Donning skis and snowsuits to fight the Red Army
Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim led tiny Finland’s stand in several wars against the Goliath that was the Soviet Union, earning him considerable admiration among the Swiss.
Géraldine Lysser
Géraldine Lysser studied history and business administration and works in communications at the Swiss National Museum.
Bloody battle to unite Finland
Mannerheim fought on the Russian side again during the First World War. But then the February Revolution of 1917 brought his career in the Imperial Army to an end and he returned to his native Finland, where the situation was no less chaotic. The government had seized its opportunity to declare the country independent. At the same time, Lenin was hinting that Finland could be given even more territory if the Bolsheviks were to come to power there too.
An uprising by the Bolshevik-supporting ‘Reds’ led to civil war with the ‘Whites’, the faction loyal to the government. Mannerheim was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the White Army. The civil war, which raged on for four months before the Whites emerged victorious, was fought using extremely ruthless tactics, caused thousands of casualties on both sides and created divisions in society that would last long after it was over. Mannerheim subsequently withdrew from the public sphere and devoted himself to humanitarian activities in particular. It was during this period that Mannerheim discovered Switzerland and paid frequent visits to Lausanne to enjoy the natural environment and receive medical treatment.
If there is one place on Earth dedicated to sweet idleness, rest and recuperation, then it is Switzerland, […] the beauty of the landscape, but especially the mountains, the Alps, which give you the impression that you are floating in the atmosphere, above the clouds, between heaven and Earth.
“The greatest strength of a small country is unity”
Shortly after signing the Hitler-Stalin Pact, which placed Finland in the Soviet sphere of influence, Stalin resumed negotiations on ceding territory, but these did not meet with success. The Soviet Union no longer felt compelled to honour the terms of its non-aggression treaty with Finland, and the Red Army launched a major offensive just a few days later. The Winter War had begun.
Despite the vast superiority of its forces and weapons, the Soviet Union was not able to occupy Finland. In fact, the Red Army suffered severe losses. The Finnish Army demonstrated creativity in its employment of shrewd tactics. Instead of attempting to directly protect the border, it concentrated its positions along a line that was easy to defend. The soldiers camouflaged themselves in white attire and moved across the deep snow on skis, making them more flexible than the Soviets in their heavy boots.
The Red Army learned from its mistakes and began making better preparations for a large-scale offensive in February 1940. Finland was forced to concede defeat and accept drastic terms of capitulation. Despite this outcome, Mannerheim gained international recognition for his leadership style, having achieved a number of remarkable victories over a more powerful opponent. In Switzerland, the Winter War served the armed forces as an example of how a small nation state could stand up to a great power. Finland’s defensive action became part of the history curriculum in secondary schools, helping to keep the Winter War alive in the collective memory until well into the 1970s.
Excerpt from a textbook on the Second World War for secondary schools in the canton of St. Gallen, published in 1970. Zentralbibliothek Zürich
From Continuation War to separate peace
The predominant view in Switzerland was that Finland had not entered into a formal alliance with the Third Reich, but was fighting against the Soviet Union on its own terms. Nevertheless, some were disappointed that Finland, which they had previously admired, was now throwing in its lot with Nazi Germany – a few even went so far as to ask for the return of the money they had donated to the cause of the Winter War.
One year after the renewed outbreak of war, an exchange of officers took place. Two Swiss officers spent several weeks in Finland drawing up reports on the country and its history, as well as on the front and military training.
In 1943, Germany’s defeat started to look inevitable. Finland wanted to withdraw from the fighting and agree peace terms with the Soviet Union. Mannerheim later repeatedly insisted that he had never shared the ideology of the Third Reich and that Finland had only allied itself with Germany in order to defend itself. In the end, he was entrusted with the mammoth task of negotiating a separate peace with the Soviet Union. And, to the surprise of many, he succeeded: although forced to cede extensive areas of land and pay reparations, the country did not become a Soviet satellite state.
