The Winter War

by William Durbin

  The horses were all bones, too, and looked ready to topple over. “Poor nags,” Kekko said. “They sure never done nothing to deserve this.”

  When the company stopped for a cold lunch, Joki looked up and down the road and said, “I can't get it into my head … this is gonna be Russian territory two weeks from now.”

  “Me neither.” Kekko nodded. “What kind of a world is it that we beat back the Russkies at every turn, and our government goes and signs away a big chunk of territory? Think of all the boys we sent home shot to pieces.”

  “And all that got fitted for wooden overcoats,” Hoot said.

  “It's like the blood and guts was spilled for nothing,” Joki said.

  Marko nodded.”Everything I've ever known is gone. Grandma's farm. Virtalinna. All the land in between. Gone.”

  “I don't want you boys ever to think that way.” It was the lieutenant, riding Kahvi.”Yes, the cost was dear. But by holding that line we guaranteed Finland her freedom. Politics may have shortchanged us in the near term, but in our hearts we know we won. Besides, a great man once said, 'There never was a good war, or a bad peace.'“

  “And we taught the Russkies a lesson they won't never forget,” Joki said.

  “We showed 'em what we're made of,” Kekko said. “We showed the world!”

  “Knowing what you men are made of scares me a whole lot more than the Russians ever did.” Juhola smiled as he rode on ahead.

  CHAPTER 34

  FLAGS UNFURLED

  Marko found Mother in the hospital.

  “Marko! At last!” She hugged him tightly. “I was so afraid there'd be one more attack.”

  “How's Kaari?” Marko asked.

  “See for yourself!”

  When Marko stepped into the room, Kaari was leaning on crutches and looking out the first-floor window at Kronholm Castle.

  “Aren't you supposed to be resting?”

  “Marko!” She hobbled over to give him a hug.

  “Careful.” Marko could feel her trembling from the effort of walking.

  “I'll be ready to race you by summer,” she said, sitting back on the edge of the bed.

  “Pick a long course so I can win.”

  “Distance always was your specialty,” Kaari said.

  “So … what will you do now?”Marko sat down beside her. “Where will you go?”

  “Your mother and I were just talking about that.”

  “I'm sure she wasn't shy about giving advice.”

  Kaari smiled. “According to the paper, the border near my village won't change.”

  “So you haven't lost your home!”

  Kaari nodded.”But if I wanted to go back, I couldn't run the farm on my own even after I got better.”

  “You'll need someone to look out for you at first,” Marko said.

  “That's where your mother comes in. I had an idea and asked her to think about it. She said she'd talk it over with you.”

  “What sort of idea?”

  “Since you've lost your home, I told her that you'd all be welcome to move to my farm. I don't have any relatives to help me, and I know you'd love my village.” Kaari talked faster as she got more excited. “There's a blacksmith shop up the road from my house that would be perfect for your father. And the neighbors have children the same age as Jari and Nina. Why, even your grandmother would be wel—”

  “Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Sounds like you and Mother have been doing a lot of planning.”

  “She says I need time to heal and put my life back together. And now that I'm an orphan, it would be perfect if… if a family would adopt me. And if that family had a strong young man who was good at chopping wood and digging holes—”

  “And skiing fast?”

  “That would be even better,” Kaari said.

  “We're already brothers,” Marko said, grinning at Kaari.”You might as well be my sister, too!”

  Marko looked down at the marks on the wooden floor that showed where the school desks had stood last fall.”This is too much to take in all at once. Here I am in my old school, trying to get used to the idea that I've lost my home, and you and Mother have my whole family moving to a new town.”

  “I told you that I could never go back to my farm alone … after what happened.”

  “I know.” Marko squeezed Kaari's hand. “And I was afraid my family would have to move to Sweden. A new life on a new farm sounds better than becoming refugees.”

  “And we need to show the Russians—”

  “That we can build our country back up.” Marko nodded.

