We did have air force and some damned good aces to fly those planes - but there was very few planes. So basically they were damned busy to try to shoot down the bombers that were bombing cities, factories and such. There some tube-videos on our pilots. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4PzyIveOWBI.html ru-vid.com?search_query=wwII+finnish+air+force ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g5agH_cpHo8.html Ask anyone WWII 'eastern front' - not just in Finland. Like Poland and such. Yes they shoot also the ambulances and they would rob, rape and do literal war crimes that never got punished for - the stories from those areas they 'liberated' on their way to Germany are horrible. Nothing surprising by the way, related to the war crimes in Ukraine. And they don't really allow their people learn about history as is. It was bit better in 1990s - but now with Putin, they are again choosing what short of history to teach their kids and that was done during the cold war too. We had a thing about 'never leave a mate' - and that meant that we also took all dead home, all possible. The unknown soldier is the name of the book the movie is based on and probably homage to all the men. We have only later started to talk about individual heroes, such has Simo Häyhä to give example - it isn't something we spoke much about at school at least in my time. But then again I went to school mostly before USSR fell and we weren't exactly able to teach 'full history' and even school books got somewhat 'edited' because it was an issue to perhaps make Russian leaders upset during the cold war (cursed term Finlandisation). But also, it isn't really in national mentality to brag about stuff - so I think it is highly likely a homage to the regular soldiers who fought the war. And that way we aren't following a story of one hero - but several men who all did their duty. You know, even today, when there is the veterans day in Finland and related ceremonies - you would see somber faces and tears in the eyes of grown men. Unknown soldier, especially the original movie, is literally also Independence Day tradition to watch - along with the ball at the president's palace in Helsinki (people oogling at fine gowns and outfits and people dancing or eating on TV). Yes - they wanted the Germans out from norther parts of Finland. And the Russian leadership knowingly chose the time frame impossible, in order to force Finnish forces into attacking the Germans up there. They were retreating, but they could not possibly get out of the country fast enough, to the date demanded by when they should be out. And so we had our third war during WWII era against them and norther Finland got entirely burned, because the Germans destroyed every building they got their hands on.
I wish I could take credit for that mate but I actually had an international release of the Movie which was 2 hours in length. So I only chopped out half of the version I had and even then it was a struggle to get it up on RU-vid.
I remember going to see this in a movie theater when it came. After the movie, everyone just left without saying a word. Like there was a mix of sadness, proudness and respect in the air.
Yes, me and my ex-boyfriend both cried and I have since read the book and watched the movie several times. I am fully against war but this movie shows humanity of the soldiers well in a very moving way.
Thanks for the information. Sad to hear that. I know battle is nasty and dirty but having dignity and decency is also important if you have any moral compass otherwise you'll find it hard to live with yourself in the following peace time years. Just my view. Others will differ
It is extremely terrible because actually you would prefer to have wounded soldiers on your enemy side rather than dead soldiers, so attacking medics and medevacs is just mindless cruelty. Also that recent story about the Russian soldier who had faked surrender in current war, and then pulled out a grenade. It's a war crime of the most horrible crime because then you can't even trust if someone wants to really surrender or if it's a trap.
Hey Mandrake - thanks for the comment and welcome to the Channel. It is pure evil and you are right that sending lots of wounded soldiers back to the Home Front can be effective in demoralising support for the War. I read about that Soldier too and you're right it is a War Crime - unfortunately now for the Russians, my understanding is that the Ukrainians are pretty much refusing surrenders on the Battlefield due to a number of such incidents. There was also one where a squad surrendered and then one guy went for his Machine Gun. To be honest the Russians deserve it if they are behaving that way.
@@JTRetroReactions not only ambulances, soviet bombers also specifically targeted hospitals, hospital trains or anything marked with red cross really, civilian evacuation points etc. Hence we were not least bit surprised to see russia doing the exact same thing in Syria and Ukraine (I think I read syrians learned very quickly to paint over red cross/crescent markings as well). Also I think there is evidence of russia themselves using ambulances to transport weaponry so I guess these are connected. When planning defence we must not expect them to follow any rules or morals.
Hey Maplehill thanks for your comment and for sharing that information. Hearing those type of incidents really make me angry. War is hell already and there is no need to make it more hellish by crossing certain lines that are well established rules of War such as not targeting Medics or Ambulances etc. To be honest, people who engage in this type of behaviour are only two types a) Genuine Psychopaths or b) Those who were forced to do it or who chose to do it. The people in Group B will find it very hard to live with themselves after the War as that is the shit that haunts you more than anything.
My father told me about an old interview of some high ranked Soviet general after WWII. He said he did not want occupy Finland, he did not want 5 million partisans living inside Soviet borders.
Thanks Martti - I can understand why he thought that way and it was, unusually, a smart move by the Soviet General. It's the exact same reason the British left in Ireland's War of Independence. They were facing a likely permanent hostile population who were ignoring the Courts, the laws, had formed their own Parliament and who were constantly attacking their armed forces and doing attacks on the British Mainland - it was more hassle then it was worth.
Thanks Jay for your reaction. I love this film and also the original Novel. This film Is based on Väinö Linna’s novel, which was published in 1954. Story Is based on authors own experiences in continuation war. Novel Is mostly based on true stories and some of the characters do have their Real life counterparts (Rokka, Koskela). This story became very important part of Finnish tradition. It tells a story about group of soldiers, which come from different social backrounds (for example Koskela Is Officer with working class backround, which makes him more close to his men instead of other officers). Then there are farmers, factory workers, communist etc. Finnish people can easily hear that characters are speaking with different dialects because they are coming from different parts of Finland. I think that Unknown soldier tells a story about average soldiers fighting for their homeland. Some of them are heroes and others are just trying to survive. This reminds us all about sacrifices those unknown soldiers did for independence.
Hey Jonttev. Welcome to the Channel and thanks for the comment. Thanks also for watching the video. I have learned a lot of history around this entire war from Finnish people in these comments which was great and many people, including your good self were kind enough to answer my questions which is really helpful. I was glad to hear that Rokka in particular was real as he felt that way in the Movie and reminded me in particular of two Quarter Master Sergeants I had served with myself. Feel free to suggest any other movies or TV series you would like me to react too as well. I am still trying to get my hands on an English version of the Book that is not being sold at insane prices and another commentor has kindly provided me with the names of some Finnish Bookstores which might sell it - so that's great.
Antti Rokka was real person, actually he is based on the man called Viljam Pylkäs and he survived the war as did the person to whom Susi was based on. Also the person who was blinded and then killed in ambulance attack survived in reality and had only one eye blinded or partially blinded. He lived long and good life after the war. Actually most of the main characters killed in the book and film in reality survived. Väinö Linna just wanted to make a book showing how bad thing war was, so he killed many main characters while most people to whom they were based on survived. But Koskela was fictional character from his other series of novels I think and didn't have a real person to whom he would have been based on... I guess that I have to doublecheck it.
Ah, so Koskela was based on Einari Kokkonen who also in reality survived the war and whom author Väinö Linna appreciated highly as top soldier and person. While I kind of understand why Linna made so dark end to his book, I would have liked more if it would have followed more true events to the end, because reality was harsh enough. Nevertheless good book and good movie.
Hey DenH thanks for sharing that post and all of that information - very helpful. I am glad to hear that the majority survived as it was hard not to become attached to them as characters throughout the Movie. I also understand why the writer 'Killed them' fictionally for the dramatic effect. I think Koskela was based on a real person based on some other information that commentors have provided in the thread but I am taking that at face value and cannot say for certainty.
Ah ok - that agrees with what other people have said to me in these comments. Personally, and I am just speculating here - I would say the reason he 'Killed them' in the novel was so people would find it believable. Most people who have not experienced war or Battle probably would not find it believable if the all survived. Truth is stranger sometimes than fiction as we say in English.
