Results of the winter war 1939 1940. Soviet-Finnish war. It was a victory, albeit not a brilliant one, but a victory
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IN national historiography the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, or, as it is called in the West, the Winter War, long years was virtually forgotten. This was facilitated by its not very successful results and the peculiar “political correctness” practiced in our country. Official Soviet propaganda was more afraid than fire to offend any of its “friends,” and Finland after the Great Patriotic War was considered an ally of the USSR.
Over the past 15 years, the situation has changed radically. Contrary to the well-known words of A. T. Tvardovsky about the “unfamous war,” today this war is very “famous.” One after another, books dedicated to her are published, not to mention many articles in various magazines and collections. But this “celebrity” is very peculiar. The authors who have made denouncing the Soviet “evil empire” their profession cite in their publications an absolutely fantastic ratio of our and Finnish losses. Any reasonable reasons for the actions of the USSR are completely denied...
By the end of the 1930s, near the northwestern borders of the Soviet Union there was a state that was clearly unfriendly to us. It is very significant that even before the start of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. The identifying mark of the Finnish Air Force and tank forces was a blue swastika. Those who claim that it was Stalin who pushed Finland into Hitler’s camp through his actions prefer not to remember this. As well as why peace-loving Suomi needed a network of military airfields built by the beginning of 1939 with the help of German specialists, capable of receiving 10 times more aircraft than the Finnish Air Force had. However, in Helsinki they were ready to fight against us both in an alliance with Germany and Japan, and in an alliance with England and France.
Seeing the approach of a new world conflict, the leadership of the USSR sought to secure the border near the second largest and most important city in the country. Back in March 1939, Soviet diplomacy explored the question of transferring or leasing a number of islands in the Gulf of Finland, but Helsinki responded with a categorical refusal.
Those who denounce the “crimes of the Stalinist regime” like to rant about the fact that Finland is a sovereign country that manages its own territory, and therefore, they say, it was not at all obliged to agree to the exchange. In this regard, we can recall the events that took place two decades later. When Soviet missiles began to be deployed in Cuba in 1962, the Americans had no legal basis to introduce naval blockade Islands of freedom, and even more so to launch a military strike on it. Both Cuba and the USSR are sovereign countries; the deployment of Soviet nuclear weapons concerned only them and was fully consistent with international law. Nevertheless, the United States was ready to start the 3rd world war, if the missiles are not removed. There is such a thing as a “sphere of vital interests”. For our country in 1939, a similar area included the Gulf of Finland and the Karelian Isthmus. Not even at all sympathetic Soviet power former leader Party of Cadets P. N. Milyukov in a letter to I. P. Demidov expressed next relation to the outbreak of war with Finland: “I feel sorry for the Finns, but I am for the Vyborg province.”
On November 26, a famous incident occurred near the village of Maynila. According to the official Soviet version, at 15:45 Finnish artillery shelled our territory, as a result of which 4 Soviet soldiers were killed and 9 were wounded. Today it is considered good form to interpret this event as the work of the NKVD. The Finnish claims that their artillery was deployed at such a distance that its fire could not reach the border are perceived as indisputable. Meanwhile, according to Soviet documentary sources, one of the Finnish batteries was located in the Jaappinen area (5 km from Mainila). However, whoever organized the provocation at Maynila, it was used by the Soviet side as a pretext for war. On November 28, the USSR government denounced the Soviet-Finnish non-aggression treaty and recalled its diplomatic representatives from Finland. November 30th started fighting.
I will not describe in detail the course of the war, since there are already enough publications on this topic. Its first stage, which lasted until the end of December 1939, was generally unsuccessful for the Red Army. On the Karelian Isthmus, Soviet troops, having overcome the forefield of the Mannerheim Line, reached its main defensive line on December 4-10. However, attempts to break through it were unsuccessful. After bloody battles, the sides switched to positional warfare.
What were the reasons for the failures of the initial period of the war? First of all, underestimating the enemy. Finland mobilized in advance, increasing the number of its Armed Forces from 37 to 337 thousand (459). Finnish troops were deployed in the border zone, the main forces occupied defensive lines on the Karelian Isthmus and even managed to conduct full-scale maneuvers at the end of October 1939.
Was not up to par Soviet intelligence, which was unable to reveal complete and reliable information about Finnish fortifications.
Finally, the Soviet leadership had unreasonable hopes for “class solidarity of the Finnish working people.” There was a widespread belief that the population of countries that entered the war against the USSR would almost immediately “rise up and go over to the side of the Red Army,” that workers and peasants would come out to greet Soviet soldiers with flowers.
As a result, the required number of troops was not allocated for combat operations and, accordingly, the necessary superiority in forces was not ensured. Thus, on the Karelian Isthmus, which was the most important section of the front, in December 1939 the Finnish side had 6 infantry divisions, 4 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and 10 separate battalions - a total of 80 crew battalions. On the Soviet side they were opposed by 9 rifle divisions, 1 rifle and machine gun brigade and 6 tank brigades - a total of 84 infantry battalions. If we compare the number of personnel, the Finnish troops on the Karelian Isthmus numbered 130 thousand, the Soviet troops - 169 thousand people. In general, along the entire front, 425 thousand Red Army soldiers acted against 265 thousand Finnish military personnel.
Defeat or victory?
So, let's sum up the results of the Soviet-Finnish conflict. As a rule, a war is considered won if the winner ends up in better position than it was before the war. What do we see from this point of view?
As we have already seen, by the end of the 1930s, Finland was a country that was clearly unfriendly towards the USSR and was ready to enter into an alliance with any of our enemies. So in this respect the situation has not worsened at all. On the other hand, it is known that an unruly bully understands only the language of brute force and begins to respect the one who managed to beat him. Finland was no exception. On May 22, 1940, the Society for Peace and Friendship with the USSR was created there. Despite persecution by the Finnish authorities, by the time of its ban in December of the same year it had 40 thousand members. Such massive numbers indicate that not only communist supporters joined the Society, but also simply sensible people who believed that it was better to maintain normal relations with their great neighbor.
According to the Moscow Treaty, the USSR received new territories, as well as a naval base on the Hanko Peninsula. This is a clear plus. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Finnish troops were able to reach the line of the old state border only by September 1941.
It should be noted that if at the negotiations in October-November 1939 Soviet Union asked for less than 3 thousand sq. km and in exchange for twice the territory, as a result of the war he acquired about 40 thousand square meters. km without giving anything in return.
It should also be taken into account that at the pre-war negotiations, the USSR, in addition to territorial compensation, offered to reimburse the cost of the property left by the Finns. According to the calculations of the Finnish side, even in the case of the transfer of a small piece of land, which they agreed to cede to us, we were talking about 800 million marks. If it came to the cession of the entire Karelian Isthmus, the bill would already run into many billions.
But now, when on March 10, 1940, on the eve of the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty, Paasikivi started talking about compensation for the transferred territory, remembering that Peter I paid Sweden 2 million thalers under the Treaty of Nystadt, Molotov could calmly answer: “Write a letter to Peter the Great. If he orders, we will pay compensation.".
Moreover, the USSR demanded an amount of 95 million rubles. as compensation for equipment removed from the occupied territory and damage to property. Finland was also supposed to transfer 350 sea and river Vehicle, 76 locomotives, 2 thousand carriages, a significant number of cars.