  Kaari looked through the window at Kronholm Castle. “A Lotta told me those flags will be lowered for the last time this afternoon. I can't believe Johan lived in such a beautiful castle!”

  “Yes, that was his home.” Marko stared as the flags of Finland and Sweden unfurled in the breeze.

  “It must be close to the time,” Kaari said.

  Marko stepped over and opened the window partway. The air smelled of melting snow and buds soon to open. The shadows of the buildings and the trees extended out over the empty marketplace.

  Suddenly a trumpet began to play the Finnish national anthem in the courtyard of the castle. “There they go,”Kaari whispered, walking to Marko's side as the flags were slowly lowered. Marko's eyes filled with tears.

  “I loved visiting the castle when I was little,” he said. “The stone walls looked like they'd stand forever. And I could see those flags from everywhere in town. They gave me a feeling that… all was well.” He shook his head. “It's hard to believe they'll never be going up again.”

  “You may have lost your town,” Kaari told Marko, touching his shoulder, “but you helped save our country.”

  “That's what the lieutenant said.”

  “Finland proved she could stand alone against the world,” Kaari said.

  “Like us,” Marko said.

  “Like us.”

  “Hey, messenger boy.” Marko was shocked to see Kekko and Joki walk through the doorway. Both men wore civilian clothes, though Kekko still had on his helmet with its broken chin strap. “Your momma said we'd find you here.”

  At the same time a horse nickered outside the window.

  “Joseph!”Marko said as the big bay pushed his nose through the window and nuzzled Kaari's hand. Cheslav stood right beside Joseph.

  “The army was going to auction them horses off as surplus property, but the lieutenant figured they'd be better off with you and Karl.” Kekko looked around the room. “Where is Karl?”

  Before Marko could answer, Kekko went on.”But the real reason we came over here was to tell you about the fireworks. We're planning a little show.”

  “The war is over,” Marko said.

  “Not quite,”Joki said.”Kekko and I decided we don't want Russian visitors bothering us once we move across the river.”

  “You're not going to blow up the bridge!” Marko said.

  “We tried to run the idea past the lieutenant, but he stopped us and said, 'Don't tell me any more, boys. You're on leave now, and it's not my place to give you orders.'“

  “So we set up some barricades,” Kekko said. “Hoot's down there now, making sure the folks keep clear.”

  Marko looked at the road below the castle. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the explosion. “But how will we get across the river?” Marko asked.

  “The ice is plenty solid,”Kekko said.”But by the time the Russkies get here, they'll have to swim.”

  “Or take up boat-building,” Joki said.

  “Hoot must be about ready,” Kekko said

  Joki pulled out his watch. “Any second now.”

  Kekko suddenly noticed Kaari.”Who's the girl?”

  “This is Karl!” Marko said.

  “What?” Kekko stared at Kaari.

  “Don't you recognize your fellow soldier?” Kaari asked.

  “That's his voice!”Joki said.

  Kaari and Marko burst out laughing.
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  “Yes, I had a secret, didn't I?” she said.

  Kekko's mouth dropped open.”But how—”

  At that same instant the first charge exploded.

  Joki looked out the window.”There she blows!”

  Marko turned. Smoke and flames flashed out from under the bridge as the rest of the dynamite exploded. Chunks of stone and mortar flew in all directions; the shock wave that followed rattled the hospital windows.

  Time froze as the dust billowed upward and the stone pilings crumbled apart in slow motion. The bridge deck sagged, suspended by nothing for an instant before it hit the ice with a shuddering crash that shot water high into the air.

  Marko smiled as bits of debris fell on the street and the marketplace, pattering on the cobblestones like a gentle rain. In the sunset above the shattered pilings the dust cloud glowed red, while the people standing in the shadows of the castle raised their arms and cheered.

