Video summary

Werewolves of WW2 - The Winter War - Forgotten History

Main summary

Key takeaways

News and Commentary

Overview

The video recounts the Winter War—the Soviet invasion of Finland beginning November 30, 1939, and ending March 13, 1940—and argues that the conflict’s rapid conclusion raises unresolved questions about what happened to Soviet forces during the fighting. In particular, it focuses on an incident said to have occurred in the Khibiny Mountains region during the Battle of Kolaa.

Main arguments and commentary

Why the war ended quickly

The host frames the Soviet defeat as surprising given Soviet manpower and materiel, asking what “happened to the Soviet Army” that caused them to be shaken so early in the war.

Finnish defensive strategy

The program describes Finnish plans to turn narrow routes—especially the Karelian Isthmus and movement via the Kolaa Peninsula—into choke points. It emphasizes:

  • Hit-and-run / guerrilla-style tactics
  • Sparse Finnish artillery compared to Soviet gun strength
  • Heavy reliance on winter expertise, terrain knowledge, ski reconnaissance and harassment, and elite marksmen

Key command and battlefield movements

The video discusses the following (as part of its narrative context):

  • Soviet forces
    • 8th Red Army under Ivan Nikitich Khabarov
    • Later replaced (from December 13, 1939) by Colonel General Grigory Mikhailovich Shtern
  • Finnish units
    • 12th Division, with a command change from Laurie Tevetti Tiainan to Antaro Svensson
    • The division is discussed within IV Corps under Johann Woldemar Hagglund
  • Early Finnish successes
    • The Battle of Tolvajarvi (Dec. 12, 1939), presented as affecting morale

The “werewolf” / pagan folklore theory centered on the Khibiny Mountains

The host links the story to Sami pagan folklore, describing place names regarded as sacred or mysterious—such as:

  • Vottovaara Mountain
  • The Khibiny Mountains

The video also claims that local myths describe harmful spirits or shape-like creatures, including figures such as:

  • Otso (“bear man”)
  • Vironsusi

According to the story:

  • Sami locals allegedly warned Soviet troops not to go to the Khibiny
  • Soviet commanders supposedly dismissed the warnings
  • A reconnaissance patrol allegedly observed the mountain area from hiding near Finnish positions, then waited while the main Soviet force arrived

The mysterious massacre narrative

The video claims that around the second week of January 1940, Finnish troops noticed ominous sounds—such as:

  • howling
  • screaming
  • gunfire/explosions

These noises are described as continuing across multiple nights.

A patrol reportedly then found:

  • every Soviet soldier dead
  • with extreme mutilation, including:
    • bodies torn apart
    • torsos hanging in trees
    • missing limbs/heads
    • damage likened to disembowelment

The narrator emphasizes unresolved questions, including:

  • where Finnish casualties were
  • why no wounds for either side were reported
  • why the firefight was a surprise
  • why the body damage could not be explained by weapons alone (as presented in the story)

Political / military aftermath as evidence of shock

The video states that the report likely reached Stalin, leading to punishment of several officers for incompetence.

Battlefield totals (context, not confirmation of the incident)

The episode provides the following figures for broader Winter War losses:

  • Finnish losses cited
    • 16,725 killed in action
    • 3,671 badly wounded who died in hospital
  • Soviet losses cited
    • over 200,000, attributed “mostly due to the weather and cold”
    • The video notes that Soviet forces later returned in 1941

Overall conclusion

The episode presents the Khibiny incident as largely unexplained, and—while explicitly labeling the idea as speculative—suggests possibilities ranging from wolves/bears to a more supernatural evil presence, even invoking werewolf-type folklore.

It frames the topic as a paranormal discussion rather than established history, ending with the idea that the truth may only be known “one day.”

Presenters / contributors

  • Colin Heaton (host; credited as a veteran of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, former history professor, and book author)

Referenced figures and elements include:

  • Ivan Nikitich Khabarov
  • Grigory Mikhailovich Shtern
  • Laurie Tevetti Tiainan
  • Antaro Svensson
  • Johann Woldemar Hagglund
  • Finnish figures such as Simo Häyhä and Lauri Alan Torni
  • Sami/folklore figures such as Otso and Vironsusi

Original video