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Old 22nd July 2011, 12:37
Mirek Wawrzynski Mirek Wawrzynski is offline
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Re: Finnish Brewsters

Quote:
It should be well known today that some Finnish bases were used for some operations as a part of the Operation Barbarossa before that date. If I recall it right, some mining operations started on June 21.
Of course there were landing Ju 88s after mining on Finnish airfileds, but I do not remember, that this bomber had took off to do this from Finnish territory full with bombs or mines. Return landing, after such mission, refueling of course were on Finnish territory.

Second, there were tight German-Finnish inteligence cooperation before 06.1941 too. Finns had handed over DB-3 to Germany for evaluation before 06.1941

Reason of Soviet preemptive attack on Finland had differen reasons, then this small maining Kronstad harbour on 21/22.06. All reasons are cleary given in marschal A.A. Novikov's memories, for example, who had comanded Northern Front aviation then.

In summers 1940-1941 Finlad had only two options, being more or less on German side or being attached to Soviet Union. Stalin had preperad next offeinsive on Finland since last year (1940). Third way did not exist in this political constelation.

Naither Stalin (Baltic's states, Romania), nor Hitler (Belgium, Holland, Greece, Yugoslavia) did not much respect small countries neutrality in 1940-41 period.

So you had to choose, what was better for your state (of being destroyed implementing communist system for the next 50 years or cooperate with nazi Germany)?
No more options.

Regards,
mirekw
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