Figure 1.--The initial Finnish evacuations were from Karelia and were often whole family evacuations. As the Soviets began bombing and the military situation deteriorated child evauations began, espcially from Helsinki and the other cities. Another factor became food shortahes. Here we see two Finnish children probably siblings being evacuated to Sweden in January 1940.

There was another aspect of the evacutions, especially as the Red Air Force began bombing Helsinki and other Finish cities. Rhe initial evacuations were from Karelia. The Finns began evacuating children from the cities to sympathetic Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway and Denmark). Here the fear was both air raids as well as the danger that the whole country would be overrun by the Soviet colosus. In adition food shortages meant that it became increasingly difficult to sustain adequte diets. For a time it looked like the Soviets might occupy all of Finland. And given Soviet brutality toward the Karlian/Ingrian Finns left in the Soviet Union after world war I and toward the Poles in occupied Poland (1939), the Finns had real reason to fear. Finland bordered on Sweden and the Sweedes took in many Finnish children. The Sweeds wre unwilling to risk war with the Soviet Union, but were moved by the plight of the Finns. Beginning with the Winter War (1939-40) and than again during the Continuation War (1941-44). The first wave of Finnish war chilren came during the winter War. The largest number were evacuated during the Continuation War. Many were the children of the Finns that returned to their homes and farms in Karelia after Hitler laubched Barbarossa (June 1941). Finland never joined the Axis, but became a co-belgerant. Finland became the only democracy to fight with the Axis. And it resticted its war goals to revoverling the land seized by the Soviets in the Winter War. It was an enormos task rebuilding homes and starting up farms again. Thus it was thought that they could do all of this beter without the task of caring for younger children. The Finns evacuated a total of some 70,000 children to Sweden. These included children from both Finnish homes and Finnish-Swedish (Swedish-speaking) homes. Given the long border and the fact that Finland was once part of Sweden, there were still a number of Sedish speaking homes. Approximately 15,000 of the children never returned to Finland, especially the younger childre who came to see their adopted parents as their real parents. They were adopted by her Swedish foster family. Smaller numbers of chilren were sent to Denmark and Norway.

Karalian Families

There was another aspect of the evacutions, especially as the Red Air Force began bombing Helsinki and other Finish cities. This put people not only in Karalia at risk, but in Helsinki and other Finnisg cities. The initial evacuations were families from Kareliaand to other places in Finland.

Air War

The Soviet Union began World War II with the largest air force in the world. It included many obseleted types, but more modern aircradt was being developed. Finland on the other hand had only a small airfirce with largely obselete types. While the Finns could not afford a modern air force, they did make some fortuitous effort in the area of civil defense that would save many lives during the War. Finnish officials watched the expansion of the Soviet military under Stalin with cnsiderable trepedaion, especially the Red Air Foce. And as in other countries, there primarily comnvern was the bombers and attacks on major cities. Helsinki organized an extensive civil defense system. A city decree before the War mandated that shelters had to be constructed in all high-rise building basements. These were not elaborate facilities, consisting of simple basement rooms with reinforced walls. They would not withstand a direct hit, but could hold up when nearby buildings were hit. The city government required that buildings have a civil protection supervisor. They could not be in the reserves or the armed forces and this would not be called away in case of a war emergency. The individuals chosen had the responsibility to ensure tht the occupants of apartment complexes had access to shelters. Many lives were saved as a result. Some larger shelters were built into solid rock, but this was an expensive undertaking and only accomodated a small parr of the population. Attention was given to the city hospitals.

Finnish Children: Krigsbarn

With the onset of Soviet air attacks, the Finns began evacuating children from the cities to sympathetic Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway and Denmark). Here the fear was both air raids as well as the danger that the whole country would be overrun by the Soviet colosus. In adition food shortages meant that it became increasingly difficult to sustain adequte diets. This was the case after the SovietsChildren are especially prone to health problems when poorly nourished. And these problems can develop within months becuse of studies done on Dutch children. Finland ws the second country attacked by an agressor naytion and thus involved in the war for alonger period than most countries. For a time it looked like the Soviets might occupy all of Finland. And given Soviet brutality toward the Karlian/Ingrian Finns left in the Soviet Union after world War I and toward the Poles in occupied Poland (1939), the Finns had real reason to fear. Unlike the Karelian evacuations, here families were broken up. The adults were needed to support the war effort and other countries were just not prepared to taken in large numbers of adults.

