Latest revision as of 22:13, 29 July 2023

The Winter War (1989)

The Winter War (Talvisota) is a Finnish movie from 1989. The film begins with the mobilization of the Finnish Army in October 1939 and ends on 13th of March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty. We follow a few soldiers from their mobilization through the trench warfare and massive Soviet artillery barrages until their surrender. It's the most costly Finnish film to date and its historically very accurate considering they interviewed Finnish veterans prior to the filming.

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The following weapons were used in the film The Winter War:

Handguns

Mauser C96

This weapon is never seen used on film, but the holster of the Mauser C96 (which distinct appearance is a tell-tale sign of it being a Mauser C96) can be seen on the belt of a Finnish officer in few scenes.

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 '''The Winter War (Talvisota)''' is a Finnish movie from 1989. The film begins with the mobilization of the Finnish Army in October 1939 and ends on 13th of March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty. We follow a few soldiers from their mobilization through the trench warfare and massive Soviet artillery barrages until their surrender. It's the most costly Finnish film to date and its historically very accurate considering they interviewed Finnish veterans prior to the filming.
+{{spoilers}}
+{{Film Title|The Winter War}}
 __TOC__<br clear=all>
+=Handguns=
+==Mauser C96==
-'''The following guns were used in the movie The Winter War:'''
+This weapon is never seen used on film, but the holster of the [[Mauser C96]] (which distinct appearance is a tell-tale sign of it being a Mauser C96) can be seen on the belt of a Finnish officer in few scenes.
-==Handguns==
-===Mauser C96===
-The holster of a [[Mauser C96]] can be seen on the belt of a Finnish officer in few scenes.
 [[Image:C96STOCK.jpg|thumb|none|400px|C96 "Broomhandle" Mauser fitted with holster/stock combo - 7.63x25mm.]]
 [[Image:WinterWarmauser96B.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish Company officer on an inspection of the trenches with his Mauser holster.]]
-===Luger P08===
+==Luger P08==
 The [[Luger P08]] makes an apperance at the end of the movie in the hands of a Finnish officer.
 [[Image:P08Luger1917.jpg|thumb|none|400px|Luger P08 - 9x19mm (1917).]]
 [[Image:Winterwarlugerp08.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish officer summarily executes a wounded Russian soldier.]]
-===Tokarev TT-33 Pistol===
+==Tokarev TT-33 Pistol==
 nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) carries a Russian [[Tokarev TT-33 Pistol]]
 [[Image:TT-33.jpg|400px|thumb|none|400px|Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev.]]
-[[Image:WinterWarPistol.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|2nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) on the right is seen thawing his pistol near the stove so it can function properly. During the Winter War (Dec 1939 - March 1940) the cold was a major concern. The temperatures often dropped to -40 degrees C. (-40ºF).]]
+[[Image:WinterWarPistol.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|2nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) on the right is seen thawing his  Tokarev on the stove so it can function properly. During the Winter War (Dec 1939 - March 1940) the cold was a major concern. The temperatures often dropped to -40 degrees C. (-40ºF).]]
-[[Image:WinterWarPistol3.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|A rear-view of the pistol. Note the hammer and very large rear sight.]]
+[[Image:WinterWarPistol3.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|Another view of 2nd LT "Jussi Kantola" (Vesa Vierikko) with his TT-33. Note the hammer and very large rear sight.]]
-[[Image:WinterwarT33.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) is seen firing his TT-33 at the Russians during closequarter fighting.]]
+[[Image:WinterwarT33.jpg|600px|thumb|none|600px|Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) is seen firing his TT-33 at the Russians during close quarter fighting.]]
-==Rifles==
+=Rifles=
-===Mosin Nagant M1891/30===
+==Mosin Nagant M1891/30==
+The [[Mosin Nagant]] M1891/30 is the main rifle used by Red Army soldiers throughout the film. The rifle is also seen in the hands of some Finnish soldiers. Historically the Finnish Army during the war had a severe lack of equipment and weapons and they used Russian weapons whenever practible.
 [[Image:M9130.jpg|thumb|none|550px|Full-length, Soviet Mosin Nagant M91/30 - 7.62x54R]]