Cheers from Finland and thank you for your great analogy, thoughts and understanding our true helplessness, yet unwawering will of those brave, brave man, who defended this beautiful nation with their lives and sadly many of them lose it for generations to come. I was Military Police and Corporal in rank in army but because of what man like my gran-grandfather did in war(s), we can live in peace and hopefully it stays like that. This movie means so much to many people and you understanding it, means lot to probably any finnish human. Thank you, at least from my part.
Hey mate - thanks for watching the video and for your very kind comments - I really appreciate that and it makes doing these videos worthwhile! I'm glad you enjoyed as genuinely I really enjoyed this movie and as a result of this I managed to gain a greater understanding of Finnish history and the many similarities between the historical struggles of Finland and Ireland. May God bless both of our Nations and may we both have a long, happy and peaceful future!
The Winter War was such a heartbreak for the Finnish people, because everyone "knew" there was no winning the war. Yet people fought anyway. Then, during the Continuation War, it seemed there was light at the end of the tunnel. A chance that the "eternal enemy" might be extinguished. And then it happens again - the feeling of no victory returns and the loss is bitter indeed.
Trust me - I understand as an Irish person - we lost Northern Ireland for pretty much the same reasons - thank you for sharing your thoughts - I appreciate it!
Hey Saje - thanks for the comment and welcome to the Channel - A couple of other commentors mentioned that as well but I think they said it was the 1955 version - interesting to hear though
I thought this was the 3rd? Some other commentators said there was also a remake in the 70s or 80s? I don't know - just what was said to me. I think the comments on that are in the first part.
@@JTRetroReactions no. There is the 1955 version and 1985, and this 2017. But the book came in 1954. But there is live theatre version made in the 60's
Väinö Linna served in a rather unfortunate Regiment JR 8 and this can be seen in his somewhat pessimistic novel. The overall situation for Finland was not that bad. When Germany was beaten at the Eastern Front, Finnish Army also had to start the retreat in summer 1944. However in June - Aug 1944 Russian Army was again intercepted by the Finns, this time along the line Vyborg (Viipuri) Bay - Ihantala - Vuosalmi - Nietjärvi - Ilomantsi. Russian Divisions had become a spent force. In August 1944 the Finnish troops of General Raappana mauled two Russian Infantry Divisions in the wilderness battle of Ilomantsi. That was the last major battle in the Continuation War, and it made Stalin abandon his earlier demand for Finland’s unconditional surrender. Important was of course also Stalin's need to pull forces away from the Finnish front for the race to Berlin. Stalin's puppet president for Finland was never granted visa by the Finnish Government. He could never return to Finland even after 1944. If Stalin had beaten the Finnish Army, why did he not order the Finnish Government to let Mr. Kuusinen come to Finland? Because Stalin couldn’t beat the Finnish Army! It was the Soviet Army which was soundly beaten in summer 1944, not the Finnish Army. The war ended very differently from Stalin’s dreams although he gained some Finnish ground. After the WW2 a British General once asked from the Finnish military attaché, how many Russian troops there is in Finland. The attaché replied “there’s 200 000 - all six feet under”.
Hey Jouni - thanks for the comment and for watching the video. Thanks also for all that information that you shared. I mentioned a similar thing in my Outro to Part 2 - around Stalin having his eyes focused on Eastern Europe as well and Finland put up such resistance that it wasn't worth the hassle for him. Thanks for the additional information around the puppet president which I didn't know - smart move by Finland!
Several films have been made about Lieutenant Koskela's family. His father and uncle fought in the Civil War. The boys in the picture are his brothers, but they died in the winter war. The film "Täälä Pohjantähten alla (Here under the North Star 2010)" is about Lieutenant Koskela's father.
Thanks Kuoppan. Several people have now recommended that movie to me so it's definitely on the list to react too. Also I didn't know that there were uncles. It's still sad for that elderly woman but it makes me feel better that she didn't lose all her kids like I thought
According to the book Täällä Pohjantähden Alla, there was one younger brother that didn't go to war and a daughter as well. It's fantastic to me that Väinö Linna wrote the whole book series of one paths that lead to the events of this book/movie. Whereas there are three versions of Unknown Soldier made, there is two made of Täällä Pohjantähden Alla. Koskela is probably my favourite character of them all.
That Antti Rokka was in real life Viljami Pylkäs..and in an hour he shoot 83 enemy..with submachinegun..600 shots,there was swedish volunteers nearby,and they give him magasines..so this is correct..but when Väinö Linna skrive the book he kontacted Viljami and he says that there were too many,dont write it.. -And then come the book.."Sotaromaani" -Cheers!
Thanks for watching mate and for sharing that information. I know some others on here said that they cut down the number of kills Anti had in that ambush at the directors decision as he felt it would not be believed by Foreign audiences and I can see why if that was the case as it's astonishing really. I have read the book since and enjoyed it!
At least here in Finland, this film can also be watched in netflix as a five-hour TV serie. it's a bit heavy, but it brings the characters even closer than movie did
Thanks mate - I was just speaking with another commentor about whether it was worth it to track down the Mini Series version. It's not on Irish netflix - I just checked but I think a VPN maybe my friend here :)
As a Finn I really enjoyed your commentary. You got a lot of things right. The source material for the movie is Väinö Linna's legendary war novel Tuntematon Sotilas (Unknown Soldier) which came out in the early 1950's. This is the third movie adaptation of the novel. The novel and the film versions are a national legend here in Finland.
Thanks Mikko for watching the videos and for your kind comments. I appreciate it. I've managed to get my hands on a copy of the English version of the Book eventually so it's ordered and on its way. I can't wait to read it. Many people have mentioned different views on which of the three versions of the movie is the best What do you think?
The first film version is considered by many to be the ultimate classic. Even though from a tehnical point of view the film is pretty outdated. Still a national classic and it is shown on TV every independence day (December 6). The second version came out in the mid 1980's and it is a bit over the top artistic adaptation of the original novel. Aku Louhimies directed the third version and it is a modern classic. A very succesfull update indeed. It tells the same old story to modern day audience.
Hey Mikko - thanks for answering the question. I think, again not based on any factual evidence, but that often, when there is multiple versions of a Movie, the one you see first is the one that will always stay with you - presuming it is a good Movie. For me, it will probably be this version as I thought it was fantastic but I will hold off on my complete judgement until I watch the other two. Have a good weekend.
My grandma (never met her, died unexpectedly in the 70s) lost her home twice durong the wat. She was from the Karelian Isthmus. She served as an air defense observer in the "women's corps", Lotta Svärd Organization. She told that when the Isthmus was evacuated in the summer of 1944 the trains were camouflaged with fresh birch branches. Children asked why was that. They were told it was decorations for Midsummer.
Thanks for sharing that personal story mate - very interesting to hear. It must have been very very tough on your Grandmother to lose her home and probably not even able to visit afterwards. It sounds like though she was able to build a family and life afterwards and I was glad to hear that. Respect to her for her service.
Awesome reacting. Amazing how someone who is not from finland( nor familiar with finland ) can analyze this movie almost exactly correct. Which I like in this movie specially is the officers' and non-comissioned officers' promotions and growth in their duty. For example Kariluoto was second lieutenant in the beginning (platoon leader) and in his death he was captain (company leader).
Hey Mise - Thanks for the Comment and welcome to the Channel. Thank you for your very kind comments. I love this movie and it has become my favourites in this genre. Definitely one I will revisit again and again. One of the reasons I love it is the realism of the Characters you meet in the Movie, from the young naive glory seekers to the arrogant officer out of touch with reality on the ground, to the good officer Koskela who cares for his men and the grizzled experienced NCO who is damn good at his job but doesn't care for any of the army rituals. Many of those Characters I would have experienced in real life and of course after learning those Characters in the Novel were based on real peoples or composites of real people that makes total sense.
