"The Falaise Pocket v. a Finnish Motti" Topic

I have been reading a book on the Normandy campaign (DDay by Antony Beevors). Title is a bit misleading, in that it covers the entire Normandy Campaign to the closing of the pocket – not just DDay..
This got me to wondering – which was worse, the Falaise pocket or to be stuck in a Finnish motti? The former gets all the publicity – but I think the motti might have been worse. The Finnish national photo archive is a wonderful source, with thousands of photos that are free to use. You just have to give them credit and not use them in a misleading way.
Most of the motti photos are in the winter – which the snow tends to disguise the photos. Here is what a motti looks like when the snow melts.(Thanks to S A Kuva)
Note: I adjusted the lighting in some photos to make them clearer.

Hit the wrong button. I meant to add this photo as well:

If anyone wants to check out the Finnish Army national archive of photos: link

Wow!!

The debris left behind by a WW2 retreating army is horrendous – be it French in 1940, Germans in Normandy, Russians in Finnland, or Germans on the Eastern Front.

Jim

Interesting photos. I'm thinking surrounded in the snow would be a lot worse.

Did the Soviets wear German style helmets in Finland? Looking at the second photo above, the piled-up helmets appear to include German style helmets. The only Soviet helmets that I have ever seen do not have a discernible "flare" in the design. I think I remember seeing Soviet engineers wearing helmets that had something similar to a lobster tail, however, the flaring-out of the helmets in the photo is too subtle to match the drawing that I have floating around in my head.

Red Jacket,
Certainy longer and slower in a motti.
I hadn't looked that close before. The caption (quoted below) says it was taken near Kuhmo on March 16, 1940:

Kuhmo-Kesseli. A collection of war booty and own equipment. A heap of helmets, shovels, skis, and poles.

I think what looks like a Stahlhelm is actually an M36 pre-war Soviet design. Very similar, but the lower edge dipped slightly over the ear region. Many images on-line if interested.

Thanks, very interesting. I looked at the M36 Soviet helmet, which I had never seen before. I could see where that design could have caused some confusion if widely used by the Soviets.

Falaise was a retreat, or at least an attempt, in the Summer, with the threat mainly from the air. Some did get out.

A Motti was encircled, therefore much more concentrated, depths of winter, no escape, starvation and an enemy you could hardly ever see. POW was bad enough, but treatment by your own side, once released, was probably worse still

A Motti was encircled, therefore much more concentrated, depths of winter, no escape, starvation and an enemy you could hardly ever see. POW was bad enough, but treatment by your own side, once released, was probably worse still

Being a Finnish captive was deadly for Soviets both civil and military. They literally were allowed to die of starvation and neglect.