Finland

The Soviet Union invaded Finland three months after the outbreak of the Second World War on the 30th of November 1939, sparking what became known as the Winter War. Russia entered into the Winter War when Finland refused Soviet territorial demands aimed at defending access to Leningrad. Although secretly Stalin may have been aiming to conqur all of Finland, the secret protocols of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the puppet Finnish Communist Government stand as evedence of this secret aim.

The Soviet army performed poorly against Finland, having been degraded by the Soviet purge of the Red Army Officer Class by Stalin before the Second World War. For two months the Soviet Red Army suffered losses in the −45 °F cold, ini January 1940 the Soviets disolved the puppet Finnish Communist Government and offered to enter into peace negotiations.

The Red Army underwent a reorganization before renewing the Soviet offensive in February 1940 with refreshed tactics that overcame the Finnish defences on the Karelian Isthmus. Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim the commander of Finnish forces eurged a peace deal with the Soviets while Finland still had a position to bargaining from, as the Finnish army was nearing the breaking point.

The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed in March 1940, with Finland ceded 9% of its territory to the Soviet Union. But the poor performance of the Red Army tarnished the country's reputation, which in turn encouraged German leader Adolf Hitler.

Finland retained its sovereignty, although losing territory along Lake Ladoga. Fifteen months passed as Germany waged war through the Low Countries before Hitler turned his attention back to Russia and Operation Barbarossa.

Meanwhile Finland had been attempting to purchase arms and equipment from Germany, but trade deals had been blocked by Germany as the leadership was not sure about the eventual position of Finland, given the desire to German plans to invade Russia. The relationship between Germany and Finland was reassessed and a secret trade in arms was given the go ahead. While German troops were in turn permitted to transit through Finnish terratory.

In responce Molotov visted Berlin on the 12th of November 1940 to remind Hitler that the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact also aimed to prevent Germany or the Soviet Union from redrawing spheres of influence, which the German change in policy towards Finland had done. Hitler in turn asked Molotov how the Soviets planned to settle the Finnish question?

Molotov retorted that the solution would mirror what happened to Bessarabia and the Baltic states. States that were occupied by the Red Army, with the government of each being replaced by a Soviet Puppet Government (in much the same way as was attempted at the start of the Winter War with the establishment of the Finnish Puppet Government). Hitler for his part, rejected this course of action.

Although Hitler had approved operation Barbarossa on the 18th of December 1940, in which Hitler expected Finland to play a role. Finland was not brought into confidence about the operation until much later. but the government of Finland saw the German invasion as an opertunity to regain terratory lost from the Winter War, thus the Finnish government never signed the Tripartite Pact. Instead stating they would fight against the Soviet Union in order to redress the losses forced upon Finland from the 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty.