Thom reviewed A frozen hell by Trotter
Review of 'A frozen hell' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Covers the reasons behind and the actions in the Winter War, a mismatched conflict between Finland (population 4 million) and Soviet Russia (population 150 million), raging 80 years ago today. If you don't know your history, this book will show you the strength of Finnish resistance, and Sisu.
First published in 1991, the history of this 105 day war gains much from released Soviet documents. The analysis of the starting phases, the continuation and the final peace treaty are excellent. Some of the battle descriptions bog down a little in details of troops. I supplemented the functional maps with wikipedia research and a hex map from a wargame I own on the subject. Contains excellent explanations of the reasons and personalities of the combatants - especially Baron Mannerheim.
This one hasn't been on my reading list, but I've been eyeing it over the years, and now was a perfect time …
Covers the reasons behind and the actions in the Winter War, a mismatched conflict between Finland (population 4 million) and Soviet Russia (population 150 million), raging 80 years ago today. If you don't know your history, this book will show you the strength of Finnish resistance, and Sisu.
First published in 1991, the history of this 105 day war gains much from released Soviet documents. The analysis of the starting phases, the continuation and the final peace treaty are excellent. Some of the battle descriptions bog down a little in details of troops. I supplemented the functional maps with wikipedia research and a hex map from a wargame I own on the subject. Contains excellent explanations of the reasons and personalities of the combatants - especially Baron Mannerheim.
This one hasn't been on my reading list, but I've been eyeing it over the years, and now was a perfect time to dive in. I'm glad I did! The author has also published a few American Civil War books, and while that isn't my favorite genre, I will definitely consider them. I'd also like to read about Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, nicknamed Белая смерть or "White Death". This book rates a solid 4 stars out of 5.