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The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War | 
| Author: Allen F. Chew
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $29.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 751693
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 328
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0870131672
EAN: 9780870131677
ASIN: 0870131672
Publication Date: June 2002
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Condition: Fine gift condition. Contents are tight, bright and clean, free of any internal markings or personalizations. All books to US destinations include free tracking and are securely packaged to avoid damage. The DJ is protected by a Brodart mylar sleeve.
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Book Description
The 105-day war between Finland and the Soviet Union in the winter of 1939-1940 has been overshadowed by the larger conflicts of the Second World War which followed closely after it. The courageous resistence of the only neighbor of Stalin's Russia which fought the Red Army and survived as a free and independent nation merits this closer look. Although the diplomatic background of the Winter War has been covered before, this is the first substantial English-language study of its dramatic military encounters.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Dedicated to the memory of the more than 23,000 Finns who gave their lives in the Winter War defending their country's freedom March 26, 2008
The dedication at the start of the book tells you where Chew's sympathies lie. And rightly so.
Alan Chew's "The White Death" was perhaps the first of the second generation of books to be written and published on the Russo-Finnish Winter War(the first generation being those books written in the immediate aftermath of the war or in the 1950's). Written in 1971, this book strongly influenced William Trotter, the author of "A Frozen Hell," perhaps the most authoritative current book on the Winter War, and that fact speaks for itself. Chew's book was out of print for many years, fortunately it was republished by Michigan State Press in 2002 and is now rather more easily available than it had been for a number of years. Which means that if you're interested in the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40, you should buy this book while it's still available as, once stocks run out, it may again become very hard to find.
Despite it's age, it's still one of the best books available on the Winter War. Chew did an amazing amount of research, basing much of the work on first hand accounts and from first hand material in the Finnish archives as well as published Soviet material (this before the collapse of the Soviet Union, largely focused on the final offensive in the Karelian Isthmus) and his attention to detail and accuracy is evident throughout the book. Like Trotter's "A Frozen Hell," you'll find a lot more information in this book than you will in the more easily available but much lighter book "The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940" by Eloise Engle and Lauri Paanaen (first published around 1973 incidentally), particularly around the various major battles of the war. There's a lot of info in this book that you won't pick up elsewhere, even in Trotter's book.
The book itself is well-structured, informative and easy to read, with a wealth of detail and information but, unlike later books on the Winter War, contains no photographs. Perhaps a reflection of the age of the book, although Eloise Engle's book of the same era contains a good selection of photo's. A feature of this book is that the final chapter (of approx 30 pages) covers Finnish involvement in the Continuation War of 1941-1945 as well as comments on post-WW2 Soviet-Finnish relations - something that none of the other books I've read on the Winter War really cover. There's also another 45 pages of commentary and ancillary documentation fleshing out comments and references from within the book itself. All interesting stuff.
Overall, I'd rate this book very highly indeed for anyone interested in learning more about the Winter War. This book will leave you with a great deal of respect for the Finn's who fought to successfully keep Finland free and for their outstanding military leader, Field Marshall Carl Gustav Mannerheim. Well worth the trouble of tracking down and buying.
A decent read November 11, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This well written, at times less than acceptable book, does a good job to convey many aspects of the Winter war between Finland and the Soviet Union. It is strong on military and diplomatic history but it is perhaps weaker on an overall narrative and the language is not of the highest order. Nevertheless it is sure to remain one of the most read accounts of this suprising and fascinating conflict.
On the eve of the Second World War Stalin ordered his army to invade FInaldn. While the western government protested but could send no aid the Fins stood against one of the strongest militaries in the world. With more men in the SOviet army than in the entire country of finalnd it seemed the Fins could not win. But with good generals and excellent tactics they destroyed Soviet units and isolated divisions. THe Soviets had to regroup and rethink their strategy. In the end the Soviet power was immense and Finland ceded some territory. Nevertheless the Soviet army, reeling from the purges, was shockjed to see how backwards it had become. It also set the stage the Nazi destruction of the Soviet army in operation Barbaroosa and the Finnish alliance with the Germans.
Seth J. Frantzman
Best one out there... April 12, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Trotter's "A Frozen Hell" is fantastic in its own way as well but even Trotter himself in the sources section of "Frozen Hell" called Chew's work "the best narrative (of the Winter War) in English." In the end, the combination of "The White Death", "A Frozen Hell", and Engle & Paananen's "The Winter War" tell the amazing story of the defense of Finland in 1939-40 as completely as any general U.S. reader would require. Read all 3 and you'll get the picture.
 The Finnish Soviet War of 1939-40. December 8, 2004
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
This is a fairly old book written by a Professor in the University of Wisconsin system (where I might add I graduated from). Chew does detail the war very well and some of the writing is interesting. However, the writing is very, very dry and it took much time to plod through this book. I have no problem with the accuracy or detail of the book, but this is dry reading. Since this book was written in the late sixties/early seventies, much material from the Soviet side is also lacking in this book. If the reader is looking for what Finnish or Soviet units fought in what battle or part of the front, this is a great read. For those who just want the details of the war, perhaps Frozen Hell is a better(and more modern) book.
This is one of the first books about this war in English so I give credit to the author. Presently, there are better books out there on this war.
Easy Read August 2, 2001
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
This is an easy read and is very imformative about a little talked about war. It deals with the peolple of Finland defending their homeland against an aggressive Soviet Union attempting a takeover during the winter of 1939-1940. This study is based on interviews with veterans who held significant posts, research in the official Finnish archives, and examination of the scant Soviet literature on the subject. While the true pictures of most wars are studies in shades of gray, this one is basically a contrast in stark black and white. I won't spoil it by telling you details of the war and how it ends. Let's just say it's worth picking up a copy.
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