Of course, during the fighting, the Soviet Armed Forces suffered significantly greater losses than the enemy. According to the name lists, in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. 126,875 Red Army soldiers were killed, died or went missing. The losses of the Finnish troops, according to official data, were 21,396 killed and 1,434 missing. However, another figure for Finnish losses is often found in Russian literature - 48,243 killed, 43 thousand wounded.
Be that as it may, Soviet losses are several times greater than Finnish ones. This ratio is not surprising. Take, for example, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. If we consider the fighting in Manchuria, the losses of both sides are approximately the same. Moreover, the Russians often lost more than the Japanese. However, during the assault on the Port Arthur fortress, Japanese losses far exceeded Russian losses. It would seem that the same Russian and Japanese soldiers fought here and there, why is there such a difference? The answer is obvious: if in Manchuria the parties fought in an open field, then in Port Arthur our troops defended a fortress, even if it was unfinished. It is quite natural that the attackers suffered much higher losses. The same situation arose during the Soviet-Finnish War, when our troops had to storm the Mannerheim Line, and even in winter conditions.
As a result, Soviet troops acquired invaluable combat experience, and the command of the Red Army had reason to think about shortcomings in troop training and about urgent measures to increase the combat effectiveness of the army and navy.
Speaking in parliament on March 19, 1940, Daladier declared that for France “The Moscow Peace Treaty is a tragic and shameful event. This is a great victory for Russia.". However, one should not go to extremes, as some authors do. Not very great. But still a victory.
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1. Units of the Red Army cross the bridge into Finnish territory. 1939
2. A Soviet soldier guarding a minefield in the area of the former Finnish border outpost. 1939
3. Artillery crew at their gun in a firing position. 1939
4. Major Volin V.S. and boatswain I.V. Kapustin, who landed with troops on the island of Seiskaari to inspect the coast of the island. Baltic Fleet. 1939
5. Soldiers of the rifle unit are advancing from the forest. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
6. Border guard outfit on patrol. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
7. Border guard Zolotukhin at the post at the Finnish outpost of Beloostrov. 1939
8. Sappers on the construction of a bridge near the Finnish border post of Japinen. 1939
9. Soldiers deliver ammunition to the front line. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
10. Soldiers of the 7th Army fire at the enemy with rifles. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
11. A reconnaissance group of skiers receives instructions from the commander before going on reconnaissance. 1939
12. Horse artillery on the march. Vyborg district. 1939
13. Fighter skiers on a hike. 1940
14. Red Army soldiers in combat positions in the area of combat operations with the Finns. Vyborg district. 1940
15. Fighters cooking food in the forest over a fire during a break between battles. 1939
16. Cooking lunch in the field at a temperature of 40 degrees below zero. 1940
17. Anti-aircraft guns in position. 1940
18. Signalmen restoring the telegraph line destroyed by the Finns during the retreat. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
19. Signal soldiers are restoring the telegraph line destroyed by the Finns in Terijoki. 1939
20. View of the railway bridge blown up by the Finns at Terijoki station. 1939
21. Soldiers and commanders talk with residents of Terijoki. 1939
22. Signalmen on the front line negotiations near the Kemyarya station. 1940
23. Rest of the Red Army soldiers after the battle in the Kemyar area. 1940
24. A group of commanders and soldiers of the Red Army listens to a radio broadcast at a radio horn on one of the streets of Terijoki. 1939
25. View of Suojarva station, taken by Red Army soldiers. 1939
26. Red Army soldiers guard a gasoline pump in the town of Raivola. Karelian Isthmus. 1939
27. General form the destroyed "Mannerheim Fortification Line". 1939
28. General view of the destroyed “Mannerheim Fortification Line”. 1939
29. A rally in one of the military units after the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line during the Soviet-Finnish conflict. February 1940
30. General view of the destroyed “Mannerheim Fortification Line”. 1939
31. Sappers repairing a bridge in the Boboshino area. 1939
32. A Red Army soldier puts a letter in a field mail box. 1939
33. A group of Soviet commanders and soldiers inspects the Shyutskor banner captured from the Finns. 1939
34. B-4 howitzer on the front line. 1939
35. General view of the Finnish fortifications at height 65.5. 1940
36. View of one of the streets of Koivisto, taken by Red Army units. 1939
37. View of a destroyed bridge near the city of Koivisto, taken by units of the Red Army. 1939
38. A group of captured Finnish soldiers. 1940
39. Red Army soldiers at a captured gun left behind after the battles with the Finns. Vyborg district. 1940
40. Trophy ammunition depot. 1940
41. Remote-controlled tank TT-26 (217th separate tank battalion of the 30th chemical tank brigade), February 1940.
42. Soviet soldiers at a captured pillbox on the Karelian Isthmus. 1940
43. Units of the Red Army enter the liberated city of Vyborg. 1940
44. Red Army soldiers at fortifications in Vyborg. 1940
45. Ruins of Vyborg after the fighting. 1940
46. Red Army soldiers clear the streets of the liberated city of Vyborg from snow. 1940
47. Icebreaking steamer "Dezhnev" during the transfer of troops from Arkhangelsk to Kandalaksha. 1940
48. Soviet skiers are moving to the forefront. Winter 1939-1940.
49. Soviet attack aircraft I-15bis taxis for takeoff before a combat mission during the Soviet-Finnish war.
50. Finnish Foreign Minister Vaine Tanner speaks on the radio with a message about the end of the Soviet-Finnish war. 03/13/1940
51. Crossing the Finnish border by Soviet units near the village of Hautavaara. November 30, 1939
52. Finnish prisoners talk with a Soviet political worker. The photo was taken in the Gryazovets NKVD camp. 1939-1940
53. Soviet soldiers talk with one of the first Finnish prisoners of war. November 30, 1939
54. Finnish Fokker C.X aircraft shot down by Soviet fighters on the Karelian Isthmus. December 1939
55. Hero of the Soviet Union, platoon commander of the 7th pontoon-bridge battalion of the 7th Army, junior lieutenant Pavel Vasilyevich Usov (right) discharges a mine.
56. The crew of the Soviet 203-mm howitzer B-4 fires at Finnish fortifications. 12/02/1939
57. Red Army commanders examine the captured Finnish Vickers Mk.E tank. March 1940
58. Hero of the Soviet Union, senior lieutenant Vladimir Mikhailovich Kurochkin (1913-1941) with the I-16 fighter. 1940
Little-known details of the military campaign that was eclipsed by the Great Patriotic War
This year, November 30, will mark 76 years since the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940, which in our country and beyond its borders is often called the Winter War. Unleashed right on the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the Winter War remained in its shadow for a very long time. And not only because memories of it were quickly eclipsed by the tragedies of the Great Patriotic War, but also because of all the wars in which the Soviet Union participated in one way or another, this was the only war started on Moscow’s initiative.
Move the border west
The Winter War became in the literal sense of the word “a continuation of politics by other means.” After all, it began immediately after several rounds of peace negotiations stalled, during which the USSR tried to move the northern border as far as possible from Leningrad and Murmansk, in return offering Finland land in Karelia. The immediate reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the Maynila Incident: an artillery shelling of Soviet troops on the border with Finland on November 26, 1939, which killed four servicemen. Moscow placed responsibility for the incident on Helsinki, although later the guilt of the Finnish side was subject to reasonable doubt.
