82-623: Finland Iceland Norway The British occupation of the Faroe Islands during World War II , also known as Operation Valentine , was implemented immediately following Operation Weserübung the German invasion of Denmark and Norway . It was a small component of the roles of Nordic countries in the war . In April 1940, the United Kingdom occupied the strategically important Faroe Islands (part of Denmark) to forestall
164-717: A UN-led peacekeeping mission in October 2006 when the corvette HSwMS Gävle began performing coastal surveillance duties for the United Nations Mission in Lebanon . HSwMS Gävle was relieved by HSwMS Sundsvall , which returned to Sweden in September 2007. HSwMS Malmö , HSwMS Stockholm , and HSwMS Trossö took part in the EU-led EUNAVFOR operation (2008– ) off
246-533: A German invasion. British troops left shortly after the end of the war. At the time of the occupation, the Faroe Islands had the status of an amt (county) of Denmark. Following the invasion and occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, British forces launched Operation Valentine to occupy the Faroe Islands. On 11 April, Winston Churchill – then First Lord of the Admiralty – announced to the House of Commons that
328-640: A change in the constitutional status of the Faroe Islands whilst Denmark was still occupied. Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of the Second World War in Europe, the occupation was terminated in May 1945 and the last British soldiers left in September. The experience of wartime self-government left a return to the pre-war status of an amt (county) unrealistic and unpopular. The 1946 Faroese independence referendum led to local autonomy within
410-680: A frontier from Lake Ladoga in the south, via Lake Onega to the White Sea in the north. The importance of the Murmansk railway, built in 1916, led the Soviet delegation to reject the Finnish border proposal, and the treaty of 14 October 1920 recognised a border agreement in which Finland obtained the northern port of Petsamo (Pechenga), an outlet to the Arctic Ocean , and a border roughly
492-516: A more active role in pushing the Germans out of Lapland, thus intensifying hostilities. The Germans adopted a scorched-earth policy, and proceeded to lay waste to the entire northern half of the country as they retreated. Around 100,000 people lost their homes, adding to the burden of post-war reconstruction. The actual loss of life, however, was relatively light. Finland lost approximately 1,000 troops and Germany about 2,000. The Finnish army expelled
574-569: A name-based estimate of 74 Jews), most likely perished in Nazi concentration camps . During World War II , Finland was anomalous: It was the only European country bordering the Soviet Union in 1939 which was still unoccupied by 1945. It was a country which sided with Germany, but in which native Jews and almost all refugees were safe from persecution. It was the only country that fought alongside Nazi Germany which maintained democracy throughout
656-586: A number of ships from the Hanseatic town of Lübeck . Official Swedish histories since the 19th century have often recorded this day as the birth of the current Swedish Navy. The museum ship Vasa in Stockholm was a 17th-century ship of the Royal Swedish Navy ( Kungliga flottan ). The Amphibious Corps dates back to 1 January 1902, when a separate " Coastal Artillery " ( Kustartilleriet )
738-622: A part of Finland before. This resulted with Stalin asking Roosevelt for help in restoring peaceful relations between Finland and the Soviet Union on 4 August 1941. Finland's refusal of the Soviet offer of territorial concessions in exchange for a peace treaty would later cause Great Britain to declare war on Finland on 6 December (the US maintained diplomatic relations with Finland until the summer of 1944). The German and Finnish troops in Northern Finland were less successful, failing to take
820-499: A peace treaty with Moscow . The tenacity of the Finnish people, both military and civilian, in the face of a superior opponent gained the country much sympathy throughout the world; however, material support from other countries was very limited, as none of Finland's neighbors were willing to commit their militaries to a war against the USSR. The need for a diplomatic solution became even more apparent after Soviet forces broke through
902-688: A position. Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( Swedish : Svenska marinen ) is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces . It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet ( Flottan ), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy ( Kungliga Flottan ) – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ( Amfibiekåren ). Founded under King Gustav I in 1522,
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#1732765838667984-614: A pro-German policy and sought to annex Russian Karelia , which had a Finnish-speaking majority, despite never having been a part of Finland. After the extinction of the Hohenzollern monarchy on 9 November 1918, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent, German troops left Finland, and British ships patrolled the Baltic Sea. Mannerheim was elected regent by the Eduskunta , and Finnish policy became pro-Entente as
