Finnish Winter War Medal? Is it Real?

[chbingle]

I recently purchased a Finnish Winter War medal off of the internet and was wondering if it is indeed authentic or just a replica. I'm a novice when it comes to collecting medals but it was a very cheap find so I decided to take a shot in the dark on it. All I know is that the medal is from Finland and was awarded to soldiers who fought against the Soviets in 1939. Im a little on the fence about whether its authentic though as the ribbon seems new (though it could be a replacement ribbon to an authentic medal I suppose) and the medal itself just seems to be a little odd. I don't even know how so but something seems off, but maybe im just paranoid when it comes to collecting medals The medal is magnetic if that helps determine its authenticity, any help or additional details on the medal would be much appreciated, thanks!



Sorry the pictures are low quality and flipped, I have no idea why that happens sometimes

 

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[Retired Fire]

I think it is real. I found a couple of examples on Google and all the features match perfectly. I think the ribbon is new but it might have just been stored in a dark dry place to preserve it.

 

[kcm]

It may very well be real. Finland had no choice back then but to side with Hitler. Russia had been trying to re-take control of Finland for a long time. Meanwhile, the Nazi's were telling the Finns that the ONLY thing they wanted was to fight their common enemy from Finnish lands. So what else could they do? On one hand they knew without a doubt that Russia would have seized control of Finland and taken their relatively new-found freedom away. Or, they could side with Nazi Germany on the understanding and belief that once all was said and done, that they would still have their free country without Russian rule. It seemed a no-brainer!

Sadly, however, the US turned its back on Finland and, when Germany lost the war, Finland was forced to severely limit the size of their Army, plus they could not have any Air Force. Can't remember, but I think they were also banned from having a Navy as well.

Well, that ban expired many years ago, yet Finland chose to continue limiting its military strength. Last I knew, every young man who qualified had to serve a tour in the Finnish Army. I'm guessing this is because they want to remain in good standing with the rest of the international community, whom they will call upon for help should Russia ever choose to invade again, although that now seems less likely since Pres. Reagan brought an end to the Cold War. (Personally, I think the threat will live on for many more years!)

So, your medal may very well have remained inside its box and might never have been worn, as many Finns were rather ashamed for having to side with the Nazi's and/or due to the turmoil that happened because of their decision back then. This medal may have meant very little to the soldier it was awarded to.

I know we have a couple of members who are from Finland, so hopefully they'll chime in here if I got any of this wrong. Has been a very long time since it was explained to me.

 

[diggummup]

I believe yours is a fake. I don't believe this medal was made in anything other than blackened steel, with the exception of the ones that were given to foreign volunteers, which had a different reverse inscription.

 

[chbingle]

Thanks for the information!

 

[diggummup]

A little more info- http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/eng/Fin-Warmedals.html
Bronze version of the one that was given to foreign volunteers showing different reverse-
http://www.war-medals.com/medal-pictures/cs903.html

Article on them- http://www.war-medals.com/medal-pictures/artrffin1.html

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I don't know enough about these and the variants to know what's what, but looking at your pics,yours looks cast. The details just aren't as crisp as I would expect them to be and the background is lumpy. You can see a real difference when compared to the one diggemup posted