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Anssi Halmesvirta
Figure 58
Here one sees yet another kind of Russian: a reconnaissance parachutist has been
successfully dropped behind the lines in Finland to gather information (Ibid.: Feb¬
ruary 15, 1940). Ihe caption reads: "Be aware, you are overheard!" Note: different
but much-used stereotypic features of the Russian can be seen here: the Red Army
cap and crooked smile.
Figure 59
Showing Russian incompetence and mercilessness (Ibid.: February 22, 1940). The
boy says: “They make such a hell of a noise that even the fish flee!”, “Fishing boys
are important bombing targets to the ‘Ruskie bastards”. By starting the war, the
Soviet Union disturbed the peaceful life of the Finns.
Figure 60
In this Figure a Russian reconnaissance parachutist is landing in Finland (Ibid.:
February 29, 1940). The explanation says: “This happens to Russian parachute
forces if every Finnish boy is vigilant”.
Figure 61
Last but not the least: in this larger figure a Russian woman is conducting the
propaganda war against Finland (Ibid.: January 2, 1940).
She is Moskovan Tiltu (‘Tiltu of Moscow’), the main radio propagandist against
the Finns, constantly irritating them with mockery and derision.’ Her message
painted Finland’s leadership as a “vicious and reactionary Fascist clique”, imply¬
ing that it should be replaced by a Communist (Terijoki) leadership. In the world
famous Finnish war novel Tuntematon sotilas (‘The Unknown Soldier’, 1952) by
Väinö Linna, Tiltu shouts with a loudspeaker across the frontline: “Poor Finn¬
ish boys, surrender and come and get bread from us”, to which Finnish soldiers
laughingly retort: “You dirty old hag, come and get butter on your bread”. In this
cartoon she is depicted in rags and almost without teeth reading from the TASS
‘news’. She is also undernourished and really ugly—not the same kind of ugliness
as the furious Russian female soldiers encountered in battle (also quite a humorous
encounter). Notice that in the left corner Stalin is smiling; Tiltu’s propaganda work
is well performed. The caption reads: “Horrible old hag!” and the explanation is:
“Even the microphone is terrified of the canards [frogs] flowing out of her mouth’.
‘This refers to official Russian propaganda, which said that the Soviet Union was
constantly winning the war in spite of terrible losses in December 1939 and Janu¬
ary 1940. Stalin’s plan had been to overrun Finland in two weeks.
> Who she might have been is unknown.