66 – Episode 66 Eastern Interlude
At a time when the German army was concentrating its power on the Western Front, a civil war was going on in Finland, a new country on the Baltic Sea.
In fact, this was a problem faced by most new countries established on Russian territory.
“You communist bastards! “Put your head in and ask where I am!”
Although it was not the Bolsheviks’ intention, the birth of the ‘Socialist Republic’ awakened many communists. They dreamed of turning the new nation into a Soviet republic and joining it as a member of the ‘Soviet Union.’
Of course, there was also the other side.
Baron Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim was one of them.
There were complicated circumstances that led to the Baron, who had been in a German POW camp until a month ago, returning to northern Finland.
The first was a change of heart.
‘The tsar to whom he was loyal changed twice, and the empire itself collapsed. Is there any reason to be loyal to a ruined country?’
Mannerheim found no reason to remain loyal to Russia.
At least Petrograd, which was controlled by communists, did not deserve loyalty.
The second is a sense of duty.
Among the shapeless, melted remains of the Russian army, Mannerheim was one of the few useful officers. If he does not fight for his hometown, who will protect it from communists?
“General. If the general doesn’t help, Finland will fall. “It’s in the hands of communists.”
Members of the Finnish parliament have been pleading for help, saying Mannerheim needs it. My sense of duty as a soldier was too heavy to refuse their earnest request.
The third is desire for fame.
‘If you save a country in crisis, wouldn’t you leave a mark as a hero of national salvation?’
Mannerheim thought this was a good battlefield for an old soldier who had no place to leave his name.
Without hesitation, he left the German POW camp and boarded a ship bound for Finland.
Since the German Navy controlled the Baltic Sea, there was no threat during the trip.
As soon as Mannerheim arrived in Turku, he was awarded command of the Finnish army by Duke Albert.
“The future of the Grand Duchy rests on the general’s shoulders.”
“I will repay your trust, Your Majesty.”
To Mannerheim, it did not matter much whether the head of state was German or not. If he wanted to remain head of state of Finland, that was a good problem to have.
Mannerheim immediately set out to suppress the communists.
“The goal is to restore order. “There is no mercy for communists.”
In the overall situation, the Grand Duchy of Finland was considerably inferior. The capital, Helsinki, and the industrial and populous southern coast were all in communist hands, and the Grand Duchy of Finland occupied only the poor central and northern regions.
The Finnish Soviet Republic’s superiority in terms of mobilization power and material resources was clear.
“hahahaha. That’s also the military. Are you counting the bullets while shooting?”
The Finnish Red Army laughed at the anti-aircraft force.
From Noble mtl dot com
Clearly, Mannerheim’s army was no match for the enemy, either in number or quality. Mannerheim had no choice but to use extreme medication.
“Conscript the boys too.”
In any case, the enemy army also used child soldiers. Even so, it was disadvantageous, so we couldn’t push it to the page count.
The two armies engaged in a brutal bloody battle, using untrained young soldiers as shields.
One day Mannerheim won, but another day the enemy won.
“Conservative reactionaries!”
“Those guys who licked Mannerheim’s asshole don’t deserve to live!”
“The only good commies are dead commies. “Kill everyone, regardless of whether they are children or adults!”
“The only entertainment allowed in Finland is killing commies.”
As the massacre increased, the hatred between both sides increased. Increasingly cruel acts were committed against each other’s prisoners. The consciousness that we were once from the same country has long since faded.
After a fierce battle, it was the enemy who took the initiative.
The battle was in favor of the Finnish enemy.
The Finnish Red Army, which increased its mobilization power over time, put pressure on Mannerheim. The Grand Duchy of Finland’s misfortune was that it was inferior in population and materials.
“Is this a fight we have no choice but to lose?”
Mannerheim only regretted that what he had in his hands was not enough. He was so angry that he had to hand over his hometown to communists.
At that time, Grand Duke Albert ran over, grabbed Mannerheim’s hand, and cried out.
“General, we are alive.”
“Yes? “What is that?”
Behind the Grand Duchy of Finland was Germany. Both the communists and the Grand Duchy had temporarily forgotten the existence of the big brother who brought ‘this country’ into existence.
“The Kaiser ordered it. “Take control of Finland.”
