Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "Was Finland's "Continuation War" Pre-Planned? Eastern Front #WW2" video.

  1.  @WilliamJones-Halibut-vq1fs  Germany had no moral justification to invade any country.
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  2. @Thumos wrote: "Finland fought a war against a common enemy with their own separate strategic objectives" The USSR was no enemy of Finland in 1941. They were at peace signing peace agreements, with the USSR recognising Finland as an independent country. The Finns participated in an *unprovoked * attack on the USSR in June 1941.
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  3. Initially there was four Baltic states: Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These were regarded as eastern countries. Finland is not in Scandinavia. Its language and history come from modern day Russia - the language is Uralic emanating from the Urals. The Finnish language has no relationship whatsoever with the other Scandinavian languages, which are more allied to the English and German languages. Finland was made a part of Russia in the early 1800s. Mannerheim, the Finnish leader, was in the Russian army most of his life, needing an interpreter to communicate in Finnish. After the Russian revolution Finland managed to gain her independence in the confusion of revolution, which many in Russia viewed as a crass act. A vicious civil war followed in Finland, with 12,000 dying in captivity and firing squads. Finland lobbied to join the Nordic Council, making it a Nordic state, looking west not east, giving the impression the country was in Scandinavia. Finland managed to wrench itself from being viewed as a small Russian satellite Baltic state, with heavy Russian influences due to proximity and culture. The Soviet German pact gave the Soviets eastern Poland and the four Baltic states merging Finland back into Russia. After the USSR occupied the eastern third of Poland, after the Germans crushed the country in late 1939, the Soviets moved into Finland to take back its old territory which a part of Russia only 20 years previously, merging it with the now USSR. The Finns fought back killing a large amount of poorly led and trained Soviet troops. The shear manpower and massed tanks of the USSR eventually overran Finland. The USSR allowed Finland to exist, recognising the country. However the Soviets wanted the borders taken back taking Finnish land back into Russia, as Leningrad was within artillery gun range from Finland. To the Soviets this was sensible - they could have taken the whole country back but never. Finland accepted the new borders, relieved they were not taken back into Russia. They both signed a peace agreement recognising the new borders and that Finland remained an independent country. When the opportunity arose for Finland to attack the USSR, with German assistance, to retake the territory ceded to the USSR in 1940, they committed an unprovoked act of aggression, as the two countries were at peace with each other. Finland was not being threatened by the USSR. Finland was not allied to Germany, however fought alongside Germany against the USSR. Britain viewed Finland as a co-belligerent declaring war on Finland, which was in contrast to attempting to get arms to Finland when the Soviets invaded in 1939. It is one of the few occasions a democratic country declared war on another, although Finland to many was not a democracy with certain political parties banned. Was it worth Finland fighting alongside the Germans? In my opinion, in 1941 it was not. It was a high risk gamble, as Germany could have been defeated, which it was, and Finland then being re-merged with Russia. Luckily for the Finns the Soviets left the country alone, apart from a base on the Gulf of Finland, which the Soviets gave back in 1956. This was a strange move by the USSR as they seized many eastern European countries after WW2 ended, with Finland attacking the USSR when not under any threat from the USSR, causing many Soviets deaths, prolonging the war. The Finns were lucky they were not taken back into Russia, being made a part of the USSR. To this day the Finns try not to provoke the Russians, not even joining NATO when all the other Baltic states did.
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  4.  @WandererRTF  Let us stick with facts. Finland was outside the war. Finland attacked the USSR. After WW2 it was surprising the Soviets were so amenable to the Finns. They should count themselves lucky.
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  5.  @dobypilgrim6160  Finnish or Soviet fortifications?
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  6.  @WilliamJones-Halibut-vq1fs  The Norwegians were officially neutral. They have always had British influence, also looking towards Britain, mainly because of proximity reinforced by the massive merchant fleet they possessed. People on the Norwegian west coast are nearer to Britain than Finland. Many Families in Liverpool have Norwegian blood in them. They could/should have in hindsight formed a defence pact with Britain. Then British troops could have been stationed in Norway. But everyone is wise in hindsight.
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  7.  @popsey72  Britain had plans to occupy Ireland in WW2 for defence purposes, however never used them. I would expect the Soviets to have a plan ready in case an attack came from Finland, or they had to occupy the place for defence purposes. It they never they would be very incompetent.
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  8. ​ @bobbleheadelvis6607  In 1940 the USSR had decided Finland was to be left independent, as long as it was not a threat to the USSR. They signed a peace agreement with both agreeing on the new borders. The USSR from 1940 to June 1941 was no threat to Finland. There was no massed troop gatherings on its borders. They were at peace with each other. Finland was at peace with the USSR as was Germany. Both conspired in an unprovoked attack on the USSR in June 1941. The Finns were the only country who knew of the Barbarossa attack, as they were a part of it. Even the Soviets could understand the Finns retaliating in 1939, and forgive them for that, even agreeing that Finland would remain independent, with some territory given to the USSR for Soviet defence purposes - keep in mind that this was Russian territory only 20 years previously that the Bolsheviks viewed should never have been made independent. Most people in Finland were actually born in Russia, as Finland was a part of Russia. The allies insisted that with Germany it is unconditional surrender. When Finland made a peace with the USSR and Britain in 1944, a condition was that German troops on Finnish soil must be expelled. The Finns then ordered the Germans out, then turning on the Germans in Finland who refused. So, no Soviet troops occupied Finland. Should the Soviets have forgiven the Finns for the 1941 attack alongside the Germans, giving them a conditional peace? Few would have forgiven them for what they did. Strangely the Soviets did.
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  9.  @mabussubam512  I hope TIK deals with him.
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  10.  @bobbleheadelvis6607  Prof Adam Tooze, said the man of WW2 was Stalin. Not Churchill. He said Stalin could have easily made a peace with Germany with Russia then being an eastern country just west of the Urals. He never, keeping up the fight when all looked totally lost. Stalin was a murderous tyrant to his own people. However in WW2 he was a canny leader. He played naive Roosevelt like a fiddle at the end of WW2. After it Roosevelt looked like a fool. He died soon after.
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  11.  @roberthansen5727  TIK will you deal with this idiot.
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  12.  @popsey72  Finland has looked west not east, despite being an eastern country - look at a map. It is the most northerly of the Baltic states. To listen to them you would think it was never a part of Russia, despite having very long common border, and it is in the middle of the Irish Sea. I recall Some Norwegians saying that they regarded the Finns as semi-Ruskies. Few ever had any dealings with Finns.
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  13.  @popsey72  My knowledge of Finland is more than good enough.
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  14.  @heikkisallinen9012  Being ruled by the Swedes is not being Swedish.
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  15.  @heikkisallinen9012  It is not being Swedish either. The Finns migrated west from Russia. The Swedes never.
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  16.  @heikkisallinen9012  No the Russians are, as that was where the Finns came from. They even kept the Russian originated Language.
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  17.  @popsey72  Finns are from Russia.
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  18.  @popsey72  Finns migrated from Russia, hence their language which is Uralic (from the Urals).
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  19.  @popsey72  The Finns migrated from Russia.
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  20.  @heikkisallinen9012  Finns migrated from present day Russia.. They are an eastern people. Unlike Scandinavians.
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  21.  @popsey72  The Finns are originally from modern day Russia. Fact.
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  22.  @popsey72  You are right, so what. It is not me that has this issue.
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  23.  @popsey72  You do not like what you read.
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  24.  @popsey72  The UK taking control of Ireland for defence reasons is not the USAs concern.
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  25.  @WandererRTF  The Fins in 1941 launched an unprovoked attack on the USSR.
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