Finland's Wartime Alliance with Nazi Germany: From Winter War to Lapland War

Key facts

• Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917 and became a democracy.
• The Winter War began on November 26, 1939, after the shelling of Mainila, which the Soviets blamed on Finland but had actually staged themselves.
• The Winter War lasted three and a half months and ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty on March 13, 1940, with Finland ceding almost 10% of its territory.
• Finland allied with Nazi Germany after failing to secure support elsewhere, and Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.
• Finland's Continuation War (1941–1944) retook ceded territory and pushed into Soviet land before Finland adopted a defensive posture by December 1941.
• After the Battle of Stalingrad in February 1943, the Soviets regained momentum and invaded Finland again by June 1944.
• The Moscow Armistice in September 1944 ended Finland's fight against the Soviets and turned it against Germany, leading to the Lapland War (September–November 1944).
• German forces withdrew completely from Finland by 1945, leaving behind a scorched-earth trail of mines and destruction.