Scandinavia and the World
Scandinavia and the World

Comments #9865703:


Too real 17 12, 8:17pm

@AmericanButterfly You should brush up on your WW2 knowledge. Finland was neutral in the beginning, just like Poland. In the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Germany and the USSR divided Poland between themselves and Germany told the USSR that Finland is all yours. The UK promised Finland aid and urged Finns to keep fighting, but that aid never materialised in any significant manner. The reason is simple: the UK only saw helping Finland as an excuse to occupy the iron mines in Sweden, to prevent Sweden from selling ore to Germany. However, Sweden, under pressure from Germany, couldn't allow that to happen. So, the UK did nothing but give empty promises, just like it did with Poland.

When Germany began preparations for Operation Barbarossa, suddenly Finland became interesting for them. Just a couple of years earlier the Germans had considered Finns subhumans who could be thrown into the Soviet maw. Such a jolly ally.

So, yeah, you are right: the UK and Finland weren't on the same side because nobody was on Finland's side. There's a lesson to be learned here: Never trust in foreign aid. Your USA is the beacon of this belief, which is why your presidents encourage other nations to invest in their own defense.