Figure 1.--The Finn in the Winter war were able to hild back and inflict massive losses on the invading Red Army. Tiny Finland did not, however, have the capability of hilding back the soviet Colosus forever. Here we see a family moving out of their home in Karelia in February or March 1940 before the Soviet Red Army and NKVD arrived. The Finns were aware of what Stalin did to the Finns in the Soviet Union as well as to peasant farmers and were willing to leave their homes, farms, and shops behind.

The Finnish tragedy began before World War II when Stalin began targeting the Finns in Ingria. It continued during World War II with the Soviet invasion of Finland igniting the Winter War (November 1939). From that point Finland had a serious refugee problem involving family evacuations, internments, child evacuations, return to liberated territory, and more evacutions. The whole process is complicated and went on for 5 years and did not end even with the end of the War. The two major events were the Winter war and the Continuation War, but there were other actions that added to the refugee problem like the Lappland war. As a result of the Winter War, the Soviets annexed almost all of Finnish Karelia and other areas. Virtually the entire Fiinish population exited Karelia en masse. We know of no other instance in which such an overwealming portion of the population left their hoimes, farms, and shops when borders changed. This was not a forced evacuation. It was up to the individuals involved. The Finnish Goverment assisted the evacuees, but did not force them to evacuate. During the Continuation War, many Finnish families returnd to Karelia (1941-42), but then had to evacuate again (1944).

Winter War Evacuations (1939-40)

Finland carried out a series of evacuations during World War II beginning with the Soviet invsion launching the Winter War. The Finns evacuated the population away from the front lines early in the War. There was another aspect of the evacutions, especially as the Red air fice began bombing Finish cities. They also evcuated children from the cities. Here the fear was both air raids as well as the danger that the whole country would be overrun by the Soviet colosus. As the Soviet weight of numbers began to overwealm the Finnish defenders, more evacuations followed. The Soviets escalated their teritorial demands presenting the Finnish delegtion at Moscow with substantial new demands. Once the Moscow Peace Treaty was finally signed ending the war (March 1940), the Finns began evacuating the territory to be turned over to the Soviets. This was whole families. They were not mandatory evacuations. But few Finns wanted to remain in Soviet territory even though it meant leaving land tended by families for centuries. The local population was well aware of what the Soviets had done to the Ingrian Finns before the War. The Finns had no illusions about life in the soviet worker and peasanbt paradice. Many were surprised because the Soviets escalated their territorial demands during the neogitaions. The Finns in Karelia took what they could carry and their livestock and headed for what was to become the new Finnish border with only few days notice. They were allowed to keep their possesions under the terms of the Treaty, but the builfings and machinery had to be left intact. This was no small matter for the Finns. Some 410,000 Finns streamed out of Karelia, over 10 percent of the country's population. One surprising group of victims were the Soviet POWs returned by the Finns.

Continuation War (1941-44)

The conclusion of the Winter War did not end the evacuations and refugee movements. The Finnis evacuee flow varied over time with periods of war, peace, defeat and victory. Some of the children in Sweden even returned home. After the Winter War, the next major event was the Continuation War. And there would also be movement evacuee substantial evcuee movement associated with the Continuation War. Finland was a small country and totally outclased by the Soviet behoumouth and massive Army. As a result, Stalin forced the Finns into the hands of the Germans. Talks with the Germans began immediately after the Sovierts forced concensiions on the Finns--The Peace of Moscow. Te Germans offered arms and support. Finland refused, however, to join the Axis or to accept NAZI racial dogma. But to regain its lost territory became a co-bligerant after Hitler launched Operation Barbrossa (June 1941). The small but highly motovated Finnish Army proved to be the Germans most effective ally. They attacked from the north into Karelia, but to the frustration of the Germans, did not advance significantly beyond the Finnish territory seized in the Winter War. The evicted Finns returned to their homes. The Russian settlers were moved into camps. And then as the Red army reversed the course of the War, the Finns were once again forced to evacuate Karelia (1944) and aceed to Soviet demands. Given the dngers of an advancing Red Army, some children may have been evacuated from other areas as well. We think that some Finnish children began returned home in late 1944, but have few details at this time.

Estonian Narva (1944)

As the Red Army advanced into Karelia, it also moved into neighboring Estonia. Estonia had close cultural and linguistic ties with Finland. A major Soviet target was Estonian Narva, an important Estonian city. Stalin ordered the NKVD to remove the remaining ethnic population of Narva and replace them with ethnic Russians. When Estonia became independent (1989), Soviet loyalists tried to seize Narva in an ffort similar to what President Putin is conducting in Ukraine. he effort, however, was not supported by Russian authorities.

Lapland War (1944)

As part of the Finnish-Soviet ceasfine, the Finns had to agree to remove the Germans still in northern Filand (Lapland) A joint Finnish-German effort evacuated the civilian population of Lapland. This was completed before hostilities began. German troops then commenced hostilities in the Lapland War. Nearly 170,000 civilians were evacuated. They returned home after the

Created: 4:41 PM 10/14/2016
Last updated: 4:41 PM 10/14/2016