Soviet-Finnish War Research Articles

СТАНОВЛЕННЯ І РОЗВИТОК ВІЙСЬКОВО-МЕДИЧНОЇ СЛУЖБИ ЧЕРВОНОЇ АРМІЇ У ДРУГІЙ СВІТОВІЙ ВІЙНІ

The article reflects the impact of the Second World War on the process of forming the military medical service of the USSR, of which Ukraine was a part at that time. It was shown how medical support was changed in different periods of the war, how military-medical education and science developed, approaches to providing medical assistance in combat conditions, system of medical-evacuation support was improved, material-technical base was developed, and sanitary transport and aviation, medical institutions were developed. Staffed in peacetime, they had insufficient staff, property and transportation for the war. No uniform principles for the provision of medical assistance for civil and military medicine were introduced, which led to differences in the treatment of the wounded. The experience gained by the medical service of the Soviet-Finnish war gave much value for military surgery. The problem of primary surgical treatment of a gunshot wound with the prohibition of suturing immediately after treatment was solved, and this principle was applied throughout the Second World War. It is proved that the Second World War gave a powerful impetus for the development of military medicine, its science, technology and education, increased staffing due to the reorganization of military medical and medical education. The bed fund increased, the logistics were improved, the fronts received sanitary regiments, and the armies - auto-sanitary companies, a system of medical and evacuation support with emergency evacuation was formed. Conducted medical events and measures returned to the ranks of the army 72.3% of wounded and 90.6% of patients. Military medicine has received invaluable combat experience, which has given a powerful impetus to national science, technology and education.

Electronic Book of Memory as a Historical Source for Studying the Irretrievable Human Losses of the Kuibyshev Region in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940

The article considers a mass electronic source on the problem of irretrievable human losses of the USSR during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, available to researchers in the form of a database on several information portals. It is indicated that it was based on the printed Book of Memory dedicated to the fallen soldiers in local wars and conflicts of the twentieth century. The analysis of its representativeness is carried out. The exceptional reliability of the resource is confirmed by the fact that during its creation a huge array of documents from federal and local archives was included in the scientific circulation. The information capabilities of the database for studying the human damage of one of the regions - the Kuibyshev (now Samara) region - were revealed. The relevance of the study is caused by insufficient study of this topic, with the undoubted importance of understanding the deed of all the fallen in the performance of military duty. The author uses the unique capabilities of an electronic resource to fill in the “blank spots” in the issue of human losses. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that quantitative methods of study are applied to it for the first time within the framework of regional history. The number of dead Kuibyshevites during the “winter war” (1737 people) was established, their analysis: age composition, distribution of losses by rank, military branch, cause of death, chronology was carried out.

Применение ПВ НКВД СССР в советско-финляндской войне

Применение ПВ НКВД СССР в советско-финляндской войне

Border troops of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs during the Soviet-Finnish War. On the eve of. (28th January - 29th November 1939)

Border troops of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs during the Soviet-Finnish War. On the eve of. (28th January - 29th November 1939)

The World on the Eve of the Second World War: Historiographical Interpretations of the Beginning of the War

The article considers various historiographical approaches to the treatment of the beginning of the Second World War. The author notes that the collapse of the great empires, defeating the imperial consciousness and the emergence of new countries from their remains and a completely new global balance of powers as the immediate consequences of the First World War reconfigured the geopolitical and strategic map of the entire European continent and have created hopes for a new global order of the post-war Europe based on equal national rights and peaceful coexistence among peoples, democratization and humanization of the European society. Unfortunately, many hopes and expectations of millions of people have been left unfulfilled pursuant to imperfections in the Versailles system of the post-war arrangement of Europe. 1918-1919 seemed the start of a new democracy in Europe, but soon the situation has changed to the opposite. In Europe totalitarian regimes were established. Two decades later, during lifetime of participants of the First World War, those very states led the whole world into the Second World War, the most terrible and bloody conflict. The paper indicated that the genesis of the Second World War received significant attention in an enormous corpus of scientific literature, whose scope is growing rapidly. The Soviet and Russian historiography focuses on the Munich Agreement (1938) as a pivotal event which “opened the way to the Second World War – the greatest tragedy of the twentieth century” and “provided justification for the USSR's rapprochement with Germany” as a forced step from J. Stalin. However, the Western historiography asserts that Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union of 1939 became turning moment which has plunged the world into war and led to the so-called Fourth Partition of Poland, the seizure by Germany of large parts of Europe (Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Yugoslavia, Greece), the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940 (the Winter War), Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, Bessarabiya and Northern Bukovyna as a logical consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The author does not exclude the possibility that the starting date of the Second World War may be revised in the near future. Brutal military campaigns of Japan in Asia (the 1930s) and Italy in Africa (1935-1936), the Japanese-German Anti-Commintern Pact of 1936, to which Italy had acceded in 1937, the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War, the battle of Lake Khasan (1938), the battles of Khalkhyn Gol (1939), the Anschluss Österreichs (1938), the Munich Agreement concluded on 30 September 1938 which has led to accelerating the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union of 1939) were a prelude to the Second World War. These tragic and great events not just have paved the way for a new stage of historical development, but also have provided a long-term programme for human history.   Vidnyanskyj, S. (2019). The World on the Eve of the Second World War: Historiographical Interpretations of the Beginning of the War. Mìžnarodnì zv’âzki Ukraïni: naukovì pošuki ì znahìdki – The International relations of Ukraine: scientific searches and findings, 28, 8-26 [in Ukrainian].