By the way, my grandparents called off their wedding 1939 before the Winter War because my granddad stated, "we're all going to die, so I don't want to leave you as a widow." Well, 2 months later he said, "I think we're doing OK, so let's get married." So, my dad and I are here today.
Probably many have already said this but that NCO, Rokka, is based on a real character. The writer of this book was really there, it is based on his experiences as a machine gunner. You can even see in the books that the end is more sketch like because by that point he had been transferred as a trainer, so he did not personally experience the last desperate battles, those are are based on interviews of his comrades.
Hey Kuriver. Welcome to the channel and thanks for watching and the comment. As I mentioned in my commentary my knowledge of this particular conflict was light but a lot of people like your good self have been sharing their knowledge with me and it's been a fascinating journey.
Farming is one of the most dangerous professions out there, not all old timers have all their fingers and a full function of all their limbs. Their work ethic is something exemplary, as their income depends on what they do. Especially the the hand and finger strength on them is something incredible, the older farmer brother of my father in law could win any arm wrestling competition just by crushing and twisting the opponent's hand.
Thanks for watching and as you'll know from my comments I agree with everything you say. Working the land is a tough profession particularly back in the day. Even when I grew up you started working on the farm as soon as you could walk
Finland did have an air force but it was small. Germany helped Finland in Tali-Ihantala battle in 1944 with their Stuka fleet (Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey).
The concept of "unknown soldier" is universal. It refers to the soldiers who fell anonymously in the world wars. So-called unknown or unknown soldiers or fallen memorials can be found around the world.
Hey Suicidal - agreed and I was aware of that. But some people have shared here that I was correct in my Outro and that the Publishers chose that title as it was to honour the 99.9% of the Soldiers who fight in these Wars that we never hear about. Seemingly they over ruled the Author on that basis.
NCO Rokka really had a role model in reality; a soldier named Viljam Pylkäs. The original title of Väinö Linna's novel script was "The War Novel" (Sotaromaani), but the publisher changed it to Unknown soldier. Nobody knows why.
Thanks Tonit for the comment and for sharing that information. As I mentioned in other comments on here - Rokka just felt to real to me to be a fictional character - I have known NCOs like him in real life so I was glad to hear that he was indeed based on a real person. That's interesting - so it was the Publisher and not the writer who choose the title hmm - I think then I am going to stick with my propostion in my closing comments where it was the story of the ordinary soldiers who fight in these wars and 99.9% of them we never get to hear about.
True, especially these I listed below, but the author Väinö Linna wrote to Viljam Pylkäs the following: "Because you are Rokka's role model. As you have noticed, I have changed events, placed them in a different chronological order, transferred the actions of other men to others, and so on. But they belong to the nature of the novel and are only true to that extent." The famous scene of the unknown soldier, where Rokka kills about 50 enemies, was modeled after the 83 enemy soldiers destroyed by Viljam Pylkäs's machine gun in Pertjärvi. Väinö Linna has recorded, among other things, an event where the captain of a foreign company asked Pylkäs why he did not honor him. Pylkäs had replied: "I didn't come here to do honor. I came here to fight.”
Thanks Leopart - sounds exactly like what Rokka in the Movie said and seems true to his sort of Character so I am not surprised that he would say something like that. Do you know if he had the same issues with Authority that Rokka had in the Movie?
You are right - when thinking of the name, the publisher said "this is the 'unknown soldier'" - a story about those 99.9% whose story is often untold, as you said. So your guess was right on the money. @@JTRetroReactions
I'm a Finn and my background is from karelia. My grandmother used to tell stories how the russian fighter planes took down some of the refugees when they were crossing the ice. She had to cross with a white blanket during the night so she wouldn't get shot. I kind of understand that you can't see your target from an early war airplane, but I still find it despicable.
@@JTRetroReactions Another short story about my grandfather: when I was 10 years old in the 2000's I found him gasping for his breath while picking berries. We couldn't save him and that was his last call. He had 5 bullets in his chest from the war since he was shot so many times as a machinegunner, but still managed to live to an old age. Tenacious bastard. I can only imagine the horrors he had seen. We had found from old letters how many battle buddies had their heads explode next to him and he still kept shooting. Rest in peace Väinö. I hope he finally got to relax and the night terrors are over.
@@JTRetroReactions I'm no "reclaim Karelia" -guy, as some of those skinheads are called here. But the stories inspired me to apply for an NCO position during conscription, I reasoned that if ever shit really hits the fan, I can hopefully make a difference. In the end I got sent to the officer school and I was well liked by the troops. I saw so many dickheads like in this movie who aren't humble and wouldn't take care of their troops but rather of their own ego. The Finnish reserve officer school was a very enlightening experience. I wouldn't have minded to stay when they tried to recruit me for a permanent position (after staff officer school of course), but I saw how many stupid warheads wanted to stay I couldn't see my career with the army. Same goes for many of the officers I had to work with. Some of those men are just insane and would get fired on the spot in civilian life.
Thanks and yes - you're correct which I was glad to hear as Anti really reminded me of some NCOs I had in my youth - sad to say I don't think that type exists anymore - one of the reasons I left the Army - maybe just Ireland - I don't know but wokeness has infected everything and in many cases, like the armed forces, not for the good - just my opinion of course!
Thank you for watching this film, it is very important movie for me as a fin. My grandfather was a lieutenant in Continuation war, and those memories about that war came back to him many times later. Tough times...
Hey Engel - thanks for the comment and welcome to the Channel. I appreciate your comment and you sharing the impact these Movies had on your Grandfather. I can understand, War is horrible and traumatic for all involved - at least those who are not psychopathic. I don't believe anyone who is normal even recovers properly. That's why it is also important in War to act as morally as you can - i.e. not shoot up ambulances as the Soviets did because you have to live with that afterwards if you are lucky enough to survive.
The term unknown soldier is used to identify the dead and missing of the WW2 in most conflicts that took place in Finland and USSR. In Finland and in most of old USSR cities, towns and territories; there is (or used to be) monuments with names of everyone who didnt return from the war carved into them. Surprisingly this also applies to most of southern USSR battles too, even on private memorial level, and i was very surprised and confused running into multiple of them when visiting Chernobyl. SMALL EDIT SIDENOTE: Original version of this movie came out in 1955, which is aired on TV every finnish independence day anniversary and is watched yearly by a considerable amount of old school nationals.
Hey Joni thanks for the comment and welcome to the channel. Some others have stated here that the Publishers changed the title of the Novel to The Unknown Soldier as it was to represent those Soldiers whose names we never hear off - the 99% who fight these Wars as I thought in my commentary. However, I don't have enough knowledge to state which is correct.
11:40 Finnish Army tradition is old Imperial German Army. We always counter-attack, without thinking twice. Movies name is from book it was based on. There is many characters who are based on real persons. Väinö Linnas Tuntematon Sotilas from year 1954. Writer served in army, in same unit he is writing about. In that scene in winter where NCO Rokka ambushes Soviets trying to attack from flank, the actual NCO who did it (Viljam Pylkäs) had 83 Soviet corpses count. It has been toned down in movies, so that housewives dont puke on movie theater floor.
Thanks again and I have since read the book as I managed to get my hands on an English translation copy - I appreciate you sharing the information. Cheers.
The Character "Rokka", the Nco you keep mentioning, is based on a real life soldier who served in a same unit as the writer of the book "the unknown soldier"
Well, not occupied - Karelia, yes, mostly, but that was about 10% of the area of Finland. Helsinki, Moscow and London were the only capitals of the war participants in Europe that were not occupied.