-The [[Mosin Nagant]] M1891/30 is the main rifle used by Red Army soldiers throughout the film. The rifle is also seen in the hands of some Finnish soldiers. Historically the Finnish Army during the war had a severe lack of equipment and weapons and they used Russian weapons whenever practible. Movie-wise it is also possible that there was a lack of the Finnish produced M/39 rifles so the producers had to use Russian rifles instead.
+[[Image:Talvisotam9130.JPG|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish soldier advising his comrades to use enemy bolts. Note the translation calls it "Breeches". In addition, the M91/30 he is holding seems to be a Finnish two piece "pot belly" stock variant. ]]
+==Finnish M/28-30 Civil Guard Mosin-Nagant Rifle==
+The main character, Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä), his brother Paavo (Konsta Mäkelä), and a few other characters are members of Suojeluskunta ("Civil Guard", also known as "White Guard") and can be seen using the M/28-30, a variant of the Mosin-Nagant designed for the members of the organization. The "White Guard" was a voluntary militia that had its roots in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, and later acted as a training organisation for Finnish reservists who wished to improve their military skills. In the beginning of the movie, the Hakala brothers are seen leaving their home as the Finnish army mobilizes, and they bring with them their own M/28-30 Mosin-Nagant rifles. The M/28-30 was an improved version of the earlier M/28 Mosin-Nagant variant designed by the White Guards, which can be distinguished from other Mosin-Nagant rifles by their distinctive foresight guards and shorter stocks, among other things. It is similar to the M/27 Infantry Rifle adopted earlier by the Finnish Army, the main differences being the barrel band design, which is a single piece compared to the M/27's hinged band, and an improved trigger design. In turn, major improvements of the M/28-30 over the earlier M/28 were the straight Mansner rear sight and screw-adjustable front sight.
+[[File:MosinNagantM28-30Rifle.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Mosin-Nagant M/28-30 - 7.62x54mmR]]
+[[Image:Talvisotam2830.JPG|thumb|none|600px|One of the rifles being picked up in the beginning of the film.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam28301.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Another image of the two rifles seen in the beginning.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam28302.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Close up of the bolt.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam28305.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Image of the front sight.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam28303.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Close up of the front sight.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam28304.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Close up of the cocking knob/safety of the bolt. Note how the screw head which is part of the firing pin is lined up and flush with the index mark on the knob. This indicates proper bolt assembly and firing pin protusion.]]
+[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant4.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A sideview of the M/28-30 rifle.]]
+[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant2.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) fires his M/28-30 at the advancing Russians.]]
+[[Image:Talvisotaclip.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Martti reloads his M/28-30. Note how it appears to be dummy rounds.]]
+[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The Hakala brothers: Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) and Paavo Hakala (Konsta Mäkelä) with their M/28-30 rifles during a lull in the fighting. Note the blocky rear sight base and straight rear sight leaf of the m/28-30. ]]
-===Finnish M/28 Civil Guard Mosin-Nagant Rifle===
+==Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 Rifle==
-The main character of the movie, Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä), his brother Paavo (Konsta Mäkelä), and a few other characters are members of Suojeluskunta ("Civil Guard", also known as "White Guard"),  a voluntary militia and training organisation for reservists. In the beginning of the movie, the Hakala brothers are seen leaving their home as the Finnish army mobilizes, and they bring with them their own M/28 rifles. The M/28 was a Mosin-Nagant variant designed by the White Guards, and can be distinguished from other Mosin-Nagant rifles by their distinctive foresight guards, shorter stocks and sling slots embedded into the stock, among other things. It is similar to the M/27 Infantry Rifle adopted earlier by the Finnish Army, the main differences being the barrel band design, which is a single piece compared to the M/27's hinged band, and an improved trigger design.
