Finnish women at war. Soviet-Finnish war in photographs (89 photos)

The Soviet-Finnish war is one of the most closed topics Soviet history. Since the announcement
Finland independence in December 1917, territorial claims constantly arose between it and the USSR. But they often became the subject of negotiations. The situation changed in the late 30s, when it became clear that the second World War. The USSR demanded from Finland non-participation in the war against the USSR, permission to build Soviet military bases on Finnish territory. Finland hesitated and played for time.

The situation escalated with the signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, according to which Finland belonged to the sphere of interests of the USSR. The Soviet Union began to insist on its terms, although it offered certain territorial concessions in Karelia. But the Finnish government rejected all proposals. Then, on November 30, 1939, the invasion of Soviet troops into the territory of Finland began. The offensive was not successful at first.

The coming winter, wooded and swampy terrain and the desperate resistance of the Finns interfered. In addition, on the line of the main attack - the Karelian Isthmus, there was a line of field fortifications, which was called the "Mannerheim Line". The Soviet troops were not ready for battles with powerful fortifications and first retreated. And only in March 1940 they managed to break through this line and capture the city of Vyborg.

The Finnish government, seeing that there were no hopes left, went to negotiations and on March 12 a peace treaty was concluded. According to the results of the war, 26,000 servicemen died on the Finnish side, and 126,000 on the Soviet side. The USSR received new territories and moved the border away from Leningrad. Finland later sided with Germany. The USSR was excluded from the League of Nations.

Finns with a captured Soviet banner.

On the second day of the war with Finland, the USSR recognizes the government of the Finnish Democratic Republic, headed by the Finnish communist Kuusinen. However, in the future, the USSR sat down at the negotiating table with the Finnish government and this project was curtailed.

Vyacheslav Molotov signs an agreement on mutual assistance and friendship with the government of Kuusinen.
Behind him are (from left to right): A.A. Zhdanov, K.E. Voroshilov, I.V. Stalin, O.V. Kuusinen (head of the puppet government "Democratic Republic of Finland").

Hero Soviet Union Lieutenant M.I. Sipovich and Captain Korovin on the captured Finnish bunker.

Soviet soldiers inspect the observation cap of a captured Finnish bunker.

A Soviet officer examines Finnish handcuffs found in the Vyborg Castle.

Soviet soldiers are preparing a Maxim machine gun for anti-aircraft fire.

Burning after the bombing of the house in the Finnish city of Turku.

A Soviet sentry next to a Soviet quad anti-aircraft machine gun mount based on the Maxim machine gun.

Soviet soldiers dig a Finnish border post near the Mainil frontier post.

Soviet military dog breeders of a separate communications battalion with liaison dogs.

Soviet border guards inspect captured Finnish weapons.

A Finnish soldier next to a downed Soviet I-15 bis fighter.

The formation of soldiers and commanders of the 123rd Infantry Division on the march after the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus.

Finnish soldiers in the trenches near Suomussalmi during the Winter War.

Captured Red Army soldiers captured by the Finns in the winter of 1940.

Finnish soldiers in the forest are trying to disperse, noticing the approach of Soviet aircraft.

A frozen Red Army soldier of the 44th Infantry Division.

Frozen in the trenches, the Red Army soldiers of the 44th Infantry Division.

A Soviet wounded man lies on a plaster cast table made from improvised means.

Finnish fire brigade during training in Helsinki.

Three Corners Park in Helsinki with open slits dug out to shelter the population in the event of an air raid.

Blood transfusion before surgery in a Soviet military hospital.

Finnish women sew winter camouflage at the factory

A Finnish soldier walks past a broken Soviet tank column/

A Finnish soldier fires from a Lahti-Saloranta M-26 light machine gun /

Residents of Leningrad greet tankers of the 20th tank brigade on T-28 tanks returning from the Karelian Isthmus /

Finnish soldier with machine gun Lahti-Saloranta M-26/

Finnish soldiers with a machine gun "Maxim" M / 32-33 in the forest.

Finnish calculation of anti-aircraft machine gun "Maxim".

Finnish Vickers tanks, shot down near Pero station.

Finnish soldiers at the 152 mm Kane gun.

Finnish civilians who fled their homes during the Winter War.

Broken column of the Soviet 44th division.

Soviet SB-2 bombers over Helsinki.

Three Finnish skiers on the march.

Two Soviet soldiers with a Maxim machine gun in the forest on the Mannerheim Line.

A burning house in the Finnish city of Vaasa (Vaasa) after a Soviet air raid.

View of the streets of Helsinki after the Soviet air raid.