Hey Qwineth thanks for the comment and for watching the video. I suppose I was just nit picking to be honest. Technically the United Kingdom was occupied via Guernsey and Jersey so I was applying the same logic to Karelia but it was just an on the spot thought I made in the commentary.
When it comes to say "Farmer's Strength" they are raw muscle, they just have it in all the important places, and not in excess beyond usefulness. Basically the labor they do builds up all the important muscles, enough to throw a man, but not enough to lift 500lbs pointlessly in a competition. They can split a log in a single swing, they can throw a heavy hay bale onto a wagon... etc etc.
Yes, once they gave leave for a family that had lost five sons. The sixth, youngest didn't have to fiight. Finland didn't really have a choice the enemy was outnumbering us so heavily. It really wasn't an option to have Soviets to invade us. The result would have been a genocide. And there was a third war, Finnish war against Nazis that happened after peace treaty. My grandfather fought all these three wars and it's not common, cause Soviets wanted to sent mainly young Finns without experience in war to fight in Lapland just to get more of us killed.
Thanks for sharing that - it's hard to hear stories like that, which is why mixed units should also be preferred - but I hear you on the numbers issue given that Ireland is a similar small nation we would be in a similar situation.
Thanks Uli - I didn't know about that before but other commentors as your good self did, have shared that information with me and I have read up about it since. It was quite remarkable what some of your pilots achieved.
Finnish army used a lot of different helmets from a lot of different armies. They also used a lot of captured equipment so a lot of soldiers had Soviet helmets. Must've been hell to recognize friendlies on the battlefield
I noticed that and thanks for the additional information. I was sure when Annti was guarding the trench that they were Russians due to the helmets. I understand now as well why some guys just wore their hats as in close quarter combat you could easily make that mistake and have friendly fire kills
Hey mate. Thanks for sharing that information. That makes sense as well as the Italian Helmets during WW2 did look similar to the Soviet head gear. It also confirms what the earlier poster was saying about the mix of head gear in use by the Finnish Army at that time.
Hello, Mr.Jay. Thanks for taken interest of this subject. First thing first, this was the third movie version from the Väinö Linna top seller "The Unknown soldier" 1954. Plus acting theatre versions. I recommend to watch 1985 director Rauni Mollberg version. Much more soulful acting than this. And, ouh. I`m not nitpicking, but that is not Wickers, it`s Maxim mg type, thou resemblace is evident. Submachine gun is famous Suomi sg, which came with roundel and straight clips, thou in west, yes, it`s called "Tommy Gun" and "Chicago Handwriter". Russian`s captured and copy it, thou it was licence built already, expl Switzerland. Those oval or egg helmets were not russian nor italians. They are swedish type m/37, which were used until 60`s. But, like you notice. Homefront scenes were very good part of the dramaline. Cheers, keep up the good work, Elias. Suomi-Finland. @@JTRetroReactions
Hey Elias Welcome to the channel and thanks for the comment which was very informative and helpful. I also screwed up on the Mosins being Lee Enfields most likely cause when you don't have time to really think about things like in a reaction you say the first thing that comes into your head and for me I'm more familiar with British Weapons of that period. But there Fair comments so no objection from me. Thanks for watching the video.
Finland as u said didnt have much. But google or look up best pilots during ww2 and finnish artillery without ammo. Its insane how good we did on all fronts with nothing. I mean absolutely insane
Some of the other commentors on this and the other video shared that information with me as well - best fighter ace, taking out 108 Soviet tanks with just 6 losses etc. It's a testament to the bravery and ingenuity of the people who served then.
Actually the population of Finland was 3.6 million and the Soviet Union 190.7 million at the time the World War II started, so the Soviet Union had over 50 times more population compared to Finland. 🙄
Fair enough mate - I was guessing approximate numbers in fairness as I was doing a live reaction so thanks for pointing out the correct information there. Cheers
To be precise, in 1939 the Finnish population was 3.7 M. The official population of the ussr was 170 M, but in reality it was lower, maybe around 162 M.
Since the manpower we had was peanuts compared to the USSR, there were not many occasions where one would be released when losing many brothers. Actually during Winter War the units were formed of men of the same villages and municipalities when it was easy to build cohesion in the unit. On the downside, when a single unit was given a dangerous mission, the losses struck hard in places like Nurmo, where the village lost a big part of it's male population in a single attack. That was changed in the Continuation War, when the units were formed of men all around Finland.
Thanks for the comment Makedz and welcome to the Channel. It was a similar logic here in the first World War - make units out of people from the same village and families. It was discontinued very quickly for the exact reason you mention in your comment. Fun Fact: Saving Private Ryan was based on an Irish American Family - the Sullivans - who had 7 Brothers join the Navy and serve on board the same ship in WW2. All were lost when the ship sunk - so SPR just took that true story and made a Hollywood fictional version of it.
Finland fought hardily and had a bit of luck too, big sacrifices but stayed free after all. London, Moscow and Helsinki were the only capitals in the WW2 in Europe that were never occupied by enemy.
Thanks for watching the video. The statement on the capitals though is not correct. You can also add Valetta, Dublin, Madrid etc. into that, however, Dublin and Madrid were not involved in the War but Malta was as a British Protectorate. Not sure about Cyprus either - I will have to look that up.
@@JTRetroReactions Naturally, talking about independent nations that participated in the WW2. Malta and Cyprus became independent a lot later, Ireland and Spain didn't participated in the WW2 officially.
Osasto(detachment) Kuhlmay saved our asses. This consisted of Focke-Wulfs and Stukas flew from Estonia, had their owm mechanics bombs and gas. finnish summer 1944 had light 24h. These men were professonals. Those who saw watch in amezement when they flew 5 misions in 24h. They hit sent reconnaice plane and hit again for two weeks regarding their casualties. Front line Finns got huge moral boost. Finally help from the Sky!
Thanks for watching and for sharing that information on the Finnish air force. I appreciate it. I wonder if they'll ever make a movie about that. It sounds like a fantastic script but would be likely expensive to make
Thanks Rikki for watching the Videos - I have ordered the english Translation of the Book to read for myself - just waiting for it to arrive - can't wait to read it and compare to this version of the Movie.
In the book&movie "Täällä pohjantähden alla" you can find a heartbreaking scene where the parents of Koskela go to claim their fallen son from train station. They go and ask officials where the coffin of their son is, and get the horrible answer "They are BOTH there"😢
Wow! Thanks for sharing that mate! Was Koskela a real person then or a fictional person? Or is he similar to Rokka and loosely based of a real guy? Emotional scene regardless! Is the Movie worth reacting too? If so I will add it to the list for a future war movie poll. Have a good weekend.
Finland lost part of the country but rest of it was not occupied by enemy troops, also most of the people from lost area were transported to Finnish side so lost area was not Finnish any more. looking back from 2023 i think all sacrifices people had to do was worth it as now Finland has been considered happiest country in the world and compare that to ex eastern Europe communist countries and difference is still there even communism has been gone for some time.
Hey freeze - yes you are right in fairness - I think I made the statement I made in commentary when the elderly woman had lost her three sons and I was trying to convey her thoughts - probably badly - that she must have been thinking for what at that time.
@@JTRetroReactionsActually Linnas other novel "Here under the northern star" tells that she had one more son and daughter too. My grandfather was born in 1900 few hundred meters away from Linnas birth place. So he was about a one generation older than Linna. Wasn't serving in Linnas unit because Linna wasn't in winter war because of his young age. But in winter war there was a system where men from same towns or other areas served in same units. That was changed because heavy losses in some part of front could destroy most young men from smaller towns or villages.
