The Finnish-Soviet relations during the Cold War

[henryk]

I know that the Finnish army was ready to fight against the USSR if needed, I had no doubts about that.

That's not true, on the end of the Cold war Finnish army was side of Soviets and ready fight against Swedes.

This seems odd as Finland has a long history of hostile relations with Russia. Finland was also not considered to be part of the Warsaw Pact. Any sources to back up that claim?

It doesn't seem that way in Helsinki ( A freudian slip. I first spelled it Helsinski). Many main street names honour Russians. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, at the top of a hill, provides an imposing view from downtown. Also the Finnish Army was used in Russian occupied Poland, to assist in quelling the 1861 Polish uprising.

[Baltasar]

I'd still like to have a look at that contract, especially if it contained any form of military assistance to back up your claim that Finland was ready to side with the Warsaw Pact and participate in the invasion of Sweden and possibly Norway.

[Baltasar]

It doesn't seem that way in Helsinki ( A freudian slip. I first spelled it Helsinski). Many main street names honour Russians. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, at the top of a hill, provides an imposing view from downtown. Also the Finnish Army was used in Russian occupied Poland, to assist in quelling the 1861 Polish uprising.

The construction of the cathedral and the assistance in the quelling the Polish uprising were quite some time back while the Winter war and the Continuation war were quite fresh in everybody's memories.

[Mika68*]

I did my military service in 1999 and we still had maneuvers versus Denmark. Maneuvers are just that.

I also meant sources as in writing. I did not find something helpful on google regarding YYA tract.

I was in Finnish army 1988, and I saw that that Finnish army was against West and Sweden.

[Baltasar]

I can't make myself any clearer regarding sources. May be somebody else from the Finnish speaking parts of this forum can help us out?

[Mika68*]

I'm sure, Finland was not neutral state.

[Vaeltaja]

Serving in the South coast of Finland... Often heard comments... Enemy comes from the South or from the East. If it comes from the West or the North it has flanked us...

[Mika68*]

Warsaw Pact warplans for the most part have been kept secret, but I have some premises to think that within the first week of the conflict (enough to mobilize the Leningrad MD "B" type Divisions), the USSR would at least request free passage of some 1-3 Leningrad MD Motor Rifle Divisions through northern Finland in an attack against Norway. At maximum, the USSR might even request full Finnish military cooperation according to the FCMA Treaty.

That it was, even 1988.

[Baltasar]

I'd still prefer hard facts rather than assumptions.

[John Hilly]

I was in Finnish army 1988. In "war game" we Finnish were blues and our enemys were yellows ( as Swedes). We exercised near of Swedish border in Kittilä Finnish Lapland. And pair of Soviet generals checked our military exercices.

Voi, Mika, Mika!
The Finns had two different war scenarios. Those official ones were for SU to see, and the secret ones, where opponent was the Soviet Union.
In military rehershals "Blues" were and are always the defencers and "Yellows" the attacers!
Actually, no sorces are needed in this.

Regards, Juha-Pekka

[Mika68*]

But in real situation? I'm sure that Finland was under SU.
Ok, maybe we Finnish didn't want occupy our brothers.
But still we had been side of SU.

[Vaeltaja]

For us the 'yellow' soldiers were usually described as carrying red stars in their uniforms... not very subtle way of saying who the 'yellow's were in the training exercises.

[Mika68*]

On cold war, "yellows" were surely swedes and west.

Why not reds, greens or blacks but just yellows (as regarding our west neighbourland)?

[Baltasar]

What you are telling us is that your military exercises had made-up scenarios where the enemy would be behind the next available border. In Mikas case Sweden in Vaeltajas case Soviet Russia.

Mika, I'm still waiting for some source about the supposedly Finnish-Russian cooperation in case of a war with the western countries.

[John Hilly]

Mika, I'm still waiting for some source about the supposedly Finnish-Russian cooperation in case of a war with the western countries.

No hope, because there weren't any!

Greets
Juha-Pekka