Italian volunteers in Winter war

[Beau]

The author of the previous article, Master of Philosophy Pirkko Kanervo is finalizing her Licentiate dissertation on the subject at the Department of General History of the University of Turku.

In the photograph of the Finnish link, she is lecturing at a seminar of the Historical Association on 28 Oct 2003.

Dear Hanski,

I can't tell you how helpful is your translation for my study.
This article of Pirkko Kanervo it's realy foundamental, full of info for me.
Thanks Hanski
Beau

[Hanski]

Dear Beau

I am pleased to hear that! I must say the process of translating was most rewarding for myself as well, and I learned a lot during it.

As far as I can judge it, Pirkko Kanervo's text represents the highest academic standard in history research, and depending on your degree of interest, it might even be worthwhile to try to contact her, if you wish to track the Italian sources she has used and will use in her next publication.

Best regards,
Hanski

[jasteri]

Wow, nice work hanski! Uskomatonta.

greets,
Jasteri

[Topspeed]

Here comes my translation – the responsibility for any translation errors is mine.



Mussolini wrote about the Fascist Italy being, despite the sanctions of the League of Nations, favourable towards Finland, “this small gallant nation”. He referred to the IKL (the extreme rightist political party of the time; translator’s remark) as he continued that “the best part of the Finnish people” had nevertheless not accepted the sanctions. Although there had been a lot of talk on the aid to Finland given by Italy, it only consisted of 25 fighters ordered before the war, nothing else. Thousands of Italian volunteers had reported at the Finnish Embassy and Consular Offices, but the Finns had rejected the offers until the date, wrote Il Duce.
.

The IKL is traslated as Patriotic People's Movement. It was very anti-soviet, but I'd call it leftist. IKL:s leader was Vihtori Kosola and there was a saying: " They have got Mussolini and Hitler and we have Kosola."
They acted like mobsters in Chigago in the 1920's. Took politicians for a ride by force and tried to scare the living daylite out of them.

I think mixing finnish God fearing Christian- and Kokoomus-parties with them is a mistake. Calling them fascists is pretty close to the truth ( this would mean close to socialists like SDP-party ).

IKL and National Guard ( Suojeluskunta ) were banned after the war by allied ( soviets ).

Thanks Hanski and sorry about this remark, but since you are older and lived under soviet terror ( influence ) longer than I have, I feel obliged to straighten the facts.

best regards,

Juke T

[Hanski]

Topspeed,

Thank you for presenting the opportunity to clarify this detail.

Indeed the Isänmaallinen Kansanliike, IKL, or Patriotic People's Movement was very anti-Soviet, but it is hard to call it leftist, as its main enemies really were precisely the Finnish Communists, and the IKL was quite frank in public about the Soviet Union presenting the most serious external threat to Finland. The whole movement actually originated in the province of Ostrobothnia as a reaction to the Communist provocations of the late 1920's-1930's, and many of its leaders were also deeply religious, some of them clergymen. In the Finnish Parliament they were seated to the far right as seen from the Speaker's chair, so in that spectrum and also ideologically they were as far right as you can ever get.

IKL:s leader was Vihtori Kosola and there was a saying: " They have got Mussolini and Hitler and we have Kosola."
They acted like mobsters in Chigago in the 1920's. Took politicians for a ride by force and tried to scare the living daylite out of them.

The IKL was organised hierarchically along the principles of Fascist organizations, and they wore a uniform consisting of a black shirt and a blue tie, their heraldic logo was a warrior with club riding a bear. They run their organization in military style. And indeed, they admired the Italian Fascists as well as the Nazis, and like Mussolini himself wrote in his letter, they even tried to defend Mussolinis's actions politically.

Like you mention, the worst hotheads of the IKL resorted to "direct action" against communists, mugging them and in some cases, "giving them a ride to their ideal state". Automobiles were a rare luxury in the 1930's Finland that few people could afford in the countryside, but some IKL members were wealthy enough to own one and in gangs they would force a prominent communist inside the car, resorting to violence if needed, then drove him to the Eastern Border and sometimes even made sure the victim walked across it. Their utmost provocation was giving a ride to Finland's first President K.J. Ståhlberg (not forcing him to cross the border though), which finally led to legal consequences against the IKL.

I think mixing finnish God fearing Christian- and Kokoomus-parties with them is a mistake. Calling them fascists is pretty close to the truth ( this would mean close to socialists like SDP-party ).

Who is mixing them then? The IKL members were religious enough according to the Ostrobothnian tradition, but if they need a label along the left-right dimension they really were nothing but the extreme right.

You are correct in that there was a clear distinction between the IKL and Kansallinen Kokoomus, the National Coalition Party (sometimes called the Conservative Party), which remains active to the present day (and I never claimed otherwise!). I think the present-day Coalition Party is shy to call itself a right-wing party, but that's how they are seated in the Parliament.

I disagree about the Social Democrats of either the 1930's or the present day being willingly associated with the IKL in any way.

IKL and National Guard ( Suojeluskunta ) were banned after the war by allied ( soviets ).

Like you said, the Soviet Union demanded the abolition of both the IKL and the Suojeluskunta (which I translated as Civil Guard in the article) as Fascist organizations after the WWII.