Again very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It was the same over here for WW1. Whole families and villages wiped out. It was changed after WW1 too for the exact same reason.
The movie "The green berets" starring john wayne, is based on a finnish soldier named "Lauri Törni" who fought for 3 countries, also an officer in 3 armies... Interesting character
Hey Mika welcome to the Channel and thanks for the comment. You are the 2nd or 3rd person to mention this Gentleman to me. I think there is a RU-vid Video on him that I may react to in the future. I have seen Green Berets which was basically a propaganda film for the Vietnam War but I did not know it was based on this Guy so thanks for sharing that.
@@JTRetroReactions Lauri Törni aka Larry Thorne can be seen as a trainer in an old American documentary/propaganda film on RU-vid called "Big Picture: Phantom Fighters".
Thanks tyttimk for sharing that - I will look that up tonight. Welcome to the Channel by the way. I presuming he went Gung Ho for the Americans as a chance to get back at the Soviets or am I assuming too much here?
My grandfather was Jäeger in Finnish army. Spent 2 years in the front all around the border. RIP 2004, never forget. The thing that broke me was the moment in the end where only one person was swimming in the river..
Thanks for watching the video mate and for your comment! Respect to your Grandad for his bravery and service to his country and thanks as well for sharing his story. It's important to keep memories like that alive.
Finnish Air Force was one of the most formidable forces skillwise....some of the top pilots in WW2 (with most kills) were finns....it was the lack of resources....not enough planes that let them down
@@JTRetroReactions I do have to walk back on that a little...in WW2 Aces list there are 82 or so Germans before there is one Japanese....then more Germans until you find the Finn Juutilainen on position 124 with his 94 air victories....incidentally the top allied pilot was a Russian on position 254. The first US pilot on position 466 with 38 air victories and position 482 is first UK pilot with 36 air victories
@@kimmo9466 The fighter aces from all countries had more or less "extra" kills - despite of the official confirmations. The kill records seem to have been more accurate, when the aerial combats were fought over the own territory. However the Japanese and especially the soviet records were notoriously inflated. In reality Ilmari Juutilainen (a Finn) most likely was the highest scoring non-German ace. I wonder if the soviets had any real aces at all.
Finland only had one large arnored formation in the continuation war, "panssaridivisioona" (literally "armored division") led by the first knight of the Mannerheim cross, Ruben Lagus. This formation consisted of captured Russian tanks and german Stugs and Panzer IVs, the division would famously fight and defeat much larger Russian formations in the Battle of Tali-Ihantala (that has a movie with the same name), this is also the largest battle fought in the Nordic region in history
Thanks Jaggarz again for sharing that helpful information which was interesting - much appreciated. The Movie you mentioned will be on the next War Movie poll I do as several people, like your good self, have been kind enough to recommend it to me.
Hey Mikkoammer. Welcome to the Channel and thanks for the comment. Thanks for watching the video as well. You are the second person to recommend that film to me so I will add it to my reaction list. Thanks for the suggestion. Cheers.
I'm sorry if someone else told this before(374 comments, I'm lazy). In Linna's book, when the asshole lietenaunt-general Karjula was wounded in legs by tank shell after he shot privat Viirilä, nco Rokka saved him by carrying him on his arms enough backwards so medics could took him in care. Bet he didn't want to, but perhaps his humanity was greater than hate.
Hey mate. Thanks for the comment. No, no one had mentioned that before so it was interesting to hear. Fair play to Rokka! It just goes to show as you said humanity wins out. Thanks for sharing and have a good weekend
I dont know if someone told yet + Im superlate, but I believe the name was basically meant to symbol how the unknown=underrated finnish army put up a fight against soviet union rather than being an easy victory
Hey. There is finnish war movie called Talvisota (Winter war) directed by Pekka Parikka and was released in 1989. In case you haven't seen it. I think it should be available somewhere internet or to purchase from.
Hey mate - it won the last War Movie poll I won so I will be reacting to it once I receive it. I had to order it from Korea of all places to get a version with English Subtitles.
@@JTRetroReactionsIt's a great movie. A long one, lasts for over three hours. Very much like this one, but with amazing scenes with hundreds of extras.
Thanks mate. I've already recorded it and should be editing it for release next week. Yes it's long but the story was interesting enough to enjoy it thoroughly.
I watched this 2 part reaction and then checked your replies to various comments, after reading them I clicked the subscribe button. I like how you don't pretend to be an expert on everything related to ww2 and you obviously want to learn more about this topic. Cheers! PS. Definitely check the Winter War movie if you get your hands on one with English subtitles! It's from 1989 but it's very well made for it's time.
Thanks mate. I appreciate the Sub. Thanks as well for watching both videos. I'm a great believer in that quote that the truely wise man knows how little he knows. The older I get the more I realise it. Lots of people were very helpful in the comments which was great and I've gotten a lot of great movie suggestions from them. Thanks again
The author of the book went to both wars (winter + continuation), so I presume he based the characters somewhat to real soldiers. The realism stems from the fact that this is the third movie adaptation (1955, 1985, 2017) and they always tried to be more realistic than the previous. Same book, yet each film is unique. This latest one is what most finns consider the best.
Thank you for your extensive review - as many have mentioned previously, it really offered a fresh, expert point of view to a story that's very dear for us Finns. My grandfather fought in both wars and lost two of his brothers - both missing in action. Really happy to hear that you enjoyed the film. Wishing you all the best!
Hey Tommmmi96. Thanks for your very kind words and for your comments. I really appreciate it! Thanks also for sharing the story of your Grand Uncles - may God have mercy on their souls and your Country always remember their service. I did really enjoy this movie and I have ordered a copy of the Book as well, so I can't wait to read it. My Talvisota reaction will also be out at some stage next week so hopefully you will stick around to watch that. Enjoy the rest of your evening mate.
Your welcome Moj and welcome also to the channel. I loved this movie so it was my pleasure to watch it and it was great to hear the history of this and Finland from a lot of your Country men and women.
@@JTRetroReactions If you want to react to Finnish war heroes you should check out Videos about Simo Häyhä (the most successful sniper ever) over 500 confirmed kills, also Lauri Törni, a man that fought in 3 armies. (Natsi Germany, Finland and USA). And Aimo Koivunen that wandered in the war torn woods for weeks because he took too much meth. ... All true stories and all are in youtube.
Thanks Mojova - I am mainly a movie and tv reaction channel but sure - why not. A couple of other commentors have also recommended those stories to me.
Check out also. Tali-Ihantala, a total of around 50,000 Finns took part in the largest battle in the history of the Nordic countries at different stages
If I got it right the "unknown soldier" is to honor all the soldiers who fought in the war deffending the indepencense of finland, there where no heros like "rokka" he is fictional figure to represent all the soldiers, the morale was very high and the will to fight was high as well.My grandfather, when he was alive,told me stories that the soldiers didnt even want to get paid it was better use the money for weapons and equipment..........if the soldiers are that motivated it doesnt matter how much you throw at them they will fight to the last breath
Thanks for sharing that information and for watching the video - I appreciate it! I seen an example of your Grandfathers stories in Talvisota where they gave up their wages to buy weapons if I remember correctly
And Antti Rokka did survive the story like the person he is based on. In the novel he jokes that now he is going to be sent back to his family to see if there is new baby.
Thanks Teukkis and welcome to the channel. A few people have shared that information with me. 83 is a high kill number for one Soldier. Someone else told me that the Director of this Movie had to reduce the number killed in that scene as he didn't believe international audiences would believe it - I can understand why - 83 is an insane number!
Seems like those subtitles are really simplified, and often not telling what guys are really saying. My grandmother was evacuated from Karelia, and served as a lotta in wartime. Veterans had a free pass for this movie in a city she was living, but unfortunately she passed away just a few days before that.