Soviet-Finnish War

The whole period of the Soviet Union’s existence and the first years of independence of Ukraine didnot write and talked about the military conflict in the winter of 1939–1940. The reason for the strategicdefeat of the huge Soviet Union in the war with a small Finland. In the Soviet Union, they tried to createsuch a notion as the «Soviet people,» the relocation and mixing of a large number of people throughout thespace of the USSR. Therefore, no one has ever defined participants in events by nationality or territoriallocation. Ukrainians also did not stand out. It was only when Ukraine became independent that therewas a need to determine the participation of Ukrainians in the Soviet-Finnish war and their role. Duringthe Soviet-Finnish war, the North-West front was commanded by the future Marshal and Hero of theSoviet Union, Ukrainian Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich. Future Marshal and Hero of the SovietUnion, Ukrainian Kulik Grigory Ivanovich, as Deputy People’s Commissar for Defense of the USSR,participated in the preparation of Army and Artillery Parts for the Soviet-Finnish War. The commanderof the 70th division was Ukrainian Kirponos Mikhail Petrovich. Participated in the combat operations ofthe pilot-as and Hero of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich. Future Marshaland Hero of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian, Moskalenko Kirill Semenovich, during the Soviet-FinnishWar, was the head of the artillery 51st Perekopskaya Rifle Division of the Odessa Military District. Thefuture Colonel-General of the Tank Army and Hero of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian Kravchenko AndriyGrigorievich, during the war, was Chief of Staff of the 173th Motorized Infantry Division. In the threemonth conflict, nearly 40,000 Ukrainians died. Among those who fought in this war and received thehighest award – the Order of Lenin – Vasyl Petrenko from Poltava region. On the side of the USSR twodivisions participated in the war, which were completed in Ukraine. These are the 44th and 70th InfantryDivisions. The first of them fell into the environment and almost all died, trying to break away from theFinnish ring. Those who escaped were subjected to a martial law court. Division commander, chief ofstaff, chief of the police department and commissar were shot. In general, several thousand participantsin this war suffered repressions. Instructive that the Finnish side arranged the graves of the dead Sovietsoldiers. The city of Suomussalmi has a monument to the soldiers of the 44th Division, at the time whenthe names of the heroes were for gotten in the homeland.

Nikolay Nikolaevich ELANSKY - outstanding surgeon, organizer of military field surgery, honored scientist of the RSFSR
 (to the 125th of birthday)

N.N. Elansky was born in 1894 in the Voronezh Province. In 1913 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk gymnasium, in 1917 - the Military Medical Academy and was sent to the South-Western Front as a senior regimental doctor. Since 1918 - the district doctor of the Makaryevsky rural hospital of the Voronezh province. In 1919, N.N. Yelansky, together with V.N. Shamov and I.R. Petrov, prepared the first standard serums in the USSR for determining blood groups. Since 1921, Nikolai Nikolayevich returned to the faculty surgical clinic of the Military Medical Academy, having passed the way from an intern to a senior lecturer. In 1924, he defended his doctoral dissertation, in 1932 - became a professor, in 1934 - head of the department of faculty surgery at the Leningrad Pediatric Institute. In the years 1937-1938. He headed the Department of General Surgery and Military Field Surgery of the Military Medical Academy. Nikolai Nikolayevich participated in the organization of surgical care on the Khalkhin-Gol River (1938) and in the Soviet-Finnish War (1939–1940). During the Great Patriotic War, N.N. Yelansky consistently served as chief surgeon of the North-West, 2nd Byelorussian, 2nd Ukrainian and Trans-Baikal fronts. After the war, Nikolai Nikolayevich continued to work as head of the department of general surgery. In 1942, on the initiative of N.N. Yelansky was created by a special front-line group with the aim of a comprehensive study of traumatic shock. In 1942 he was awarded the title Honored Scientist of the RSFSR. In 1944, N.N. Elansky became lieutenant-general of the medical service. From 1947 to 1955 He was the chief surgeon of the Soviet Army and at the same time the head of the department of faculty surgery I of the Moscow Medical Institute. N.M. Sechenov, which he headed until 1964. From 1955 to 1959 he was a professor and consultant of the Military Medical Administration. He studied specific issues of blood transfusion, gastro-surgery, urology, traumatology, oncology and neurosurgery. In 1959 N.N. Yelansky organizes an artificial kidney department in the faculty surgical clinic I of the Moscow Medical Institute for the treatment of patients with acute renal failure. Nikolay Nikolayevich was a member of the editorial board of the Surgery and Military Medical Journal journals. He edited the 15th and 16th volumes of the multivolume work "The Experience of Soviet Medicine in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."He was the editor of the Surgery department of the 2nd edition of the Big Medical Encyclopedia, etc. He was a member of the board of the All-Union and All-Russian Scientific Surgical Societies, an honorary member of the International Association of Surgeons, the Surgical Society. N.I. Pirogov, Surgical Society of Czechoslovakia, Vice-President of the Society of Soviet-Belgian Friendship. He trained 9 doctors and over 30 candidates of medical sciences. He has published about 140 scientific papers. For services to the motherland N.N. Elansky was awarded fifteen orders and medals of the Soviet Union. N.N. Elansky died on August 31, 1964 and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Моральный фактор в боеготовности личного и командного состава Военно-Воздушных сил Краснознамённого Балтийского флота в преддверии советско-финляндской войны 1938–1939 гг.

