| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Join our Discord! |
| If you have been locked out of your account you can request a password reset here. |
The Winter War
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.
The following guns were used in the movie The Winter War:
Handguns
Mauser C96
The holster of a Mauser C96 can be seen on the belt of a Finnish officer in few scenes.
Luger P08
The Luger P08 makes an apperance at the end of the movie in the hands of a Finnish officer.
Tokarev TT-33 Pistol
2nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) carries a Russian Tokarev TT-33 Pistol
Rifles
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. 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.
Finnish M/28 Civil Guard Mosin-Nagant 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.
Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle
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.
Submachinegun
Suomi KP/-31
The standard SMG of the Finnish Army was the Suomi KP/-31 and it is frequently seen during the movie.
Light machine gun
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.
Degtyaryov Dp-27/28
The DP LMG is used by both the Red Army soldiers and the Finnish soldiers.
Finnish stick hand grenade M/32
The Finnish soldiers during the move make good use of the stick hand grenade M/32. Finnish stick hand grenade M/32.