Editing Tripartite Pact (section)

===Finland===
{{Further|Military history of Finland during World War II}}
Military co-operation between Finland and Nazi Germany started in late 1940 after Finland had lost a significant amount of its territory to Soviet aggression during the [[Winter War]]. Finland joined Operation Barbarossa on 25 June 1941, which started the [[Continuation War]]. In November, Finland signed the [[Anti-Comintern Pact]], an anticommunist agreement directed against the Soviet Union, with many other countries allied with Germany. Soon, Germany suggested for Finland to sign the Tripartite Pact, but the Finnish government refused since Finland saw its war as a "separate war" from the Second World War and saw its objectives as different from those of Nazi Germany. Finland also wanted to maintain diplomatic relations with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], particularly the United States. During the Second World War, Germany asked Finland several times to sign the pact but the Finnish government declined all offers. Diplomatic relations between Finland and the United States were maintained until June 1944 although the US ambassador had already been recalled. The [[United Kingdom]], however, declared war on Finland on 6 December 1941 in support of its ally, the Soviet Union.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

At the request of the German command, the Finns established a winter warfare school in [[Kankaanpää]]. It began its first two-month course for German officers and [[NCOs]] in December 1941. In the summer of 1942, the German-speaking Finnish instructors taught a course on forest warfare. General [[Waldemar Erfurth]], the German liaison to the Finnish general headquarters, considered the school an outstanding success. It was also attended by some Hungarian officers.{{sfn|DiNardo|1996|p=713}}