A house in the center of Helsinki, damaged after a Soviet air raid.

Finnish soldiers raise the frozen body of a Soviet officer.

A Finnish soldier looks at the changing clothes of captured Red Army soldiers.

A Soviet prisoner captured by the Finns sits on a box.

Captured Red Army soldiers enter the house under the escort of Finnish soldiers.

Finnish soldiers are carrying a wounded comrade in a dog sled.

Finnish orderlies carry a stretcher with a wounded man near the tent of a field hospital.

Finnish doctors load a stretcher with a wounded man into an ambulance bus manufactured by AUTOKORI OY.

Finnish skiers with reindeer and drags at a halt during the retreat.

Finnish soldiers disassemble the captured Soviet military equipment.

Sandbags covering the windows of a house on Sofiankatu Street in Helsinki.

T-28 tanks of the 20th heavy tank brigade before going to military operation.

Soviet tank T-28, shot down on the Karelian Isthmus at a height of 65.5.

A Finnish tanker next to a captured Soviet T-28 tank.

Residents of Leningrad welcome the tankers of the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade.

Soviet officers in front of the Vyborg Castle.

A Finnish air defense soldier looks at the sky through a rangefinder.

Finnish ski battalion with deer and drags.

Swedish volunteer in position during the Soviet-Finnish war.

Calculation of the Soviet 122-mm howitzer in position during the Winter War.

The orderly on a motorcycle transmits a message to the crew of the Soviet BA-10 armored car.

Pilots Heroes of the Soviet Union - Ivan Pyatykhin, Alexander Flying and Alexander Kostylev.

Soviet tank T-28 from the 91st tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade, shot down during the December battles of 1939 on the Karelian Isthmus in the region of height 65.5. A column of Soviet trucks is moving in the background. February 1940.

A captured Soviet T-28 tank repaired by the Finns is sent to the rear, January 1940.

A vehicle from the 20th Kirov Heavy Tank Brigade. According to information about the losses of T-28 tanks of the 20th heavy tank brigade, during the Soviet-Finnish war, 2 T-28 tanks were captured by the enemy. By characteristics in the photo is a T-28 tank with an L-10 cannon, produced in the first half of 1939.

Finnish tank crews bring a captured Soviet T-28 tank to the rear. A vehicle from the 20th Kirov Heavy Tank Brigade, January 1940.

According to information about the losses of T-28 tanks of the 20th heavy tank brigade, during the Soviet-Finnish war, 2 T-28 tanks were captured by the enemy. According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon, produced in the first half of 1939.

A Finnish tanker is photographed standing next to a captured Soviet T-28 tank. The car was assigned the number R-48. This vehicle is one of two Soviet T-28 tanks captured by Finnish troops in December 1939 from the 20th Kirov Heavy Tank Brigade. According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank, produced in 1939, with the L-10 gun and brackets for the handrail antenna. Varkaus, Finland, March 1940.

A burning house after the bombing of the Finnish port city of Turku by Soviet aircraft in southwestern Finland on December 27, 1939.

Medium tanks T-28 from the 20th heavy tank brigade before entering a combat operation. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

In the presence of the 20th heavy tank brigade at the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, there were 105 T-28 tanks.

A column of T-28 tanks from the 90th tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade are advancing to the line of attack. Height 65.5 area on the Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

The lead vehicle (manufactured in the second half of 1939) has a whip antenna, improved periscope armor and a smoke outlet box with sloping sides.

Captured Red Army soldiers captured by the Finns in the winter of 1940. Finland, January 16, 1940.

Tank T-26 dragging a sled with troops.

Soviet commanders near the tent.

A captured wounded Red Army soldier is awaiting delivery to the hospital. Sortavala, Finland, December 1939.

A group of captured Red Army soldiers of the 44th Infantry Division. Finland, December 1939.

Frozen in the trenches, the Red Army soldiers of the 44th Infantry Division. Finland, December 1939.

The formation of soldiers and commanders of the 123rd Infantry Division on the march after the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus. 1940

The division participated in the Soviet-Finnish War, operating on the Karelian Isthmus as part of the 7th Army. She especially distinguished herself on February 11, 1940, when she broke through the Mannerheim Line, for which she was awarded the Order of Lenin. 26 fighters and division commanders received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Finnish artillerymen of the coastal battery at Cape Mustaniemi (translated from Finnish as "Black Cape") in Lake Ladoga near the 152-mm Kane gun. 1939

antiaircraft gun

A Soviet wounded man in the hospital lies on a plastering table made from improvised means. 1940

Light tank T-26 in the classroom to overcome anti-tank obstacles. Fascines are laid out on the wing to overcome the ditches. By characteristic features, the car was produced in 1935. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

View of the ruined street in Vyborg. 1940

Building in the foreground - St. Vyborgskaya, 15.

