A four-part history series examines relations between Nazi Germany and Finland in the 1930s and 1940s. The series explores how the close relationship between Finland and Germany was born and developed, and what was known in Finland about the Holocaust, the mass extermination of the Jews at a time when the countries were at war together. Through archives and expert interviews, it explores how close Finns were to the Nazi German leadership.
For a long time, the debate on Finland's role alongside Germany was ignored as a historical necessity. What alternatives did Finland have and has our past been sufficiently addressed? What lessons have been learned from the war?
Finland cooperated closely with Germany. Finnish relations with Nazi leaders were still close in the summer of 1942, when the massacres of civilians on the Eastern Front and the mass extermination of Jews were already known.
Germany became an important partner for Finland in 1918, when Germany sent soldiers to support the Whites led by Mannerheim in the civil war. In June 1941, Finland invaded the Soviet Union together with Germany.
The arrival of Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler to Mannerheim's birthday party 80 years ago was a media event of its time in Finland. Hitler had a special place in his heart for Finns, ambassadors' reports reveal.
A four-part history series examines relations between Nazi Germany and Finland in the 1930s and 1940s. The series explores how the close relationship between Finland and Germany was born and developed, and what was known in Finland about the Holocaust, the mass extermination of the Jews at a time when the countries were at war together. Through archives and expert interviews, it explores how close Finns were to the Nazi German leadership.
as Self (archive footage)