+Several Finnish soldiers can be seen using earlier Model 1891 rifles. The rifles are either Russian M91s, Finnish M91s, Finnish M24s, or Finnish P26s.
-[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant2.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) fires his M/28 at the advancing Russians.]]
+[[Image:1891-Mosin-Nagant.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Full-length, Mosin Nagant M1891 - 7.62x54mm R ]]
-[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The Hakala brothers: Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) and Paavo Hakala (Konsta Mäkelä) with their M/28 rifles during a lull in the fighting. ]]
+[[Image:Talvisotam91.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Private Pentti Saari ([[Timo Torikka]]) with his Model 1891. Note the three "Molotov Cocktails" underneath the rifle.]]
-[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant4.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A sideview of the M/28 rifle.]]
+[[Image:Talvisotam911.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Private Vilho Erkkilä staying low with his Model 1891.]]
+[[Image:Tavlisotam912.JPG|thumb|none|600px|Private Pentti Saari (Timo Torikka) firing his Model 1891.]]
-===Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle===
+==Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle==
+The [[Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle]] is seen in the hands of both Russian and Finnish soldiers as a stand-in for the historically correct [[SVT-38]]. The SVT-40 did not enter into Red Army service until July 1940, several months after the end of the conflict. During the war the Finns did use captured weapons such as the SVT-38 due to a lack of equipment and weapons. However, since SVT-38 is a much rarer weapon, it's understandable that the SVT-40 was used in production as a "stand-in" for the 38.
 [[Image:SVT-40.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle - Soviet World War 2 Semi Automatic Rifle chambered for 7.62x54R ]]
-The [[Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle]] is seen in the hands of both Russian and Finnish soldiers, the latter usage was historically correct due to a lack of equipment and weapons on the Finnish side. In reality, the Red Army used the older version, SVT-38, in Winter War, and SVT-40 did not enter service until July 1940, several months after the end of the conflict. However, since SVT-38 is a much rarer weapon, it's understandable that the SVT-40 is being used as a "stand-in" for it.
+[[Image:WinterWarSVT40.jpg|thumb|none|600px| A Finnish soldier using the SVT-40. For some reason the soldier is seen sliding the bolt back manually after each shot, even though the weapon is a semi-automatic. It might have something to do with the weapon not being adapted for blank fire use or poor performance of the rifle automatics in the cold.]]
-[[Image:WinterWarSVT40.jpg|thumb|none|600px| A Finnish soldier using the SVT-40. For some reason the soldier is seen sliding the bolt back manually after each shot, eventhough the weapon is a semi-automatic. It might have something to do with the weapon firing blanks.]]
+[[Image:Winterwarsvt40 cr.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Private Vilho Erkkilä ([[Heikki Paavilainen]]) with his captured SVT-40 slung on his shoulder.]]
-==Submachinegun==
+=Submachinegun=
-===Suomi KP/-31===
+==Suomi KP/-31==
 The standard SMG of the Finnish Army was the [[Suomi KP/-31]] and it is frequently seen during the movie.
 [[Image:SuomiM31.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Suomi M/31 - 9x19mm Parabellum]]
 [[Image:WinterWarSMG2.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Corporal Erkki Somppi (Antti Raivio) fires his Suomi SMG.]]
+[[File:WinterWarSMGGrenades.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Waiting for a Russian attack with the Suomi at the ready.]]
 [[Image:WinterWarSmg3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Another view of the Suomi SMG.]]
 [[Image:Winterwarsmg6.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Frontal view of the SMG.]]
-==Light machine gun==
+=Light machine gun=
-===Lahti-Saloranta LS/26===
+==Lahti-Saloranta LS/26==
 [[Lahti-Saloranta LS/26]], the standard light machine gun of the Finnish army in that period, is used by the Finnish soldiers.
-[[Image:Lahtim26.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Lahti-Saloranta LS/26 - 7.62mmx54Russian]]
+[[File:Ls26s.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Lahti-Saloranta LS/26 - 7.62mmx54Russian]]