A Finnish skier is carrying a Schwarzlose machine gun on a sleigh.

The bodies of Soviet soldiers near the road on the Karelian Isthmus.

Two Finns near a destroyed house in the town of Rovaniemi. 1940

Finnish skier accompanies a dog team.

Finnish calculation of the machine gun Schwarzlose (Schwarzlose) at a position in the vicinity of the town of Salla. 1939

A Finnish soldier sits by a dog sled.

Four Finns on the roof of a hospital damaged by a Soviet air raid. 1940

Sculpture by Finnish writer Aleksis Kivi in Helsinki with an unfinished shrapnel box, February 1940.

The commander of the Soviet submarine S-1 Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant Commander Alexander Vladimirovich Tripolsky (1902-1949) at the periscope, February 1940.

Soviet submarine S-1 moored in the port of Libava. 1940

Commander of the Finnish Army of the Karelian Isthmus (Kannaksen Armeija) Lieutenant General Hugo Osterman (Hugo Viktor Österman, 1892-1975, sitting at the table) and Chief of Staff Major General Kustaa Tapola (Kustaa Anders Tapola, 1895 - 1971) at the headquarters. 1939.

The Army of the Karelian Isthmus is a unit of Finnish troops located on the Karelian Isthmus during the Soviet-Finnish War and consisting of the II Corps (4 divisions and a cavalry brigade) and the III Corps (2 divisions).

Hugo Osterman in the Finnish army served as chief inspector of infantry (1928-1933) and commander-in-chief (1933-1939). After the Red Army broke through the Mannerheim Line, he was removed from the post of army commander of the Karelian Isthmus (February 10, 1940) and returned to work as an inspector of the Finnish army. Since February 1944 - a representative of the Finnish army at the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. He retired in December 1945. From 1946 to 1960 he was the managing director of one of the Finnish energy companies.

Kustaa Anders Tapola later commanded the 5th division of the Finnish army (1942-1944), was the chief of staff of the VI Corps (1944). Retired in 1955.

Finnish President Kyösti Kallio (Kyösti Kallio, 1873-1940) with a coaxial 7.62-mm anti-aircraft machine gun ITKK 31 VKT 1939.

Finnish hospital ward after a Soviet air raid. 1940

Finnish fire brigade during training in Helsinki, autumn 1939.

Talvisota. 10/28/1939. Palokunnan uusia laitteita Helsingissd.

Finnish pilots and aircraft technicians near the French-made Moran-Saulnier MS.406 fighter. Finland, Hollola, 1940.

Shortly after the start of the Soviet-Finnish war, the French government handed over 30 Moran-Saulnier MS.406 fighters to the Finns. The photo shows one of these fighters from the composition of 1 / LLv-28. The aircraft still has the standard French summer camouflage.

Finnish soldiers are carrying a wounded comrade in a dog sled. 1940

View of a Helsinki street after a Soviet air raid. November 30, 1939.

A house in the center of Helsinki, damaged after a Soviet air raid. November 30, 1939.

Finnish orderlies carry a stretcher with a wounded man near the tent of a field hospital. 1940

Finnish soldiers disassemble the captured Soviet military equipment. 1940

Two Soviet soldiers with a Maxim machine gun in the forest on the Mannerheim Line. 1940

Captured Red Army soldiers enter the house under the escort of Finnish soldiers.

Three Finnish skiers on the march. 1940

Finnish doctors load a stretcher with a wounded man into an ambulance bus manufactured by AUTOKORI OY (on a Volvo LV83/84 chassis). 1940

A Soviet prisoner captured by the Finns sits on a box. 1939

Finnish medics treat a wounded knee in a field hospital. 1940

Soviet SB-2 bombers over Helsinki during one of the air raids on the city, carried out on the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war. November 30, 1939.

Finnish skiers with reindeer and drags at a halt during the retreat. 1940

A burning house in the Finnish city of Vaasa after a Soviet air raid. 1939

Finnish soldiers raise the frozen body of a Soviet officer. 1940

Three Corners Park (Kolmikulman puisto) in Helsinki with open slits dug to shelter the population in the event of an air raid. On the right side of the park, a sculpture of the goddess "Diana" is visible. In this regard, the second name of the park is "Diana Park" ("Dianapuisto"). October 24, 1939.

