Swedish Intervention in the Winter War: Swedish Volunteer Corps

Swedish Volunteer Corps in the 17th century church of Torneå

Swedish fighter pilot with his J9 Seversky in Swedish service

4th Ranger Company of the Swedish Voluntary Corps

World opinion largely supported the Finnish cause, and the Soviet aggression was generally deemed unjustified. International help to Finland was planned, but very little actual help materialized, except from Sweden (Finland constituted the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden for centuries before 1809). Swedish support of Finland was near universal, under the slogan Finland's cause is ours! Volunteers arrived from America, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Norway and Italy. By far, the largest foreign contingent came from neighbouring Sweden. Sweden was officially non-belligerent, however not neutral. During the course of the war only volunteers could be used by Finland. 12,705 Swedes volunteered against the Soviet aggression in Finland. The Swedish Volunteer Corps fought on the northern front at Salla alongside Finnish soldiers. A Swedish unit of Gloster Gladiator, named the Flight Regiment 19 were responsible for the air defence of northern Finland and the city of Turku (Åbo). Hostilities ceased in March 13 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. Finland lost one eleventh of its national territory and 30 percent of its economic assets to the Soviet Union. 12 percent of Finland's population, some 422,000 Karelians, were evacuated and lost their homes. However, Finland had avoided having the Soviet Union annex the whole country. The peace treaty thwarted the Franco-British plan to send troops to Finland through northern Scandinavia. One of the operation's major goals had been to take control of northern Sweden's iron ore and cut its deliveries to the German Reich. Top image: Swedish volunteers for Nordic independence take part for service of worship in Torneå in Finnish Lapland 1940. The Swedish Volunteer Corps were highly mobile in winter warfare and well equipped. Credit: Julius Jääskeläinen. SA-kuva. Middle image: the Swedish Volunteer Air Wing F19 was equipped with Swedish planes marked with Finnish national swastika markings. The air wing's mission was to pursue reconnaissance and attacks on Soviet airbases and ground troops. Photo by Swedish press photographer Karl Werner Gullers 1940-41. Credit: Julius Jääskeläinen. Nordic Museum in Stockholm. Bottom image: the former Swedish military attache to Moscow First Lieutenant Anders Grafström is presented a standard for the 4th Jäger Company of the Swedish Voluntary Corps in Finland 1940. The words translated as Honor, Duty and Will were spoken by Swedish General Carl Georg von Döbeln during the war against Russia in 1809. Credit: Jared Enos. The Military Archives of Sweden. Photos in the PD.