A little context to explain how this build fits historically with the group theme. I know many will know this story already, and apologies in advance that this brief summary will not represent the nuances in this period of history in any depth.
The Soviet-Finnish conflict, known as The Winter War began during the ‘Phoney War.’ Germany had invaded Poland in September 1939, causing Britain and France to declare war.
Prior to that invasion, in August 1939, the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression pact with the Germany. This allowed Hitler to invade Poland without waging war on two fronts.
The pact also contained a secret section pre-dividing Eastern European into German and Soviet regions. While Germany looked west from Poland, the Soviets were ‘allowed’ huge areas of land, from the province of Bessarabia (then part of Romania, today independent Moldova); the eastern half of Poland (the Kresy, or “borderlands” region); and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; and Finland. This of course is ironic given the later Operation Barbarossa.
In effect, this protocol would reinstate the borders of the old Tsarist Empire, giving Stalin territories that had broken away from Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Russia had controlled Finland from 1809 to 1917.
Through his foreign minister, Vyacheslav M. Molotov, Stalin began ‘negotiating’ with Finland. The Soviets wanted to lease the Hankö peninsula on the southern Finnish coast for use as a naval base, and to redraw borders on the Karelian isthmus. This area was 20 miles from Leningrad, which Stalin considered to be vulnerable to attack, being so close to a foreign border. In return Finland would receive land amounting to twice the area Stalin wanted to re-occupy. The Finns however, viewed this as a loss of independence and a threat from their previous masters.
As talks failed, Molotov issued a threat : “Since we civilians don’t seem to be making any progress, maybe it’s the soldier’s turn to speak” and on November 30th, 1939, the Red Army invaded Finland. In what Finns call the Talvisota (“Winter War”) a nation of 168 million invaded another of 4 million. The Finnish defence was considered heroic in the eyes of the world and was, in the short-term, successful. While, like many countries at the time, allegiance was divided among the populace, Finland did align with Germany against the Soviets during the earlier parts of the war in order to protect its land. It never formally became part of the Axis, and never signed the ‘tripartite’ agreement.
For Finland the progression of the war was complex, and in 1945, after an earlier armistice with the Soviets arising from the ‘Continuation War’, when Stalin returned his Army to Finland, the Finnish government declared war on Germany.
To the West in 1939, Britain, France and Germany fought some engagements around borders and at sea, but in general sat inactive in a Phoney war. Much like their response to the invasion of Poland, there was discussion of a response to the Soviet invasion of Finland, but no real outcome other than the sale of materiel to Finland. Essentially the Allies planned but never managed (for numerous and again complex reasons) to send personnel to Finland. Around the world other borders were being tested, as the stagnation Central Europe continued.
To represent this ‘element’ of British and French ‘inactivity’ - perhaps a harsh evaluation - this build will be of a Soviet Light Tank captured in the winter war, in Finnish colours.