Sandbags covering the windows of a house on Sofiankatu (Sofijska Street) in Helsinki. Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral are visible in the background. Autumn 1939.

Helsinki, lokakuussa 1939.

Squadron commander of the 7th Fighter Aviation Regiment Fyodor Ivanovich Shinkarenko (1913-1994, third from right) with his comrades at the I-16 (type 10) at the airfield. December 23, 1939.

In the photo from left to right: junior lieutenant B. S. Kulbatsky, lieutenant P. A. Pokryshev, captain M. M. Kidalinsky, senior lieutenant F. I. Shinkarenko and junior lieutenant M. V. Borisov.

Finnish soldiers lead a horse into a railroad car, October-November 1939.

According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon, produced in the first half of 1939. This vehicle is one of two Soviet T-28 tanks captured by Finnish troops in December 1939 from the 20th Kirov Heavy Tank Brigade. The car has the number R-48. The insignia in the form of a swastika began to be applied to Finnish tanks from January 1941.

A Finnish soldier looks at the changing clothes of captured Red Army soldiers.

Captured Red Army soldiers at the door of a Finnish house after changing clothes (on the previous photo).

Technicians and pilots of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Air Force Baltic Fleet. Below: aircraft technicians - Fedorovs and B. Lisichkin, second row: pilots - Gennady Dmitrievich Tsokolaev, Anatoly Ivanovich Kuznetsov, D. Sharov. Kingisepp, Kotly airfield, 1939-1940

The crew of the light tank T-26 before the battle.

Nurses tend to wounded Finnish soldiers.

Three Finnish skiers on vacation in a copse.

Captured Finnish dugout. .

Red Army soldiers at the grave of a comrade.

Artillery crew at the 203 mm B-4 gun.

The command staff of the headquarters battery.

Artillery crew at their guns at a firing position near the village of Muola.

Finnish fortification.

Destroyed Finnish pillbox with an armored dome.

Destroyed Finnish fortifications of the Mutorant UR.

Red Army soldiers near GAZ AA trucks.

Finnish soldiers and officers at the captured Soviet flamethrower tank KhT-26.
Finnish soldiers and officers at the captured Soviet chemical (flamethrower) tank KhT-26. January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the advanced units of the 44th division, reinforced by the 312th separate tank battalion, entered the Raat road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd rifle division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km, on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were court martialed and shot in front of the ranks.

A camouflaged Finnish Dutch-made Fokker D.XXI fighter from Lentolaivue-24 (24 Squadron) at the Utti airfield on the second day of the Soviet-Finnish war. December 1, 1939.
The photo was taken before all D.XXI squadrons were re-equipped with ski chassis.

A destroyed Soviet truck and a dead horse from a defeated column of the 44th Infantry Division. Finland, January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the advanced units of the 44th Infantry Division, reinforced by the 312th Separate Tank Battalion, entered the Raat road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd Infantry Division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km, on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were court martialed and shot in front of the ranks.
The picture shows a burned-out Soviet GAZ-AA truck.

A Finnish soldier reads a newspaper, standing next to captured Soviet 122mm howitzers of the 1910/30 model after the defeat of a column of the 44th Infantry Division. January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the forward units of the 44th Infantry Division, reinforced by the 312th Separate Tank Battalion, entered the Raat road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd Infantry Division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km, on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were given under

A Finnish soldier is watching from a trench. 1939

The Soviet light tank T-26 is advancing to the battlefield. Fascines are laid out on the wing to overcome the ditches. By characteristic features, the car was produced in 1939. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

A Finnish air defense soldier dressed in insulated winter camouflage looks at the sky through a rangefinder. December 28, 1939.

Finnish soldier next to a captured Soviet medium tank T-28, winter 1939-40.
This is one of the T-28 tanks captured by the Finnish troops, which belonged to the 20th heavy tank brigade named after Kirov.
The first tank was captured on December 17, 1939, near the road to Lyakhda, after it fell into a deep Finnish trench and got stuck. Attempts by the crew to pull the tank were unsuccessful, after which the crew left the tank. Five out of nine tankers were killed by Finnish soldiers, and the rest were captured. The second car was captured on February 6, 1940 in the same area.
According to the characteristic features in the picture, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon, produced in the first half of 1939.

A Soviet light tank T-26 crosses a bridge built by sappers. Karelian Isthmus, December 1939.

A whip antenna is installed on the roof of the tower, and mounts for a handrail antenna are visible on the sides of the tower. By characteristic features, the car was produced in 1936.