During this chaos, Germany sent a 20,000-strong expeditionary force to Finland. The German intervention was a disaster that the Finnish Red Army could not have imagined. It was as if a major league ace pitcher had been dropped into the K-League.
When the Prussian Army, a war machine, was dropped on a battlefield where at most only a few militiamen were struggling, the situation quickly turned around.
Less than a week after landing on the western coast of Finland, the German army captured the capital, Helsinki, and defeated 10,000 enemy troops. One week was enough for the German Expeditionary Force to bring the Finnish Soviet Republic to crisis.
“Crazy Germans. “Why did you come all the way here?”
“Ah. “The Soviet dream has been destroyed by sausages and the like.”
The German army not only turned the situation around, but also handed over a huge amount of weapons and ammunition.
“This war has been won.”
Mannerheim switched to an active offensive.
As the tide suddenly turned, the Finnish socialists could not bear the blow and fled to Petrograd.
“We will definitely return to our hometown.”
*
The Finnish socialists fled, vowing revenge, but the situation in Petrograd, which would actually look after them, was not easy.
“Reinforcements to Finland will freeze to death. We are in a state of ruin right now. What kind of help can we give? “I’ll give you a suitable seat, so just get warmed up.”
Lenin refused the Finnish socialists’ request for aid.
If the German army launched a ‘retaliatory attack’ after intervening in Finland for no reason, the Soviet Union was destined to end immediately. Even if the German troops currently active in Novgorod moved north, there was nothing the Bolsheviks could do.
“For the time being, we must concentrate on preserving the revolution.”
Lenin’s policy toward the territory of the former Russian Empire was defensive.
The immediate priority was to suppress the conservative reactionaries in the south who controlled more than half of the territory of New Russia recognized by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. It was absurd to discuss external intervention before clearing them out.
“Comrade Trotsky. How is the Red Army organization going?”
“We are making steady progress. Surprisingly, the Germans sent prisoners, which made things easier.”
Trotsky knew that Germany’s intention was to plan a dual alliance between Petrograd and Moscow, but he had no particular complaints.
Originally, it was common for the state to act with a plan.
‘During the Franco-Prussian War, Germany helped conservative reactionaries.’
At that time, in order to suppress the Paris Commune, Germany not only sent prisoners to the Third Republic, which it regarded as its enemy, but also offered to provide troops.
Without that help, the Paris Commune would not have collapsed.
In that sense, Germany was the eternal enemy of socialists.
If you think about it backwards, it means that the Red Army is at a disadvantage to the extent that Germany, which hates socialists so much, helps the Soviet Union. That was also what Trotsky thought. The Red Army now numbered 100,000, but the army of conservative reactionaries in the South numbered over 300,000. They were greatly outnumbered.
Nevertheless, Lenin took a hard line against conservative reactionaries.
“Comrade Trotsky, we must destroy Moscow within this fall at the latest.”
“It’s fall. “Does it have any special meaning?”
“To conquer Russia as quickly as possible. “If we give the impression that we are dragging out the civil war slowly, people will not believe that we are strong.”
Power is faith.
If they believed that this side was strong, many forces would stick to this side. Then the Soviets can become the dominant force and take control of Russia.
Trotsky also expressed agreement with Lenin’s words.
“What your comrade said is correct.”
“A crisis is also an opportunity. Thanks to German imperialism’s defeat of Russian imperialism, the socialist fatherland was given the opportunity to take root.
If Germany is held captive in the west for a year or two, shedding blood, and we unify Russia, what kind of opportunity will there be?”
Trotsky thought about the sight of the Red Army, numbering in the millions, sweeping Ukraine and Belarus.
Just imagining it was incredibly exhilarating.
To make that happen, the workers’ and peasants’ army, the Red Guard, had to be organized into a proper army as soon as possible.
“If that happens, I have nothing more to wish for.”
“One day, the day will come when we will avenge the humiliation of Brest. And that day will not be far away.”
Lenin was confident of ultimate victory.
Socialist comrades were growing stronger in the shadow of the imperialists leaving them to kill each other.
When the time comes, they will rise up and hold the Soviet Union’s hand.
And with Germany and all the great powers gone, humanity’s only socialist nation will reign.
World revolution is inevitable.
Lenin and Trotsky strengthened their resolve with stern faces.
Until that day came, the socialist revolution only moved forward.