Four days later, the Red Army crossed the border into Finland, thus beginning the Winter War. Its first stage - from November 30, 1939 to February 10, 1940 - was extremely unsuccessful for the Soviet Union. Despite all efforts, Soviet troops failed to break through the Finnish defense line, which by that time was already being called the Mannerheim Line. In addition, during this period, the shortcomings of the existing system of organization of the Red Army most clearly manifested themselves: poor controllability at the level of middle and junior echelons and lack of initiative among commanders at this level, poor communication between units, types and branches of the military.
The second stage of the war, which began on February 11, 1940 after a massive ten-day preparation, ended in victory. By the end of February, the Red Army managed to reach all those lines that it had planned to reach before the new year, and push the Finns back to the second line of defense, constantly creating the threat of encirclement of their troops. On March 7, 1940, the Finnish government sent a delegation to Moscow to participate in peace negotiations, which ended with the conclusion of a peace treaty on March 12. It stipulated that all territorial claims of the USSR (the same ones that were discussed during the negotiations on the eve of the war) would be satisfied. As a result, the border on the Karelian Isthmus moved away from Leningrad by 120–130 kilometers, the entire Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg, the Vyborg Bay with islands, the western and north coast Lake Ladoga, a number of islands in the Gulf of Finland, part of the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, and the Hanko Peninsula and the maritime territory around it were leased to the USSR for 30 years.
For the Red Army, victory in the Winter War came at a high price: irrevocable losses, according to various sources, ranged from 95 to 167 thousand people, and another 200–300 thousand people were wounded and frostbitten. In addition, Soviet troops suffered heavy losses in equipment, primarily in tanks: of the almost 2,300 tanks that went into battle at the beginning of the war, about 650 were completely destroyed and 1,500 were knocked out. In addition, the moral losses were also heavy: both the army command and the entire country, despite massive propaganda, understood that the military power of the USSR was in urgent need of modernization. It began during the Winter War, but, alas, was never completed until June 22, 1941.
Between truth and fiction
The history and details of the Winter War, which quickly faded in the light of the events of the Great Patriotic War, have since been revised and rewritten, clarified and double-checked more than once. As happens with any large historical events, the Russian-Finnish War of 1939–1940 also became the object of political speculation both in the Soviet Union and beyond - and remains so to this day. After the collapse of the USSR, it became fashionable to review the results of all key events in the history of the Soviet Union, and the Winter War was no exception. In post-Soviet historiography, the numbers of losses of the Red Army and the number of destroyed tanks and aircraft increased significantly, and Finnish losses, on the contrary, were significantly downplayed (contrary to even the official data of the Finnish side, which against this background remained practically unchanged).
Unfortunately, the further the Winter War moves away from us in time, the less likely it is that we will ever know the whole truth about it. The last direct participants and eyewitnesses pass away, to please the political winds, documents and material evidence are shuffled and disappeared, or even new ones, often false, appear. But some facts about the Winter War are already so firmly fixed in world history that they cannot be changed for any reason. We will discuss the ten most notable of them below.
Mannerheim Line
Under this name, a strip of fortifications erected by Finland along a 135-kilometer stretch along the border with the USSR went down in history. The flanks of this line abutted the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. At the same time, the Mannerheim line had a depth of 95 kilometers and consisted of three consecutive defense lines. Since the line, despite its name, began to be built long before Baron Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim became commander-in-chief of the Finnish army, its main components were old single-aspect long-term firing points (pillboxes), capable of conducting only frontal fire. There were about seven dozen of these in the line. Another fifty bunkers were more modern and could fire on the flanks of the attacking troops. In addition, obstacle lines and anti-tank structures were actively used. In particular, in the support zone there were 220 km of wire barriers in several dozen rows, 80 km of anti-tank granite obstacles, as well as anti-tank ditches, walls and minefields. Official historiography on both sides of the conflict emphasized that Mannerheim's line was practically irresistible. However, after the command system of the Red Army was rebuilt, and the tactics of storming the fortifications were revised and linked to preliminary artillery preparation and tank support, it took only three days to break through.
The day after the start of the Winter War, Moscow radio announced the creation of the Finnish Democratic Republic in the city of Terijoki on the Karelian Isthmus. It lasted as long as the war itself: until March 12, 1940. During this time, only three countries in the world agreed to recognize the newly formed state: Mongolia, Tuva (at that time not yet part of the Soviet Union) and the USSR itself. Actually, the government of the new state was formed from its citizens and Finnish emigrants living on Soviet territory. It was headed, and at the same time became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, by one of the leaders of the Third Communist International, a member of the Communist Party of Finland, Otto Kuusinen. On the second day of its existence, the Finnish Democratic Republic concluded a treaty of mutual assistance and friendship with the USSR. Among its main points, all the territorial demands of the Soviet Union, which became the cause of the war with Finland, were taken into account.
Sabotage war
Since the Finnish army entered the war, although mobilized, but clearly losing to the Red Army both in numbers and technical equipment, the Finns relied on defense. And its essential element was the so-called mine warfare - more precisely, the technology of continuous mining. As Soviet soldiers and officers who participated in the Winter War recalled, they could not even imagine that almost everything that the human eye could see could be mined. “Stairs and thresholds of houses, wells, forest clearings and edges, roadsides were literally strewn with mines. Here and there, abandoned as if in a hurry, bicycles, suitcases, gramophones, watches, wallets, and cigarette cases were lying around. As soon as they were moved, there was an explosion,” this is how they describe their impressions. The actions of the Finnish saboteurs were so successful and demonstrative that many of their techniques were promptly adopted by the Soviet military and intelligence services. It can be said that the partisan and sabotage war that unfolded a year and a half later in the occupied territory of the USSR was, to a large extent, conducted according to the Finnish model.
Baptism of fire for heavy KV tanks
Single-turret heavy tanks of a new generation appeared shortly before the start of the Winter War. The first copy, which was actually a smaller version of the SMK heavy tank - "Sergei Mironovich Kirov" - and differed from it by the presence of only one turret, was manufactured in August 1939. It was this tank that ended up in the Winter War in order to be tested in a real battle, which it entered on December 17 during the breakthrough of the Khottinensky fortified area of the Mannerheim Line. It is noteworthy that of the six crew members of the first KV, three were testers at the Kirov Plant, which was producing new tanks. The tests were considered successful, the tank showed itself with best side, but the 76-mm cannon with which he was armed was not enough to combat the bunkers. As a result, the KV-2 tank was hastily developed, armed with a 152-mm howitzer, which no longer managed to take part in the Winter War, but forever entered the history of world tank building.
How England and France prepared to fight the USSR
London and Paris supported Helsinki from the very beginning, although they did not go beyond military-technical assistance. In total, England and France, together with other countries, transferred 350 combat aircraft, approximately 500 field guns, over 150 thousand firearms, ammunition and other ammunition to Finland. In addition, volunteers from Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, France and Sweden fought on the side of Finland. When, at the end of February, the Red Army finally broke the resistance of the Finnish army and began to develop an offensive deep into the country, Paris began to openly prepare for direct participation in the war. On March 2, France announced its readiness to send an expeditionary force of 50 thousand soldiers and 100 bombers to Finland. After this, Britain also announced its readiness to send its expeditionary force of 50 bombers to the Finns. A meeting on this issue was scheduled for March 12 - but did not take place, since on the same day Moscow and Helsinki signed a peace treaty.