A Finnish soldier and a woman near a building damaged by a Soviet air raid. 1940

A Finnish soldier stands at the entrance to the bunker on the Mannerheim Line. 1939

Finnish soldiers at the wrecked T-26 tank with a mine sweep.

A Finnish photojournalist examines a film near the remnants of a broken Soviet column. 1940

Finns at the wrecked Soviet heavy tank SMK.

Finnish tankers next to Vickers Mk. E, summer 1939.
The picture shows Vickers Mk. E model B. These modifications of tanks in service with Finland were armed with 37-mm SA-17 cannons and 8-mm Hotchkiss machine guns taken from Renault FT-17 tanks (Renault FT-17).
At the end of 1939, this armament was removed and returned to the Renault tanks, in their place they installed 37-mm Bofors guns of the 1936 model of the year.

A Finnish soldier walks past Soviet trucks in a defeated column of Soviet troops, January 1940.

Finnish soldiers examine a captured Soviet 7.62 mm M4 anti-aircraft machine gun mount of the 1931 model on the chassis of a GAZ-AA truck, January 1940.

Residents of Helsinki inspect a car destroyed during a Soviet air raid. 1939

Finnish gunners next to the 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun (37 PstK/36 Bofors). These artillery pieces were purchased in England for the Finnish army. 1939

Finnish soldiers inspect Soviet BT-5 light tanks from a broken column in the Oulu region. January 1, 1940.

View of a broken Soviet convoy near the Finnish village of Suomussalmi, January-February 1940.

Hero of the Soviet Union Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Mikhailovich Kurochkin (1913-1941) at the I-16 fighter. 1940
Vladimir Mikhailovich Kurochkin was drafted into the Red Army in 1935, in 1937 he graduated from the 2nd military school pilots in the city of Borisoglebsk. Member of the fighting near Lake Khasan. Since January 1940, he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War, made 60 sorties as part of the 7th Fighter Aviation Regiment, shot down three Finnish aircraft. For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command, courage, courage and heroism shown in the fight against the White Finns, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 21, 1940, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Didn't return from combat mission July 26, 1941.

Soviet light tank T-26 in a ravine near the Kollaanjoki River. December 17, 1939.
Before the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, the Kollasjoki River was on Finnish territory. Currently in the Suoyarvsky district of Karelia.

Employees of the Finnish paramilitary organization of the security corps (Suojeluskunta) clearing rubble in Helsinki after a Soviet air raid, November 30, 1939.

Correspondent Pekka Tiilikainen interviews Finnish soldiers at the front during the Soviet-Finnish War.

Finnish war correspondent Pekka Tiilikainen interviews soldiers at the front.

The Finnish engineering unit is sent to build anti-tank barriers on the Karelian Isthmus (section of one of the defense lines of the Mannerheim Line), autumn 1939.
In the foreground on the cart is a granite block, which will be installed as an anti-tank gouge.

Rows of Finnish granite anti-tank gouges on the Karelian Isthmus (section of one of the defense lines of the Mannerheim Line) in the autumn of 1939.

In the foreground, on stands, are two blocks of granite prepared for installation.

Evacuation of Finnish children from the city of Viipuri (now the city of Vyborg in Leningrad region) in the central regions of the country. Autumn 1939.

Red Army commanders examining a captured Finnish Vickers Mk.E tank (model F Vickers Mk.E), March 1940.
Machine from the 4th armored company, which was founded on 10/12/1939.
On the turret of the tank there is a blue stripe - the original version of the identification marks of Finnish armored vehicles.

The calculation of the Soviet 203-mm howitzer B-4 fires at the Finnish fortifications. December 2, 1939.

A Finnish tanker next to a captured Soviet A-20 Komsomolets artillery tractor in Varkaus, March 1940.
Registration number R-437. Machine of early construction in 1937 with a faceted protrusion of the rifle installation. The Central Armored Vehicle Repair Shop (Panssarikeskuskorjaamo) was located in Varkaus.
On captured T-20 tractors (about 200 units were captured), the Finns cut the front end of the fenders at an angle. Probably, in order to reduce the possibility of its deformation against obstacles. Two tractors with similar modifications are now in Finland, in the Suomenlinna War Museum in Helsinki and the Armor Museum in Parola.

Hero of the Soviet Union, platoon commander of the 7th pontoon-bridge battalion of the 7th Army, Junior Lieutenant Pavel Vasilyevich Usov (right) unloads a mine.
Pavel Usov - the first Hero of the Soviet Union from the pontoon units. He was awarded the title of Hero for crossing his troops across the Taipalen-Yoki River on December 6, 1939 - on a pontoon for three flights, he ferried an infantry landing, which allowed him to capture a bridgehead.
He died on November 25, 1942, near the village of Khlepen, Kalinin Region, while on a mission.