However, in this post-war context the Soviets mixed pears and apples on purpose: the IKL clearly was a political movement that could be called Fascist, while the Suojeluskunta (in the second official language Swedish: Skyddskår; hence the Russian term of a Suojeluskunta member "Sydskorist") was an apolitical voluntary organization for national defence, which was organized as a part of the Finnish Defence Forces and would accept all volunteers willing to promote national defence regardless of their political views. Suojeluskunta had an important role in the mobilization of reserves and territorial readiness, and its "sister organization" Lotta-Svärd was a womens's organization for national defence.

It served Soviet aims to abolish the voluntary organizations for national defence, which were one of the explanations of the unexpected military efficiency of the Finnish Army in the Winter War and the Continuation War, hence the Fascist label for a pretext to get rid of them, like it actually happened. The property of these organizations was then handed over to Finnish Communists to promote Finland's socialist revolution, like the Civil Guard buildings became "Workers' houses" etc.

[Topspeed]

Okay Hanski,

IKL was a party that did not enjoy the company of communists and therefore sat opposite of them in the senate. The fact that IKL people had a car doesn't make them rightists.
Then there was also the banned AKS Akateeminen Karjala Seura ( Academic Carelia Society ). This was also banned. They were war mongers or what ? This was not a political party, but a society with nationalistic goals. Wasn't it also sacked as fascist ?

regards,

Juke T

[Hanski]

C'mon now, Juke, you can use the Google yourself, just like anyone else!

Now it's your turn to translate, and I will call the mistakes:

http://www.verkkouutiset.fi/arkisto/Ark ... uu/AKS.HTM

(Not really, since it will take us off topic from Italy and the Winter War).

[Topspeed]

Syksyllä 1944 Akateeminen Karjala-Seura ja sen naisjärjestö Akateemisten Naisten Karjala-Seura (ANKS) lakkautettiin valvontakomitean vaatimuksesta välirauhansopimuksen perusteella. Yhdistys siis leimattiin neuvostovastaiseksi ja fasistiseksi.

In the Fall of 1944 AKS and its femalesociety ANKS were banned due to the pressure from allied supervisory committee accordingly to the peace agreement. Society was labelled anti-soviet and fascist.

---------------------------------------------------------------

There was more to it, but this answered my question.

Thanks for the link Hanski.

JT

[Hanski]

Here is a link to one of our previous discussions with relevance to our present topic: viewtopic.php?t=9472&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

On top of that page is the story of the mentioned Hungarian Ensign Bekassy who disappeared with one of the Fiats, and below there is more on Diego Manzocchi. It is also worthwhile to browse through all the other pages of that thread.

Hanski

[Hanski]

... and one more reference to Diego Manzocchi, who seems to have had a most beautiful handwriting:

viewtopic.php?t=29273

[JTV]

Topspeed,

The property of these organizations was then handed over to Finnish Communists to promote Finland's socialist revolution, like the Civil Guard buildings became "Workers' houses" etc.

Otherwise your text was 100 % correct, but I don't agree with this part. What I have read about Civil Guard, their property didn't go to communists. When disestablished in 1944 local Suojeluskunta's (which had their own house in practically every municipality, town and city) usually donated their property to local municipality/town/city, while property of Suojeluskunta-organisation (the organisation connecting and leading all local Suojeluskunta's) donated its property to Finnish State and Finnish Red Cross. Some of the previous local Suojeluskunta houses might have ended up (after being sold/rented forward by local municipality/town/city) as Workers houses, but that would have more of an exception then a rule.

[FB]

... and one more reference to Diego Manzocchi, who seems to have had a most beautiful handwriting:

viewtopic.php?t=29273

Indeed a beautiful handwriting. Not a very rare thing in those times though, as Calligraphy was tought at school so you had to write with good handwriting. Plus, in those times, at school you used ink & plume, so you really had better to write as best as possible, withhout mistakes, as corrections were not easily done.

Best regards

[Beau]

Thanks a lot to everyone.

I promise to use your info to remember the courage and the glory of finnish people during the winter war.
This part of history isn't well know in Italy and I think that is my duty to remember it in my thesis. I don't know why but ...maybe is...my mission!

I will contact Dr Pirkko Kanervo, it's a good idea, thanks!
I let know you if I will find more interesting info and documents.
Please, send me again info about if you have!

Only one question: where you find the song of Diego Manzocchi?
In a museum?
In a book?

Regards
Beau

[Juha Tompuri]

Only one question: where you find the song of Diego Manzocchi?
In a museum?
In a book?

Between a book.

I got book "Hävittäjälentolaivue 26" (Fighter Squadron 26) written by Carl-Erik Bruun, from a veteran of war (not among us anymore). There were several copies (of newspaper articles, a request to Italian Embassy to join a memorial ceremony at the grave of Diego Manzocchi spring 1990, etc and the lyrics of that song. I later found there a typed version of the lyrics, with "Diego Manchocci 1940" typed at the end of the paper. As you noticed, the last name was written wrong.) between the book.
Next autumn I meet some veterans of war (mechanicans of the squadron Diego served) and then I can ask more about the song and the pilot.

Regards, Juha

[Juha Tompuri]

An Italian book about Diego has come out:



http://www.larondine.fi/munzi.htm

Regards, Juha