 [[Image:WinterWarLahti.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish soldier firing his "Lahti". Note the magazine on the ground. It seems to be loaded with live rounds, or possible "disabled" rounds with no powder and/or blasting cap but with a genuine projectile attached.]]
-===Degtyaryov Dp-27/28===
+==Degtyaryov DP-27/28==
 The [[Degtyaryov DP Series Machine Gun|DP LMG]] is used by both the Red Army soldiers and the Finnish soldiers.
 [[Image:DP-28.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Degtyarev DP-28 machine gun, 7.62x54mm R]]
+[[File:WinterWarDegtyaryov1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|Taking cover next to a knocked out Maxim, a Finnish soldier fires his DP.]]
 [[Image:WinterWarDPLMG3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A Russian soldier with his DP during an attack on Finnish trenches.]]
 [[Image:WinterWarDp1.jpg|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish soldier seen using the DP during an advance on the Russians.]]
-==Finnish stick hand grenade M/32==
+=Machine gun=
-The Finnish soldiers during the move make good use of the stick hand grenade M/32.
-Finnish stick hand grenade M/32.
+==Maxim M1910==
-[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The Hakala brothers: Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) and Paavo Hakala (Konsta Mäkelä) with their Finnish versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle and Finnish stick-hand grenades. ]]
+The [[Maxim#Maxim M1910|Maxim M1910]] is used by Finnish soldiers against Red Army soldiers in one scene.
+[[Image:S_maxim.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Maxim M1910 machine gun, 7.62x54mm R]]
+[[Image:Talvisota1910.JPG|thumb|none|600px|A Finnish soldier firing a M1910 machine gun.]]
+[[Image:Talvisota19101.JPG|thumb|none|600px|The M1910 machine gun seen at the left of the screen.]]
+=Explosives=
+==m/32 stick hand grenade (practice grenade mockup)==
+Several Harjoituskranaatti m/41 ("practice grenade model 41") are seen standing in for m/32 stick hand grenades. They can be identified as practice grenades from the rims and hole on the metal casings.
+[[Image:WinterWarMosinNagant3.jpg|thumb|none|600px|The Hakala brothers: Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) and Paavo Hakala (Konsta Mäkelä) with a Finnish stick hand grenade in the foreground. ]]
+[[File:WinterWarSMGGrenades.jpg|thumb|none|600px|More stick grenades lie in wait. The holes meant for simulation charges are clearly visible.]]
+==Molotov Cocktail==
+The Finns are also seen using the "Molotov Cocktail" against tanks. Though the Finns didn't invent the improvised incendiary device, having been first seen in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, it ''was'' the Finns who named theirs after Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. While the popular image of a Molotov cocktail uses a burning rag at the mouth of the bottle, Finns improved on the recipe with storm matches taped to the side, and is shown such in the film.
+[[Image:Winterwarmolotov.jpg|thumb|none|500px|]]
+==RGD-33 stick grenade==
+The Russian [[RGD-33]] stick grenade is also featured in the movie briefly.
+[[Image:Rgd-33russianfrag mp.jpg|thumb|none|500px|RGD-33 high-explosive fragmentation stick grenade, shown with the diamond-patterned fragmentation sleeve.]]
+[[Image:Winterwargrenade1.jpg|thumb|none|500px|A Russian soldier uses his RGD-33 to commit suicide after being captured for fear of being tortured & killed by the Finns.]]
+=Other=
+==Anti-tank gun==
+The Finns use Swedish Bofors 37mm anti-tank guns.
+[[Image:Winterwarantitank1.jpg|thumb|none|500px|]]
+[[Image:Winterwarantitank2.jpg|thumb|none|500px|]]
+==Tanks==
+The movie features authentic T-26 tanks, originally captured by the Finnish Army in WW2.
+[[Image:Winterwartank1.jpg|thumb|none|500px| A Russian T-26C tank.]]
+[[Image:Winterwartank2.jpg|thumb|none|500px|A Russian T-26B tank.]]
+[[Image:Winterwartank3.jpg|thumb|none|500px|T-26B on the right, T-26C on the left.]]
+[[Image:Winterwarflametank.jpg|thumb|none|500px|A flame-tank.]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter War, The}}
 [[Category:Movie]]
 [[Category:War]]
-[[Category: Finnish Produced/Filmed]]
+[[Category:Finnish Produced/Filmed]]

The Winter War: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:13, 29 July 2023

Handguns

Mauser C96

Luger P08

Tokarev TT-33 Pistol

Rifles

Mosin Nagant M1891/30

Finnish M/28-30 Civil Guard Mosin-Nagant Rifle

Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 Rifle

Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle

Submachinegun

Suomi KP/-31

Light machine gun

Lahti-Saloranta LS/26

Degtyaryov DP-27/28

Machine gun

Maxim M1910

Explosives

m/32 stick hand grenade (practice grenade mockup)

Molotov Cocktail

RGD-33 stick grenade

Other

Anti-tank gun

Tanks

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