A unit of Finnish skiers moves on the ice of a frozen lake.

Finnish fighter French-made Moran-Saulnier MS.406 takes off from the Hollola airfield. The picture was taken on the last day of the Soviet-Finnish war - 03/13/1940.

The fighter is still wearing the standard French camouflage.

Parade of Finnish troops in Vyborg on August 31, 1941

Vyborg became part of the USSR in 1940 as a result of the Soviet-Finnish war. Under the terms of the Moscow Peace Treaty, most of the Vyborg province of Finland, including Vyborg and the entire Karelian Isthmus, as well as a number of other territories, were ceded to the USSR. The Finnish units left the city on March 14, 1940. The Finnish population of the city was evacuated to Finland. On March 31, 1940, the Law of the USSR was adopted on the transfer of most of the territories received from Finland to the Karelian-Finnish SSR. As part of this republic, on July 9, 1940, Vyborg was determined to be the center of the Vyborg (Viipur) district.

On August 29, 1941, under the onslaught of the advancing 4th Army Corps of Finland, units of the Red Army left the city of Vyborg, retreating to Leningrad, having mined big number buildings with radio high explosives "BEMI". Fortunately for urban architecture, only a few of them managed to explode, while most of them were cleared of mines.

Three years later, the Finnish army retreated from the Karelian Isthmus, Finnish citizens were again evacuated to the hinterland of Finland, on June 20, 1944, units of the Soviet 21st Army of the Leningrad Front entered Vyborg.

3.

Parade in Vyborg in front of the monument to Thorgils Knutsson, he is considered the founder of the city. In the middle is Lieutenant General Lennart Karl Ash. Helmeted on the left is Colonel Aladar Paasonen.

At the end of August 1941, the IV Corps of the Finnish Defense Forces under the command of Lieutenant General Lennart Esch surrounded parts of three Soviet rifle divisions (43rd, 115th and 123rd) south of Vyborg. Part of the troops managed to get out of the ring, leaving heavy equipment, and the rest began to surrender on September 1, 1941. The Finns took 9,325 prisoners. About 7,500 Soviet soldiers died on the battlefields then, the Finns lost about 3,000 people during this operation.

In 1927 construction began on the first hydroelectric power station in the Svir cascade, the Nizhnesvirskaya. In 1936, the Nizhnesvirskaya HPP was put into commercial operation with a capacity of 96 MW. During the Great Patriotic War the dam of the Nizhnesvirskaya hydroelectric power station was blown up by the retreating Soviet troops. On September 13, 1941, Finnish troops reached the HPP. They did not have time to evacuate the equipment of the hydroelectric power station, then it was restored. For more than 2 years, the Nizhnesvirskaya HPP was on the front line between the Soviet and Finnish troops and was badly damaged. In 1944, the restoration of the station began, ending in 1948.

After the completion of the construction of the Nizhnesvirskaya hydroelectric power station, in 1938, the construction of the Verkhnesvirskaya hydroelectric power station began - the last hydroelectric power station provided for by the GOELRO plan. The construction was carried out by the forces of prisoners under the control of the NKVD. By 1941, a foundation pit was dug for the building of the hydroelectric power station, and concrete work began. During the war, the territory of the HPP was occupied and the foundation pit was flooded. In 1948, the construction of the Verkhnesvirskaya hydroelectric power station was resumed. In 1952 the station was put into commercial operation.

The topic of the Soviet-Finnish war (abbreviated - SPV or as it is called in the West - the Winter War) I began to study about 15 years ago. During this time, I managed to collect a fairly good collection of copies of Soviet archival documents(about 4,500 pages) and more than a thousand military photographs of that time, taken both from our side and from the Finnish side. Now on the net you can see a fairly large number of images of the SVF, made mainly by the Finns. There are relatively few Soviet photographs from the Internet, and most of them are repeated. On the contrary, there are quite a lot of pictures taken by Finnish photographers. In many of them, the topic of the losses of Soviet troops in the Winter War is widely covered. The theme of the encirclement and defeat of units of the Soviet 163rd and 44th rifle divisions of the 9th Army near Suomussalmi is especially "savored". Meanwhile, there were many killed and captured from the Finnish side.
Therefore, I decided to publish several dozen Soviet military photographs, many of which have not been published anywhere before.