1066-479: A significant disadvantage. The Winter War was fought in two Soviet offensives, divided by a short lull. The war was fought mainly in three areas. The Karelian Isthmus and the area of Lake Ladoga were the primary focus of the Soviet war effort. A two-pronged attack was launched in this region, with one pincer engaging Finnish forces on the Isthmus while the other went around Lake Ladoga in an attempt at encircling
1148-892: The Danish flag . This was of considerable significance given the importance of the fishing fleet to the Faroese economy. Following some intensive discussions between the British occupation authorities, the Faroese authorities and the Danish Prefect, as well as discussions between the UK Foreign Office and the Danish Embassy in London, on 25 April 1940 the British authorities recognised the Faroese flag – Merkið – as
1230-570: The Finnish defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus and moved on towards Viipuri. A peace proposal authored by Molotov was sent to Helsinki in mid-February. It placed heavy demands on Finland, claiming more land for the USSR and imposing significant diplomatic and military sanctions. By 28 February, Molotov had made his offer into an ultimatum with a 48-hour time limit, which pushed the Finnish leadership to act quickly. On 12 March 1940,
1312-668: The Hanko Peninsula , and various islands in the Gulf of Finland, all of which were considered by the Finns to be Finnish territory. No agreement was reached. On 26 November the Soviet Union accused the Finnish army of shelling the village of Mainila . It was subsequently found that the Soviets had in fact shelled their own village, in order to create a pretext for withdrawal from their non-aggression pact with Finland. On 30 November 1939,
1394-633: The Løgting , the Faroese parliament), an emergency meeting of the Løgting was convened the same afternoon. Pro-independence members tried to declare the independence of the Faroe Islands from the Kingdom of Denmark but were outvoted. An official announcement was later made announcing the occupation and ordering a night blackout in Tórshavn and neighbouring Argir , the censorship of post and telegraphy and
1476-733: The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed, with hostilities ending the following day. By the terms of the treaty, Finland ceded 9% of its territory to the USSR. This was more territory than the Soviets had originally demanded . The period of peace following the Winter War was widely regarded in Finland as temporary, even when peace was announced in March 1940. A period of frantic diplomatic efforts and rearmament followed. The Soviet Union kept up intense pressure on Finland, thereby hastening
1558-579: The Paris Peace Treaty , Finland was classified as an ally of Nazi Germany, bearing its responsibility for the war. The treaty imposed heavy war reparations on Finland and stipulated the lease of the Porkkala area near the Finnish capital Helsinki as a military base for fifty years. The reparations were initially thought to be crippling for the economy, but a determined effort was made to pay them. The reparations were reduced by 25% in 1948 by
1640-521: The Red Army launched a major strategic offensive against Finland , attaining vast numerical superiority and surprising the Finnish army. This attack pushed the Finnish forces approximately to the same positions as they were holding at the end of the Winter War. Eventually, the Soviet offensive was fought to a standstill in the Battle of Tali–Ihantala , while still tens or hundreds of kilometres in front of
1722-598: The Russian Civil War , the Finnish parliament ( Suomen Eduskunta ) declared independence from Russia, which was accepted by the Bolshevik government of the Soviet Union on 31 December. In January 1918, the Eduskunta ordered General Carl Mannerheim to use local Finnish White Guards to disarm Finnish Red Guards and Russian troops throughout the country, a process which began on 27 January and led to
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#17327658386671804-592: The civil ensign of the Faroe Island s. Finland in World War II Finland participated in the Second World War initially in a defensive war against the Soviet Union , followed by another, this time offensive, war against the Soviet Union acting in concert with Nazi Germany and then finally fighting alongside the Allies against Germany. The first two major conflicts in which Finland
1886-626: The 14th century, the duty to serve in ledungen was replaced by a tax. In 1427, when Sweden was still part of the Kalmar Union (with Denmark and Norway), Swedish warships did however participate in the naval battle of Öresund against the Hanseatic League . It is unclear how this force was organised and exactly on what basis. On 7 June 1522, one year after the separation of Sweden from the Kalmar Union, Gustav Vasa purchased
1968-490: The British Consul, Frederick Mason (1913–2008) also married a local woman, Karen Rorholm. The Faroe Islands suffered occasional attacks by Luftwaffe aircraft but an invasion was never attempted. Drifting sea mines proved to be a considerable problem and resulted in the loss of numerous fishing boats and their crews. The trawler Nýggjaberg was sunk on 7 March 1942 near Iceland ; 21 Faroese seamen were killed in