  AFTERWORD

  The Finns who are a people of the North and very athletic, can ski almost before they can walk. Our army encountered very mobile ski troops armed with automatic high velocity rifles. We tried to put our own troops on skis, too, but it wasn't easy for ordinary, untrained Red Army soldiers to fight on skis. We started intensively to recruit professional sportsmen. There aren't many around. We had to bring them from Moscow and the Ukraine as well as Leningrad. We gave them a splendid send off. Poor fellows, they were ripped to shreds. I don't know how many came back alive.

  —Nikita Khrushchev, premier of the Soviet Union 1958-1964 (from his 1970 autobiography, Khrushchev Remembers) When President Kyösti Kallio signed the Moscow peace agreement on March 13, 1940, ending the Winter War, he said, “Let the hand wither that signs this monstrous treaty!”

  Shortly afterward, his right arm became paralyzed. His health worsened until the following November, when he collapsed and died of a massive stroke.

  The sad end of President Kallio's life mirrored the national mourning that Finland experienced following the Winter War. Though Russia had been the aggressor, the terms imposed by the treaty were harsh. Finland surrendered thirty-five thousand square kilometers of land, including Karelia, a region rich in natural resources; Petsamo, Finland's outlet to the Barents Sea; and Porkkala, a peninsula very close to Helsinki that would be the site of a Russian military base. Four hundred thirty thousand Karelians, or 12 percent of Finland's population, were given a week to vacate their homes.

  Finland's distrust of Russia dates back to 1809, the year Czar Alexander I took control of Finland and established a grand duchy. Relations worsened in 1898, when Nikolai Bobrikov became governor of Finland and began to exert total control. Russian became the official language of Finland, the Finnish parliament was disbanded, and Finnish men were drafted to fight in the czar's army.

  On December 6, 1917, Finland declared its independence from Russia. The following month a civil war broke out between Red and White forces within Finland. Despite Russia's support of the Red side, after a winter of fierce fighting the White Army prevailed under the leadership of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. The Finnish people worked hard to rebuild their shattered country. They cut back on military spending and put all their effort into establishing peace and prosperity.

  However, in 1939, just as conditions were beginning to improve in Finland, Russia's dictator, Joseph Stalin, threatened to take territory from Finland's eastern border, citing “security reasons.” President Kallio tried to negotiate a compromise, but Stalin chose to invade instead.

  For 105 days, through one of the coldest winters in history, Finland fought to keep the Red Army at bay. Though overmatched in troop numbers by four-to-one odds and in tanks by a hundred to one, the Finns put on white camouflage suits and fought a guerilla war with such courage and skill that their techniques are still studied by military academies throughout the world.

  In the end, Finnish casualties totaled 25,000, the 1940 equivalent of the United States' losing 2.5 million people. Approximately 50,000 Finns were wounded, and of the 84,000 Lotta Svärd volunteers, 64 women were killed. The total number of Russian dead and wounded is impossible to verify, but it exceeded 500,000.

  During the course of the war, Finland got sympathy from the world but little material aid. The shining exceptions were Sweden, which contributed a fighter plane wing along with nine thousand soldiers (accompanied by one thousand Norwegians), and Denmark, which sent a corps of trained pilots. Small groups of volunteer soldiers arrived from other countries, but they were too disorganized to be effective.

  When Finland attempted to purchase armaments from other countries, the shipments were often delayed— Germany blocked a major fighter plane order from Italy—or they arrived too late to help. The main source of weapons and ammunition ended up being booty that Finland seized from the Russians early in the war.

  A major aftereffect of the Winter War was its influence on Hitler. When Hitler saw the difficulty Stalin had in defeating a small country such as Finland, he mistakenly assumed that the Russians would be an easy target. However, Stalin learned from his mistakes, and he made major changes in his army, the most dramatic being the recall of experienced officers whom he'd discharged during the Winter War.

  After the Winter War, Finland tried to gain back the land it had ceded to Russia. As World War II intensified and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were annexed by Russia, Finland felt it would be next if it didn't launch an offensive. The Continuation War, as it's known in Finland, went well at first. Mannerheim's troops swept across Karelia and reoccupied the territory for two and a half years.

