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Loading... A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40 (1991)by William R. Trotter
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Extremely detailed account, sometimes battle by battle, of the Finnish stand against Stalin in the winter of 1939. Didn't really expect such a precision accounting. ( ) Very interesting book about a little known piece of history. In 1939 Stalin and Hitler agreed to divide up Poland and Russia took the Baltic countries. A democratic Finland was next on the Stalin's list. Refusing to surrender, Finland was attacked and it's military fought forces up to five times their size. This is the story of that conflict and the help, and lack of help, from the rest of Europe. It is little wonder that 18 months later, when Germany was attacking Russia, Finland jumped in on the side of Germany to give the communist some payback. Today, very few condemn Finland for this choice. This history is another well documented example of the tragic impacts of Russian communism and its devastating affect on it's own people and the peoples of the countries within arms reach. This is a very interesting book about a conflict which today is little remembered outside Finland. The opening chapters present a 'potted' history of Finland up until WWII, which then serve as a platform for the coverage of the strategic and political decisions taken by both sides that ultimately, led to war. I found the account of the response of the rest of the world to the unfolding Soviet aggression particularly interesting. The majority of the content deals with the military history of the conflict and provides a very vivid picture of the conditions and suffering of the combatants involved, as well as the order of battle and tactics employed by both sides. I found the authors style very readable but not at the expense of the intellectual rigor of the text. In my opinion, a better read than any of Beevor's offerings about the Eastern front. Highly recommended. no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (14)In 1939, tiny Finland waged war-the kind of war that spawns legends-against the mighty Soviet Union, and yet their epic struggle has been largely ignored. Guerrillas on skis, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, unfathomable endurance, and the charismatic leadership of one of this century's true military geniuses-these are the elements of both the Finnish victory and a gripping tale of war. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)948.97032History and Geography Europe Fenno-Scandinavia Denmark and Finland FinlandLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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