Finish opinion

Rather surprisingly, the impetus for the child evacuations seems to have come from the Swedes and not the Finns. A Finnish historian describes both hesitance and concerns, mostly safety concerns. [Kaven] The evacuations were neverless approved in Finland. There seems to have been politicl need to comply with the Swedish offer. Sweden was providing extensive assistance to Finland during the Winter War. The child evacuation resumed again with the onset of the Continuation War (June 1941). And again there were Finnish concrns about the safty of the children. The number of children, however, increased because of the difficult comditions in Finland and by 1944 the serious danger again that the Red Army might overrun the country.

Sweden

Finland bordered on Sweden and the Sweedes took in many Finnish children. The Sweeds were unwilling to risk war with the Soviet Union, but were moved by the plight of the Finns. One author suggests that the effort ws not purely humanitarian on the part of the Swedes, suggesting hat the children were used as "‘commodities of compassion’ in a Swedish politics of indemnification." [Nehlin] By this the author suggests that there was a political role. The Swedes flt the need to demonstrate Nordic solidrity to makes amens for the failure to come to aid militarily. Notably the Swedes did not accept children from other Baltic countries in anything like the numbers of Finnish children. There were appeals in both the newspapers and on the radio to sign up families to host a Finnish child. Beginning with the Winter War (1939-40) and than again during the Continuation War (1941-44). The geography of the Baltic meant that the children were transported by rail to Sweden via a northern route or via the Gulf of Bothnia by boat. The journeys were sometimes arduous for the childrem and were sometimes biewed as more dangerous than remaining in Finland. The first wave of Finnish war chilren came during the Winter War. The largest number were evacuated during the Continuation War. Many were the children of the Finns that returned to their homes and farms in Karelia after Hitler laubched Barbarossa (June 1941). Finland never joined the Axis, but became a co-belgerant. Finland became the only democracy to fight with the Axis. And it resticted its war goals to revoverling the land seized by the Soviets in the winter War. It was an enormos task rebuilding homes and starting up farms again. Thus it was thought that they could do all of this beter without the task of caring for younger children. The Finns evacuated a total of some 70,000 children to Sweden. These included children from both Finnish homes and Finnish-Swedish (Swedish-speaking) homes. Given the long border and the fact that Finland was once part of Sweden, there were still a number of Swedish speaking homes. The children were transported by rail and boat. The nature of the Continuation War complicated Swedish foreign policy. It was one thing to aid Finland after it had been invaded by the Soviet Union, at the time a NAZI ally. It was something different to aid Finland when it was fighting with the NAZIs against a Soviet Union on the Allied side. As a result, Sweden reduced its aid overall aid program to Finland. There was one exception, the child evacuation effort. That ctuallu increased. Approximately 15,000 of the children never returned to Finland, especially the younger children who came to see their adopted parents as their real parents. Many were eventully adopted by their Swedish foster families.

Numbers

The Finns participated in a serries of of evacuations during World War II, most specifically for the children. A relatively small number of children were evacuated during the Winter War. Most od the evacuation occurred during the Continuastion Wr. The Finns sent an estimated 70,000-80,000 children, mostly to neighboring countries, primarily Sweden. Sweden ininitiated most of the exchanges. The Finns were somewhat reluctant with concerns over safety. Denmark took about 4,000 of the children children and Norway a smaller anount. Of course Denmark and Norway were occuoied by the Germans. The number is not exact because many parents made private arrangements. Precise numbers are difficulkr to obtain because quite a number of children made more than one trip.

Ages

We do mot have derailed information as to the age of the Finnish child evacuee children. Most of the Finnish children were younger children. We have not found age limits established by either the Finnish or Swedish and other host countrie. Based on availble photopgraphs they seem to be cjildren from about 3-0 years of age. We are not sure why thus was or if Centre discouraged arrangements for older children. It may be that the older children resisted evacution or that the younger children were seen as important to move to safety. They were more sucetable to health problems from food shortage and the lack of medicine than older children and adults.

Social Class

One report estimates that some 60 percent of the children came from blue collar homes. We are not sure how to interpret this. One would think that this would be the rough proportion of the population.

Care Unit

The majority of Finnish war children were cared for in privte homes. [Korppi-Tommola and Sgm] There were also camps and orphanages. [Paksuniemi]

Sources

Kavén, P. "Krigsbarnen: förväntningar och verklighet." (Hangö, self published, 2012).

Nehlin, Ann. "Building Bridges of Trust: Child Transports from Finland to Sweden during the Second World War," War & Society Vol. 36 (2017 - Issue 2), pp. 133-53.

Created: 4:12 AM 9/12/2016
Last updated: 4:12 AM 9/12/2016