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Finnish Narratives of the in World II 123

Finnish Narratives of the Horse in World War II

Riitta-Marja Leinonen

Introduction

There were millions of involved in World War II, most of them in supply and service or in the field . The time of was passing and only and the had large forces.1 had only one cavalry brigade in World War II and it was incorporated into the infantry in situations.2 Nevertheless, the role of the horse was crucial for Finland, especially in the Winter War3 when most army transportation was conducted using horses. Horses were ideal for transportation use in the roadless terrain of the boreal forests in the borderlands of Finland and the Soviet Union. The World War II means three to : the ( to ), the ( to ) and the War (September 1944 to April 1945). The underlying cause of the Winter War was Soviet concern about Nazi Germanyʼs expansionism. The secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939 gave the Soviet Union influence over Finland, the , and parts of Eastern . The Winter War started when Soviet troops invaded Finland, and it ended 105 days later in the Moscow treaty where Finland lost 11% of its surface area and its second largest , Viipuri. The lasted for fifteen months. During that time Finland was trying to find an ally and finally made an agreement with Germany hoping to get the lost land areas . The Continuation War started as Germany invaded the Soviet Union from Finland and lasted for more than three years. It ended

1 Louis A. DiMarco, War Horse: A History of the Military Horse and Rider (Yardley: Westholme Publishing, 2008), 334, 343. 2 Elina Lyijynen, Tuomas Nokelainen, Anniina Meuronen, Jukka Luoto and Elina Vuori, “Suomalainen ratsuväki toisessa maailmansodassa vuosina 1939–1944.” Cavalry Museum, Lappeenranta. http://www3.lappeenranta.fi/museot/verkkonayttelyt/heihoplaa/sivut/ Historiaa-osa3.html (accessed August 17, 2010). 3 To learn more, see “The Winter War,” in Finland: A Country Study, eds. Eric Solsten and Sandra W. Meditz (Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1988), available at http://countrystudies.us/finland/19.htm. 124 Riitta-Marja Leinonen in peace treaty where Finland ceded even more land to the Soviet Union and agreed to expel all German troops from its territory. Although Finland had been defeated, it had managed to avoid occupation by the Soviets.4 The broke out between Finland and Germany before the peace treaty between Finland and the Soviet Union was signed. Finnish troops drove the German army out of Lapland but the German troops destroyed more than one-third of the dwellings in Northern Finland.5 The used mostly ,6 the modest and hardy native draft horses, which were acquired from the civilian population. Narratives of these horses have been told by the witnesses of the war to their children and grandchildren.7 My research material derives mostly from a collection of narratives called Hevoset sodassa 1939–1944 (Horses at War 1939–1944) from the Folklore Archives of the Society,8 and I have also used a collection of war horse narratives gathered and edited by the writer Ulla-Maija Aaltonen in her book Kiitos Suomen hevoselle (Thanks to the Finnish Horse).9 The personal narratives and of the Folklore Archives were collected in 1975 by organizing a campaign,10 which was announced in Finnish newspapers and on the radio.11 People were asked to write about their experiences of horses during the World War II: signing horses over to the army, tasks done with horses, taking care of horses, the injuries and deaths of horses, getting saved by a horse, the behavior of horses, and horses returning from the war. The archive received narratives from thirty-seven women and 129 men and the interviews of six men.

4 “The Continuation War,” in Finland: A Country Study, eds. Solsten and Meditz, available at http://countrystudies.us/finland/20.htm. 5 “The Lapland War,” in Finland: A Country Study, eds. Solsten and Meditz available at http://countrystudies.us/finland/21.htm. 6 To learn more about the history and modern use of see http://www. suomenhevonen.info/hippos/sh2007/pdf/SHjulkaisu_englanti_nettiin.pdf 7 Matti Waris, “Suomenhevonen sotahevosena,” in Suomenhevonen Suomen puolesta 1939–1945, ed. Ilmari Ojala (Hämeenlinna: Karisto Oy, 1997), 35. 8 The Finnish Literature Society is a research institute and cultural organization and a publishing house founded in 1831 to study and promote and folk culture. The Folklore Archives collect , personal narratives and memories. To learn more about the Finnish Literature Society see http://www.finlit.fi/english/society/index. htm. 9 Ulla-Maija Aaltonen, Kiitos Suomen hevoselle (: Art House, 1991). 10 Collection campaigns organized by the Finnish Literature Society are an old and established way for gathering traditional knowledge, oral tradition, personal narratives and memories from lay people. 11 Veikko Rislakki, “Alkusanat,” in Hevosten sotasavotta. Miesten ja naisten kertomaa suomalaisen hevosen osuudesta sodissamme 1939–1944, ed. Veikko Rislakki (: Suomen Hippos, 1977), 8.