veteran’s corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

30 November1939 is the anniversary date of the start of the Winter War. It is an obscure conflict between Finland and Russia. The war, although small and overlooked on the world stage, left the military community with many takeaways.

It started with a land dispute. The Finnish border at that time was only 20 miles from Leningrad. Thus, for defensive purposes, they wanted the larger land buffer. 

The Russians attacked with overwhelming force. They mirrored the successful German “Blitzkrieg,” or lightning tactics, used effectively against Poland only months before. Let’s compare the two.

Terrain: The rolling plains and well-established road system of Poland was ideal for Blitzkrieg. The lack of plains, hills, heavy forest and limited roads of Finland were not. The Russians found themselves bottle-necked and stagnant. It goes to prove successful tactics are not always successfully applied. 

Weather: The weather in Finland dipped down to -45 degrees, and the days were very short. This gave the Finns a huge advantage. The weather in Poland was in the 70s. Weather can be the most dangerous weapon on the battlefield. Russian frostbite cases were massive. The Russians, if anyone, should’ve known this. 

Tactics: The Russians stalled in their advance were sitting ducks. The Finnish ,with their home-turf advantage and hit and run techniques, laid waste to the Russians. One battle lasted only one hour but resulted in 1,000 casualties and 100 destroyed armored vehicles. The Finns maneuvered well, as they were almost all proficient at cross-country skiing and were outdoorsmen by nature.

But the Finnish eventually lost the conflict after 105 days. It was later revealed Russia’s true intent was to conquer all of Finland. Only 11% of Finland was ceded, but it contained 30% of the country’s wealth. The Finns suffered 25,000 casualties. The Russian estimates range from 200,000 to 1,500,000 dead. One general is quoted as saying, “We almost took enough land to bury our dead”. 

Interesting tidbits:

The Russian ambassador whom the Finnish blamed for the conflict was named Molotov. A lethal cocktail made with flammable liquid was named for him. 

Simo Hayha, a Finnish sniper known as the White Death, had over 500 confirmed kills,. Some say he was the deadliest of all time. American sniper Chris Kyle had 160. 

The Russians’ dismal performance did not go unnoticed at the time. Adolf Hitler was emboldened to where he initiated steps to invade Russia. 

Finland is one of the only European countries not occupied during World War II. The brave Finns laid out a blueprint of tactics and courage that should be studied by military personnel today.

Tom Krabbenhoft belongs to many veterans and service organizations; he is a Realtor referral agent with Coldwell Banker Element Realty. Story ideas or comments:  11btwk@gmail.com