The Winter War 1939 - 1940

November 30th, early morning. The Soviet Red Army opens fire and crosses the border into Finland, at Lake Ladoga and in the north at Petsamo. Only hours later, Soviet bombs hit the Finnish capital, Helsinki and other cities, without a declaration of war. The Finnish president, Kyösti Kallio, declares war in response. And now, Soviet troops invade Finland at points all along the border.

The Red Army is three times greater than Finland's military defence. Soviet leader Josef Stalin expects Finland to surrender quickly. In the north, the Red Army wins easily. The city of Petsamo is occupied on the first day. But it’s not so easy for the Soviets in the south.

Across the Karelian isthmus, the Finns have built a defensive wall: the Mannerheim line, to prevent the enemy from reaching Helsinki, and delay them until Finland gets international help. Military experts believe Finland will soon be beaten. But the Red Army now suffers huge losses in the snowy, cold forests. The winter of 1939-40 is unusually cold and snowy. But the Soviets, expecting a quick victory, invade Finland wearing their green summer uniforms.

The Russian soldiers are easy to see.. ..and are really cold! In deep snow, they must follow the roads, which are narrow.. ..and are now blocked by trees! Not only have the Finns cut down trees across the roads, they wear white, warm, winter uniforms. And they travel on skis! Moving fast, They appear suddenly.

They throw grenades, and bottle fire-bombs: 'Molotov cocktails' that are named after the Soviet foreign minister. And then they are gone. They separate the Russians into smaller groups: motti, surround them, then quickly approach and shoot. If a motti is large, the Finns wait. The Soviets will soon run out of food and ammunition.

One of the bloodiest battles is at the village of Suomussalmi. Soviet troops are advancing on the strategically important, coastal city of Oulu. Suomussalmi is defended by one single Finnish battalion. They fight, but must withdraw. As they retreat, the Finns burn down the village..

and destroy the surrounding roads. The Russian soldiers cannot move, and have no shelter. They are separated from each other. And help from the Red Army’s 44th division is delayed by the tree-blocked roads. Finnish ski-troops destroy Soviet field kitchens, one after another.

The Russian soldiers can’t light fires at night for warmth or food, because that shows their position. Thousands of Russian soldiers are killed, or die of cold and starvation. On January 8, 1940, the Russians give up and flee. About eleven thousand Finns have defeated something like 50,000 invaders. During the battle of Suomussalmi a total of over 25,000 Russian soldiers and around 1,000 Finns have died.

And Finland gains: 43 tanks, 260 trucks, 6000 rifles, and tons of ammunition. Stalin is furious. The world news is that the small country of Finland has crushed his Red Army at Suomussalmi! He sacks his military commander, and turns his attention on Helsinki, and sends nearly half a million soldiers to the Karelian Isthmus, and begins another attack. On February 1, 1940, thousands of grenades are fired into Finland, and hundreds of aircraft drop bombs.

With still no help from abroad, the Finns have to retreat. Now the Soviet forces dominate, and on March 12th, Finland must agree to peace. The war cost the lives of 23,000 Finnish soldiers, and the loss of huge territories. A Soviet general sums it up: “We have won enough ground to bury our dead.” Because The Winter War has cost the Soviet Union more than 130,000 dead, and over 250,000 wounded.