Quote Originally Posted by Ivanushka-supertzar View Post
It's a piece of swamp actually, not land. Only insane lunatic would want to conquer Saint-Pete since weather conditions here is horrible.
Remember remember the day of 1812!

Meh. Hadn't the Finnish political leadership chickened out in 1919, the Bolshevik menace would have been banished from Petrograd with Finnish bayonets.

And "horrible weather conditions" is a relative concept.

The Commander of the Russian White's Northern Front, General Judenich, stayed in Helsinki during the spring of 1919 and recruited Russian officers who had remained in Finland into his forces. He also tried to persuade the Finnish government to attack and occupy St. Petersburg. In June he explained to Mannerheim, that Russia was in return prepared to recognize Finnish independence, organize a referendum in Eastern Karelia and allow Cultural Autonomy to Ingria. Judenich promised to hand down the leadership of the operation to Mannerheim. The Finnish Administrator of the State truly possessed the Keys to World History in his hands at this moment in time.

The majority of the new Parliament (Eduskunta) also supported the annexation of Eastern Karelia to Finland, but the support for the occupation of St. Petersburg came mainly from the Activists. They realized, that the operation would have to be initiated before the eduskunta would have time to elect a president of the republic. The Activists had reason to fear that a centre-led Finland would elect Stĺhlberg for president, who would give up Eastern Karelia, Petsamo and the aiding of kindred peoples. The Activists could only hope that before this Mannerheim would in his position as Administrator of the State postpone the implementation of the republican form of government and perhaps even break up the parliament all together and order for new elections to be held. Meanwhile Finland would strike fast towards St. Petersburg and force out the Bolsheviks. This, in brief, was the plan as had been agreed on in secret negotiations between the inner circle of the Activist movement in the spring of 1919. One of leading figures of the Activists, Kai Donner, presented the plan to Mannerheim, who was known to the Activists by the pseudonym "Andersson".

Mannerheim accepted the Activists' plan in principle but proposed that certain requirements had to be met: they would have to secure the support of the Western powers as well as that of the National Coalition Party. This turned out to be the deciding issue: Paasikivi, Ingman and other leading National Coalitionists turned the plan down immediatly. Also, the promises of English and French support remained vague and uncertain. Mannerheim perceived that the "Activist Project" was no longer realistically possible. He ratified the new form of government on 17.07.1919.
-The Political History of Finland 1809-2009.