There is no escape from the “cuckoos”?
The Winter War was the first campaign in which snipers participated en masse. Moreover, one might say, only on one side - the Finnish one. It was the Finns in the winter of 1939–1940 who demonstrated how effective snipers could be in conditions modern warfare. The exact number of snipers remains unknown to this day: they will begin to be identified as a separate military specialty only after the start of the Great Patriotic War, and even then not in all armies. However, we can say with confidence that the number of sharp shooters on the Finnish side was in the hundreds. True, not all of them used special rifles with a sniper scope. Thus, the most successful sniper of the Finnish army, Corporal Simo Häyhä, who in just three months of hostilities brought the number of his victims to five hundred, used an ordinary rifle with open sights. As for the “cuckoos” - snipers shooting from the crowns of trees, about which there are an incredible number of myths, their existence is not confirmed by documents from either the Finnish or Soviet side. Although there were many stories in the Red Army about “cuckoos” tied or chained to trees and freezing there with rifles in their hands.
The first Soviet submachine guns of the Degtyarev system - PPD - were put into service in 1934. However, they did not have time to seriously develop their production. On the one side, for a long time the command of the Red Army seriously considered this type of firearm to be useful only in police operations or as an auxiliary weapon, and on the other hand, the first Soviet submachine gun was distinguished by its complexity of design and difficulty in manufacturing. As a result, the plan to produce PPD for 1939 was withdrawn, and all already produced copies were transferred to warehouses. And only after, during the Winter War, the Red Army encountered Finnish Suomi submachine guns, of which there were almost three hundred in each Finnish division, did the Soviet military quickly begin to return weapons so useful in close combat.
Marshal Mannerheim: who served Russia and fought with it
The successful opposition to the Soviet Union in the Winter War in Finland was and is considered primarily the merit of the commander-in-chief of the Finnish army, Field Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim. Meanwhile, until October 1917, this outstanding military leader held the rank of lieutenant general of the Russian Imperial Army and was one of the most prominent division commanders of the Russian army during the First World War. By this time, Baron Mannerheim, a graduate of the Nicholas Cavalry School and the Officer Cavalry School, had participated in the Russo-Japanese War and organized a unique expedition to Asia in 1906–1908, which made him a member of the Russian Geographical Society - and one of the most prominent Russians intelligence officers of the early twentieth century. After the October Revolution, Baron Mannerheim, maintaining his oath to Emperor Nicholas II, whose portrait, by the way, hung on the wall of his office all his life, resigned and moved to Finland, in whose history he played such an outstanding role. It is noteworthy that Mannerheim retained his political influence both after the Winter War and after Finland's exit from World War II, becoming the country's first president from 1944 to 1946.
Where was the Molotov cocktail invented?
The Molotov cocktail became one of the symbols of the heroic resistance of the Soviet people to the fascist armies at the first stage of the Great Patriotic War. But we must admit that such a simple and effective anti-tank weapon was not invented in Russia. Alas, the Soviet soldiers, who so successfully used this remedy in 1941–1942, had the opportunity to first test it on themselves. The Finnish army, which did not have a sufficient supply of anti-tank grenades, when faced with tank companies and battalions of the Red Army, was simply forced to resort to Molotov cocktails. During the Winter War, the Finnish army received more than 500 thousand bottles of the mixture, which the Finns themselves called the “Molotov cocktail,” hinting that it was this dish they prepared for one of the leaders of the USSR, who, in a polemical frenzy, promised that the very next day after the start of the war he would dine in Helsinki.
Who fought against their own
During the Russian-Finnish War of 1939–1940, both sides - the Soviet Union and Finland - used units in which collaborators served as part of their troops. On the Soviet side, the Finnish People's Army took part in the battles - the armed force of the Finnish Democratic Republic, recruited from Finns and Karelians living on the territory of the USSR and serving in the troops of the Leningrad Military District. By February 1940, its number reached 25 thousand people, who, according to the plan of the USSR leadership, were supposed to replace the occupation forces on Finnish territory. And on the side of Finland, Russian volunteers fought, the selection and training of whom was carried out by the white émigré organization “Russian All-Military Union” (EMRO), created by Baron Peter Wrangel. In total, six detachments with a total number of about 200 people were formed from Russian emigrants and some of the captured Red Army soldiers who expressed a desire to fight against their former comrades, but only one of them, in which 30 people served, for several days at the very end of the Winter war participated in hostilities.
We will briefly talk about this war, already because Finland was the country with which the Nazi leadership then connected its plans for further advancement to the east. During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. Germany, according to the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact of August 23, 1939, maintained neutrality. It all started with the fact that the Soviet leadership, taking into account the situation in Europe after the Nazis came to power in Germany, decided to increase the security of its northwestern borders. The border with Finland then passed only 32 kilometers from Leningrad, that is, within range of a long-range artillery gun.
The Finnish government pursued an unfriendly policy towards the Soviet Union (Ryti was then prime minister). The country's president in 1931-1937, P. Svinhufvud, stated: “Any enemy of Russia must always be a friend of Finland.”
In the summer of 1939, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, Colonel General Halder, visited Finland. He showed particular interest in the Leningrad and Murmansk strategic directions. In Hitler's plans, the territory of Finland was given an important place in the future war. With the help of German specialists, airfields were built in the southern regions of Finland in 1939, designed to receive a number of aircraft that was many times greater than what the Finnish air force had at its disposal. In the border areas and mainly on the Karelian Isthmus, with the participation of German, English, French and Belgian specialists and financial assistance from Great Britain, France, Sweden, Germany and the USA, a powerful long-term fortification system, the “Mannerheim Line”, was built. It was a powerful system of three lines of fortifications up to 90 km deep. The width of the fortifications stretched from the Gulf of Finland to the western shore of Lake Ladoga. Of the total number of defensive structures, 350 were reinforced concrete, 2,400 were made of wood and earth, well camouflaged. The sections of wire fences consisted of an average of thirty (!) rows of barbed wire. In the supposed areas of the breakthrough, giant “wolf pits” were dug with a depth of 7-10 meters and a diameter of 10-15 meters. 200 minutes were set for each kilometer.
Marshal Mannerheim was responsible for creating a system of defensive structures along the Soviet border in southern Finland, hence the unofficial name - “Mannerheim Line”. Carl Gustav Mannerheim (1867-1951) - Finnish statesman and military leader, President of Finland in 1944-1946. During the Russo-Japanese War and World War I, he served in the Russian army. During Civil War in Finland (January - May 1918) he led the white movement against the Finnish Bolsheviks. After the defeat of the Bolsheviks, Mannerheim became commander-in-chief and regent of Finland (December 1918 – July 1919). Defeated at presidential elections in 1919 and resigned. In 1931-1939. headed the Council National Defense. During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. commanded the actions of the Finnish army. In 1941, Finland entered the war on the side of Nazi Germany. Having become president, Mannerheim concluded a peace treaty with the USSR (1944) and opposed Nazi Germany.
The clearly defensive nature of the powerful fortifications of the “Mannerheim Line” near the border with the Soviet Union indicated that the Finnish leadership then seriously believed that its powerful southern neighbor would certainly attack small Finland with a population of three million. In fact, this is what happened, but this might not have happened if the Finnish leadership had shown more statesmanship. Outstanding statesman of Finland, Urho-Kaleva Kekkonen, who was elected president of this country for four terms (1956-1981), subsequently wrote: “The shadow of Hitler stretched over us in the late 30s, and Finnish society as a whole cannot deny that it was quite favorable about it.”
