Figure 1.--As the weight of the massive Red Army began to pentrate the Mannerheim LKine, the Finns began to evacuate Karelia and other areas where the Soviets were advancing. It wa a voluntary evacuation, but virtually every Finn decided to evacuate even though it meant abandoning their farms and homes. They were only to waare of what Stalin and the NKVD had in store for them. The press caption here read, "Exile: Finns Evacuate Territiry Ceded to Reds: All their wordly goods, and the numerous children loaded into a horse-drawn sleigh, a Finnish fmily flees. They are going into exile, evacuating their home which is situated in that section of Finland ceded to Russia by the peace treaty. {The editor does not add that the treaty as fiorced on the Finns by massive Soviet superiority.] Note the father in the froint seatribbing his chil's nose with snow to guard against frostbite." The photograph was dated March 28, 1940, but that seems to be when it reached America. It was probably taken a few days earlier.

Eventually the weight of the Soviet Red Army made itself felt. The Red Army suffered massive casualties, the full dimensions of which were never admitted. The Finns without assistance simply could not hold against the huge, wll equipped Red Army. Rgere was intrest among the Allies in aiding, but given the geography of the Winter War and the pressing threat of the NAZIs, they decided against it. As the military situation deteriorated. is became increasingly clear that Karelia and the War was lost. The Finns began evacuating families from Karelia,. It was not a mandatory evacuation, but few Finns wanted to remain under Soviet rule. Many Finns were aware of the Soviets actions against ethnic Finns in Ingria and Lenningrad. A peace treatly was dictated by the Soviets--the Peace of Moscow. The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed (March 12, 1940). It went into effect the next day. The heroic resisance of the Finnish Army gave time for the Finnish population to evacuate. Finland was forcd cede almost all of Karelia -— the entire Karelian Isthmus as well as a large area of land north of Lake Ladoga. The area was vital to Finland. It included the country's second largest city of Viipuri. Also included was Finland's industry and significant parts still held by the Finnish Army. It amounted to more than 10 percent of Finnish territory, biut as it was in the south, must more of Finland's agricultural land, creating food shortages. One estimate suggests it was territory representing some 30 percent of the country's GDP. [Edwards, p. 18.] About 12 percent of Finland's population, some 422,000 Karelians evacuated and gave up their homes. While a disaster for Finland, the Soviets also suffered and not only the huge casualties. Hitler was folloing events. And the poor performance of the Red Army alayed any quams he may have had about invading the Soviet Union.

Sources

Edwards, Robert. White Death: Russia's War on Finland 1939–40. (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2006).

Solzhenitsyn, Alexsanddr I. Trans, Thomas P. Wjitney. The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-56: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (Harper & Row: New York, 1973), 660p.

Created: 3:41 PM 3/26/2017
Last updated: 3:41 PM 3/26/2017