2050-527: The British personnel in the Faroes were stationed at Vágar, mostly working on the construction of the airfield. Abandoned after the war, it was reopened as the civilian Vágar Airport in 1963. Left-hand traffic was in force on the roads of the island of Vágar until the British troops left the Faroe Islands. After Germany occupied Denmark, the British Admiralty no longer allowed Faroese vessels to fly
2132-543: The Danish realm in 1948. The largest tangible sign of the British presence is the runway of Vágar Airport . Other reminders include the naval guns at the fortress of Skansin in Tórshavn, which served as the British military headquarters. A continuing reminder is the Faroese love of fish and chips and British chocolate such as Dairy Milk (which is readily available in shops throughout the islands but not in Denmark). After
2214-446: The Faroe Islands would be occupied, We are also at this moment occupying the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark and which are a strategic point of high importance, and whose people showed every disposition to receive us with warm regard. We shall shield the Faroe Islands from all the severities of war and establish ourselves there conveniently by sea and air until the moment comes when they will be handed back to Denmark liberated from
2296-556: The Faroe Islands) was fixed at 22.4 kroner to one pound sterling . Emergency banknotes were issued and Faroese banknotes were later printed by Bradbury Wilkinson in England. During the occupation, the Løgting was given full legislative powers, albeit as an expedient given the occupation of Denmark. Although in the 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum , Iceland became an independent republic, Churchill refused to countenance
2378-589: The Finnish Army controlled East Karelia between 1941 and 1944, several concentration camps were set up for Russian civilians . The first camp was set up on 24 October 1941, in Petrozavodsk. Of these interned civilians 4,361 perished mainly due to malnourishment, 90% of them during the spring and summer of 1942. Finland never signed the Tripartite Pact , but was aided in its military assault on
2460-479: The Finnish efforts to improve the security of the country. Defensive arrangements were attempted with Sweden and the United Kingdom, but the political and military situation in the context of the Second World War rendered these efforts fruitless. Finland then turned to Nazi Germany for military aid. As the German offensive against the Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ) approached, the cooperation between
2542-478: The Finnish-Soviet border. This had the effect of instantly unifying the once deeply-divided Finnish people in defense of their homes and country, without any referendums needing to be carried out. By late December the Soviets had become bogged down, with the two main fronts at a standstill as the Finns counterattacked with greater strength than anticipated. With the failure of two of its three offensives by
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2624-468: The Germans to tie them more tightly together. Finland managed not to take part in the siege of Leningrad despite Hitler's wishes, and refused to cut the Murmansk railway. Finnish Jews were not persecuted, and even among extremists of the Finnish Right they were highly tolerated, as many leaders of the movement came from the clergy. Of approximately 500 Jewish refugees, eight were handed over to
2706-473: The Germans, a fact for which Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen issued an official apology in 2000. The field synagogue operated by the Finnish army was probably a unique phenomenon in the Eastern Front of the war. Finnish Jews fought alongside other Finns. About 2,600–2,800 Soviet prisoners of war were handed over to the Germans in exchange for roughly 2,200 Finnic prisoners of war held by
2788-572: The Germans. In November 2003, the Simon Wiesenthal Center submitted an official request to Finnish President Tarja Halonen for a full-scale investigation by the Finnish authorities of the prisoner exchange. In the subsequent study by Professor Heikki Ylikangas it turned out that about 2,000 of the exchanged prisoners joined the Russian Liberation Army . The rest, mostly army and political officers, (among them
2870-624: The Lovat Scouts were in turn replaced by the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) . From 1944, the British garrison was considerably reduced. The author Eric Linklater was part of the British garrison and his 1956 novel The Dark of Summer was set in the Faroe Islands during the war years. On 20 June 1940, six Swedish Navy ships arrived in the Faroe Islands. Four, HSwMS Psilander , Puke , Romulus and Remus , were destroyers bought from Italy and being sailed to Sweden. The fifth,
2952-461: The Russian port city of Murmansk during Operation Silver Fox . On 31 July 1941 the United Kingdom launched Operation EF to demonstrate support for the Soviet Union. These raids were unsuccessful. In December 1941, the Finnish army took defensive positions. This led to a long period of relative calm in the front line, lasting until 1944. During this period, starting at 1941 but especially after
