Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "The Battle of Tali-Ihantala 1944 | WW2 Battlestorm Documentary" video.

"Mannerhein knew Russia cannot be be conquered " The opposite. He thought the Soviets would crumble, that is why he joined in. When he saw the Germans were no wonder army performing poorly, he pulled back. Even with troops in adjacent Norway the Germans and Finns could not take poorly defended Murmansk. Murmansk was vital as British, then US supplies, came through the port.
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The Soviets also occupied Petsamo in 1944 denying the Germans nickel from the mine, with a gain to themselves. Good point about releasing the Soviet navy. Hitler sent quite a number of troops and planes (even FW-190s) to Finland in 1944, he considered that front so important. Just by being there and doing nothing diverted Soviet forces. Keep the Soviets pinned down in a fight, then they are reduced in their push east to Germany.
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Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of Aug 1939 split up that part of the world. The four Baltic states went to the Soviets with one third of Poland. Germany got most of Poland, Czech', Norway, Denmark and any other country it bordered, if Germany wanted them. The USSR would not interfere if Germany moved into other bordering countries, which they never.
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@davethompson3326 When the Soviets requested the Germans remove troops from Finland in 1941, Hitler justified them because of nickle and wood supplies.
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No. The USSR wanted a territory exchange, not enslavement.
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@jussim.konttinen4981 Look at the Soviet proposals of 1939 and the borders now, not too dissimilar at the southern end. At no time since then has the USSR indicated that it wanted to incorporate Finland back into Russia. Also, eliminating Finland as a threat was achieved by Finlandisation. In short, do as the Soviets say, and you will be OK, deviate then the tanks roll in.
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@TheyTalkOnline There is no evidence whatsoever that the Soviets wanted to reincorporate Finland back into Russia. They could have done it with ease in 1940 and 1944. They never. They wanted a government that is favourable to them, they got that then and still have that. That situation is now officially called Finlandisation. Look it up.
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TIK, your logic is skewed. Stalin did not want Finland with a substantial army of 450,000, plus any German forces, coming in on his right flank as he progresses west. They could even come up behind advancing Soviets troops. Because the Finns had not moved for 2.5 years does not mean they will not. They were holding Soviet territory and did attack in late 1941, so could not be ignored. Hitler sent extra German troops to Finland to delay the direct Soviet advance on Germany. Stalin had no option but to neutralise that front. He did not want to take over all of Finland as that is manpower intensive - the is no evidence whatsoever that the Soviets wanted to occupy all of Finland, none. Stalin got what he wanted. That front was rendered benign by liberating Soviet territory and taking Finnish territory, and far better by a peace deal.
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Small coasters were taking nickle from Petsamo down the Norwegian coast to Germany. A coaster contains a lot of nickle. There is also a rail line as well to southern Finland. Petsamo port is tiny unable to berth large ships.
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@popsey72 Molotov was more interested in getting German troops out of Finland. When Finnish troops were dragging their feet on getting German troops out in 1944, the Soviets said if you do not hurry up we will go in an get them out. In 1940 and 1944, the Soviets could have walked right into Finland taking the lot. They never. Today Finland will not upset the Russians, as they saw what they did in Crimea about 5 years ago.
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@timoterava7108 The Germans left peacefully? My oh my! Scorched earth policy. They killed Finnish soldiers.
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@popsey72 Molotov was concerned about German troops in Finland. He mentioned that. Their justification was to secure timber and nickel supplies. Molotov sent a written request to remove the troops, which Hitler ignored. This was at the time the RAF was bombing Berlin when Ribbentrop and Molotov were in a bunker. Ribbentrop said to Molotov that the British were defeated. Molotov said "what is that above us?"
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After WW2 the Finnish gave territory to the USSR, the Soviets even had a base on the Finnish coast, Porkkala, west of Helsinki which they abandoned in 1956. That does not sound like they wanted to take over all of Finland. Post WW2 the Soviets kept all of the other three Baltic states making them Soviet republics, not just have bases on their Baltic coasts. The Soviets sent troops into Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. They ensured the eastern countries on their borders, as is Finland, were in the Soviet block not being any threat to their security. I doubt if this battle, in which the Soviets gained much of what they demanded in 1939, frightened the Soviets. If they thought Finland was a threat, in 1945 with the Red Army now idle consisting of millions of men, they would have just walked in post WW2 incorporating all of Finland back into Russia. It is that simple. The Soviets failed in not taking all of Finland in 1940, which allowed an unnecessary front to be formed with German troops being invited into Finland, consuming vital resources. The Soviets never trusted the Finns pre-WW2, that is why they wanted the borders away from Leningrad. That mistrust was well founded by Finnish actions in 1941. The Soviets never made that mistake again post WW2, when sending troops into Hungary and Czechoslovakia when seeing a territory that could become a threat to their security. Post WW2, if Finland were looking like they were to join NATO, Soviet troops would have walked in incorporating Finland as a Soviet republic, or back into the Russian republic. The Finns made sure they never learning from previous mistakes. The Finns were just plain lucky after WW2 that they were not a part of the USSR. .