The situation that had developed by 1939 required that the Soviet northwestern border be moved away from Leningrad. The time to solve this problem was chosen by the Soviet leadership quite well: the Western powers were busy with the outbreak of war, and the Soviet Union concluded a non-aggression pact with Germany. The Soviet government initially hoped to resolve the issue of the border with Finland peacefully, without leading to a military conflict. In October–November 1939, negotiations were held between the USSR and Finland on issues of mutual security. The Soviet leadership explained to the Finns that the need to move the border was not caused by the possibility of Finnish aggression, but by the fear that their territory could be used in that situation by other powers to attack the USSR. The Soviet Union invited Finland to enter into a bilateral defense alliance. The Finnish government, hoping for help promised by Germany, rejected the Soviet offer. German representatives even guaranteed Finland that in the event of a war with the USSR, Germany would subsequently help Finland compensate for possible territorial losses. England, France and even America also promised their support to the Finns. The Soviet Union did not claim to include the entire territory of Finland into the USSR. The claims of the Soviet leadership mainly extended to the lands of the former Vyborg province of Russia. It must be said that these claims had serious historical justification. Even in the Livonian War, Ivan the Terrible sought to break through to the Baltic shores. Tsar Ivan the Terrible, not without reason, considered Livonia an ancient Russian fiefdom, illegally seized by the crusaders. The Livonian War lasted for 25 years (1558-1583), but Tsar Ivan the Terrible was unable to achieve Russia’s access to the Baltic. The work begun by Tsar Ivan the Terrible was continued and brilliantly completed by Tsar Peter I as a result of the Northern War (1700-1721). Russia gained access to the Baltic Sea from Riga to Vyborg. Peter I personally took part in the battle for the fortified city of Vyborg. A well-organized siege of the fortress, which included a blockade from the sea and a five-day artillery bombardment, forced the six thousand-strong Swedish garrison of Vyborg to capitulate on June 13, 1710. The capture of Vyborg allowed the Russians to control the entire Karelian Isthmus. As a result, according to Tsar Peter I, “a strong cushion was built for St. Petersburg.” Petersburg was now reliably protected from Swedish attacks from the north. The capture of Vyborg created the conditions for subsequent offensive actions by Russian troops in Finland.
In the fall of 1712, Peter decided to independently, without allies, take control of Finland, which was then one of the provinces of Sweden. This is the task Peter set for Admiral Apraksin, who was to lead the operation: “To go not for ruin, but to take possession, although we don’t need it (Finland) at all, to hold it, for two main reasons: first, there would be something to give up in peace, which the Swedes are clearly starting to talk about; another thing is that this province is the womb of Sweden, as you yourself know: not only meat and so on, but also firewood, and if God allows it to reach Abov in the summer, then the Swedish neck will bend more softly.” The operation to capture Finland was successfully carried out by Russian troops in 1713-1714. The final wonderful chord of the victorious Finnish campaign was the famous naval battle at Cape Gangut in July 1714. For the first time in its history, the young Russian fleet won a battle with one of the strongest fleets in the world, which was then the Swedish fleet. The Russian fleet in this major battle was commanded by Peter I under the name of Rear Admiral Peter Mikhailov. For this victory, the king received the rank of vice admiral. Peter equated the Battle of Gangut in importance to the Battle of Poltava.
According to the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, the Vyborg province became part of Russia. In 1809, by agreement between the Emperor of France Napoleon and the Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the territory of Finland was annexed to Russia. It was a kind of “friendly gift” from Napoleon to Alexander. Readers with at least some knowledge of 19th-century European history will likely be aware of this event. Included Russian Empire Thus the Grand Duchy of Finland arose. In 1811, Emperor Alexander I annexed the Russian Vyborg province to the Grand Duchy of Finland. This made it easier to manage this territory. This state of affairs did not cause any problems for more than a hundred years. But in 1917, the government of V.I. Lenin granted Finland state independence and since then the Russian Vyborg province remained part of the neighboring state - the Republic of Finland. This is the background to the question.
The Soviet leadership tried to resolve the issue peacefully. On October 14, 1939, the Soviet side proposed to the Finnish side to transfer to the Soviet Union part of the territory of the Karelian Isthmus, part of the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, and also to lease the Hanko (Gangut) peninsula. All this area was 2761 sq. km. in exchange, Finland was offered a part of the territory of Eastern Karelia measuring 5528 sq. km. however, such an exchange would be unequal: the lands of the Karelian Isthmus were economically developed and strategically important - there were powerful fortifications of the “Mannerheim Line”, providing cover for the border. The lands offered to the Finns in return were poorly developed and had neither economic nor military value. The Finnish government refused such an exchange. Hoping for help from the Western powers, Finland hoped to work with them to seize Eastern Karelia and the Kola Peninsula from the Soviet Union by military means. But these plans were not destined to come true. Stalin decided to start a war with Finland.
The military action plan was developed under the leadership of the chief General Staff B.M. Shaposhnikova.
The General Staff's plan took into account the real difficulties of the upcoming breakthrough of the fortifications of the Mannerheim Line and provided for the necessary forces and means for this. But Stalin criticized the plan and ordered it to be remade. The fact is that K.E. Voroshilov convinced Stalin that the Red Army would deal with the Finns in 2-3 weeks, and victory would be won with little blood, as they say, throw in our hats. The General Staff's plan was rejected. The development of a new, “correct” plan was entrusted to the headquarters of the Leningrad Military District. The plan, designed for an easy victory, which did not even provide for the concentration of even minimal reserves, was developed and approved by Stalin. The belief in the ease of the upcoming victory was so great that they did not even consider it necessary to inform the Chief of the General Staff B.M. about the start of the war with Finland. Shaposhnikov, who was on vacation at that time.
They do not always, but often find, or rather create, some reason to start a war. It is known, for example, that before the attack on Poland, the German fascists staged an attack by the Poles on a German border radio station, dressing German soldiers in the uniform of Polish soldiers, and so on. The reason for war with Finland, invented by Soviet artillerymen, was somewhat less imaginative. On November 26, 1939, they shelled Finnish territory for 20 minutes from the border village of Mainila and announced that they had come under artillery fire from the Finnish side. This was followed by an exchange of notes between the governments of the USSR and Finland. In the Soviet note, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov pointed out the great danger of provocation committed by the Finnish side and even reported on the victims it allegedly led to. The Finnish side was asked to withdraw troops from the border on the Karelian Isthmus 20-25 kilometers and thereby prevent the possibility of repeated provocations.
In a response note received on November 29, the Finnish government invited the Soviet side to come to the site and, based on the location of the shell craters, make sure that it was the territory of Finland that was fired upon. The note further stated that the Finnish side agreed to the withdrawal of troops from the border, but only from both sides. This ended the diplomatic preparations, and on November 30, 1939, at 8 a.m., units of the Red Army went on the offensive. An “unfamous” war began, which the USSR did not want to not only talk about, but even mention. The war with Finland of 1939-1940 became a cruel test for the Soviet armed forces. It showed the almost complete unpreparedness of the Red Army to fight a big war in general and war in heavy climatic conditions The North in particular. It is not our task to full story about this war. We will limit ourselves to only describing the most important events of the war and its lessons. This is necessary because 1 year and 3 months after the end of the Finnish war, the Soviet armed forces were to experience a powerful blow from the German Wehrmacht.
