 Volunteers arrived from various countries . By far the largest foreign contingent came from neighbouring Sweden , which provided nearly 8 @,@ 760 volunteers during the war . The Swedish Volunteer Corps ( Svenska Frivilligkåren ) , formed from the Swedes , the Norwegians ( 727 men ) and the Danes ( 1 @,@ 010 men ) , fought on the northern front at Salla during the last weeks of the war . A Swedish unit of Gloster Gladiators , named " the Flight Regiment 19 " ( Lentorykmentti 19 , LeR19 ; 19 @.@  flygflottilj , F19 ) also participated . Swedish AA @-@ batteries with Bofors 40mm @-@ guns were responsible for the air defence of northern Finland and the city of Turku . Volunteers arrived from Estonia , Italy and Hungary . Also , 350 American nationals of Finnish background volunteered , and 210 volunteers of other nationalities made it to Finland before the war ended . Max Manus , a Norwegian , fought in the Winter War before returning to Norway and achieving fame as a resistance fighter against the Nazi occupation of Norway . In total , Finland received 12 @,@ 000 volunteers , 50 of whom died during the war . 
