I was born in 1957 in Finland. I completed my military service in the Kainuu Brigade, graduating as a reserve officer. Later, I worked in the field of voluntary national defense as a spokesperson and editor-in-chief of a reservist magazine, and participated in numerous refresher exercises around the North Karelia region.I also wandered a lot in the wilderness of Kainuu, where my father lived. I was attracted by the peace of nature, and all my free time with my wife was spent in the wilderness in our own hideaway. As I walked the terrain, I couldn't help but notice the scars of the Winter War. Soon, I became seriously interested in past events.
I wrote...
The Lost Russian Ski Brigade: A hard fate in the Finnish Winter War
An unusual and completely different war event, in which the elite troops of the Russian ski brigade were attacked by freezing cold and hellish darkness, as well as persistent and angry Finnish troops who defended themselves relentlessly massively.
Based on true events, this war book is a multifaceted depiction of the fearlessness and tenacity of soldiers of a small nation fighting for freedom in extremely harsh winter conditions against an overwhelming enemy.
Interviews with Finnish and Russian war veterans and the extensive article archives provide a versatile description of the background of the Winter War and the actual combat events. The author's deep involvement gives, at least to me, a truer picture of the actual warfare and its various stages until the end of peace.
The special skills of the Finnish soldier in winter conditions, combined with his unyieldingness and dedication to his own cause, gave me a truthful answer to what the Russians initially did not believe in and were not prepared for - the strong resistance of the Finnish troops.
Finnish men and women work seamlessly to preserve the freedom of association. The author's fluent language, solid facts, and good book illustrations from both the battle and the home front make this book worth reading.
When the Red Army invaded Finland in November 1939 most observers expected a walkover. Instead, in a gallant stand that captured the world's imagination, the tiny Finnish army was able to hold off Stalin's mechanized echelons for 105 days.
Gordon F. Sander peels away the layers of myth surrounding this Nordic Thermopylae to reveal the conflict in its full military, political, and cultural contexts. A bestseller in Finland, the English-language version of Sander's book draws on interviews with both Finnish and Russian veterans of the war, in addition to a bountiful archive of articles from both the Western and Finnish…
This book is an excellent description of the harsh events of the Winter War, which still touch us today.
A war always needs at least two sides; in this case, the attacking side was the Russians and the Finns were defending their own country. The Soviet Union initially wanted to seize the buffer zone only to protect Leningrad, but the war soon expanded to occupy the whole of Finland. The Finns did not agree with the Russians at all and fought tenaciously for their independence and neutrality.
I warmly recommend that all readers familiarize themselves with the book's content, which presents the actions and traditional life values of both warring parties in a completely new light.
The Russian attack on Finland was supposed to lead to a quick occupation, but it turned out differently. The Finns defended tenaciously.
The Russians' certainty of victory soon turned to despair. Most of the mighty Russian army was forced to fight in a foreign country under extreme conditions in the grip of severe frosts, suffering huge losses. The Winter War finally destroyed the external international reputation of the Soviet Union's glorious Red Army.
This book examines several sources using three key battles of the Winter War and draws a sharp demarcation between the ill-prepared Russian troops and the Finns, who used their troops sparingly, utilizing the terrain and using inventive guerilla tactics to defend their homeland. Detailed maps help the reader follow the events.
I, too, have adopted these teachings after graduating from the army as a reserve officer.
Finnish Simo Häyhä is the world's most famous sniper. The statement that best describes him is: One shot–one hit. Simo Häyhä still holds the top spot in the calculated world statistics for snipers with 542 kills. Häyhä still serves as a role model for all snipers, regardless of nationality.
In the Winter War on the Kollaa line, Häyhä made history by eliminating more than five hundred enemies. Häyhä was rewarded for his achievements in numerous different ways, such as by promoting him from lance sergeant directly to second lieutenant, by awarding him the Kollaa Memorial Cross, and by awarding him as the best sniper on the war front with a model 28 rifle manufactured by the SAKO arms factory. I have had the honor of holding that award rifle in my hand. It vividly reminded me of my own military sniper training in Kajaani.
Häyhä's war ended dramatically on March 6, 1940, due to an explosive bullet fired by the enemy and a difficult evacuation trip to the military hospital. However, after recovering from a serious wound, he was able to live a long life.
Simo Hayha (1905 - 2002) is the most famous sniper in the world. During the Winter War fought between Russia and Finland in 1939 - 1940 he had 542 confirmed kills with iron sights, a record that still stands today. He has been a role model for snipers all over the world and paved the way for them by demonstrating their significance on the battlefield.
Simo Hayha was a man of action who spoke very little, but he was hugely respected by his men and his superiors and given many difficult missions, including taking out specific targets. Able to move…
With its stronghold, this book reminds me of the horrors of the Winter War, the heavy battles, and painful losses experienced by Finns. The price of freedom was terrible.
It also affects me very strongly, as well as the rest of us younger representatives of the next generation, who today get to live in peace in a democratic and free legal state without the dictatorship of Russia's tyranny.
I warmly recommend that all readers familiarize themselves with the book's content. This emphasized to me even more the importance of freedom. Whatever it is, it's always something worth fighting for, regardless of which country you live in.
This fascinating millitary history tells the intriguing tale of the bitter and attritional Winter War between the USSR and Finland in the midst of World War II.
On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tracts of territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by the Finnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giant Soviet military machine.
But this forgotten war, fought under brutal, sub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one of…
Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in a city 90% destroyed.
Gabrielle retraces Api’s steps in the Berlin of the 21st century, torn between her love for the man who gave her the happiest years of her childhood and trying to come to terms with his Nazi membership, German guilt, and political responsibility.
Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past
"This is not a book I will forget any time soon."
Story Circle Book Reviews
Moving and provocative, Api's Berlin Diaries offers a personal perspective on the fall of Berlin 1945 and the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich.
After her mother's death, Robinson was thrilled to find her beloved grandfather's war diaries-only to discover that he had been a Nazi.
The award-winning memoir shows Api, a doctor in Berlin, desperately trying to help the wounded in cellars without water or light. He himself was reduced to anxiety and despair, the daily diary his main refuge. As Robinson retraces Api's…
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