View of Red Army parading in Moscow, Russia. General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin waves at the marching troops. Map of Finland. Finland during the early days of the Winter War of 1939-40. President Kyösti Kallio of Finland seated at table during a conference. He bangs a gavel. View of Helsinki Central Station (Helsingin päärautatieasema, Kaivokatu 1, 00100 Helsinki, Finland). Traffic moves through the streets of Helsinki. Finnish civilians fleeing Helsinki at Helsinki Central Station. Finnish civilian men mobilizing. Aircraft in flight. Paratroopers descend and advance on ground. Tanks move on a field. Soldiers riding horse carts beside a railroad track. They fire artillery. Soldiers advance through snow covered terrain in Finland wearing skis.
Early civilian air travel in Northern Europe. Aerial view of a strait and island (probably Suomenlinna) near Helsingfors or Helsingford (present-day Helsinki), Finland. Boats docked in Helsingin satama (Port of Helsinki) with Uspenski Cathedral (Kanavakatu 1, 00160 Helsinki, Finland) in background. View of Market Square (Eteläranta, 00170 Helsinki, Finland) with Uspenski Cathedral and Tsarina's Stone in background.
Resumption of liquor sales in Helsinfors (Helsinki) Finland after repeal of Prohibition. Posters of alcohol companies Johnnie Walker, Meukow, Crabbie's and Benedictine on the wall. People standing outside the liquor shops. White Horse Whisky shop is visible. People standing in lines to enter bars and liquor shops. A woman packaging bottles of liquor or wine in brown paper, with racks of bottles stacked behind her. Bar owner opening doors to line of waiting patrons. View of crowded bar while more people wait in line outside to get in. Exterior view with snow falling and people waiting in long lines to buy liquor or go to bars. Next scene shows liquor distillery operations with men loading grain into giant industrial kettle. Wide view of distillery plant operations with many busy workers, some tending kettles and vats, and others carrying barrels. View of a bottling assembly line as workers tap lids onto liquor bottles. Bar filled with patrons waiting to buy drinks. Close up view of bartender's hand pouring a line of drinks from a shaker. Men and women dancing and drinking at bar. Bartender shaking cocktail shaker.
Film opens with a map of Europe showing black-shaded region of the Soviet Union, and pointing out Germany and Finland. Next, are shown moving images of rural buildings on fire in Finland, late in 1939, during the Russo-Finish war (or "Winter War"). (The Narrator comments that Finland's population was only 4 million while that of the soviets was 180 million.) Soviet bombers are seen high in the sky. A lone woman hurries along a street in Helsinki, Finland, past rubble of a bombed building. Smoke rises in the background. Finnish fire fighters man a hose to fight numerous huge fires in Helsinki.Various views of fires blazing in the capital.
Finland attacked by the Soviets during the "Winter War" or Russo-Finnish War of 1939-1940, coinciding with World War 2. Vyacheslav Molotov addresses Soviet men in a hall. View of Stalin seated near a wall. Soviet Men applaud. Soviet planes in flight. Soviet Paratroopers jump from the plane and descend with the help of parachutes towards Finland. Soviet army soldiers place and fire a line of artillery on the battlefield. Soviet airplanes in flight over Helsinki. The city of Helsinki being bombed by Soviet aircraft. People flee from the area. Damage in the area due to the bombardment. Destroyed houses, buildings and rubble on the ground in Finland from aerial bombing. A wrecked airplane on the street.
The Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. Flags of different countries displayed in a stadium during the Helsinki Olympics. Men taking part in a marathon start the event. A huge crowd gathered in the stands cheer for the men. Officials seated in the stands applaud. A man holds a board which reads '25 km'. Czechoslovakia's Emil Zatopek leads the event. People on the sides of the road cheer. The Czechoslovakian running on tracks in the stadium. Emil Zatopek finishes the 26-mile run creating a new record. Photographers take pictures. The crowd in the stands. Women's 400 meter relay event begins. United States team wins creating a new record with a score of 45.9 seconds. The relay team of four girls dances with glee. Men's 1500 meter track event begins. The crowd in the stands is applauding. Luxembourg's Joseph Barthel overcomes American Macmillan winning the country's first gold medal. Joseph Barthel cries standing on the winner's stand.