Bill Hemmer hosts 'Winter War: The Soviet Invasion of Finland' on Fox Nation
Heavily outnumbered Finnish forces put up a fierce fight against the invading Soviet army during the brutally cold winter of 1939
Fox Nation is diving into the Soviet invasion of Finland, taking viewers back to the brutally cold winter of 1939 on the first installment of "Winter War."
Fox News' Bill Hemmer hosts as the episode captures the effort of Finnish forces, heavily outnumbered by Soviet invaders, who valiantly faced off against their would-be conquerors in this little-known segment taking place in the backdrop of the Second World War.
Hemmer takes viewers through Finland's history and Tsar Alexander I's campaign, which forced the country to become a part of the Russian Empire, noting that the country managed to maintain its personal identity despite being conquered.
Finland saw its way out of the Russian Empire during the Russian Revolution of 1917 when communists overthrew the country's monarchy.
RUSSIA STRUGGLES WITH LEGACY OF 1917 BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
Portrait of Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924) sitting at a table during a meeting of the Sovnarkom. Lenin founded the Bolshevik party. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The unrest provided Finland its opportunity to declare independence and become sovereign that same year, but the move prompted yet another fight with Russia and brought then-Soviet Premier Vladimir Lenin to the table to sign a treaty.
Conflict with Russia would return just over 20 years later at the onset of World War II, however.
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Russia, now under the rule of Joseph Stalin, set its sights on the former sect of the Russian Empire in light of conflict brewing throughout Europe, and with Nazi Germany providing the perfect distraction.
Finnish historian Antero Holmila joins the episode to discuss the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Russia and Nazi Germany – essentially a non-aggression agreement.
1949: Soviet statesman and Premier Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
Holmila described the pact as the source behind Stalin's sense of "free reign" over Finland and a slew of other historians assessed how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union "carved" Eastern Europe to their own benefits, claiming land for their own nations in the process of maintaining a non-aggression agreement with each other.
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Finland stayed in Soviet crosshairs not only because of its history involving the Russian Empire but also because its border fell dangerously close to Leningrad [St. Petersburg] near the Baltic Sea.
Motivated by their fear of war from the West, Soviet officials sought additional land from the Finnish and requested access to a naval base in Hanko — but when the Finnish rejected the Soviets' request, chaos ensued, and The Red Army invaded.
The Finnish people's valiant effort to defend their homeland calls attention to the likeness of Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine, but also tells the story of those who sacrificed their lives and well-being for the sake of preserving their territory.
To learn more about the Soviet invasion of Finland, subscribe to Fox Nation and stream Bill Hemmer's ‘Winter War.’
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