The balance of forces on the eve of the Soviet-Finnish war is shown in the table:
The USSR sent four armies into battle against Finland. These troops were located along the entire length of its border. In the main direction, on the Karelian Isthmus, the 7th Army was advancing, consisting of nine rifle divisions, one tank corps, three tank brigades and with dowry big amount artillery and aviation. The number of personnel of the 7th Army was at least 200 thousand people. The 7th Army was still supported by the Baltic Fleet. Instead of competently disposing of this strong group in operational and tactical terms, the Soviet command did not find anything more reasonable than to strike head-on at the most powerful defensive structures in the world at that time, which made up the “Mannerheim Line.” During the twelve days of the offensive, drowning in snow, freezing in 40-degree frost, suffering huge losses, the troops of the 7th Army were only able to overcome the supply line and stopped in front of the first of the three main fortification lines of the Mannerheim Line. The army was drained of blood and could not advance further. But the Soviet command planned to victoriously end the war with Finland within 12 days.
After being replenished with personnel and equipment, the 7th Army continued the fighting, which was fierce and looked like a slow gnawing of fortified Finnish positions, with heavy losses in people and equipment. The 7th Army was first commanded by Army Commander 2nd Rank V.F. Yakovlev, and from December 9 - Army Commander 2nd Rank K.A. Meretskov. (After the introduction of general ranks in the Red Army on May 7, 1940, the rank of “commander of the 2nd rank” began to correspond to the rank of “lieutenant general”). At the beginning of the war with the Finns, there was no question of creating fronts. Despite powerful artillery and air strikes, the Finnish fortifications held out. On January 7, 1940, the Leningrad Military District was transformed into the Northwestern Front, which was headed by Army Commander 1st Rank S.K. Tymoshenko. On the Karelian Isthmus, the 13th Army (corps commander V.D. Grendal) was added to the 7th Army. The number of Soviet troops on the Karelian Isthmus exceeded 400 thousand people. The Mannerheim Line was defended by the Finnish Karelian Army led by General H.V. Esterman (135 thousand people).
Before the outbreak of hostilities, the Finnish defense system was studied superficially by the Soviet command. The troops had little idea of the peculiarities of fighting in conditions of deep snow, in forests, and in severe frost. Before the start of the battles, senior commanders had little understanding of how tank units would operate in deep snow, how soldiers without skis would go on an attack in waist-deep snow, how to organize the interaction of infantry, artillery and tanks, how to fight against reinforced concrete pillboxes with walls up to 2 meters and so on. Only with the formation of the North-Western Front, as they say, did they come to their senses: reconnaissance of the fortification system began, daily training began in techniques for storming defensive structures; uniforms unsuitable for winter frosts were replaced: instead of boots, soldiers and officers were given felt boots, instead of overcoats - short fur coats, and so on. There were many attempts to take at least one enemy line of defense on the move, many people died during the assaults, many were blown up by Finnish anti-personnel mines. The soldiers were afraid of mines and did not go on the attack; the “fear of mines” that arose quickly turned into “fear of forests.” By the way, at the beginning of the war with the Finns there were no mine detectors in the Soviet troops; the production of mine detectors began when the war was nearing the end.
The first breach in the Finnish defense on the Karelian Isthmus was made by February 14. Its length along the front was 4 km and in depth - 8-10 km. The Finnish command, in order to avoid the Red Army from entering the rear of the defending troops, took them to the second line of defense. Soviet troops failed to break through it immediately. The front here has temporarily stabilized. On February 26, Finnish troops tried to launch a counteroffensive, but suffered significant losses and stopped attacks. On February 28, Soviet troops resumed their offensive and broke through a significant part of the second line of Finnish defense. Several Soviet divisions crossed the ice of the Vyborg Bay and on March 5 surrounded Vyborg, the second most important political, economic and military center of Finland. Until March 13, there were battles for Vyborg, and on March 12, in Moscow, representatives of the USSR and Finland signed a peace treaty. The difficult and shameful war for the USSR is over.
The strategic goals of this war were, of course, not only to capture the Karelian Isthmus. In addition to the two armies operating in the main direction, that is, on the Karelian Isthmus (7th and 13th), four more armies took part in the war: 14th (divisional commander Frolov), 9th (corps commander M.P. Dukhanov, then V.I. Chuikov), 8th (divisional commander Khabarov, then G.M. Stern) and 15th (2nd rank commander M.P. Kovalev). These armies operated on almost the entire eastern border of Finland and in its north on a front from Lake Ladoga to the Barents Sea, stretching over a thousand kilometers. According to the plan of the high command, these armies were supposed to pull back part of the Finnish forces from the Karelian Isthmus region. If successful, Soviet troops on the southern section of this front line could break through north of Lake Ladoga and go to the rear of the Finnish troops defending the Mannerheim Line. Soviet troops in the central sector (Ukhta area), also if successful, could reach the Gulf of Bothnia area and cut the territory of Finland in half.
However, in both sectors, Soviet troops were defeated. How was it possible in harsh winter conditions, in dense snow covered with deep snow? coniferous forests, without a developed network of roads, without reconnaissance of the terrain of upcoming military operations, to attack and defeat Finnish troops, adapted to life and combat activities in these conditions, moving quickly on skis, well equipped and armed with automatic weapons? It does not require marshal wisdom or greater combat experience to understand that it is impossible to defeat such an enemy under these conditions, and you can lose your people.
In the relatively short-lived Soviet-Finnish war, many tragedies occurred with Soviet troops and there were almost no victories. During the battles north of Ladoga in December-February 1939-1940. Mobile Finnish units, small in number, using the element of surprise, defeated several Soviet divisions, some of which disappeared forever in the snow-covered coniferous forests. Overloaded with heavy equipment, Soviet divisions stretched along the main roads, having open flanks, deprived of the ability to maneuver, and became victims of small units of the Finnish army, losing 50-70% of their personnel, and sometimes even more, if you count prisoners. Here specific example. The 18th Division (56th Corps of the 15th Army) was surrounded by Finns along the road from Uoma to Lemetti in the 1st half of February 1940. It was transferred from the Ukrainian steppes. There was no training for soldiers to operate in winter conditions in Finland. Units of this division were blocked in 13 garrisons, completely cut off from each other. Their supply was carried out by air, but it was organized unsatisfactorily. The soldiers suffered from cold and malnutrition. By the second half of February, the surrounded garrisons were partially destroyed, the rest suffered heavy losses. The surviving soldiers were exhausted and demoralized. On the night of February 28-29, 1940, the remnants of the 18th Division, with the permission of Headquarters, began to leave the encirclement. To break through the front line, they had to abandon equipment and seriously wounded people. With heavy losses, the fighters escaped from the encirclement. The soldiers carried out the seriously wounded division commander Kondrashev in their arms. The banner of the 18th division went to the Finns. As required by law, this division, which had lost its banner, was disbanded. The division commander, already in the hospital, was arrested and soon executed by court verdict; the commander of the 56th Corps, Cherepanov, shot himself on March 8. The losses of the 18th division amounted to 14 thousand people, that is, more than 90%. The total losses of the 15th Army amounted to about 50 thousand people, which is almost 43% of the initial strength of 117 thousand people. There are many similar examples from that “unfamous” war.