Hey Janik - welcome to the channel and thanks for sharing your story. A few people like your good self have commented on the Subtitles being off. That often is the case to be honest. I speak a bit of German and when I watched Downfall and Generation War the subtitles were very simplified compared to what was actually being said. However, I do know from writing subtitles for my videos that it is one of the most painful, boring things you can do - so I presume that the people making the subtitles are just blasting through it
@@JTRetroReactions also finnish dialects can be near to inpossible to translate as they are. This movie has many old words and sayings which has no accurate translations. It's still a shame because as other People have mentioned the movie is not as powerful without them. Also to us Finns those different dialects reminds of the soldiers will to fight united for the fatherland even though Finland had it's civil war just twenty-something years before continuation war. Or atleast to me it does.
Thanks Elsa for the comment and welcome to the Channel. Some others have also mentioned the different dialects from the various regions in Finland and how the personalities of the different 'Tribe's were also reflected in the Movie. But as you said, you would have to be Finnish to get that. To be honest you would get the same in Irish Movies - we speak Irish English and the use of words can mean something totally different than in British or American English.
Hello Jay! Greetings from Finland. Nice to see you reacting to this movie since it's in my opinion one of the best war movies ever (if not the best). I've never watched this International Cut myself. The "official" version is a bit longer and if I recall correctly doesn't have those animated maps. I've read the book 7 times and watched the original 1955 version at least 20 times after I stopped counting (1985 only a few) but this 2017 version is definitely the best of the tree movies. There has been some mentioning but the 1955 version has been showed on our tv every Independence Day since the year 2000 😄 I used to watch it every year but have been slacking on that part for a while now. I also saw you mentioning that you have had trouble finding the english translation of the book. I don't know if they ship internationally but have you checked some Finnish bookstores, like "Adlibris" and "Suomalainen Kirjakauppa" if they have the english version in stock? I have to add another movie recommendation to the end here 😅 If you're interested in seeing more of the Winter War we do have a movie for that. It's called fittingly "Talvisota" (Winter War) and it was made in 1989 I think.
Hey Jani - thanks for the comment and welcome to the Channel. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I haven't tried the Finnish book stores so thanks for that great suggestion and the names I can look up online - I appreciate it! I am also looking for good Movies to react too so thanks for that suggestion on the Winter War - I'll see if I can find it on DVD. Cheers
My take on the the title "Unknown Soldier" is that there were a lot of brave and heroic men in this war, but in many cases no one survived to tell the tale. In that sense they remain unknown.
Thanks for the comment PJ and welcome to the Channel. I agree and I think I mentioned something similar in my outro - that it was just all the Soldiers, living or dead, who fight in these wars and whose names we never know.
@@JTRetroReactions The novel is very character-driven despite being a war story. Most of the characters aren't based on real individuals...instead, they all represent certain archetypes of Finnish men, as the author saw it. So it's like a study of how the collective psyche of the population coped with the war. Some of this gets lost in the movies, simply because a patriotic action movie sells better.
Hey Zuron, welcome to the Channel and thanks for sharing that information. I posted above on another comment, that Antti represents Finland. He fights hard, is resilient, only cares about retaking his land, and his drift into despair towards the end as he loses his Land again but still has the will to keep fighting and going. From an archetype perspective Antti stuck out to me as that - just my view though. Have a good weekend.
@@JTRetroReactions I'd like to point out that in the book Antti is never mentioned again after he gets shot while crossing the river. The book has no happy ending.
@@aleks5405 Thanks Aleks for watching the video - I'm almost finished reading the book now but I haven't got to that part yet. suppose the golden lining in that is we do know the character Rokka is based on did survive in real life - however, given the wounds the fictional character Rokka took in the Movie and by the sounds of it the Book - I'm not surprised he didn't make it and became an 'Unknown Soldier'
I believe the reason why the Finns dug in on the "wrong" side of the river, was because they were supposed to delay the russians long enough to get all the equipment across first. The engineers would set up the charges to blow up the bridge once the russians were close, but blew it too early.
Hey mate - thanks for sharing that information - but in that case - surely they should have dug in farther away from the Bridge - who knows though - there may be reasons they didn't - it was a lot to ask of them either way
For better understanding the situation, where e.g. Capt Kariluoto, Major Sarastie and Sgt Hietanen are killed, search for: Flames of war Jatkosota 1944 Finland at war Part 2: Soviet Attacks on Other Fronts and the part about the soviet operations North of Lake Laatokka (Ladoga). The soviets make a naval landing in Tuulos (Tuloksa) from the Lake Laatokka (Ladoga), behind some of the retreating Finnish troops, cutting and blocking the "major" road they are using. The Finnish counter strikes against the bridgehead to open the road fail, and the blocked Finns are forced to go round the bridgehead using secondary/makeshift "roads"/paths, with losses of heavy equipment
Hey James thanks for your comment and welcome to the Channel. I agree with you and for me as a first time viewer I seen Antti's journey as being representative of Finland as a nation. The joy of retaking your land, replaced by the sense of despair and sorrow in having to give it up again despite your hard fought and brave efforts. It came across as very symbolic to me. Kudos to the Actor who played Antti really well and that emotional transition. Have a nice weekend
Actually. Finland had the air forces and Germany´s Luftwaffe helped Finland too. But author Väinö Linna doesn´t tell much about Finnish air forces in his novel, so they are not seen in the movie either.
Thanks Tonit. Some other commentors were also kind enough, as you were your good self to share that information with me and some of the stories of the Finnish Aces and Tank Battles. As I mentioned in my commentary - I was just shocked at the lack of visibility of same in this movie - but it made more sense to me when the focus of this Movie was just on a Machine Gun Company.
Thank taavi for sharing that - I presume the reason they were focused on Karelian Isthmus was due to the landscape - less forests and terrain or was there anothe reason?
@@JTRetroReactions The bulk of Soviet offensive was concentrated on the Karelian Isthmus also. In the Onega front Finnish troops were forced to give ground because there was a risk of getting cut off if the Isthmus attack broke trough.
Koskela is usually seen as reasonable officer. As opposed to Lammio, the one who wanted to give inappropriate punishment. And, yes, there was Finnish Air Force but they spent most of their time fighting Sturmoviks and Soviet bombers.
Thanks mate for watching the video, the comment and for sharing that information. I would also add, you have the glory seeking officer too which was the young lieutenant as well. Sorry I cannot remember his name of the top of my head
Yes mate - that was the Guy - just couldn't remember his name when I was writing the original comment. I don't know about the novel as I haven't got that far yet but in the Movie he led that death charge which to me was a glory hunter move. I could be wrong but just my opinion on what I saw in the movie.
Thanks X-Wing - I think he represented the naivety of a lot of young men heading off to War - particularly at that time where you did not have live camera footage and webms. But in saying that I am not too sure, in the movie, I can't comment on the Novel as I haven't reached that part yet, that he did ever reach maturity and left the glory behind. The reason I say that is because if you contrast his operation with Koskela, Koskela sent his best Men forward to try and clear a path before leading his men on a charge, whilst Kariluoto didn't and led the charge himself and continued even when he witnessed his men getting decimated in front of him. Maybe it was glory, maybe it was stupidity - I can't say for sure but it can't be lack of experience at that point. Koskela only laid down his life to cover his Men's retreat and when there was no other choice in the matter. That is just my opinion - it doesn't mean it's right but that is what I took from it.