Моральный фактор в боеготовности личного и командного состава Военно-Воздушных сил Краснознамённого Балтийского флота в преддверии советско-финляндской войны 1938–1939 гг.

Military Propaganda in the Baltic Fleet during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940

Military Propaganda in the Baltic Fleet during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940

Ленинградские добровольческие лыжные батальоны периода Советско-финляндской войны 1939–1940 годов

Ленинградские добровольческие лыжные батальоны периода Советско-финляндской войны 1939–1940 годов

Lessons of soviet-finnish wars for Ukraine

The article aims to compare the course of Soviet-Finnish wars and modern Russian-Ukrainian conflict, set the main factors and determine perspectives of its resolving.
 Taking into account the historical distance the course of Soviet-Finnish wars of 1939-1940 and 1941-1944 is firstly revealed. Henceforth analysis of Soviet-Finnish and Russian-Ukrainian conflict is conducted, which led to the conclusion about heredity of character of the Russian Federation policy and its adaptation of Soviet instruments and methods of expansion to modern reality. Herewith the main factors of international and political life are defined, which determined success of Kremlin aggression against Helsinki and affect the course of Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Finally, the authors single out main integral and international (strategic and tactical) factors of decision-making for realization of the Finnish scenario in Ukraine and perspectives of resolving Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
 Keywords: Soviet-Finnish war, Russian-Ukrainian conflict, annexation of Crimea, the USSR and Russian Federation external policy, Kremlin aggression, hybrid war, temporally occupied territories

Financing Evacuation Hospitals During the Soviet-Finnish War (on Materials of the Ural Military District)

Financing Evacuation Hospitals During the Soviet-Finnish War (on Materials of the Ural Military District)

Sweden’s support of Finland during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940

Sweden’s support of Finland during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940

Frank, William D. Everyone to Skis! Skiing in Russia and the Rise of Soviet Biathlon (review)

