliance and joint general staff planning for war.
The first request was denied, the second was accepted.
When the first German troops crossed Finland (in September 1940) it caused a relief among
the Finns who had now the feeling they would stand a chance against another Soviet invasion.
The Finno-German trade increased and the Finnish Army was rearmed with German weapons.
Although there existed a skeptical attitude towards the Third Reich in pre-war Finland
it had transformed now.
Many people in the Nordic countries admired the German attitude and excused Hitler's regime
as a necessary reaction.
As Ryti said:
‘Whatever opinion you might have about the current system in Germany, it is a thousand
times better than to be under Soviet rule, which would mean our death.'
Among the Finnish public there was widespread anti-communism and Russophobia.
But pro-German attitudes had deeper causes.
To understand this:
“[I]t is crucial to remember that as part of Lutheran Europe the Nordic countries represented
a cultural periphery of the Germanspeaking world, and until the Second World War had
even employed German as their lingua franca.
This bond had taken on new forms following German unification in 1871, as Germany developed
into a leading industrial state with the Nordic realm as one of its important markets.”
During WW1 over 2,000 Finns had joined the German Army (so-called Jaeger soldiers).
These also played a role during the Finnish Civil War against the Reds were the Whites
won.
Also with help of German forces who secured Helsinki.
Where Mannerheim and Ryti now hoped for was a similar outcome of as the First World War:
Germany would defeat Russia (now USSR) and then the western powers would defeat Germany.
And Finland would regain its territory.
Many Finns weren't pro-Fascist or pro-Nazi.
The Finnish fascist party (Patriotic People's Movement) had limited electoral success.
The Finno-German military alliance began to take shape in the spring of 1941.
Around 1,400 Finns were recruited in the German SS, around 400 of them would fight in the
Wiking Division.
More on that in the future.
On 10 June 1941 the Finnish army moblized.
The main preparations for war had been made.
According to Ryti Finland was being forced to mobilize because of the increasing threat
of a German-Soviet war.
Finnish social democrats and liberals expressed doubts as to whether the decision had been
made according to the constitution.
Do notice that Finland was a functioning democracy.
Some politicians were against it as senior parliamentarian Väinö Voionmaa claimed how
people were blinded with war fanaticism.
He stated:
‘With a few slogans, false claims and limp arguments, and above all by titillating patriotic
passions, the crowd is driven like cattle into all kinds of insanity.’
Many were in favour of war.
They saw it as the only way to secure Finnish independence.
As historian Henrik Lunde wrote:
“While the decision to become a cobelligerent with Germany may have been made by a group
of influential political and military leaders, it is safe to conclude that the decisions
taken were in tune with the majority of the politicians and the Finnish population.”