The Winter War

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.

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.

C96 "Broomhandle" Mauser fitted with holster/stock combo - 7.63x25mm.

A Finnish Company officer on an inspection of the trenches with his Mauser holster.

Luger P08

The Luger P08 makes an apperance at the end of the movie in the hands of a Finnish officer.

Luger P08 - 9x19mm (1917).

A Finnish officer summarily executes a wounded Russian soldier.

Tokarev TT-33 Pistol

2nd Lieutenant Jussi Kantola (Vesa Vierikko) carries a Russian Tokarev TT-33 Pistol

Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev.

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).

A rear-view of the pistol. Note the hammer and very large rear sight.

Rifles

Mosin Nagant M1891/30

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.

Finnish Mosin-Nagant Rifle

The Finnish soldiers use a slightly modified version of the Mosin-Nagant rifle. A very large number of Russian Mosin-Nagant rifles became available during the Russian withdrawal from Finland in 1917 and the subsequent Finnish Civil War of 1918. It was decided in the 1920's to modify the existing rifles for further use with the Finnish Civil Guard and the Regular Army rather than purchasing brand new rifles. Changes included a shorter barrel, different bayonet, slightly different stock, new forward sight etc etc. When the war broke out the most common version was the Model 1939, simply called M/39.

M39 Rifle - 7.62x54mm R

Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) fires his rifle at the advancing Russians.

The Hakala brothers: Martti Hakala (Taneli Mäkelä) and Paavo Hakala (Konsta Mäkelä) with their Finnish versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle during a lull in the fighting.

A sideview of the rifle.

Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle

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.

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.

Submachinegun

Suomi KP/-31

The standard SMG of the Finnish Army was the Suomi KP/-31 and it is frequently seen during the movie.

Suomi M/31 - 9x19mm Parabellum

Corporal Erkki Somppi (Antti Raivio) fires his Suomi SMG.

Another view of the Suomi SMG.

Frontal view of the SMG.

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.

File:Lahtim26.jpg

Lahti-Saloranta LS/26 - 7.62mmx54Russian

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

The DP LMG is used by both the Red Army soldiers and the Finnish soldiers.

Degtyarev DP-28 machine gun, 7.62x54mm R

A Russian soldier with his DP during an attack on Finnish trenches.

A Finnish soldier seen using the DP during an advance on the Russians.