3034-584: The Scandinavian peninsula makes it highly dependent of maritime trade: 90% imports and exports enter or leave Sweden through the Baltic. In 1972, the government decreed that non-military measures should be used to protect merchant shipping. The resolution led to the decommissioning of all the navy's destroyers and frigates, though the non-military measures the government intended to use to protect shipping have never been specified. The navy first participated in
3116-683: The Soviet Union and to formally acknowledge partial responsibility for the Continuation War. Finnish political policy during the Cold War was aimed at appeasing the Soviet Union in order to maintain good relations. In 1809, the Russian Empire seized Finland from Sweden in the Finnish War . Finland entered a personal union with the Russian Empire as a grand duchy with extensive autonomy . On 6 December 1917, during
3198-493: The Soviet Union and were paid off in 1952. Porkkala was returned to Finnish control in 1956. In subsequent years the position of Finland was unique in the Cold War . The country was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, but was the only country on the Soviet pre-World War II border to retain democracy and a market economy . Finland entered into the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance (YYA Treaty) with
3280-597: The Soviet Union attacked Finland. The attack was denounced by the League of Nations , and as a result, the Soviet Union was expelled from that body on 14 December. The aim of the invasion was to liberate the 'Red Finns' and eventually annex Finland to the Soviet Union . To this end, a puppet government, the Finnish Democratic Republic , was established in Terijoki under the leadership of
3362-457: The Soviet Union by Germany from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and in its defence against Soviet attacks in 1944 prior to the separate peace with the Soviet Union in 1944. Finland was led by its elected president and parliament during the whole 1939–1945 period. As a result, some political scientists name it as one of the few instances where a democratic country was engaged in a war against one or more other democratic countries, namely
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3444-463: The Soviet Union in which the Soviet Union agreed to the neutral status of Finland. Arms purchases were balanced between East and West until the fall of the Soviet Union. During the Continuation War (1941–1944) Finland's wartime government claimed to be a co-belligerent of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, and abstained from signing the Tripartite Pact . Finland was dependent on food, fuel, and armament shipments from Germany during this period, and
3526-621: The Soviet army reassessed its strategy, and rearmed and resupplied. On 29 January, Molotov put an end to the puppet Terijoki Government and recognized the Ryti government as the legal government of Finland, informing it that the USSR was willing to negotiate peace. The last phase began in February 1940, with a major artillery barrage that began on the 2nd and lasted until the 11th, accompanied by reconnaissance raids at key objectives. The Soviets, using new equipment and materials, also began using
3608-426: The Soviet leadership, as they were in a race to reach Berlin before the Western Allies . This, and the heavy casualties inflicted on the Red Army by the Finns, led to the transfer of most troops from the Finnish front. On 4 September 1944 a ceasefire was agreed, and the Moscow Armistice between the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on one side and Finland on the other was signed on 19 September. The Moscow armistice
3690-426: The Swedish navy is one of the oldest continuously serving navies in the world , celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2022. Early Swedish kings ( c. 9th–14th centuries) organised a Swedish Navy along the coastline through ledungen . This involved combined rowing and sailing ships (without artillery). This system became obsolete with the development of society and changes in military technology. No later than in
3772-414: The Winter War was thwarted, and by the end of World War II, Finland remained an independent country. However, Finland ceded approximately 10% of its territory to the Soviet Union, including Viipuri (Finland's second-largest city [Population Register] or fourth-largest city [Church and Civil Register], depending on the census data ). Finland was also required to pay out a large amount of war reparations to
3854-444: The attack and joining in the attack on the USSR almost immediately. The 1947 Paris Peace treaty signed by Finland stated that Finland had been "an ally of Hitlerite Germany" and bore partial responsibility for the conflict. Finland was an anomaly among German allies in that it retained an independent, democratic government. Moreover, during the war, Finland kept its army outside the German command structure despite numerous attempts by
