Finland in World War III

MacCaulay

Banned
...okay, so let's suppose that World War III breaks out in...1983. Your standard Red Storm Rising/Third World War scenario.

What is Finland going to do in this situation? They're not like Switzerland, where everyone knows to steer clear, but they've stayed out of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact while leaning slightly towards the Soviets in as much as they're driving around in T-72s.

So what do the Finns do in a Third World War, and how do NATO and the Warsaw Pact treat them?
 
Seems like the Soviets would try and secure their northern flank in the Baltic. They might try to cut a deal with them, or warn them to stay put. On the other hand, there's an off chance that the Soviet Union might try and reclaim Finland, which Russia lost decades earlier. Finland would want to stay out, but Moscow might not let them.
 
The Soviets would cross the Finnish north to circumvent NATO linesin Arctic Nor, then they would do the same with Sweden pointing straight to Narvik.
Finland would be too terrorized and isolated to oppose any resistance, while discreetly guaranteed that no further occupation would take place. A similar guarantee wouldn't likely work with the Swedes. The would likely fight, provided NATO isa able to support them actively.
 
While Finland did work in quiet and limited ways with the West (mainly to have some chips if the west "won") they were a de facto Warsaw Pact member in the event of open war.
So in a war the Soviets would treat the Fins and Finland just like Poland or any other WP member; complete freedom of air, sea, land transit, Fins to resist any use of their territory by the enemy, all resources given for the "war" effort.

Of note the Soviets never pushed to make it formal out of concern a Finland offically and openly in the Warsaw Pact (with the obvious deployment of Soviet forces) would drive Sweden into a formal relationship with the west or even to join NATO.
 
While Finland did work in quiet and limited ways with the West (mainly to have some chips if the west "won") they were a de facto Warsaw Pact member in the event of open war.
So in a war the Soviets would treat the Fins and Finland just like Poland or any other WP member; complete freedom of air, sea, land transit, Fins to resist any use of their territory by the enemy, all resources given for the "war" effort.

Let's take a 1980's view...

Finland wasn't de facto WP member in way Sweden was de facto NATO member. There weren't joint planning etc. Greatest use of Finnish territory would be in increasing Soviet Air Defence Zone. The use of Northern Finnish territory for supplying the invasion of Northern Norway would be minimal but might happen, perhaps with using Finnish civilian transportation to transport non-weapon supplies (fuel, food etc.). A de facto WP member would use it's armed forces in active way against NATO, right?

Finland would try it's utmost to prevent deployment of Soviet troops in Finnish territory by offering to purchase more Soviet weapons. Additionally, to present a neutral view, Finland would transmit all air defence information gained uncoded, like in 1961 and 1968 crisis. The "Covering force" of some 100 000 soldiers would be mobilized prior the break of the conflict while main forces would be mobilized only if Finland were to be attacked (due to economic viewpoint and the fact that it wasn't equipped).
 
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