So you think you know about the Russian Front then?  Operation Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Kursk,  the collapse of Army Group Centre, the assault on the Seelow heights and the apocalyptic battle for Berlin in 1945 – all familiar to the average Eastern Frontnik.  But how familiar are you with the Finnish Campaign?  Often just a passing reference or brief chapter in other volumes; here ex-US Army Officer Colonel Henrik O. Lunde (graduate of Airborne, Ranger and Pathfinder courses and who served 3 combat tours in Vietnam) gives us the story of this neglected part of the war in the East and this is the story of the only democracy to have fought alongside Hitler’s totalitarian state!

I found this a fascinating book to get for review as other than the Finns being an ally of Nazi Germany and being involved in some capacity in the attack on Russia I knew very little about this aspect of World War II.  Indeed I was more familiar with the Winter War between Finland and Russia from 1939 to 1940.   In the book’s prologue Mr Lunde brings us up to speed with a very brief history of Finland and it’s relation with Russia upto and including the latter conflict.  And then what follows is a somewhat straightforward chronological history of Finland’s involvement in the Second World War and the various offensives and campaigns that took place in Finland and the adjoining areas of Russia. 

This conflict can be divided into 3 phases, the initial assaults at the time of Barbarossa, a long period of relative inactivity during the middle years of the war and the Russian offensives of the Late War (with a sub plot of German withdrawal from Finland).  Mr Lunde describes the action down to mainly divisional level and I think does a good job dealing with the somewhat odd geography of the conflict; if the action can be divided into 3 chronological phases it can also be divided into 3 geographical zones, north (with the Germans aiming at Murmansk), central (the Finns taking strategic territory in Karelia) and south (the Finns re-taking territory lost in the Winter War and never quite giving the Germans quite what they wanted in terms of support in the siege of Leningrad.  In describing the action the reader will probably be surprised by how badly the Germans performed (both tactically and in terms of operational and strategic planning) and how well, in places, the Russians performed – again in terms of tactics and operational activity.  The Russians made great use of amphibious forces and fought very successful defensive actions in the earlier part of the conflict.   And on the German side you see elements of the much vaunted Waffen SS turning on their heels and fleeing for their lives (SS Division Nord).  There are also some excellent snippets that despite not providing great detail will give wargamers some excellent ideas for scenarios that don’t just involve pitting SS Panzers versus hordes of T-34s.  One of the more interesting is the German (unsuccessful) attempt to seize Suursaari Island from the Finns to hinder Russian naval operations once the Finns had agreed to an armistice with Russia in 1944.

This book rises above just being a basic history of what was in reality a strategic backwater in two ways.  Firstly in describing the politics of the alliance between Finland and Germany and the impact this had on military operations.   There was no formal alliance and little firm co-ordination in their attacks on the Russians (which seems odd given the fact that German troops were operating in large numbers within and out of Finland).  As Mr Lunde says “Germany’s association with Finland is a classic study in how not to enter into a military coalition” (perhaps food for thought for modern policy makers!).   It is also fascinating to see how the Finns slowly realise that having sown the wind they will reap the whirlwind.  And how they try and disengage from the “association” with Germany whilst accepting arms and supplies to try and fight the Russians to a standstill to get better surrender terms.  Meanwhile the Germans know what is going on but don’t want to sever their ties with Finland whilst the Finns are still fighting the Russians! 

The second way that the book gives us more than just a campaign report is the way in which it handles sources and shows the reader that memoirs and other first hand accounts should never be taken at face value.  In this case the Finns were obviously conflicted by their involvement with totalitarian Germany and some individuals were clearly re-writing history.  Mr Lunde challenges these accounts and brings to our attention where others have done so and more simply shows how what happened in terms of military actions on the ground cannot be squared with some versions of the events!

The writing is supported by a number of maps and black and white photographs; the maps are vital given what I suspect will be most peoples lack of geographic knowledge of the Finno-Russian border areas of the late nineteen thirties and early forties.  The maps are clear and easily understood.  The photographs are a mixture of some of the military personalities involved in the conflict and also the usual “troops in action” type shots (although these latter shots do give a good idea of the type of terrain involved).

Overall I though this was an enjoyable read, with the advantage of novelty.  It is reasonably cerebral book in that it doesn’t just concentrate on the military action but that doesn’t make it dull.  It should be of interest to wargamers and those military historians with an interest in the Eastern Front during the Second World War but who have never looked north of Leningrad before!

Available now from Casemate in paperback, priced £22.50 or $32.95 (ISBN 9781935149484)