Gordon F. SanderThe Hundred Day Winter War: Finland's Gallant Stand against the Soviet Army (Modern War Studies)

TOO MANY MISTAKES- THE CAPTAIN OF THE GRAF SPREE WAS UNLIKELY TO WRAP HIMSELF IN THE SWEDISH FLAG TO SHOOT HISELF, WHAT IS A 1MM BRITISH ANTI PANZER RIFLE?, THE ROYAL OAK DID NOT GO DOWN WITH ALL HANDS.WAY TOO MANY LONG CONVOLUTED SENTENCES WITH WORDS I HAVE NEVER SEEN.A LOT OF GOOD STUFF THOUGH, BIT HARD TO READ THAT IS ALL

I had read a few books on the Winter War and was apprehensive at first that this book would just say the same things. I was very happy to find that this was a very thoughtful and informative work interspersed with quotes from survivors of the Winter War on both sides. A very well researched and written work that should be a must have for World War II buffs.

If you are interested (as I was) in the military aspects of this war, this book is definitely not for you. If, on the other hand, you are interested in the political maneuvering of both sides, the activities of the international corps of correspondents, and, to some degree, the impacts on the Finnish population, then this book will suit your needs. The title of this book would lead one to believe that you will find a description of the movements of the Finnish and Soviet armies and of the evolution of the battles. In fact, very little paper is wasted on these aspects and I would recommend that someone in search of this information look elsewhere.

havent had a chance to read it yet, but the book is of excellent quality

Just what I was looking for !

As described, as expected. Excellent book!

I have just finished Gordon Sander's book on the 1939 war between Finland and Russian know as the Hundred Day War or the Winter War (Talvisota). Although I have two to three books on this subject in my library this is the first title I have actually read on this conflict. Therefore I cannot compare it to the many books currently available however I can say that it does provide a nice and easy to read overview or general history of this war.The author takes us from the sudden commencement of this unprovoked conflict to the signing of the peace treaty over 100 days later. The story ranges from the diplomatic, political and home fronts to the severe fighting along the Mannerheim line and other points of conflict. There are six maps provided in the book, which allow the reader to follow the fighting, and a number of black & white pictures.The author has used a number of articles and reports taken from foreign reporters and war correspondents along with numerous first-hand accounts from participants, civilian and military. These accounts blend in well with the story and provide a good idea of what the Finnish people and the Western world thought of this conflict.Many believed that the result was a forgone conclusion, small isolated Finland against the Russian steamroller with unlimited resources and manpower. How could Finland ever win this fight? As the author states; Mannerheim's strategy was: " ...not based on the absurd hope of outright victory, but, as veteran correspondent John Langdon-Davies put it, on 'the most honourable annihilation, with the faint hope that the conscience of mankind would find an alternative solution as a reward for bravery and singleness of purpose'."Gustaf Mannerheim declared that the Finnish forces were fighting "a Thermopylae every day", and reading of the Russian assaults against the smaller Finnish forces you would almost have to agree. The book is not a detailed military history of this war but it does provide enough information on the many battles, famous ones like the battles of Suomussalmi and Raate Road and the lesser-known ones like the "Sausage War".The many reports from the war correspondents provide a "real time" element to the story and cover a range of incidents during the war. The famous American female war reporter and later author, Virginia Cowles, filed this story for her readers covering aspects of the Russian bombing campaign:"It is difficult to describe indiscriminate aerial warfare against a civilian population in a country with a temperature thirty degrees Fahrenheit below zero. But if you can visualize farm girls stumbling through snow for the uncertain safety of their cellars; bombs falling on frozen villages unprotected by a single anti-aircraft gun; men standing helplessly in front of blazing buildings with no apparatus to fight the fires, and others desperately trying to salvage their belongings from burning wreckage - if you can visualize these things and picture even the children in remote hamlets wearing white covers over their coats as camouflage against low-flying Russian machine gunners - you can get some idea of what this war was like."Overall this is a great story and one that I think would be suitable for a first read on the Winter War.

Before I read this valuable book, I thought of the Russo-Finnish War in relatively simple terms: the brave Finns stopped a clumsy and ill-planned invasion and were eventually overwhelmed by masses of Russian soldiers. Well, yes and no. Sander covers the entire spectrum of events surrounding this war, from the international level to the foxhole level and everything in-between. The individual accounts come from newspaper reports, excerpts from letters home, and interviews with participants both at the time and more recently by the author. The mixture of official history, oral history, and journalistic history is very effective and engaging.The book keeps your interest by rapidly switching between different topics and battlefronts. This is accomplished by effective use of star-fleurons to present information in manageable bites. The brutal combat reports, the descriptions of swift and crucial changes in Russian tactics, the machinations of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and France, the portraits of Finnish and Russian generals and their thinking --- it's all here.Photographs, bibliography, index, copious notes. The book could use more maps. I learned some new and interesting words. Fortunately, I have a dictionary. Enjoy.