1939 SOVIET INVASION OF FINLAND WINTER WAR USSR RED ARMY 25154

FINLAND FIGHTS! was released theatrically as a sound film in 1940 by Emerson Yorke, an independent producer in New York, in cooperation with Castle Films. The footage shown was originally material assembled for an humanitarian reel, made on behalf of the Finnish Relief Fund, so that American audiences could see how Finland was withstanding Russian invasion. The original theatrical release was only five minutes long, but Eugene Castle brought it up to standard one reel length and released it as a silent film with title cards. The film is one of the rarer Castle titles, because the Soviets and Stalin — who are condemned here as aggressors — became U.S. allies in WWII after the German invasion of Russia. One note of interest to viewers: the swastika shown on the airplane at 5:29 was an official Finnish air force logo, and should not be confused with the (nearly identical but backwards) German fascist symbol. The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939–19