ABSTRACT
Britain supplied lavish amounts of sympathy and modest amounts of arms to Finland in the month following the Soviet invasion of 30 November. The Allies’ own war with Germany was proving so far to be a very quiet affair, the naval action off the River Plate notwithstanding, and the Finno-Soviet conflict stood as Europe’s most violent current affair. It had always been hoped in the Northern Department that the course of the war in Finland could be turned to Britain’s advantage, either through a Russian encroachment in the Baltic leading to a clash with Germany, because it would prevent the USSR from extending military assistance to Germany, or because it could distract Russian attention from other potential trouble spots. The Finns had managed to confound informed opinion by keeping the Red Army at bay and winning some important defensive victories but limited military resources meant that they could not hope to fare well indefinitely.
