In September and October 1939 the Nazis and Communists quickly dismembered Poland, but this, of course, hardly brought the sudden descent of peace upon the Baltic. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 had not only opened the door to Poland’s destruction, but also that of the Baltic States and their neighbor to the north, Finland. The Soviet colossus wasted little time in moving to seize its share of the spoils... ( read the full articele here).

• Photo caption: Finnish coastal defence ship Väinämöinen in 1938 (wikipedia)