Crossing by parts of the Red Army of the Finnish border near the village of Hautavaara. The village of Hautavaara was located in the Suojärvi region and was occupied by units of the Red Army on the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war. Due to the proximity to the border, the Finns did not have time to evacuate all the inhabitants of the village in advance (at the time of the arrival of the Soviet units, there were more than 220 inhabitants in the village). In the background of the photo is a column of light artillery tractors T-20 "Komsomolets"

The original caption of the picture: "The first prisoner." This Finnish soldier may not have been the very first, but he really was among the “firsts” - the picture dates from the very first day of hostilities in the Soviet-Finnish war.
Karelian Isthmus, zone of operations of the 7th Army, the specific area is unknown. The former bandages on the necks of our fighters are drawstring hoods from the winter camouflage suit set. The fighters took off their white calico dressing gowns (hoodies), and the hoods remained on the neck. Right behind the captured Finn stands Soviet officer- this is indicated by an officer's whistle attached to the harness in a case.

The original caption of the photo: "One of the killed White Finns in the Summa-Yoki region, December 1939."
It is most likely that the photo shows one of the soldiers who died during the Finnish counteroffensive on December 23, 1939. After the first failed attempts parts of the 7th Soviet army break through the Mannerheim line, the Finnish command planned a retaliatory counterattack in order to encircle the units of the 50th Rifle Corps of the 7th Army.
The main forces of the 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions of the 2nd Army Corps of the Finnish Army, as well as the 6th Infantry Division attached to them from the reserve, participated in the counteroffensive. The command of the Finnish units was carried out by Lieutenant General Harald Ekvist, commander of the 2nd Corps.
The Finnish counter-offensive began early in the morning of 23 December and ended the same day in complete failure. The main reason for the failure was the mistakes of the Finnish command in planning and conducting the counteroffensive, in terms of overestimating the capabilities of their own troops, a clear underestimation of the combat capability and strength of the Soviet units, the introduction of units of the 2nd corps into battle in different time and small units (mainly forces from a company to a battalion), the lack of artillery support (to "ensure surprise"), air supremacy of Soviet aviation. Finnish units, introduced into battle in parts, having only heavy machine guns as heavy weapons and means of support, ran into dense battle formations of units of the 50th Rifle Corps and suffered serious losses from Soviet artillery fire. In the same place, where the Finns still managed to penetrate shallowly into our defenses, they were counterattacked by tankers of the 40th tank brigade and the tank battalion of the 90th rifle division.
This offensive cost the parts of the 2nd Army Corps dearly - on this day, Finnish losses amounted to 1328 soldiers and officers, of which 361 were killed, 777 were wounded and 190 were missing. Finnish military history this counteroffensive was called holmo tolvays, which can be translated as "pointless banging your head against the wall."
Judging by the crater on the right side of the picture, a Finnish soldier was killed by a hand grenade or mortar explosion.

The Finnish reconnaissance Fokker C.X. shot down by Soviet fighters.

According to confirmed data, in December 1939, the Finns lost two Fokker C.X. The first was shot down on December 19 by the pilots of the 2nd squadron of the 25th IAP, the second - by the pilots of the 1st squadron of the same fighter regiment on December 23. However, in the first case, a Finnish plane crashed 20 km south of Vyborg (i.e., on Finnish territory) and Soviet photographers simply could not shoot it in December 1939. But the second Fokker (tail number FK-96) from the 2nd link of the 12th squadron (2 / LLv12) of the 1st regiment of the Finnish Air Force fell into the forest near Uusikirkko (now Polyany) on Soviet territory. Therefore, it is most likely that this particular aircraft is in this photo. Both Finnish pilots (flight commander Lieutenant Salo and gunner-radio operator Sergeant Saloranta) were killed. The plane was shot down by an I-16 flight (the leader was the squadron commander of the 1st IAE of the 25th IAP captain Kostenko, the followers were the squadron military commissar senior political instructor Zakharov and flag-navigator Lieutenant Avdievich).

The original caption of the picture: "The Captured White Finn". This is not the only photograph of this prisoner of war. There are two more pictures in which this Finn raises one hand, as if saying hello, and such pictures were often taken by photographers of the propaganda department of the LVO in the Gryazovets camp of the NKVD, where Finnish prisoners of war were kept. Based on this, it can be assumed that the picture was taken not in frontline, and in the Gryazovets POW camp.

