Winter Wars

(Winter Wars)

The so-called "Winter War" was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union that was fought between November, 1939 to February. 1940. In the wake of the start of World War II and the German invasion of Poland, to which the U.S.S.R. took Poland's eastern half. Stalin wanted to expand Soviet territory and some of that proposed real estate was in Finland. Helinski refused and the Red Army invaded in short order.


The Soviet host was impressive. As many as 600,000 Soviet troops were committed but the Finns proved formidable, inflicting considerable casualties on the invaders, Soviet leadership, namely the senior cadre of officers, had been eviscerated in Stalin's purges. So, when combat commenced in that November, in bad weather for that time of year and in Finland, that has an effect. If one wants to know where the "Molotov Cocktail," the gas in a bottle with a fuse.  came from and named for the duplicitous Soviet Minister, V. Molotov, Finnish troops used them to effect against Soviets.


But the Finns could not sustain the effort in the wake of reformed Soviet forces and were compelled to capitulate. Stalin got his territorial concessions in the Moscow Peace Treaty. And, as had been the case with Poland. this Finnish cession moved the border further west, a buffer against the Finnish component of Case BARBAROSSA, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.


A similar situation is now being played out in the Ukraine. Much like Red Army in 1940 at Finland, so the performance of Russian forces in the Ukraine is comparable. Remember. Russia has all the staying power and came back and subjugated the Finns and there is no reason why Moscow could recover here.

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