Finland and World War II Photos



FinlandLooking over World War II history and our ancestors, many people would think of Germany, Italy, Japan, USA, England and France. However, being a ‘world war’ there were many other nations involved. One such was the nation of Finland, a Scandinavian country near Sweden and Norway. For this country of Finland they actual divided that war period into three war: The Winter War, The Continuation War and the Lapland War, all between 1939 and 1945. It also involved when soldiers from Finland fought along and against the Germany Army.

To better illustrate what went on during those years, the Finnish Defense Forces has gather some 160,000 images of life in Finland during those years and placed them online; Wartime Photograph Archive. They cover from “the front line to the home front.”

On the opening page you will view thumbnail images with captions about the dates and the event shown. At the bottom you can continue onto the next page of images. When you click on an individual thumbnail image it becomes enlarged on the right side. You can further increase or zoom in on the image plus save the image to your computer (do a right-click).

Instructions are provided on how to conduct a keyword search and to narrow the time period for an event. Note most computers can translate using the boxes at the top to translate the written material from the Finnish language to England or any other language you need.

These images can offer a new prospective into this region of Europe during World War II.

Photo: Finnish Soldiers deep in snow at Etulinjalla in Jan. 1940.

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