An example of Soviet propaganda from the time of the SPV is a campaign letter from a group of Finnish prisoners of war. "Without fear, you can surrender to the Red Army" - the inscription in the header of the letter, which was signed by 28 Finnish prisoners of war.
In the propaganda department of the headquarters of the LVO (Leningrad Military District), the letter was copied and dropped in the form of leaflets from Soviet aircraft over the Finnish positions. True, on the whole Soviet propaganda it did not have much success in the decomposition of the enemy’s troops, although there were cases of voluntary Finns going over to the side of our troops (even to those Soviet units that were surrounded)

The Soviet political instructor is talking with a group of captured Finnish soldiers. The picture shows a group of Finnish prisoners of war, filmed in the Gryazovets camp of the NKVD. Most likely the picture was taken in February-March 1940.
During the Winter War in Gryazovets camp contained the vast majority of Finnish prisoners of war (according to different sources from 883 to 1100 people).

These two photographs are the corpses of Finnish soldiers who died defending the fortified area of Summa-Khotinen. The battles in the Summa-Khotinen region were distinguished by great bitterness and high losses on both sides. During the retreat, the Finns failed to evacuate the bodies of all their soldiers who died in the February battles from the battlefield. Returning here in 1941, the Finns conducted a search and buried the remains of 204 Finnish soldiers and officers in a mass grave. Karelian Isthmus, zone of operations of the 100th and 138th rifle divisions of the 7th Army of the North-Western Front. In the foreground of the second picture is a German or Austrian-made M16 steel helmet. These helmets were used in significant quantities by the Finns during the Winter War.

The original caption of the picture: "Shot down Finnish cuckoo sniper." It means that the Finnish sniper was "knocked down" from the tree. The zone of action of the 7th Army of the North-Western Front.
The theme of "Finnish cuckoos" is often found in the memoirs of Soviet participants in the Winter War, however, modern Finnish and domestic historians do not confirm the use of tree shooting tactics by Finnish snipers. Indeed, from this picture it is difficult to say that the Finn fell from the tree. The pillar behind him is most likely from a wire fence. Yes, and the corpse, judging by the stiff legs, may have been moved. Although, there have been cases of Finns shooting from trees. From the memoirs of V.A. Lisin, deputy political officer of the 14th outpost of the 73rd PO - “... without shots they crossed the border, occupied the Finnish cordon. We were given the task of reconnaissance and sabotage work behind enemy lines. We were looking for uncovered "windows", once they fired at us - we lay down, hid. Suddenly a shot, another and another, the Finn lost his nerve. We examined a pine tree with a shooter and planted the entire disk of the “tar” into it. It was seen how branches and snow were flying, and something heavy fell off and hung, not reaching the ground. "Fast forward everyone!" Came up - long red hair, an embroidered cap-woman turned out to be. It hung on a thin silk cord, in a bag - rye biscuits and a flask of milk ... ".
It is indisputable that the Finns climbed trees - I have two pictures taken on the Karelian Isthmus, where a Finnish observer is sitting on a tree, but this is not a sniper. Most likely, the Finns could still use the method of conducting sniper fire from trees, but relatively rarely. Also, for snipers, Soviet soldiers could take Finnish reconnaissance observers and artillery fire spotters, who quite often used trees to monitor the area and adjust artillery fire on Soviet troops.

A Finnish 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun destroyed by a direct hit on the Mannerheim Line. This 37 mm anti-tank gun was developed by the Swedish company Bofors in 1932. Actively exported before the start of World War II. In the Finnish army, it received the designation 37 PstK / 36 and, after purchasing a license, was produced in Finland.
Judging by the picture, the Finnish crew received a direct hit by a 45-mm Soviet tank or anti-tank gun.

TO BE CONTINUED...

On the eve of the war, nine information companies were formed in Finland, subordinate to the main headquarters. During the Second World War, their number fluctuated from eight to twelve; about 150 photographers served on the front line. The photographs taken by them were supposed to provide footage of real battles, as well as material that would be relevant in terms of military history and ethnography.

Some pictures were published in the press, but most of them remained in the closed archives of the photographic department of the main headquarters. Now this legacy is in online archive and available to the general public.

The Finnish archive of wartime photographs published black-and-white and color photographs, which depict both soldiers on the front line and civilians working in the rear. The archive website says:

“You are looking at a unique historical collection of Finnish wartime photographs. The digitized archive contains about 160,000 photographs from the Second World War, covering the period from the autumn of 1939 to the summer of 1945. The photographs depict life at the front, the destruction caused by explosions, the military industry, the evacuation of the inhabitants of Finnish Karelia, as well as events and operations at the front.

All images in high resolution can be viewed, downloaded, edited and published by specifying the source SA-kuva online archive.

Alakurtti village, September 1941.

Firing soldiers, 1941