3936-409: The beginning of the Finnish Civil War . After the Eastern Front and peace negotiations between the Bolsheviks and Germany collapsed, German troops intervened in the country and occupied Helsinki and Finland. The Red faction was defeated and the survivors were subjected to a reign of terror, in which at least 12,000 people died. A new government, with Juho Kusti Paasikivi as prime minister, pursued
4018-403: The border during the earlier negotiations, and now fielded four armies composed of 16 divisions, with another three being brought into position; meanwhile, the Finnish army had just 9 smaller divisions. The Soviets also enjoyed overwhelming superiority in the number of armour and air units deployed. The Finns had to defend a border that was some 1287 km (800 miles) in length, putting them at
4100-426: The coast of the Horn of Africa . In 2010, HSwMS Carlskrona was the EUNAVFOR flagship, housing the fleet headquarters led by RAdm (LH) Jan Thörnqvist . Until recently, the Navy was led by the Chief of the Navy , who was typically a vice admiral . This office has been eliminated, and the highest officer of the Navy is now the Chief of Navy , Rear Admiral Johan Norlén , who is the senior representative of
4182-417: The defenders. This force was then to advance to and capture the city of Viipuri . The second front was in central Karelia, where Soviet forces were to advance to the city of Oulu , cutting the country in half. Finally, a drive from the north was intended to capture the Petsamo region. The first attack, on 30 November 1939, was an aerial bombardment of the city of Helsinki , with subsidiary attacks all along
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#17327658386674264-437: The democracies in the Allied forces. However, nearly all Finnish military engagements in World War II were fought solely against an autocratic power, the Soviet Union, and the lack of direct conflicts specifically with other democratic countries leads others to exclude Finnish involvement in World War II as an example of a war between two or more democracies. Finnish President Tarja Halonen , speaking in 2005, said that "For us
4346-403: The destroyers HMS Havant and HMS Hesperus . An announcement was broadcast on BBC radio. An aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) was seen over the Faroese capital Tórshavn on the same day. On 12 April, the two Royal Navy destroyers arrived in Tórshavn harbour. Following a meeting with Carl Aage Hilbert (the Danish prefect of the islands) and Kristian Djurhuus (president of
4428-485: The end of December, Soviet headquarters ordered a cessation of operations. By 27 December, it was observed that the Soviets were digging in on the Karelian Isthmus. In the north, the Finns had been pushed back to Nautsi , but with reinforcements, had been able to take the higher ground and halt the Soviet advance south of Petsamo. During this period the Finns harassed supply columns and carried out raids against fortified Soviet positions. A lull followed in January 1940, as
4510-459: The exiled O. W. Kuusinen . Strategic goals of the Red Army included cutting Finland in half and capturing Petsamo in the north and Helsinki in the south. The leader of the Leningrad Military District, Andrei Zhdanov , commissioned a celebratory piece from Dmitri Shostakovich , Suite on Finnish Themes , intended to be performed as the marching bands of the Red Army paraded through Helsinki. The Soviets had been building up their forces on
4592-401: The foul thraldom into which they have been plunged by German aggression. On the same day HMS Suffolk embarked Faroes Force, consisting of 13 officers and 180 men of the Royal Marines under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel T. B. W. Sandall, at Scapa Flow. Faroes Force was also equipped with two 3.7" howitzers . By 12 April HMS Suffolk was on passage to the Faroe Islands, escorted by
4674-495: The friendly occupation. The celebration was attended by HMS Brilliant and a Royal Marines band. Sir Frederick Mason, the former wartime British consul to the Faroes, was also present, aged 76. More than 200 Faroese seamen lost their lives at sea during World War II, most due to the war. A monument in their memory stands in Tórshavn's municipal park. Several Faroese vessels were either bombed or sunk by German submarines or by drifting sea mines. Faroese fishing vessels harvested
4756-421: The last of the foreign troops from Finland in April 1945. The war caused great damage to infrastructure and the economy. From the autumn of 1944, the Finnish army and navy performed many mine clearance operations, especially in Karelia, Lapland and the Gulf of Finland. Sea mine clearance activities lasted until 1950. The mines caused many military and civilian casualties, particularly in Lapland. As part of
4838-401: The main Finnish line of fortifications, the Salpa Line . However, the war had exhausted Finnish resources and it was believed that the country would not be able to hold against another major attack. The worsening situation in 1944 had led to Finnish president Risto Ryti giving Germany his personal guarantee that Finland would not negotiate peace with the Soviet Union for as long as he was
