A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 [Paperback]

William Trotter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

In 1939, tiny Finland waged war-the kind of war that spawns legends-against the mighty Soviet Union, and yet their epic struggle has been largely ignored. Guerrillas on skis, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, unfathomable endurance, and the charismatic leadership of one of this century's true military geniuses-these are the elements of both the Finnish victory and a gripping tale of war.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This history is a well-balanced blend of narrative and analysis. Trotter's overt sympathy for the justice of Finland's cause does not blind him to the justified fear of Nazi Germany that led Russia to demand a buffer zone in front of Leningrad. Similarly, Trotter's admiration for the Finnish army's fighting power does not prevent him from presenting its limitations as well as achievements. Finland's soldiers suffered from fatigue and panic. Their officers were not always competent. Even their victories were incomplete; Russians tied down Finnish troops needed elsewhere. Yet Finland's gallant fight proved decisive in maintaining its independence. In 1940 and again in 1944, Russia chose negotiations over conquest. A Frozen Hell successfully updates Allen Chew's The White Death ( LJ 4/1/72) and belongs in all collections on World War II and modern Scandinavia.
- Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"We will not often find a book written with such authority as this one by Mr. Trotter." -- John Eisenhower, The New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565122496
• ISBN-13: 978-1565122499
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > History > Europe > Finland
  • #10 in Books > History > Europe > Scandinavia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important book about an under-reported conflict, January 11, 2001

By 

J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 (Paperback)

Unfortunately, the Russo-Finnish war is usually given short shrift in most histories of WWII. This, in spite of the fact that it resulted in hundreds of thousands of casulties, in spite of the fact the Finns performed some of the most brilliant feats of arms in modern history, and, in spite of the fact that the Western Allies sacrficed the Finns on the alter of political "necessity".

The courageous, remarkable defense of their homeland by the Finns in the face of insurmountable odds is no less inspiring or intriguing for its ultimate futility. With an even hand, Trotter guides the reader through the ferocious Finnish winter, and takes us into the minds of both Russian and Finnish soldiers as they fight in some of the most appalling battlefield conditions ever.

In conclusion, my sysmpathy for the Finns is obvious, as is Trotter's, but don't doubt that this is a serious work of history. Trotter deals judiciously with all parties to the conflict based on fact; popular mythology plays no role in this work.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced view of Russo-Finnish Winter War, October 22, 2000

By 

"hrautio" (Tyngsboro, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 (Paperback)

I have read both William R. Trotter's "A Frozen Hell" and Engle & Paananen's "The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940". In addition to these books I am in the process of reading 2 books by Max Jakobson, one of which is specifically on the Winter War, as well as a number of academic journal articles on Finland between 1937-1945.

Trotter has done a great job of recounting the Winter War from both the Finnish and Russian political and military perspecives, using available documents. I am an American-Finn who is very proud of my Finnish heritage, yet I was not insulted by Trotter's treatment of the Russian perspective at all - it was very enlightning. I prefer to understand ALL the "why?"s surrounding an event as momentous as the Winter War. It is nice to have some idea what the Russian reasoning and motives were, even if I don't agree with them. Life is rarely black and white as we would like it to be.

The short biography of Marshall Mannerheim in the beginning was especially useful. Understanding the man sheds light on his actions and opinions. It also explains a bit of the history of Russian-Finnish relations as well.

Improvements: More maps would be very helpful. Also, as a Finnish speaking American I can appreciate Trotter's attempt to make understanding easier for non-finnish speakers, however the occasional reference to places in Finn-glish was a slight annoyance. An example would be "... east of Lake Kuokjärvi" where the word "Lake" is redundant because the name of the place says it is a lake. This is a very picky detail and does not detract from the content.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading "A Frozen Hell". The more balanced and objective view taken by Trotter does not take away from the heroics and Sisu of the Finns. I also appreciated inclusion of a more detailed explanation on the surrounding political climate/situations.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good...captivating, February 10, 2000

By 

"banjax" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 (Paperback)

This was a fun read. I didn't know much about this conflict apart from Souomussalmi, and precious little about that either. Trotter does an excellent job portraying the Finns struggle against overwhelming odds, and is careful not to over-romanticize characters such as Mannerheim.

Only a few nitpicks keep this from being a five-star recommendation. It would have been nice if there were more maps--I found myself often looking to the maps for where Trotter was talking about, only to find the places weren't on the maps at all. A map of Finland after the war (and during the Continuation War) would have also been helpful. Also, I felt the Soviet perspective often was neglected in favor of the Finnish one--more accounts of the decisions made by Red Army officers and politicians would have been helpful in understanding some of the battles better. Moreover, I felt that more first-hand accounts would also have helped.

Otherwise, however, this is a fantastic book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in one of the more fascinating campaigns of early-WW2.