Under the terms of the Moscow Peace Treaty, the entire Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg, the area north of Lake Ladoga, the territory in the Kuolajärvi region, as well as the western part of the Rybachy Peninsula went to the Soviet Union. In addition, the USSR acquired a 30-year lease on the Hanko (Gangut) peninsula at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. The distance from Leningrad to the new state border is now about 150 kilometers. But territorial acquisitions did not improve the security of the northwestern borders of the USSR. The loss of territories pushed the Finnish leadership into an alliance with Nazi Germany. As soon as Germany attacked the USSR, the Finns in 1941 pushed back Soviet troops to pre-war lines and captured part of Soviet Karelia.
before and after the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940.
Soviet-Finnish War became a bitter, difficult, but to some extent useful lesson for the Soviet armed forces. At the cost of great blood, the troops gained some experience in modern warfare, especially the skills of breaking through fortified areas, as well as conducting combat operations in winter conditions. The highest state and military leadership became convinced in practice that the combat training of the Red Army was very weak. Therefore, specific measures began to be taken to improve discipline in the troops and to supply the army with modern weapons and military equipment. After the Soviet-Finnish war, there was a slight decline in the pace of repressions against the command staff of the army and navy. Perhaps, analyzing the results of this war, Stalin saw the disastrous consequences of the repressions he unleashed against the army and navy.
One of the first useful organizational events immediately after the Soviet-Finnish war was the dismissal of the famous USSR People's Commissar of Defense politician, Stalin’s closest ally, “the people’s favorite” Klim Voroshilov. Stalin became convinced of Voroshilov's complete incompetence in military affairs. He was transferred to the prestigious position of deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, that is, the government. The position was invented specifically for Voroshilov, so he could well consider this a promotion. Stalin appointed S.K. to the post of People's Commissar of Defense. Timoshenko, who was the commander of the Northwestern Front in the war with the Finns. In this war, Tymoshenko did not show any special leadership talents; rather, on the contrary, he showed weakness as a leader. However, for the bloodiest operation for the Soviet troops to break through the “Mannerheim Line”, which was carried out illiterately in operational and tactical terms and cost incredibly large casualties, Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. We do not think that such a high assessment of Tymoshenko’s activities during the Soviet-Finnish war found understanding among Soviet military personnel, especially among the participants in this war.
Official data on the losses of the Red Army in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, subsequently published in the press, are as follows:
total losses amounted to 333,084 people, of which:
killed and died from wounds – 65384
missing - 19,690 (of which over 5.5 thousand were captured)
wounded, shell-shocked – 186584
frostbitten – 9614
sick – 51892
The losses of Soviet troops during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line amounted to 190 thousand people killed, wounded, and prisoners, which is 60% of all losses in the war with the Finns. And for such shameful and tragic results, Stalin gave the front commander the Golden Star of a Hero...
The Finns lost about 70 thousand people, of which about 23 thousand were killed.
Now briefly about the situation around the Soviet-Finnish war. During the war, England and France provided assistance to Finland with weapons and materials, and also repeatedly offered to its neighbors - Norway and Sweden - to allow Anglo-French troops to pass through their territory to help Finland. However, Norway and Sweden firmly took a position of neutrality, fearing being drawn into a global conflict. Then England and France promised to send an expeditionary force of 150 thousand people to Finland by sea. Some people from the Finnish leadership proposed continuing the war with the USSR and waiting for the arrival of the expeditionary force in Finland. But the commander-in-chief of the Finnish army, Marshal Mannerheim, soberly assessing the situation, decided to end the war, which led his country to relatively large casualties and weakened the economy. Finland was forced to conclude the Moscow Peace Treaty on March 12, 1940.
Relations between the USSR and England and France deteriorated sharply because of these countries' help to Finland and not only because of this. During the Soviet-Finnish War, England and France planned to bomb the oil fields of Soviet Transcaucasia. Several squadrons of the British and French Air Forces from airfields in Syria and Iraq were to bomb oil fields in Baku and Grozny, as well as oil piers in Batumi. They only managed to take aerial photographs of targets in Baku, after which they headed to the Batumi area to photograph oil piers, but were met by fire from Soviet anti-aircraft gunners. This happened at the end of March - beginning of April 1940. In the context of the expected invasion of France by German troops, plans for the bombing of the Soviet Union by Anglo-French aircraft were revised and ultimately were not implemented.
One of the unpleasant results of the Soviet-Finnish war was the exclusion of the USSR from the League of Nations, which lowered the authority of the Soviet country in the eyes of the world community.
© A.I. Kalanov, V.A. Kalanov,
"Knowledge is power"
The official reasons for the outbreak of the war are the so-called “Maynila Incident”. On November 26, 1939, the USSR government sent a note of protest to the Finnish government regarding the artillery shelling that was carried out from Finnish territory. Responsibility for the outbreak of hostilities was placed entirely on Finland. The beginning of the Soviet-Finnish War occurred at 8 o'clock in the morning, November 30, 1939. On the part of the Soviet Union, the goal was to ensure the security of Leningrad. The city was only 30 km away. from the border. Previously, the Soviet government approached Finland with a request to push back its borders in the Leningrad region, offering territorial compensation in Karelia. But Finland categorically refused.
The Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940 caused real hysteria among the world community. On December 14, the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations with serious violations of procedure (minority votes).
By the time hostilities began, the troops of the Finnish army numbered 130 aircraft, 30 tanks, and 250 thousand soldiers. However, the Western powers promised their support. In many ways, it was this promise that led to the refusal to change the border line. The Red Army at the start of the war consisted of 3,900 aircraft, 6,500 tanks and one million soldiers.
The Russian-Finnish War of 1939 is divided by historians into 2 stages. Initially, it was planned by the Soviet command as a short operation that was supposed to last about 3 weeks. But the situation turned out differently. The first period of the war lasted from November 30, 1939 to February 10, 1940 (until the Mannerheim Line was broken). The fortifications of the Mannerheim Line were able to stop the Russian army for a long time. The better equipment of Finnish soldiers and harsher winter conditions than in Russia also played an important role. The Finnish command was able to make excellent use of the terrain features. Pine forests, lakes, and swamps seriously slowed down the movement of Russian troops. The supply of ammunition was difficult. Finnish snipers also caused serious problems.
The second period of the war dates from February 11 – March 12, 1940. By the end of 1939, the General Staff developed a new action plan. Under the leadership of Marshal Timoshenko, the Mannerheim Line was broken on February 11. A serious superiority in manpower, aviation, and tanks allows the Soviet troops to advance forward, suffering heavy losses. The Finnish army is experiencing a severe shortage of ammunition, as well as people. The Finnish government, having never received Western help, was forced to conclude a peace treaty on March 12, 1940. Despite the disappointing results of the military campaign for the USSR, a new border was established.
After Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, Finland will enter the war on the side of the Nazis.
On the eve of the soldiers of 1941
At the end of July 1940, Germany began preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union. The ultimate goals were the seizure of territory, the destruction of manpower, political entities and the aggrandizement of Germany.
It was planned to strike at the Red Army formations concentrated in the western regions, to rapidly advance into the interior of the country and occupy all economic and political centers.
At the beginning of the aggression against the USSR, Germany was a state with a highly developed industry and the strongest army in the world.