SEER, 92, 3, JULY 2014 576 though propaganda about labour competition and cultural enlightenment was accompanied by considerable cynicism and disorganization, nonetheless the autobiographical evidence and contemporary sociological research suggest that Nowa Huta also inspired enthusiasm and affection. This was especially true by the 1960s, when the infrastructure had finally been built, living standards had improved considerably and ‘skilled workers almost universally aspired for their children to gain a university degree’ (p. 158). On the other hand, for some groups opportunities closed in parallel with de-Stalinization. Lebow shows how both women and Roma benefited from equal opportunities campaigns during the Stalinist period but saw these gains rescinded after 1956. ‘Nowa Huta, meant to have led the way toward women’s equality at work, now exhibited the reverse trend: by the late 1950s, the district had one of the lowest rates of female employment in urban Poland. […] The shift was officially framed as a return to a traditionally Polish understanding of women’s essential role as a mother and a rejection of the “foreign” [i.e. Soviet] idea that women should perform the same work as men’ (p. 122). Although the book’s title suggests that it ends in 1956, in fact chapter six continues the story through to 1989 and beyond. Lebow suggests that ‘Nowa Huta’s embrace of Solidarity in the 1980s […] cannot simply be seen […] as a shedding or rejection of the Stalinist experience, a kind of prodigal son’s return’ (p. 154). Instead, there was always opposition, most importantly the battle over building the church, but also many smaller incidents. In 1968, ‘school dormitories in Nowa Huta has to be put under virtual lockdown to prevent secondary and technical school students from joining their protesting peers in Kraków’ (p. 170). 1970 — usually associated with the events on the Baltic coast — saw the replacement of the steelworks’ general director and first party secretary ‘“under pressure from the workforce”’ (p. 171). Overall, this is an exceptionally readable book which will be enjoyed by anyone interested in Polish history and which is also an important contribution to the literature on social dimensions of Stalinism. Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies A. White University of Bath Frank, William D. Everyone to Skis! Skiing in Russia and the Rise of Soviet Biathlon. Northern Illinois University Press, DeKalb, IL 2013. xii + 396 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $39.95. William D. Frank’s book on Soviet biathlon adds to our knowledge of Soviet sports in several ways. Recognized as a ‘serious’ field of historical study during the last decade, more recent studies and collections on Soviet sports have focused on internationally well-known spectator sports, the most prominent REVIEWS 577 being football. Ice hockey comes in a close second, due to the highly politicized atmosphere around the Cold War hockey games between the USSR and prominent Western rivals such as the USA, Canada or Finland. Biathlon, on the other hand, at first seems an odd choice for a full-blown monograph. A combination of skiing and shooting, it is usually regarded as a direct successor to military patrol events but was formally recognized as an Olympic discipline by the IOC in 1954. Frank, however, places the evolution of biathlon within the larger context of Nordic (cross-country) skiing and opens his account with a concise overview of the evolution of skiing in Russia. He also argues that both the Soviet popularity of this militarized sport and the strong official support for biathlon are closely connected to the Soviet-Finnish war of 1940 (the so-called ‘Winter War’) in which the Finnish soldiers’ proficiency on skis gave them an important and unexpected advantage over the Soviet forces. The author rightly places great emphasis on this crucial episode — both for subsequent Soviet changes in military training, technique and equipment, and as the beginning of a longstanding Finnish-Soviet rivalry in biathlon and skiing. It is tempting to see biathlon as a near-ideal Soviet sport, favoured primarily for ideological reasons — Soviet sports ideology focused on military preparedness and mass practice, and the patriotic myth of the pogranichnik (the armed guard at the country’s frontiers) was ubiquitous during the Stalin years. Indeed...

Репрессивная политика советского государства и судьбы военнопленных Красной армии – участников советско-финской войны 1939–1940 годов

In the article it is proved that in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939– 1940 the state and political management of the USSR tried to write off failures on the Soviet prisoners of war who have appeared in Finnish to captivity. The relation of the state and its high-ranking officials to the military personnel, got to the Finnish captivity, was characterized by antihumanity, monstrous neglect to human life, absence of desire objectively to understand each fact of capture of the Soviet serviceman, his behavior in captivity. The destiny of the captured was solved not on the basis of the Law, and on the basis of personal instructions and Stalin and Beria’s orders. Illegal condemnation of a considerable part of the Soviet military personnel who has appeared in Finnish to captivity, created precedent for further punishment of those who in days of the Great Patriotic War appeared in captivity, but already in German.

Pre-World War II Romania from Latvian Perspective: An Envoy’s views

The paper approaches the working environment and observations of Latvian envoy Ludvigs Ēķis in Romania from the autumn of 1939 when the Latvian Legation was opened in Bucharest until the summer of 1940 when the State of Latvia was liquidated. The main focus is on the Latvian-Romanian relations in this period of time, the Romanian foreign and economical policy and the reaction of Romanian statesmen and society to the events and processes of the first stage of World War: the policy of Soviet Union, Germany and Hungary, the Soviet-Finnish War and other conflicts in region and in Europe. The article is based on the materials stored in the State Archives of Latvia and particularly on Ludvigs Ekis’ reports. In a time when war was raging in Europe, Romania, too, was subject to considerable international pressure. Some similarities can be detected between the developments in this region and in the Baltic States.

History of the Soviet-Finnish war in the Russian historiography (on the seventieth anniversary of the ending of the Soviet-Finnish war)

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Stalin and the Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-40, and: Finland in the Second World War: Between Germany and Russia (review)

Stalin and the Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-40, and: Finland in the Second World War: Between Germany and Russia (review)

Stalin and the Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-40

Stalin and the Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-40

The Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940

The onset of the Second World War evoked particularly great concern in the USSR over the security of its northwest borders. From a formal point of view, the military and political situation there appeared entirely normal: a non-aggression pact concluded in 1932 existed between the USSR and Finland. Extended in 1934 at the initiative of the Soviet Union, it was supposed to remain in force until 1945. In December 1935 the Finnish Parliament announced that the country would maintain neutrality and orient its foreign policy toward Scandinavia. With the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, the government of Finland declared that it would observe a policy of neutrality.