The recent war in Ukraine has spurred something of a Deja-Vu for military historians.

Back in late February 2022, it was believed by analysts and experts alike that Russia would roll through and take Kyiv in a matter of days. Instead, The Ukrainian people not only held their ground but inflicted terrible losses that would otherwise be unimaginable to a modern army. Regardless of how the conflict will ultimately play out, this war has shattered the myth of Putin’s Russia as an unstoppable force.

With the outcome still uncertain this has led many people to look to history to find any answers. The reason is that this has caused some people to look to history for any parallels. While the page on Ukraine has yet to turn there are very clear parallels to another conflict that took place during the early months of World War II known as The Winter War.

Background

In 1939 the Soviet Union invaded Finland with the intention of either 1) annexing the country entirely or 2) reclaiming critical lost territory to secure the country around Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

It looked very much like a cakewalk – with the Soviets vastly outnumbering the Finns and carrying far more firepower. However, despite all odds, the Finns were able to hold off the Soviets for several months. By the time the Russians were able to reorganize and break through the defenses, they were exhausted. While the Fins may have lost the conflict, the courage, and skill of the Finns surpassed the Russian victory in history books.

This supposed sideshow of the Second World War would be highly consequential, as Hitler noted the apparent weakness of the Soviet army which was a crucial factor when he made the decision to invade the USSR just a year later.

Naturally, there were heroes made from this conflict, both soldiers and generals, and given the events unfolding at the time I’m writing this, it’s impossible not for someone to write a film about this conflict. The parallels are undeniable between Ukraine and Finland and if this was a movie or a Netflix miniseries made today it would be garnering a lot of attention today. So far there hasn’t been a widely recognized film about this front, but given that WWII films are a dime a dozen it would be a great opportunity to present a different side of the conflict.

Enter, The White Death

The term for the name White Death is something of a double meaning. True It does mainly refer to the main character, the real-life sniper Simo Häyhä, but also to the land itself since this took place during the freezing winter of 1939-40. White snow was as omnipresent as death itself – if not from enemy bullets, then from the extreme sub-zero cold of Arctic Warfare.

Casting

For this work, because I intend this to be a wide release, I decided to give a list of actors that would be suitable to play these historical figures. I want to keep it as authentic as possible while still drawing in recognizable faces. It doesn’t have to be all Finnish actors, but certainly as Scandinavian as possible. There are also a few actors/characters I have not been able to piece together but would have a lot of potential.

The Finns

Simo Häyhä – Alexander Skarsgård

Simo Häyhä would be the main protagonist of the series or at least the character we focus on the most. Known as “The White Death” Simo, is famous for being one of the deadliest snipers in military history – scoring 259 confirmed kills, but an unconfirmed count of 500+. 

What makes Simo’s record even more impressive is he did most of his using no scope or any other optics – relying solely on iron sights and his personal M/28-30 rifle (the Finnish Mosin-Nagant). His reasoning for the simple tech was because in daylight the glint from the sun can aways his location. The scope can also fog up if not made well.

For this casting, I have chosen Alexander Skarsgard as I feel he can have both a calm almost shy demeanor – and yet carries a level of aggression expected for a soldier with a high body count (Little Drummer Girl, The Kill Team).

Carl Gustaf Mannerheim – Lars Mikkelson

The mastermind of Finland’s defense against the soviets was General/President Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. A former soldier in the Russian imperial army, he would later go on to lead the Finnish independence movement as Imperial Russia crumbled into the USSR during the Bolshevik Revolution. As the Soviets invaded, Gustav devised a hybrid strategy of maintaining a defensive conventional army while at the same time using ski troops in guerrilla tactics that harass and slow the Red Army.

For this Role, I have chosen Lars Mikkelsen because he can convey the presence of a static genius. He has carried a military bureaucrat person before in other roles and is believed to play admiral Thrawn in an upcoming star wars series. Imagine Admiral Thrawn for the good guys.

Christopher Lee – Taron Egerton

Not many people know this, but before he was a famous actor Christopher Lee was a British soldier who volunteered to fight for the Finns in The Winter War. If this is going to be an anthology series it would be interesting to see foreign volunteers who joined the Finnish ranks.

We could choose a good number of British actors to fill this role, but for now we’ll pick Taron Egerton as a nod to his fitting contributions to spy thrillers in The Kingsmen series.

The Soviets

If this proposal were to expand beyond one film and was instead portrayed as a miniseries, I would want to explore both sides of the conflict. In particular, the disorganization of the Soviet Army High Command.

A few years before the war, Josef Stalin purged much of the Soviet military of its high-ranking officers. Many were executed or imprisoned, and their ranks were replaced by party members loyal only to Stalin that lacked real battlefield experience. This weakness, seen in all totalitarian regimes, is a disaster in the making even for an advanced modern army (as we’re seeing in real-time today).

Again, I want to find certain Slavic actors that can fill in that role, but they can be understandably hard to find. We also have to keep in mind the U.S.S.R was made up of several distinct nationalities, including Georgians, Chechens, and a number of central Asian countries as well.

Generic Soviet Platoon Leader – Danila Kozlovskiy

I don’t know what historical names would be appropriate to shadow on the Soviet side, but It would be great to explore the ranks of the average conscripted soldiers – knowing that many come from non-Russian regions including (but not limited to) many not happy to be commanded by a Russian.

Kozlovskiy’s character would be a no-nonsense old school lieutenant who knows his troops keep walking into meat grinders but dares not disobey his commander, he’s ruthless but not out of touch with his soldiers. Exploring the disconnect between the chain of command would indeed be a great subject to explore.

Kliment Voroshilov – Simon Pegg

Kliment Voroshilov was a perfect example of a politically appointed commissar. Appointed only for his ideological mindset and not his skill in command. A die-hard Communist as fanatical as he was incompetent.

I can imagine Simon Pegg depicted as an almost comically incompetent, out-of-place general who’s here solely due to political connections than any military experience. I understand that Simon Pegg would be out of place in this Soviet army… but that is exactly the point.

Semyon Timoshenko – Sonny Puzikas   

One of the few talented generals to survive Stalin’s purge, (imagine his opening scene in a prison cell) Seymon Timoshenko would be portrayed as a military pragmatist. Even though he defeats the Finns in several engagements, he knows the Russians can’t continue any further and was able to persuade Stalin to reach a settlement.

Sonny Puzikas is a name some people may remember from his appearances in Deadliest Warrior and other documentaries where he discusses the techniques and training used by Russian special forces. A former Spetznaz operator himself, Puzikas has made a living in America as an arms instructor and even appeared as an extra in several movies. My reason for casting him is he has something of a ruthless philosophy and yet has a calm collective demeanor that you can’t stop listening to. Imagining channeling that into a performance of someone who smiles at death, but never wastes it.

Conclusion

As stated, before WWII films are a dime a dozen, and seen the same generic American/British GI firefights so many times. It’s time now to delve into other periods of the conflict that are not as well known. this is one of those fronts that should be explored.

At this point, it’s amazing no one has made a movie about this conflict already, at least not one in recent memory. The Winter war is a perfect setting for a war film as it was the ultimate David and Goliath struggle at that time. Even though the Russians were victorious the losses and the heroism of the Finns outweighed Soviet gains

There is a common saying by Mark Twain that ”history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes”. What I interpret from this philosophy is circumstances are similar, but the outcomes are very different. We still don’t know for a certainty how the current situation with Ukraine will play out. One this is certain, this is the closest thing to a World War 3 situation in over 30 years… so let’s make a cathartic movie out of the last time we were this close to the brink.