  Unfortunately, when the Continuation War ended, Finland had to give up Karelia for good. And to make matters worse, the Allies allowed Stalin to impose on Finland $225 million in reparations. Many of the materials he demanded were engineering goods and machinery that Finland did not manufacture.

  Unlike most countries, which avoided paying their war debts, Finland went to work, and in only eight years delivered eighty turbogenerators, seven hundred locomotives, fifty thousand motors and engines, and six hundred ships. This production put a strain on the Finnish economy and forced the people to lead a spartan life, but in the long run, it helped make Finland one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.

  WINTER WAR SOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

  DOCUMENTARY FILM

  Fire and Ice: The Winter War of Finland and Russia Web site featuring film trailers and still shots: www.mastersworkmedia.com/fireandice

  BOOKS

  The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940, by Eloise Engle, Lauri Paananen, and Eloise Paananen

  A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40, by William R. Trotter

  Molotov Cocktail, the Russo-Finnish Winter War, 1939-1940: Finland's Pearl Harbor, by John O. Virtanen

  Appeal That Was Never Made: The Allies, Scandinavia, and the Finnish Winter War, 1939-1940, by Jukka Nevakivi

  The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War, by Allen F. Chew

  The Winter War, by Antti Tuuri

  The classic adult Finnish war novel, translated by Richard Impola

  WEB SITES

  Battles of the Winter War

  www.winterwar.com/mainpage.htm

  A day-by-day description of the Winter War, including photographs

  www.mil.fi/perustietoa/talvisota_eng/index.html

  Winter War reenactors Web site

  www.kevos4.com

  The Winter War, an article by Robert Maddock Jr.

  www.kaiku.com/winterwar.html

  Winter War fighter planes

  www.sci.fi/~fta/fintac-3.htm

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I'd like to extend special thanks to a number of people who were most generous in helping me with my research. Primary among them were Eero Juhola, a dedicated scholar and Winter War reenactor from Tuusula, Finland; Reima Rannikko, a retired teacher from Suomussalmi, Finland, who served in the Junior Civil Guard; Ovia Ylonen and Aune Nokkala, who provi
ded me with a private translation of the authoritative work on the history of the Finnish Junior Civil Guard, Poikasotilaista Sotilaspoikiin; Suoma Joutsi, a former member of the Lotta Svärd; Matti Saarivirtta and Olavi Luhtanen, Winter War veterans; James Kuurti, editor of the Finnish American Reporter; Sirpa Haapala of the Finnish Polio Association; Leo Pelwa, a polio survivor; Bobbie Kleffman and Allan Holmer, for helping out 231 with horse questions; and the following Finnish cultural experts: Alpo Rissinen, Börje Vähämäki, Varpu Lindstrom, Ron Maki, Clyde Koskela, Bob Maki, Annikka Ojala, Carl Pellonpaa, Marshall Kregel, Anja Bottila, Sinikka Garcia, Rainer Makirinne, and Pentti Mahonen.

  And as always, my gratitude goes to my editor, Wendy Lamb, who never fails to surprise me with her insights; to my agent, Barbara Markowitz, who is both an advocate and friend; to my wife, Barbara, who always gives me the soundest advice; and to my family, Jessica, Darren, Reid, and Autumn, for their continued understanding and support.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  William Durbin was born in Minneapolis and lives on Lake Vermilion at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. He formerly taught English at a small rural high school and composition at a community college and has supervised writing research projects for the National Council of Teachers of English, the Bingham Trust for Charity, and Middlebury College. His wife, Barbara, is also a teacher, and they have two grown children. William Durbin has published biographies of Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer, as well as several books for young readers, among them The Broken Blade, Wintering, Song of Sampo Lake, Blackwater Ben, and El Lector. The Broken Blade won the Great Lakes Book Award for Children's Books and the Minnesota Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. For more information, visit his Web site: williamdurbin.com.