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@WandererRTF Finland was a part of Russia for God's sake. Boy do they tell themselves lies and believe them.
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@WandererRTF Once again... Finland was a part of Russia. Those people next door you have a massive border with.
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 @sampohonkala4195 If they wanted to occupy Finland they would have done it in 1940 when the Soviets beat them.
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@scorpionWhite I wonder what that attack with German mountain troops and Finnish soldiers was?
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He doesn't sound like a Manc. TIK pronounces his "T"s now. Well not all the time. :)
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@alexanderforsman2166 Crete was nonstrategic (many German generals objected to using resources to take the island). Once on Crete the British could go nowhere, so best to leave them there.
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@WandererRTF Also German industry was severely depleted by allied bombing in 1944. The British had bought up nickel output from Turkey, to keep it from Germany. A part of surrounding Europe with the RN strangling the Axis economically. It worked. The British way of waging war that worked for centuries. Yes, you are right about the rail tracks not going right down south.
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@arttumoisio4672 You are in fantasy land.
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@arttumoisio4672 Finland was one of the four Baltic states. They are on top of each other. Finland was accepted into the Nordic Council, then was regarded as not being one of them. Now you know.
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@arttumoisio4672 Bye bye!
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@popsey72 The Soviets realised they made a mistake by not occupying all of Finland in 1940. They also realised the Germans were at the start of a double cross by not removing their troops. They had a peace pact, yet Germany was putting troops in an adjacent country for no apparent reason - a country which in 1939 was clearly determined by the two was in the Soviet sphere. This was the point the Soviets realised not to trust Hitler and that they should never leave a job half done.
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@popsey72 The German army was not on the go in late 1940/early 1941. Only just getting into Africa on a small scale in early 1941.
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@timoterava7108 1,000 Finish casualties removing the Germans.
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@timoterava7108 You are one confused chap.
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@popsey72 Germany was unconditional surrender. They ruled themselves after. The USSRs biggest mistake was not taking all of Finland in 1940. Then German convoys from the Swedish iron ore mines would not have operated crippling German industry and its war machine, with Finland not used to attack the USSR from the flank.
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@popsey72 Finland launched an unprovoked attack on the USSR. FACT.
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@popsey72 Could say the Russians had right to take back their land.
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@WandererRTF My logic is sound. The Finns did not prevent the Soviets reincorporating Finland back into Russia by some action in 1944. All points to that the Soviets did not want Finland at any time, only a territory exchange, otherwise Finland would have been in the USSR. After allowing German troops onto their soil in 1940 then attacking the USSR, in Soviet eyes the Finns were not to be trusted. How Finland was never reincorporated into the USSR after their actions with the Germans is an oddity. To get that front benign, then concentrate Soviet forces west directly towards Germany, the Soviets in 1944 did agree in a peace deal with the Finns for them to retain sovereignty over the territory. The Soviets kept to that deal. In 1945 they could have said screw you we do not trust you with recently history on our side in that, walking into the whole country. The Soviets did have a plan to reoccupy Finland quickly if they thought Finland was any sort of threat, or a staging land for others to use. Only Finlandization, now an official term to describe where a smaller country is allowed nominal independence if it follows the foreign policy of an adjacent larger country, kept Finland appearing to be in the west. In the 1950s/60s Finland was full of Soviet made cars. If they did not tow the line post WW2 adhering to Finlandization they would be a full Soviet republic. Finland was one of the four Baltic states. It was accepted into the Nordic Council, so has projected to the world (successfully) that it is a part of Scandinavia, with the Baltic states becoming three. It is not in Scandinavia. It was a part of Russia only 100 years ago, with its people, culture and its very non-western language emanating from the east. There are still people alive today who were born in Finland when it was part of Russia. Geography dictates that Finland is no more a part of the west than what Belarus is. .
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@WandererRTF I prefer facts and analysis, not skewed opinionations. Finland was a part of Russia, fact. The Finnish language came from the east, as did the people, with the language having nothing in common with Scandinavian, northern Germanic or English languages. Geographically it is in the east. Get over it.
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@WandererRTF I have great understanding that Finland was under the ultimate control of Russia. So do other sane mortals.
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@popsey72 Finland was a part of Russia.
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@popsey72 "The Russian Tsar Alexander I conquer Finland " Looks strong enough to me.
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@sampohonkala4195 Finland was a part of Russia. Fact. What status Russia gave to Finland is irrelevant.
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@popsey72 In 1940 and 1944 the Finns were defeated.
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