Sweden & Finland potential flashpoints in the early 1930s- what ifs...

[tradgardmastre]

Evening all!
I'm thinking what to do with those super Swedish figures I have winging their way from Historfigs.. 
Someone suggested possible conflicts/tension between the countries at this time. Any suggestions for a background to hang some platoon sized games on?
Oh whilst we are about it ideas for 30's Finnish troops sought too in 28mm .
cheers
Alan

[Hammers]

All Swedish real Swedish armed conflicts since 1809 have been platoon, or less, sized.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%85land_crisis

There were quite a few volunteer units fighting, most often, with the Finland Whites against the red equivalent.

[Lord of Jerwood]

can't think of any but interested to see how this turns out 

[janner]

Try pm'ing pocoloco, he'll certainly have some ideas, but Årland sounds good to me 

[pocoloco]

Well just a quick note, I'm in a hurry to go to sauna! 

I have been personally toying with an idea of Second Finnish Civil War [2FCW].

The 2FCW could have started in the what-if historical timeline after the so-called Mäntsälä rebellion (here's wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4nts%C3%A4l%C3%A4_rebellion).

Of course in this what-if history time frame, the rebellion went further and sparked both internal and international crisis which would bring different Finnish sides and their possible international allies/supporters in an armed conflict.

The sides would be (this is just very early list, so changes will be made to names, goals etc if needed):

- Finnish Goverment (controlling national defense forces)
- Lapuan liike (rebellion movement, nationalistic and right-wing aligned)
- Finnish Communist Party (mainly opposing Lapuan liike but also Finnish government... as in its pay-back time)
- Finnish Swedish movement (acting in liason with Finnish government forces, but also with Swedish forces in Finland)
- Swedish Forces in Finland (mainly used for "taking back" Ahvenanmaa/Åland isles but also forces sent inland Finland to coastal areas to protect Swedish speaking minorities and if the need arises, lend support to Finnish government
- Soviet Union forces (mainly used to occupy Karelia and use it as a support base for Finnish Communist Party

Later there could be also German forces, if the historical events of that country followed the real events, meaning that they could send "volunteers" etc to help the Lapuan liike. Maybe Brits could send a small force in the Arctic reagion, but that could be too much, especially judging from their real policies of the time.

If there's much interest, this could be turned into a nice joint community project

Now to grill myself in sauna!

[Hammers]

Well just a quick note, I'm in a hurry to go to sauna! 

I have been personally toying with an idea of Second Finnish Civil War [2FCW].

The 2FCW could have started in the what-if historical timeline after the so-called Mäntsälä rebellion (here's wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4nts%C3%A4l%C3%A4_rebellion).

Of course in this what-if history time frame, the rebellion went further and sparked both internal and international crisis which would bring different Finnish sides and their possible international allies/supporters in an armed conflict.

The sides would be (this is just very early list, so changes will be made to names, goals etc if needed):

- Finnish Goverment (controlling national defense forces)
- Lapuan liike (rebellion movement, nationalistic and right-wing aligned)
- Finnish Communist Party (mainly opposing Lapuan liike but also Finnish government... as in its pay-back time)
- Finnish Swedish movement (acting in liason with Finnish government forces, but also with Swedish forces in Finland)
- Swedish Forces in Finland (mainly used for "taking back" Ahvenanmaa/Åland isles but also forces sent inland Finland to coastal areas to protect Swedish speaking minorities and if the need arises, lend support to Finnish government
- Soviet Union forces (mainly used to occupy Karelia and use it as a support base for Finnish Communist Party

Later there could be also German forces, if the historical events of that country followed the real events, meaning that they could send "volunteers" etc to help the Lapuan liike. Maybe Brits could send a small force in the Arctic reagion, but that could be too much, especially judging from their real policies of the time.

If there's much interest, this could be turned into a nice joint community project

Now to grill myself in sauna!

Interesting. And for most part rather plausible.

[pocoloco]

Thanks Hammers, I need to check if I can find my old ramblings about this stored somewhere on my old comp.

What was the internal situation in Sweden around or bit after the time of Mäntsälä rebellion? For example, could communist/workers uprising happen in Sweden based on the happenings in Finland of our what-if timeline.

Lets say after the SU occupies Carelia and gives quite direct support to Finnish communists, any even if very slight chance of something happening in Sweden with somewhat un-direct help of the SU and also as effect of things happening in Finland? This would of course give another reason for Swedish government to reinforce its forces in Finland, lets say occupy towns of Vaasa/Vasa and Tornio/Torneå, for example.

German interest in Finland would be based mainly in the past (German help for the White side during the first (and real) Finnish Civil War and after the regime change in 1933, there could be quite direct involvement especially if the SU is very active in its role of supporting the international revelution and thus throwing off the track the status quo in the Nordic states.

All this might interest the UK, so that a force would be sent to occupy Petsamo/Pechenga district, and especially the quite valuable nickel mines over there... additional bonus would be possible help to Finnish government, and stopping the Soviet aggression in the region. And maybe even act as a some kind of counter power for German interests in the region.

But mostly all of the above would happen in 1933 and onwards, the first year (1932) would consist mainly of different Finnish sides slugging at each other and Finlands neighbours getting more and more active little by little, perhaps year ending with Swedes in the Åland isles and Torneå, Soviet forces occupying Carelia after Finnish communists would have made an uprising in some of the key industrial cities, mainly thinking Tampere, Turku and Viipuri.