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Finnish Ski Troops of the Winter War (1939) (Part 1 of 2) (Patreon)

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2023-10-19 18:59:52

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2026-06

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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.

It is November 1939, and Europe is consumed by war. Poland has fallen to the invading armies of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. As the first snows begin to fall in the continent’s northeast, a sparsely populated, newly independent country stands isolated, at risk of being crushed in the titanic struggle. Caught in a deadly strategic dilemma, Finland faces invasion by the USSR. The Baltic nation of just 4 million people can never hope to defeat the Soviet Juggernaut. Yet, when the Winter War begins on November 30th, the world watches in awe as the Finnish military halts and severely bloodies the invading Soviet armies in a heroic act of resistance.

To understand how this extraordinary feat of arms was possible, we will explore the equipment… the organisation… and the tactics of the Finnish army on the eve of World War II.

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Units of History - Finnish Ski Troops of the Winter War (1939) (Part 1 of 2) DOCUMENTARY

Documentary on Finnish Ski Troops of the Winter War! Get comfortable and stylish flannels from MuskOx: https://www.gomuskox.com/invicta and use the code Invicta for $15 off 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. In this first episode we 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. In our next episode we will focus on the organization, tactics, and service history of these Finnish ski troops. Sources: [pending] Credits: Research = Mark Evans Script = Mark Evans Narration = Guy Michaels Production = Penta Limited Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:13 Finnish-Soviet Geopolitics 04:27 The Jaeger Movement 06:09 Finnish Civil War 08:05 Interwar Period 09:51 Defensive Doctrine 11:46 Start of the Winter War 14:32 Equipment of Finnish Soldiers 16:23 Weaponry of Finnish Soldiers 20:23 Conclusion #history #military #documentary