Ryhmy ja Romppainen
Encyclopedia
Ryhmy ja Romppainen was a Finnish
series of adventure stories published as 14 separate volumes during 1940 - 1967, and later as one volume. The author was pseudonym Armas J. Pulla ("Dear J. Bun"). The books were highly popular during the war in winter 1940
.
The protagonists, Kalle Ryhmy and Second Lieutenant Romppainen were no action heroes, but down-to-earth rogue forest warriors, who would fight principally with cunning, and disliked the pompous brass and the bureaucracy. For example, a typical trick would be to use machine gun barrage to prevent the crew of a Soviet motor boat to access the deck, and then change the Soviet flag to a pair of dirty underpants.
Always accompanied by Ryhmy's tomcat Mörökölli ("Bogeyman"), their secret weapon was a log of wood, for striking the enemy to knock him out instead of killing. Their archenemy was Commissar
Natalia Vengrovska, who would during the series fall in love with Ryhmy and plan to escape to America with him, while Ryhmy was horrified of the thought.
In the book Jees, mullikuhnuri, both protagonists were "knighted" with the Mannerheim Cross
. In this exploit, they would find a barge in Lake Ladoga
loaded with six brand-new Soviet tanks, and fight a small battle to claim its ownership with a Soviet patrol boat. An embedded reporter accompanying them wrote an article about this, resulting in the Mannerheim crosses being awarded almost instantly.
During the Continuation War
, the series was a part of Finnish propaganda. After the war, the British
- and Soviet-run Allied Control Commission required the Ryhmy ja Romppainen series removed from public libraries, because in them Soviet soldiers were depicted as lazy, dirty, involuntary and stupid.
One of the most famous propaganda claims in the book series was that according to Soviet doctrine, skis are suitable only for highway traffic. This was a reference to the initially poor (consider Battle of Raatteentie) ski warfare
skills of the Soviet soldiers. Although this did improve, the writer would ignore this.
Three movies were made on the basis of the books. The General Headquarters of the Finnish Defence Forces considered the movie Jees ja just as derogatory to the Finnish soldier. In fall 1944, Finnish censorship (pressed by the Soviet Union) forbade the distribution of Jees ja just as derogatory of the Soviet Union. Distribution of the movie was allowed again only in 1988, during perestroika
. In this movie, the protagonists were played by Oiva Luhtala (Ryhmy) and Reino Valkama (Romppainen).
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
series of adventure stories published as 14 separate volumes during 1940 - 1967, and later as one volume. The author was pseudonym Armas J. Pulla ("Dear J. Bun"). The books were highly popular during the war in winter 1940
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
.
The protagonists, Kalle Ryhmy and Second Lieutenant Romppainen were no action heroes, but down-to-earth rogue forest warriors, who would fight principally with cunning, and disliked the pompous brass and the bureaucracy. For example, a typical trick would be to use machine gun barrage to prevent the crew of a Soviet motor boat to access the deck, and then change the Soviet flag to a pair of dirty underpants.
Always accompanied by Ryhmy's tomcat Mörökölli ("Bogeyman"), their secret weapon was a log of wood, for striking the enemy to knock him out instead of killing. Their archenemy was Commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
Natalia Vengrovska, who would during the series fall in love with Ryhmy and plan to escape to America with him, while Ryhmy was horrified of the thought.
In the book Jees, mullikuhnuri, both protagonists were "knighted" with the Mannerheim Cross
Mannerheim Cross
The Mannerheim Cross of Liberty is the highest Finnish military decoration. The medal was introduced after the Winter War and named after Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim...
. In this exploit, they would find a barge in Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
loaded with six brand-new Soviet tanks, and fight a small battle to claim its ownership with a Soviet patrol boat. An embedded reporter accompanying them wrote an article about this, resulting in the Mannerheim crosses being awarded almost instantly.
During the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, the series was a part of Finnish propaganda. After the war, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- and Soviet-run Allied Control Commission required the Ryhmy ja Romppainen series removed from public libraries, because in them Soviet soldiers were depicted as lazy, dirty, involuntary and stupid.
One of the most famous propaganda claims in the book series was that according to Soviet doctrine, skis are suitable only for highway traffic. This was a reference to the initially poor (consider Battle of Raatteentie) ski warfare
Ski warfare
Ski warfare, the use of ski-equipped troops in war, is first recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. The speed and distance that ski troops are able to cover is comparable to that of light cavalry.-History:...
skills of the Soviet soldiers. Although this did improve, the writer would ignore this.
Three movies were made on the basis of the books. The General Headquarters of the Finnish Defence Forces considered the movie Jees ja just as derogatory to the Finnish soldier. In fall 1944, Finnish censorship (pressed by the Soviet Union) forbade the distribution of Jees ja just as derogatory of the Soviet Union. Distribution of the movie was allowed again only in 1988, during perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
. In this movie, the protagonists were played by Oiva Luhtala (Ryhmy) and Reino Valkama (Romppainen).