(Russian troops in Finland during WWII)

Russia has shaped twentieth century Finnish history due to the small nation’s proximity to the Slavic giant.  Before World War II, the Helsinki government found itself dealing with a Russian invasion, during the war it suffered Nazi occupation leading to a reinvasion from Moscow that at the end of the war saw it loose roughly 11% of its territory to its Stalinist neighbor.  Today Finland has reemerged as a pawn in Russia’s drive to recapture its empire.  After Finland obtained NATO membership, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Finland and with its long border the Finnish government must be prepared for any eventuality as the war in Ukraine grinds on, and as Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to block any aid for the Kyiv government.  This landscape lends itself to a wonderful opportunity to create historical fiction involving the Russo-Finnish relationship.  Karl Marlantes, the author of MATTERHORN, one of the most profound and disturbing novels about Vietnam, and DEEP RIVER, a wonderful and engrossing work of historical fiction centered on the experience of Finnish immigrants in the logging area of Washington state at the turn of the century, has filled that gap with his latest book, COLD VICTORY.

Those familiar with Marlantes’ previous efforts will not be disappointed with his current effort.  Set in the heart of the emerging Cold War the Finns are caught between East and West trying to recover from the damage caused by World War II.  The most important characters in the novel include Arnie and Louise Koski, a married couple who have been posted to Helsinki.  Arnie is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army and has been appointed  military attaché to the US Legation.  Louise is a rather clueless “diplomatic” spouse who creates a number of issues for her husband and will learn many difficult lessons.  Mikhail and Natalya Bobrov are in a comparable situation.  Mikhail is the Russian military attaché in Helsinki and Natalya works at the Russian Legation.  She develops a strong friendship with Louise as do their husbands, as  both spies engage in intense competition with each other.  Kaarina Varila, a Finnish relative of Arnie, and the Head of a Helsinki orphanage is emblematic of Finnish hatred of the Russians.  Other individuals include Colonel Oleg Sokolov who is in charge of Soviet security in Finland as part of the MGB – the Ministry of State Security which is considered worse than the Gestapo.  Sokolov is a sinister individual who is like a spider spinning his web of intrigue.  Max Hamilton is the US Charge d’ Affaires at the US legation and Aleksandr Abramov is the Soviet Envoy.

(This is a Finnish light artillery squad on patrol duty in the Karelian Isthmus on January 3, 1940. Using white tunics over their heavy winter clothing to camouflage themselves, the soldiers took on the appearance of ghosts as they travel over the snow covered terrain) 

Marlantes integrates a number of important historical characters in his story.  Those who stand out are Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin whose motivations and realpolitik are on full display.  Another is Lavrentiy Beria, Head of the MGB, and a man who strikes fear in all who come in contact with him.  These and other characters highlight the author’s strong command of the history of the period.  Further, he integrates a number of notable events and observations into his plot.  Useful examples include a discussion of the Katyn Forest Massacre in 1943 as Beria ordered the murder of 22,000 Polish officers, and the history surrounding the 1944 Moscow Armistice whereby Finland was forced to pay a massive reparation to Russia and turn over a substantial amount of territory.

The story centers around Russian paranoia concerning Finland who they view as a threat to their security as a western invasion route against Moscow.  The US on the other hand is worried about communist influence in the Finnish Parliament as they hold over one-third of the seats in addition to the presence of Soviet troops.  Marlantes has created a espionage plot centered on raising funds for a Finnish orphanage which Louisa and Natalya work to support as they are heartbroken by the number of orphans that were created because of  World War II.  Second, the story is played out by the competition between Arnie and Mikhail who have challenged each other with a grueling ten day 300K ski race from the Artic Circle to Kuopio.  The race became a metaphor for the competition between capitalism and communism and a pawn in the developing Cold War between the Soviets and Americans and should Mikhail lose the race the Stalinist regime would probably kill or exile him and his family to Siberia as he would be viewed as a spy and an embarrassment to Moscow.

(Karl Marlantes, author)

In developing the relationships among his characters, Marlantes juxtaposes the differences between the Soviet Union and United States, how both powers viewed the recent war, and their current distrust of each other as relations continued to deteriorate.  The question in the background rests on trust, as each character seems to question the loyalty of those they deal with, not knowing who might be spying on whom.  Marlantes uses Sokolov’s past life and current role as a vehicle to highlight the suffering of the Russian people during the war because of the Nazi invasion and a justification for its own invasion of Finland.  Now that the Nazis are defeated his role is to root out internal enemies of the motherland and employ all the weapons of the Stalinist system – a system that fills the world with disinformation and deceit.

For Marlantes whether writing about Vietnam or post-war Finland, war is a confusing and rich world where death and bureaucratic stupidity abound.  If one where to think about events in Ukraine today there is a similarity to what happened to Finland after the war.  The significant difference is Ukraine has received enormous amount of western aid, and Finland did not.  Marlantes has written a tight Cold War novel that draws the reader in and does not let them go until the book is read from cover to cover.

(War between Finland and Soviet Russia started 22.45 o’clock (M.E.T.) on November 30, 1939. Trenches which were dug at the beginning of the Finnish-Russian tension in Helsinki, December 1, 1939)