Editing Winter War (section)

===Finland===
[[File:Sankarihautajaiset Joensuussa 19.5.1940.jpg|thumb|left|Heroes' Memorial Day in [[Joensuu]] 19 May 1940.]]

The 105-day war had a profound and depressing effect in Finland. Meaningful international support was minimal and arrived late, and the German blockade had prevented most armament shipments.<ref name="Edwards_272-273">[[#Edwards2006|Edwards (2006)]], pp. 272–273</ref> The 15-month period between the Winter War and [[Operation Barbarossa]], part of which was the Continuation War, was later called the [[Interim Peace]].<ref name="JS2006_10"/> After the end of the war, the situation of the Finnish Army on the Karelian Isthmus became a subject of debate in Finland. Orders had already been issued to prepare a retreat to the next line of defence in the Taipale sector. Estimates of how long the Red Army could have been delayed by retreat-and-stand operations varied from a few days to a few weeks,<ref>[[#Laaksonen2005|Laaksonen (2005)]], p. 365</ref><ref>[[#Paasikivi1958|Paasikivi (1958)]]. p. 177</ref> or to a couple of months at most.<ref>[[#Halsti1955|Halsti (1955)]], p. 412</ref>

Immediately after the war, Helsinki officially announced 19,576 dead.<ref>[[#Dallin42|Dallin (1942)]], p. 191</ref> According to revised estimates in 2005 by Finnish historians, 25,904 people died or went missing and 43,557 were wounded on the Finnish side during the war.{{refn|A detailed classification of dead and missing is as follows:<ref name="Kur&Lent2005_1152"/><ref name=autogenerated2 />

* Dead, buried 16,766;
* Wounded, died of wounds 3,089;
* Dead, not buried, later declared as dead 3,503;
* Missing, declared as dead 1,712;
* Died as a prisoner of war 20;
* Other reasons (diseases, accidents, suicides) 677;
* Unknown 137;
* Died during the additional refresher training (diseases, accidents, suicides) 34.|group="F"}} Finnish and Russian researchers have estimated that there were 800–1,100 [[Finnish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union|Finnish prisoners of war]], of whom between 10 and 20 per cent died. The Soviet Union repatriated 847 Finns after the War.<ref name="Malmi1999_792" /> Air raids killed 957 civilians.<ref name="Kur&Lent2005_1152"/> Between 20 and 30 tanks were destroyed and 62 aircraft were lost.<ref name="Tillo1993_160"/> Also, Finland had to cede all ships of the [[Finnish Ladoga Naval Detachment]] to the Soviet Union by virtue of the [[Moscow Peace Treaty]].

During the Interim Peace, Finland aimed to improve its defensive capabilities and conducted negotiations with Sweden on a military alliance, but negotiations ended once it became clear that both Germany and the Soviet Union opposed such an alliance.<ref name="Turtola1999b_863">[[#Turtola1999b|Turtola (1999b)]], p. 863</ref> On 31 July 1940, German Chancellor [[Adolf Hitler]] gave the order to plan an assault on the Soviet Union and so Germany had to reassess its position regarding Finland. Until then, Germany had rejected Finnish appeals to purchase arms. However, the prospect of an invasion of the Soviet Union reversed the policy. In August, the secret sale of weapons to Finland was permitted.<ref>[[#reiter|Reiter (2009)]], p. 132</ref>

Karelian evacuees established an interest group, the [[Karjalan Liitto|Finnish Karelian League]], to defend Karelian rights and interests and to find a way to [[Karelian question|return ceded regions of Karelia]] to Finland.<ref name="helsinginsanomat1">[[#Ahtiainen2000|Ahtiainen (2000)]]</ref><ref>[[#KarelianLeague|Finnish Karelian League]]</ref> Finland wished to re-enter the war mainly because of the Soviet invasion of Finland during the Winter War, which had taken place after Finland had failed by relying on the League of Nations and on Nordic neutrality.<ref>[[#lunde|Lunde (2011)]], p. 9</ref> Finland aimed primarily to reverse its territorial losses from the Moscow Peace Treaty and, depending on the success of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, possibly to expand its borders, especially into [[East Karelia]]. Some right-wing groups, such as the [[Academic Karelia Society]], supported a Greater Finland ideology.<ref>[[#jokipii|Jokipii (1999)]], pp. 145–146</ref> The Continuation War began in June 1941 and led to Finnish participation in the [[Siege of Leningrad]] as well as the [[Finnish military administration in Eastern Karelia|Finnish occupation of East Karelia]].<ref>[[#rutherford|Rutherford (2014)]], p. 190</ref><ref>[[#yarov|Yarov (2009)]], p. 7</ref>