Finnish Mosin-Nagants

Barrett · 27 December 2001, 01:51 PM

In the excellent Finnish film "Winter War" (about the 1930-40 flail) in one passage the Finns remove the bolts ("breeches") from Soviet rifles to use in their own. The movie is highly authentic in other matters so probably is reliable on this point.

leo · 29 December 2001, 07:24 PM

Why would they want to do that, Barrett? Wee theirs worn out or what?

Barrett · 30 December 2001, 07:16 AM

There was much background noise (shell bursts, tank treads, etc) but I think one of the NCOs said something like "Their bolts are smoother." Perhaps the USSR versions were better machined and finished than the Finns'.

Dreamer · 2 January 2002, 10:26 AM

The film "The Winter War" is an excellently made war film. My copy is subtitled. The part about their removing the bolts was simply to temporarily make the russian Rifles unusable should they have fallen back into russian hands before the Finns had a chance to collect them for shipment to the rear. The movie suffers a lot in that the subtitling doesn't always give the full picture of whats being said. The Finnish weapons including the bolts were always superior in fit and finish. It was a rare russian rifle indeed that required little or no reworking. During the "Continuation War", the Finns recieved stocks of German equipment and doubtless some of the Mauser rifles were reworked. It was normal for the Finnish arsenals to mark rifles that had been reworked at their factories. A Mauser that had not only been reworked, but brought up to Finnish specs would be a truly rare jewel.

Barrett · 3 January 2002, 01:10 PM

Speaking of excellent war movies, AMC showed "Paths of Glory" Wed. night. I've not checked the schedule for a repeat but it's definitely worth a look. In case you've never seen the film (by Kubrick in '57) it deals with a French "mutiny" in 1916 and the political back-stabbing and tail-covering that ensues. IMHO it should be shown at every military academy on Planet Earth twice a year. And the Joint Chiefs should be required to watch it monthly. They're probably spending too much time on the golf course, anyway.

Dreamer · 4 January 2002, 06:53 AM

"Paths of Glory" is another of the war films that I consider "historically useful", in that it gives a reasonably accurate representation of an aspect of The Great War. I wish there were more such films, but unfortunately, the intellectual level of film makers in general is not up to the task. By this I mean that within the constraints not only of the medium, but also the constraints of the film industry as a whole, the film makers are unable to make historically useful films.

leo · 4 January 2002, 08:19 AM

Speaking of the Finns, did anyone here read the Unknown Soldier about the Finnish Army in the Continuation War?
My favorite line from which was, "I am Koskela of Finland. I eat iron ore and "poop" steel chains.
It was pretty gritty.