4920-507: The major German defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad , intermittent peace inquiries took place. These negotiations did not lead to any settlement. In September 1943, a few months after Stalingrad, Finland indicated its independence of Germany by not recognizing the puppet Italian Social Republic , proclaimed by the Germans in northern Italy. On 16 March 1944, the President of the United States , Franklin D. Roosevelt , called for Finland to disassociate itself from Nazi Germany. On 9 June 1944,
5002-427: The occupation of Denmark he was unable formally to represent the Danish government. He duly accepted the British terms on the basis that the UK would not seek to interfere with the internal affairs of the islands. A formal protest was made by the Løgting, albeit expressing the wish for friendly relations. Faroes Force was disembarked, to be replaced on 27 May by soldiers of the Lovat Scouts , a Scottish regiment. In 1942,
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#17327658386675084-399: The occupation, instances of multiple sclerosis increased in the Faroe Islands, something which American and German neuroepidemiologists such as John F. Kurtzke and Klaus Lauer attribute to the presence of occupying British soldiers who were recuperating from multiple sclerosis on the islands. In 1990, the Faroese government organised British Week, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of
5166-533: The passenger ship Patricia , had been used to take the destroyer crew to Italy and was bringing civilian passengers back. The sixth, the tanker Castor , had been converted to naval status to bunker the ships. The Royal Navy seized all the ships under armed threat and moved them to Orkney . Although Sweden was neutral and not at war, Britain feared Germany would seize the ships if they continued to Sweden. After political negotiations Sweden secured their return. The Royal Navy had stripped equipment and caused damage to
5248-404: The president. In exchange, Germany delivered weapons to the Finns. After the Soviet offensive was halted, however, Ryti resigned. Due to the war, elections could not be held, and therefore the Parliament selected the Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , the Finnish commander-in-chief , as president and charged him with negotiating a peace. The Finnish front had become a sideshow for
5330-429: The prohibition of the use of motor vehicles during the night without a permit. On 13 April, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Suffolk arrived at Tórshavn. Colonel T. B. W. Sandall (the British military commander) and Frederick Mason (the new British consul to the Faroe Islands) then met with the Danish prefect, Carl Aage Hilbert, who responded with what Sandall took to be a formal protest, although he maintained that owing to
5412-420: The proximity of the Finnish border to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) caused worry among the Soviet leadership. On 23 August 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , which included a secret clause demarcating Finland as part of the Soviet sphere of influence. On 12 October the Soviet Union began negotiations with Finland regarding the disposition of the Karelian Isthmus ,
5494-442: The region was the nickel mines in the Petsamo area. Initially the warfare was cautious on both sides, reflecting the previous cooperation of the two countries against their common enemy, but by the end of 1944 the fighting intensified. Finland and Germany had made an informal agreement and schedule for German troops to withdraw from Lapland to Norway. The Soviet Union did not accept this "friendliness" and pressured Finland to take
5576-422: The same as that of the former Grand Duchy of Finland . Claims on areas of Eastern Karelia were abandoned and the Soviets accepted that the south-eastern border would not be moved west of Petrograd. During the Interwar period , relations between Finland and the Soviet Union were tense. Some elements in Finland maintained the dream of a "Greater Finland" which included the Soviet-controlled part of Karelia , while
5658-425: The sea near Iceland and around the Faroe Islands and transported their catch to the UK for sale. At least one aircraft accident caused British fatalities. Five of a crew of six died in a crash of a British RAF aircraft on 9 November 1942. The only airfield on the Faroe Islands was built in 1942–43 on the island of Vágar by the Royal Engineers under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel William E. Law. The majority of
5740-404: The ships, for which Britain later paid compensation. The Swedish commander was criticised by other Swedish officers for conceding the ships without resistance. A plaque was erected by British veterans in Tórshavn Cathedral expressing thanks for the kindness shown to them by the Faroese people during their presence. Approximately 170 marriages took place between British soldiers and Faroese women;
5822-471: The tactic of rotating troops from the reserve to the front, thus keeping constant pressure on the Finnish defenders. Relative to Finnish resources, the Red Army seemed to have inexhaustible amounts of ammunition and supplies, as attacks were always preceded by barrages, followed by aerial assaults and then random troop movements against the lines. Finnish military and government leaders came to feel that their only hope of preserving their nation lay in negotiating
