Winter warriors

November 1939. Just three months after the outbreak of the Second World War, the Soviet Union – boasting the largest army in the world – invaded Finland, its small and relatively defenceless neighbour. This marked the beginning of the conflict known as the Winter War. The small Finnish army, hastily reinforced by labourers and farmers, had to face columns of tanks and hundreds of thousands of Red Army soldiers.

Based on the true story of a Finnish infantry division, the atmospheric novel Winter Warriors features not only the legendary sniper Simo Häyhä, nicknamed the White Death, but also young men from farms and villages fighting for their homes, and nurses treating their childhood friends. The soldiers head into battle with outdated weapons while their wounds freeze in the merciless cold. Yet they manage to resist the Soviet forces for six whole months before finally being forced to accept painful peace terms.

Winter Warriors is a celebration of the Finnish spirit of sisu: the inner strength and determination that triumphs even in the face of overwhelming odds.