I think the helmets in the first clips are actually italian helmets. There is a somewhat famous photo of finnish pioneers with similar helmets, with a skull painted on . I also like how the grunts have heavy accents, while the officers have basically no or only a slight Helsinki accent. I dont think there was an exeption in the army, but since the offensive began, i dont think they couldve spared anyone, much less a veteran nco. Kariluoto (the officer) changed his perspective about the war, from a fresh boy out off officer school who fought for glory and stuff changing and beginnign to be much more pessimistic about the war. The soviets were absolute cunts in the war, in the winter and continuation war russian "partisans" reguraley went over the border to rape and pillage villages with little or no amount of soldiers, so its no suprise they would do something like this. As someone on the other video said, the character of Rokka is based on someone who served with the writer of the book the movie is based on (the unknown soldier as well). The terms to the armistace were mostly for finland to pay with heavy equipment and by ceding more territorey. The soviet union also forced finland to be neutral, but finnish politics were heavily effected by the soviets. Finland still didnt become communist, mostly due to the Social democrats refusing to cooperate with the commies.
Hey Kekkoinen thanks for sharing that information which was helpful and interesting so I appreciate it! The majority, including myself would agree with your view on the Soviets but there are a couple of posters here who think Finland were used and abused by the Germans and are being used and abused by NATO now - go figure. Russian Propaganda can definitely be effective so I will give them that.
00:02 Finns had our own, Swedish, and Italian helmets, which all look quite similar than Soviet. Plus ofcourse we had German coal shuttle style. We did not use Soviet ones in frontlines, while they were widely available. Unfortunate, but we were piss poor country. The helmet is propably Finnish one. Italian one has slight curve on brim, and Swedish one has 360 degrees flaring out near brim. Germans did comment in summer 1941 that Finnish Army look and march like bunch of gyp... The Aryan master race did not flap their mouth 6 months later when Finnish troops were needed to sent rescue them Berlin city boys from dying in minus 35 centigrade weather in forest. German calculus did not reach level: If there is too cold you to move, you can make huge fires and warm up, eat and drink well, dry your clothes, etc.. as if you cant move because cold, enemy cant either. 😂 And Germans are supposed to be good on logical thinking. This was boreal wilderness, no real threath from air at the time.
Very educational reactions to this movie - thanks! Maybe this was in your non-youtube-edited version too, it was in the longer Netflix mini series version at least: When Hietanen went back to look for the Russian love interest in Finnish-occupied Petrozavodsk, the capital of East Karelia, Soviet Union (well east of Finland's pre-Winter War borders), he then continued to a place where women sat behind bars to look for her if I remember correctly. I think that was supposed to show that the Finnish military administration had moved in some Karelian women in the apartment and put the Russian women in the concentration camps (for concentrating a specific people, here the ethnic Russians from Karelia - not synonym with active death camps, even though the death rate was kind of high in these Finnish camps for Russians in Karelia due to malnutrition etc.). The military administration was set up to prepare East Karelia for annexation into a "Greater Finland" along the nationalist line of uniting the peoples viewed as similar to the Finns (here the Karelians) into an expanded Finland. Had Germany succeeded in destroying the Soviet army and enslaving and exterminating the Russian civilian people according to their "Generalplan Ost", they were going to let Finland annex Soviet Karelia, but as we see in the movie - the Germans start losing in the Soviet Union, forcing also the Finnish forces to retreat to their pre-Winter War borders and then further towards their post-Winter War 1940 borders. The administration put up camps to concentrate ethnic Russians from Karelia and transfer them away, started compulsory schools in Finnish for children viewed as Karelian enough etc. There's the article "Finnish military administration in Eastern Karelia" on Wikipedia.
Thanks for watching mate and for your kind comments - I appreciate it! Unfortunately the scene you mentioned wasn't in the version I got. Would you believe the only version I could get with English Subtitles, I had to order from South Korea. I believe the one I eventually got my hands on was the international release which other commenters have told me is the most cut version. Thanks for sharing all of that additional information and context and that actually helps explain some of the comments I had in my reaction on Rukajarven Tie when they were encountering Karelian Civilians and villages so much appreciated!
@@JTRetroReactions I translated this part from a book on the Continuation War I read in Swedish last week: "The [East Karelian] population looked with suspicion on the Lutheran priests from Finland, and Mannerheim also forbade them to carry out missionary work. It takes time to bridge the political and cultural divide of centuries. War and occupation are not the most favourable conditions. Many Finns discovered that, however appealing the dream of liberating their kinsmen beyond the border may have been at home in Finland, it was less inspiring in reality. The cultural divide was deeper than they had imagined. East Karelian [language] was markedly different from standard Finnish. Social life was governed by different norms. Much seemed Russian. Despite fraternisation parties and similar events, contacts were in most cases superficial and formal." (End of quote) Liberation or occupation is always a matter of subjective opinion. Eastern (Russian) Karelia had never been a part of Finland or the Kingdom of Sweden. What later became independent Finland was eastern Sweden since the concept of forming a unified Swedish state in medieval times until Russia captured it in 1809. Modern Finland was in then-Sweden centuries before some current regions of Sweden was incorporated into the state. I watched your Rukajärven tie video after getting to know about it through your previous comment, and the Orthodox icons in the house were the older Karelian lady had passed away was a clear difference between Eastern (Russian) Karelia and Western (Swedish and Catholic, later Swedish and Lutheran, later Finnish and Lutheran) Karelia.
At the end when they said that Finland was never occupied by the winning side, it meant that there were no Soviet troops Occuping the streets and cities like The Allies did with Germany or Yanks with the japanese home-island...
Koskela wasn't last children from his family , he still had younger brother Juhani and he was not in the war because he was to young . Koskela lost his two brothers in winter war . Koskelas father was famous communist comander in finnish civil war and he lost his two brothers there . all the characters are fictional but thats the book story from under the north star .
Thanks Hennfihakala for your comment and welcome to the Channel. Thanks for sharing that information which was interesting as well - I appreciate it! Enjoy your weekend.
The characters in the movie are fictional, but the author of the original book this movie was made of, did fight the war and some of the stuff on book/movie was based on his experiences. Like some characters might be loosely based on someone he met (like maybe he met an ignorant fool officer who shot the guy retreating or that sort of similarities), but still fictional characters. And yes the reason why its called "unknown soldier" is symbolic for all the heroes who were not heard of. The idea is not to make a movie of some particular war hero, but to represent all of them by just talking about unknown soldiers.
Thanks Thetimppis for watching the video and sharing that information. Yes, I found out that afterwards and was delighted to hear it as he came across as real and reminded me of several grizzled NCOs I had back in the day. I actually have the English version of the Novel now so I am reading through it and I am enjoying it so far.
My grandma is one of the old Karelians. She was 9 when Winter War happened, and then they had to leave again during 44 when the big push came. Never got to go back home after that. I went to see this movie with her when it came out. Those scenes showing off the home life at the farm weren't part of the book, but it was a nice addition and very much the reality for many. You can imagine it was quite emotional to sit next to someone who had lived that as a child, having to leave home not once but twice.
Hey Fokush - thanks for watching the videos and for sharing your Grandmothers story! I appreciate it! That must have been a powerful experience indeed! Hopefully someday that land will return to where it belongs!
@@JTRetroReactions It's always interesting to see and hear what foreigners think of our history. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie! We Finns and Irish something in common considering our histories of being part of kingdoms and empires of our neighbours and in our struggles for independence.
Cheers mate - I really enjoyed the Movie and learning about Finland's history! So many people including your good self were kind enough to share their stories with me and point out where I was off on a thing or two. We do indeed have very very similar histories and struggles and that's why I am glad we are both in the same EU Battle Group right now. Just to let you know my next reaction later this week will be Talvisota.
Hmmm - my reply never got posted. Anyways what I said was it's similar to Irish People then as I have learned from doing these reactions. Enjoy your evening.
the whole movie "Unknown soldier" represents true events and also when you think that some order is stupid you couldnt do anything you just had to follow orders or you would be shot as deserter. Also when you think that in some situation best option for finns would be just to flank or surround the russians but its just not possible because there were so few finns against huge red army.
