Background to the play
World War II and the Winter War
World War II broke out when, in September 1939, Germany, led by Hitler, invaded Poland and as a result, France and Britain declared war on Germany.
The Soviet Union demanded parts from Finland, e.g. Karelian Isthmus and offered an exchange of territory. The trade was not agreed to, and in November 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland and the Winter War broke out. Finland lost large areas of land to the Soviet Union.
An armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union was signed in March 1940, but the world war continued. Germany invaded Denmark, Norway and France in April and May 1940 and quickly captured the countries.
Cooperation with Germany
In August 1940, Germany inquired about allowing the transit of its troops in Finland and also offered the opportunity to buy military equipment. The request was granted.
In May 1941, Germany asked Finland to take part in the attack on Leningrad. Finland wanted to remain neutral, but also to be prepared, and on 3 June 1941, an agreement was reached on cooperation and German troops began to transfer equipment to northern Finland.
On 22 June, Hitler declared in a radio speech that Finland would fight together with Germany. Finland had announced that it would remain neutral, so Hitler’s speech was embarrassing for the country’s leadership. However, public opinion in Finland received Hitler’s speech as a relief. The Finnish people, who had experienced the Winter War, were unanimously behind the regaining of the lost Karelia.
Continuation War
The Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union broke out on 25 June 1941. The Finnish front was divided between German and Finnish troops so that the Finns were responsible for the southern front and the Germans for the Lapland front. Finnish troops quickly captured the territories lost in the Winter War. In December 1941, the advance was halted and a trench warfare phase that lasted for more than two years began.
German-Finnish labour market
The arrival of the German army started a huge construction activity and road improvement in the north. Large numbers of barracks were built, and Finnish labor was needed for canteens, hospitals, headquarters, laundries, and the kitchens of the crew and officers. Those who spoke German were given better-paid positions as secretaries and office workers. Word of good wages and work benefits began to spread, and young women from all over Finland began to arrive in the new labour market in the north. There was no need to pay separately for housing and food, wages were paid on time and the treatment was appropriate.
The economic benefits of the presence of the German army extended to all strata of society. Thus, the state, municipalities, associations and private companies were able to take part in the increased demand for labour, services and products. An ordinary carpenter could earn in three or four days a sum that was defined as a monthly salary in official contracts.
The brotherhood in arms was strengthened with joint evening gatherings. Dating relationships were formed, but marriage applications were usually rejected by the German army, citing either security policy or racial policy reasons.
As the war dragged on, conflicts began to arise because Finland suffered from a shortage of labour. Young women would have been needed in the countryside as animal keepers, harvesting and cultivating jobs, but they preferred to work for the Germans. Some announced that they would not obey the orders of the employment authorities.
Peace negotiations
In February 1943, Germany suffered a major defeat at Stalingrad. Finland conducted peace negotiations with the Soviet Union throughout 1943 and demanded the 1939 borders as the basis for the peace negotiations, but Stalin’s conditions included the 1940 peace borders.
The Soviet Union tried to persuade Finland with large-scale bombing of Helsinki in February 1944 and wanted a quick solution to the war in order to be able to concentrate its troops in the capture of Berlin. The Soviet Union demanded an unconditional surrender from Finland, but Finland rejected the peace terms in April 1944.
On June 24, 1944, when the front was about to collapse, Finland announced its willingness to surrender and break off its relations with Germany. On the same day, Germany replied that it would increase both its economic and military support to Finland. On 26 June 1944, President Risto Ryti signed an agreement with the Germans on the continuation of cooperation.
After mid-July, the Soviet Union abandoned the demand for unconditional surrender and announced its readiness for an armistice, provided that it was signed by Mannerheim. A separate peace was made after Ryti had resigned from his position and the Parliament had elected Mannerheim as president under an emergency law.
Armistice
On 19 September, an armistice was signed in Moscow, in which Finland ceded Petsamo to the Soviet Union in addition to the territories lost in the Winter War and was forced to lease Porkkala for 50 years. Finland had to reduce its army and pay heavy war reparations. Anti-Soviet and “fascist” organizations (including Lotta Svärd) had to be permanently abolished.
Lapland War
The Lapland War was declared between Finland and Germany on 15 September 1944. The Soviet Union pressured Finland into fighting, but the withdrawal was initially carried out according to a schedule secretly agreed with the Germans, although there were also shooting incidents. The Germans retreated to the north to make way for the Finnish troops, resorting to scorched earth tactics. At the same time, the Finnish government carried out the evacuation of the entire population and livestock of the province of Lapland. The situation in the north was chaotic and uncertain. Evacuation transports going in opposite directions by the Finns and Germans were blocking the roads, and at the same time the Germans had begun to destroy roads and bridges. In the winter, the war turned into a trench warfare in the Army, until the last German troops withdrew to the Norwegian side at the end of April 1945.
In the changed situation, there was a fear among the women who had worked for the Germans or dated them about what would happen to them if the Soviet Union occupied Finland. The atmosphere became hostile. Women who married a German man were automatically German citizens and this meant either leaving the country or being transited to an internment camp. The fear of ending up in Siberia or having their throats slit led many of the women to flee to Sweden or withdraw from Finland with their German job. However, everyone had to leave the Province of Lapland somewhere. The only question was where the journey would take the person leaving, to evacuate or to follow the Germans.
Sources:
Heiskanen, Anu: Salateitse Saksaan. Otava 2019
Jussila, Osmo; Hentilä, Seppo; Nevakivi, Jukka: “Hentilä: itsenäistystä jatkosotan loppumisen”, Suomen politiska historia 1809–1995. WSOY, 1995