5904-458: The two countries intensified. German troops arrived in Finland and took up positions, mostly in Lapland , from where they would invade the Soviet Union. Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941. On 25 June the Soviet Union launched an air raid against Finnish cities, after which Finland declared war and also allowed German troops stationed in Finland to begin offensive warfare. The resulting war
5986-477: The war. It was in fact the only democracy in mainland Europe that remained so despite being an involved party in the war. According to the Finnish records 19,085 Soviet prisoners of war died in Finnish prison camps during the Continuation War, which means that 29.6% of Soviet POWs taken by the Finns did not survive. The high number of fatalities was mainly due to malnutrition and diseases. However, about 1,000 POWs were shot, primarily when attempting to escape. When
6068-661: The western powers intervened in the Russian Civil War (7 November 1917 – 16 June 1923). Mannerheim favoured intervention against the Bolsheviks but suspicion of the White Russians who refused to recognise Finnish independence led to his aggressive policy being overruled; then, the Bolshevik victory in Russia forestalled Finnish hostilities. Paasikivi led a delegation to Tartu , in Estonia, with instructions to establish
6150-470: The whole of Petsamo over to the Soviet Union. Finland also agreed to legalize communist parties and ban fascist organizations. Finally, the armistice also demanded that Finland expel German troops from its territory, which was the cause of the Lapland War . The Lapland War was fought between Finland and Nazi Germany in Lapland , the northernmost part of Finland. The main strategic interest of Germany in
6232-656: The world war meant a separate war against the Soviet Union and we did not incur any debt of gratitude to others". Finnish President Mauno Koivisto also expressed similar views in 1993. However the view that Finland only fought separately during the Second World War remains controversial within Finland and was not generally accepted outside Finland. In a 2008 poll of 28 Finnish historians carried out by Helsingin Sanomat , 16 said that Finland had been an ally of Nazi Germany, six said it had not been, and six did not take
6314-401: The worst loss of Faroese lives in the war. Faroese ships hoisted the Faroese flag and paint FAROES / FØROYAR on the ships' sides for the Royal Navy to identify them as "friendly". To prevent inflation, Danish krone banknotes in circulation on the islands were overstamped with a mark indicating their validity only in the Faroe Islands. The Faroese króna (technically the Danish krone in
6396-617: Was directly involved were the defensive Winter War against an invasion by the Soviet Union in 1939, followed by the offensive Continuation War , together with Germany and the other Axis Powers against the Soviets, in 1941–1944. The third conflict, the Lapland War against Germany in 1944–1945, followed the signing of the Moscow Armistice with the Allied Powers, which stipulated expulsion of Nazi German forces from Finnish territory. The Soviet attempt to conquer Finland in
6478-588: Was established, and Marinen came into use as the name of the service as a whole. The last decade of the 20th century saw the abandonment of the coastal fortifications and the force became a more regular marine corps, renamed Amphibious Corps ( Amfibiekåren ) in 2000. For most of the twentieth century, the Swedish Navy focused on the threat of a full-scale invasion of Sweden via the Baltic Sea and on protecting commercial shipping. Sweden's location on
6560-612: Was influenced to sign the Anti-Comintern Pact , a less formal alliance than the Tripartite Pact seen as by the Nazi leadership as a "litmus test of loyalty". The Finnish leadership adhered to many written and oral agreements on practical co-operation with Germany during the conflict. Finland was one of Germany's most important allies in the attack on the Soviet Union, allowing German troops to be based in Finland before
6642-522: Was known to the Finns as the Continuation War . During the summer and autumn of 1941 the Finnish Army was on the offensive, retaking the territories lost in the Winter War. The Finnish army also advanced further, especially in the direction of Lake Onega , (east from Lake Ladoga ), closing the blockade of the city of Leningrad from the north, and occupying Eastern Karelia , which had many ethnic Finns living there, but had never technically been
6724-460: Was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 19 September 1944 ending the Continuation War, though the final peace treaty was not to be signed until 1947 in Paris. The conditions for peace were similar to those previously agreed in the 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty, with Finland being forced to cede parts of Finnish Karelia, a part of Salla and islands in the Gulf of Finland. The new armistice also handed
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