Probably already told, but there were also these 1926 born men in the war. Never forget them. Reminds, grandchild of one. (Great two videos, by the way. Thumbs up.)
Hey Justincase - welcome to the Channel and thanks for the comment and sharing that information which was helpful! Thanks also for your kind comments on the videos - I appreciate it!
Finland wasn't occupied and totally submitted into other nations absolute rule like baltics, poland, france, norway and many others. Finland lost only the part but not all like countries I mentioned before.
Thanks Timo - much appreciated mate! I tried my best but screwed up on the weapons as I was not really familiar with the Finnish weapons of the period. Thanks again for watching the videos. My reaction to Talvisota will also be out shortly. Cheers.
Randomly watched your channel; quite accurate comments (with some, understandably, mistakes) of so sad but heroic years of Finland at that time when independence was secured. You have a new !
Cheers Spiderone - thanks for the sub and for watching the videos - I appreciate it. Talvisota will be coming along soon as well as it won my last Movie Poll so hopefully you will enjoy that one as well. Have a good evening.
@@JTRetroReactions All the best; close to all Finnish adult males (and of course voluntary females), as conscripts, has a military training up to a year so a country of 5,6 million people can still have close to a million people active in reserve ready for the worst.
I hear you mate. I wish we had it here in Ireland. I think it provides good structure for young people particularly those without a father figure or organisation in their lives.
@@JTRetroReactions I get you point; here in Finland military service is MANDATORY for all males to protect the country, whatever family status is. And Finland is the only Nordic country (and one of the few in Europe) that has this but just check the map ;-). So; when you see that fat drunk Finn on the beach somewhere...
Very true mate - I know Germany used to have it - not sure if they still do and I believe Spain has it as well but I could be wrong. A little story that I can tell of the good effects of Military service - when I joined the Volunteer Army here in Ireland - the first day on the parade ground I was looking around at the 200 or so recruits and my stomach sank when I saw a Guy who I went to school with and hated and had several runs in with. Basically he was a criminal. Anyways first day on the parade ground he gave some cheek to the Quartermaster who proceed to knock him out with one punch. He never opened his mouth again like that afterwards! Long story short, over time this guy became a fine Soldier and a decent Human Being - he's still in - retiring soon. His background which I never knew before was his parents were addicts and he was brought up in chaos and was wild. The structure and discipline in the Army was what he needed as he never had it. That Quartermaster who knocked him became like a father to him over the years etc. Totally changed his life and he only ended up in the Army because a clever Judge instead of sentencing him to Prison gave him the option of doing 7 years in the Army. I think a lot of troubled youths would benefit from that sort of structure instead of the hand holding or young offenders institutions crap they get today. A lot will disagree with me but that incident that I related above, convinced me of it.
Hey Toinenosoite - please enlighten me - it is a couple of weeks since I watched the Movie but if I remember correctly at the end - there was the speech saying that we do not know what conditions we can expect from our larger Neighbour to the East but we will still lay down our arms. As an outsider that is what it sounded like - as in no more fighting but the Soviets are dictating the terms here. Again, I am not very familiar with this regions history so I was just interpreting it how it sounded to me listening to that but feel free to correct me where that is wrong
@@JTRetroReactions An unconditional surrender was what Germany did at the end of WWII. Then it was occupied by the four countries of GB, US, SU and France. This never happened in Finland. The war ended, and there were conditions, yes, but it was never that we totally surrendered. Thus, we lost some more territory, had to pay reparations, weren't able to take part of the Marshall plan, and so forth. But the main point was that our society could go on, and the country was never taken over.
Ok - but an unconditional surrender is defined as Unconditional surrender is 'a term for a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party'. So where I was coming from using the official definition above is, if there was an Armistice with conditions being dictated afterwards then using that definition it was - but to be honest I also see your point of view so I am happy to accept it
@@JTRetroReactions You are totally right in your definition. Nevertheless, Finland never agreed to an unconditional surrender, as it had just fought back the SU at the battle of Tali-Ihantala. Thus, the conditions were later laid down in the Moscow Armistice of 1944.
Name "unknown soldier" was for those who was left to the battlefield and some of them got buried there, and they didnt have a name on their grave. Or then the soldiers who were found from battlefields and who couldnt be recocnized.
That's typically the name, yes, but I thought this movie might have meant the Unknown Soldiers, i.e. those who fought in general, 99% of whose names we never know or hear about. The ordinary soldiers journey. The reason I think that is due to the focus on the individual soldiers. Just my opinion of course and another commenter mentioned to me that the author didn't pick the title, it was the publishers.
In this film,the Finns invaded East Karelia...there are some roads etc..because of that,not much armor was udes,etc...on the Karelian Isthmus,on the other hand,more tanks were used,etc..Finland have one armoured division..
Thanks Peter for sharing that information - I appreciate it! At the time of the reaction I only had the basic knowledge of the War and why it happened but literally no knowledge on the events of the war itself. I have learned a lot through these comments
The NCO Antero Rokka is based on a real person Viljam Pylkäs. I had the honour of being on a lecture held by one of his company NCO's at the time when I was going on my own NCO course.
Hey Emes - thanks for your comment and sharing your personal story. That must have been really cool to here - did that NCO share another other stories about Rokka that may not have been well known? I was also lucky enough when I was in the Army, many years ago now, to serve under two Sons of one of the Guys the Movie 'The Siege of Jadotville' was in - great Movie if you have not seen it - it's on Netflix I believe - but yeah they were able to share some lesser known stories of that battle with us. Have a good weekend.
It's a shame that the international version of this movie is only two and a half hours long. The original uncut version of the film is around 4-5 hours long, cut into a mini-series. I have that on Blu-Ray and I'd highly recommend it if it's available over there.
Hey Fellow Jay :) Thanks for the comment and welcome to the Channel. I only heard about the Mini Series version a couple of days ago but I am going to watch it using a VPN as I was told it is on Finnish Netflix. To be honest I had a lot of trouble tracking down an English Subtitled version of this Movie - I had to end up ordering the Movie from Germany to get it. Have a good weekend.
Hey Mike - thanks for watching the video and for sharing that story - I appreciate it - is there much unexploded ordinance around there or is it pretty safe now?
@@JTRetroReactions funnily the river is actually located in the middle parts of Finland and the war never really happened anywhere close so it's completely safe(if you don't take into consideration how rocky it is) and we were there that day when they recorded that part(sadly we were told to go away from the filming spot) and also about it's 4km long (about 2,5 miles)long and it's really fun to go down the river with pool floaties.
Ah ok mate - my misunderstanding - I originally thought you meant the river in the battle that was shown in the Film rather then the river used as the filming location - my mistake! Thanks for clarifying and for sharing the rest of your story - it was cool to hear.
Nice commentary of the finnish war, thank you. You need to dig into the lapland war against the Germans. I live on the battle fields. There were real battles in Tornio.
Thanks for watching mate and for the kind comments - I appreciate it! I have SISU lined up to do but I know that's fictional but it is set in the Lapland war as far as I know. Anything else you can recommend?
@@JTRetroReactions The "Sisu" movie is Hollywood style action trash aimed for teenage boys. If you enjoy brainless violence (almost) without any connection to the history, then this is your kind of film. Otherwise avoid.
I think the name Unknown Soldier was exactly due to the lost people in the war. Also it represents the different classes in Finnish society, and how the old grudges from the horrible civil war of 1918, which was more bloody than american civil war, still affected us, and Mannerheim was the leader of the Whites in the civil war. Still, somehow they did it and got this country together, as even the most of the left leaning guys didn't love Russia.
