How Finland humiliated the Russians in the Winter War

[jw5]

Home field advantage​

Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the Finns had a superior advantage on one front: they knew the territory much better than their invaders.

 

[jw5]

Guerrilla tactics​

Under the leadership of Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (pictured, left), the Finnish engaged in guerrilla tactics while the Soviet soldiers were bogged down by difficult terrain, thick forests, and harsh winter.

 

[jw5]

Ski troops​

Finnish ski troops are reported to have carried out hit-and-run attacks on isolated Soviet units, which stood out easily among the winter-covered landscape.

 

[jw5]

The White Death​

One Finnish sniper, a farmer by the name of Simo Häyhä, is reported to have killed over 500 Red Army soldiers. He earned the nickname 'The White Death'.

 

[jw5]

Peace at a cost​

Ultimately, Finland signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union in February 1940, giving away 11% of their territory.

 

[jw5]

What's Russian for 'Pyrrhic'?​

However, this was only after a huge loss for the Red Army. A piece on the History Channel website reports that Soviet forces had over 300,000 casualties to circa 65,000 Finns.

 

[jw5]

The shape of war​

The Soviet Union also faced repercussions at the international level, getting expelled from the League of Nations due to the invasion of Finland. However, Stalin would prove a useful ally in the new world war that was starting to take shape.

 

[jw5]

Operation Barbarossa​

Some even claim that the Red Army’s embarrassing performance in Finland led to Hitler thinking he could declare war on the Soviet Union without much problem. Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 and eventually would prove to be its undoing.

 

[mudhatter]

who won?