The Angels of the Winter War
Lotta Svärd during the Winter War
Before the Winter War, Lotta Svärd Association had been
a female volunteer auxiliary organization for SU (Civil Guard); however
during the war the organization became an auxiliary of Finnish Armed
Forces. In summer of 1939, Lotta Svärd were provisioning volunteers
building defense lines to Carelian Isthmus. Once mobilized, Lottas helped
evacuated civilians, served in air-surveillance posts and air surveillance
centers, worked as nurses and arranged food for forces and civilians.
One part of supplying that Lottas took part was baking massive amounts
of bread for the Army.
Lotta nurses worked in hospital-trains,
field hospitals and military hospitals throughout the war zone. Besides
all this they also gathered and manufactured large
amounts of clothing
for soldiers and
gathered supplies for them. In the weeks prior to the
Winter War, the Lotta Svärd Association was able to
deliver enough clothing to equip tens
of thousands of Finnish soldiers for the war.
Lottas worked in field post offices,
handled intercommunications and worked in official headquarters in camps
and on the home front. Maybe the hardest work was completed by the Lottas
who served in the KEK (an evacuation centre for the fallen). Personnel
of KEKs washed and prepared dead soldiers to send to their home cities,
towns,
and villages for burial. During the Winter War, 100,000
Lottas served in the KEK.
The Winter War created new spirit of national unity. In
February of 1940, the Suojeluskunta and the Social Democratic Party
(SDP, the leading moderate left-wing party) declared an
official reconciliation. The reconciliation
included
the Lotta Svärd Association. After this members
of SDP were welcome to join Suojeluskunta and Lotta Svärd.
While
the practical result of this reconciliation wasn't
too large with Suojeluskunta Lotta Svärd Association started
soon receiving large
number of new members for this.
Next - Post Winter
War Lotta Svärd
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