Finnish war photos released

[RedGuardist]

Finnish DefenceForces published this week some war time photos, which had been forbidden and censored after the WWII.

This was done due of the brutality of the photos. Also there was reason of political correctivines towards Soviet union. That was because there are lot of photos showing fallen soldiers of the Red Army.

There were also pictures of finnish civilians after partizan attack. These were censored mostly because of the relatives of those victims and the politic sensitivines in Finland during cold war.

Photos are not ultimate violent or "horrible". They just show that war is truely hell. There is no feasting and boasting with violence. Just photos from the war, which naturally are not nice. Photos have their original texts, but only in finnish.

I started this thread, because these are interesting bits of history. Mostly not because of the photos, but because now we can see what was considered to be material, which should not be shown to the public.

These kind of pictures can ofcourse been found in privat archives of veterans. But these pictures were taken by TK- photographers (BattlePhotographers) AKA official army photographers.

Site is only in finnish.

Photos can be found under "Kuvagalleria". Six albums.
http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2006...00501_uu.shtml

[V.Grossman]

War is a ****ing hell i h8 war!
The only way that people should experience war is only through fiction(books,movies,etc.....)and games everything else is hell and should be used to teach humans the horror not the joy of it!

(I am not so good at english sry if i am misunderstood!)

[RedGuardist]

Originally Posted by V.Grossman

The only way that people should experience war is only through fiction(books,movies,etc.....)and games everything else is hell and should be used to teach humans the horror not the joy of it!

You are absolutely right.

[D3terioNation]

I dont know if its because they are in b&w, but ww2 images seem so much less gory then modern day images of dead soldiers, insurgants or civilians.

Even Vietnam pics showing gore seem wierd compared to images of todays conflicts! Wierd.

[Ghad]

B/W in photos tends to create an artificial (some say artistic) distance between you and what you are seeing.

[Ska Wars]

Interesting set mate, thanks for sharing.

What is this though?

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/2426/5104vw9.jpg

Couldn't find a decent translation for the caption. (3rd album, 4th image)

[Welt]

Originally Posted by Ska Wars

Interesting set mate, thanks for sharing.

What is this though?

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/2426/5104vw9.jpg

Couldn't find a decent translation for the caption. (3rd album, 4th image)

"An enemy reconnaisance squad, with no food supplies, butchered few of their own comrades and ate them almost completely."

Must say, ewwwww. War is hell.

[Wolfstuka]

So that is the skin of a man they ate?

What is with all of the dead strewn all over the ground in bunches? They must have been collected there right?

[Quietus]

Grim.

[[DA]DIZ]

Those pictures are like a punch in the face...

[Rss]

One of those pictures shows soviet POWs used as minestompers.
http://www.iltalehti.fi/kuvagalleria...einen/5148.jpg
This one.

[Finz]

http://www.iltalehti.fi/kuvagalleria...einen/5137.jpg

..

[RedGuardist]

Originally Posted by Rss

One of those pictures shows soviet POWs used as minestompers.
http://www.iltalehti.fi/kuvagalleria...einen/5148.jpg
This one.

Yeah. This was one of the most disgusting pictures.

I just hate that, that many people in Finland consider finnish soldiers been more "humane" than others. What a bull**** is that. In war, people are mostly beasts to each other, and that is a fact.

That thing going on in that photo is clearly a major war crime.

I hope we can start talking about war in Finland without that "hero" mentality, which seems to be popular way to think our history nowadays.

[Nimsky]

And then there are still people who actually support war

[Ristus]

Better lock this thread before it turns nastier than it is already.

[D3terioNation]

Errr what? LoL no-ones even arguing about anything yet!

[Rss]

Originally Posted by RedGuardist

Yeah. This was one of the most disgusting pictures.

I just hate that, that many people in Finland consider finnish soldiers been more "humane" than others. What a bull**** is that. In war, people are mostly beasts to each other, and that is a fact.

That thing going on in that photo is clearly a major war crime.

I hope we can start talking about war in Finland without that "hero" mentality, which seems to be popular way to think our history nowadays.

Yep, you speak the word.

I've noticed this one too, most finns totally flip out if you try to discuss about it. Hell, I even got kicked out of class once.

[Tonym81]

what is this?

http://www.iltalehti.fi/kuvagalleria...einen/5151.jpg

Is it a frozen body which arm will not bend to fit?

I can't read the captions, this one seems strange as well:

http://www.iltalehti.fi/kuvagalleria...einen/5101.jpg

[Oldih]

I've noticed this one too, most finns totally flip out if you try to discuss about it. Hell, I even got kicked out of class once.

I believe the biggest reason for the "Hero" mentality is due the odds that were against Finland back in 1940s.

However, that is not an excuse to forget that in the frontline there is no dignity. No discipline when it comes to bloodlust. In war, there are no rules.

Most people seem to forget that. Good example would be general example that even persons who says that violence is bad and stuff, would slaughter their "stalkers" if their life is in danger.


So in idealistic point of view - it may be rather "heroic" considering against the all odds. Maybe if we look things in large structure, yet when it comes to details word "hero" is not a word to describe it. It's general survival and warfare.

What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion

[Quenaelin]

I think "hero" mentality is wrong word, it was more like our "free will" mentality. We didn't bend so easily under bigger opponent. Allready in "Tuntematon Sotilas" movie there was execution of deserters. So even those times 10 years after war Finnish media was willing to tell people what was war really like, of course this wasn't absolute truth becouse it was only movie, but this was quite clearly describing our straightforward mentality. These new pictures only show to public that our war had same cruelties as war everywhere. I still think they were heroes, we didn't bend in any direction and even our mighty opponent was respecting that. War is war and it is cruel, these things still happen in modern wars as well, though not in this same extent and hopely never will be. Humans never change.