This book describes the odd coalition between Germany and Finland
in Second World War, and their joint military operations from 1941 to 1945. This
is a topic often missing in English, though in stark contrast to the numerous
books on the shorter and less bloody Winter War. That conflict represented a
gallant fight of a democratic “David” against a totalitarian “Goliath” that
caught the imagination of the world.
The story of Finland fighting alongside a
“Goliath” of its own has not brought pride to that nation and was a period many
Finns would rather forget.
The prologue of this book brings the reader up to speed by briefly
examining the difficult history of Finland, from its separation from the Soviet Union in 1917 to its isolation after being
bludgeoned in 1939–1940. It then examines both Finnish and German motives for
forming a coalition against the USSR, and how - as logical as a
common enemy would seem—the lack of true planning and preparation would doom the
alliance.
This book posits that it was mind-boggling how the highly professional
German General Staff allowed itself to accept the militarily unsound and shaky
coalition that resulted. The war aims were not discussed or harmonised, there
were no campaign plans with tasks and missions spelled out past the initial
assault, no effective main effort established, inadequate force levels, and an
unsound command structure with various headquarters. Practically every rule in
the book was broken.
In this book, Henrik Lunde, the renowned author of Hitler’s Pre-emptive
War: The Battle for Norway, 1940, once again fills a
profound gap in our understanding of Second World War.