Having set himself the goal of becoming a hegemonic power, Hitler forced the German economy, the entire potential of the captured countries and his allies to work for his war machine.
In a short time, the production of military equipment was sharply increased. German divisions were equipped with modern weapons and gained combat experience in Europe. The officer corps was distinguished by excellent training, tactical literacy and was brought up in the centuries-old traditions of the German army. The rank and file were disciplined, and the highest spirit was supported by propaganda about the exclusivity of the German race and the invincibility of the Wehrmacht.
Realizing the inevitability of a military clash, the leadership of the USSR began preparations to repel aggression. In a country rich in minerals and energy resources, heavy industry was created thanks to the heroic work of the population. Its rapid development was facilitated by the conditions of a totalitarian system and the highest centralization of leadership, which made it possible to mobilize the population to carry out any tasks.
The economy of the pre-war period was directive, and this facilitated its reorientation on a war footing. There was a high patriotic upsurge in society and the army. Party agitators pursued a policy of “backwashing” - in the event of aggression, a war was planned on foreign territory and with little bloodshed.
The outbreak of World War II showed the need to strengthen the country's armed forces. Civilian enterprises refocused on the production of military equipment.
For the period from 1938 to 1940. the increase in military production amounted to more than 40%. Every year, 600-700 new enterprises were put into operation, and a significant part of them were built in the interior of the country. In terms of absolute volumes of industrial production, the USSR by 1937 took second place in the world after the United States.
The latest weapons were created in numerous half-prison design bureaus. On the eve of the war, high-speed fighters and bombers (MIG-3, YAK-1, LAGG-3, PO-2, IL-2), a KB heavy tank, and a T-34 medium tank appeared. New types of small arms were developed and put into service.
Domestic shipbuilding has been reoriented towards the production of surface ships and submarines. The construction of the first rocket launchers has been completed. However, the pace of rearmament of the army was insufficient.
In 1939, the law “On General Military Duty” was adopted, and the transition to a unified personnel system for recruiting troops was completed. This made it possible to increase the size of the Red Army to 5 million.
A significant weakness of the Red Army was the low training of commanders (only 7% of officers had a higher military education).
Irreversible damage to the army was caused by the repressions of the 30s, when many of the best commanders at all levels were destroyed. The combat effectiveness of the army was also negatively affected by the strengthening of the role of NKVD workers who interfered in the leadership of the troops.
Military intelligence reports, intelligence data, warnings from sympathizers - everything spoke of the approach of war. Stalin did not believe that Hitler would start a war against the USSR without completing the final defeat of his opponents in the West. He delayed the start of aggression in every possible way, without giving a reason for this.
German attack on the USSR
June 22, 1941 fascist Germany attacked the USSR. Army Hitler and the Allied armies launched a swift and carefully prepared attack on several points at once, taking the Russian army by surprise. This day marked the beginning of a new period in the life of the USSR - Great Patriotic War .
Prerequisites for the German attack on the USSR
After the defeat in First World War During the war, the situation in Germany remained extremely unstable - the economy and industry collapsed, and a major crisis occurred that the authorities could not solve. It was at this time that Hitler came to power, whose main idea was to create a single, nation-oriented state that would not only take revenge for losing the war, but would also subjugate the entire mainstream world to its order.
Following his own ideas, Hitler created a fascist state on German territory and in 1939 started World War II by invading the Czech Republic and Poland and annexing them to Germany. During the war, Hitler's army rapidly advanced across Europe, seizing territories, but did not attack the USSR - a preliminary non-aggression pact was concluded.
Unfortunately, the USSR still remained a tasty morsel for Hitler. The opportunity to acquire territories and resources opened up the possibility for Germany to enter into open confrontation with the United States and assert its dominance over much of the world's landmass.
It was developed to attack the USSR plan "Barbarossa" - a plan for a swift, treacherous military assault, which was to be carried out within two months. The implementation of the plan began on June 22 with the German invasion of the USSR
Germany's goals
Ideological and military. Germany sought to destroy the USSR as a state, as well as to destroy the communist ideology, which it considered incorrect.
Hitler sought to establish the hegemony of nationalist ideas throughout the world (the superiority of one race, one people over others).
Imperialist.
As in many wars, Hitler's goal was to seize power in the world and create a powerful Empire to which all other states would be subordinate.
Economic.
Despite the fact that Hitler’s plans included a surprise attack, the command of the USSR army suspected in advance what might happen, so as early as June 18, 1941, some armies were put on alert, and the armed forces were pulled to the border in the places of the alleged attack. Unfortunately, the Soviet command had only vague information regarding the date of the attack, so by the time the fascist troops invaded, many military units simply did not have time to prepare properly in order to competently repel the attack.
At 4 am on June 22, 1941, German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop handed the Soviet ambassador in Berlin a note declaring war, at the same time German troops launched an offensive against the Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Finland. Early morning The German ambassador arrived in the USSR to meet with People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov and made a statement saying that the Union had carried out subversive activities on German territory with the aim of establishing Bolshevik power there, therefore Germany was breaking the non-aggression agreement and starting military action. A little later on the same day, Italy, Romania and later Slovakia declared official war on the USSR. At 12 noon, Molotov made an official address on the radio to the citizens of the USSR, announcing the German attack on the USSR and announcing the beginning of the Patriotic War. General mobilization began.
The war has begun.
Causes and consequences of the German attack on the USSR
Despite the fact that the Barbarossa plan could not be carried out - the Soviet army put up good resistance, was better equipped than expected and generally fought the battle competently, taking into account territorial conditions - the first period of the war turned out to be a losing one for the USSR. Germany managed to conquer a significant part of the territories in the shortest possible time, including Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. German troops advanced deep into the country, encircled Leningrad and began bombing Moscow.
Despite the fact that Hitler underestimated the Russian army, the surprise of the attack still played a role. The Soviet army was not ready for such a rapid onslaught, the level of training of the soldiers was much lower, the military equipment was much worse, and the leadership made a number of very serious mistakes in the early stages.
Germany's attack on the USSR ended in a protracted war that claimed many lives and virtually collapsed the country's economy, which was not ready for large-scale military action. However, in the middle of the war, Soviet troops managed to gain an advantage and launch a counteroffensive.
World War II 1939 – 1945 (briefly)
The Second World War was the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in the entire history of mankind and the only one in which nuclear weapons were used. 61 states took part in it. The dates of the beginning and end of this war, September 1, 1939 - 1945, September 2, are among the most significant for the entire civilized world.
The causes of the Second World War were the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results of the First World War, in particular territorial disputes. The winners of the First World War, the USA, England, and France, concluded the Treaty of Versailles on conditions that were most unfavorable and humiliating for the losing countries, Turkey and Germany, which provoked an increase in tension in the world. At the same time, adopted in the late 1930s by England and France, the policy of appeasing the aggressor made it possible for Germany to sharply increase its military potential, which accelerated the Nazis’ transition to active military action.
Members of the anti-Hitler bloc were the USSR, USA, France, England, China (Chiang Kai-shek), Greece, Yugoslavia, Mexico, etc. On the German side, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, China (Wang Jingwei), Thailand, Finland, Iraq, etc. participated in World War II. Many states that took part in the Second World War did not take action on the fronts, but helped by supplying food, medicine and other necessary resources.
Researchers identify the following main stages of the Second World War.
The first stage from September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941. The period of the European blitzkrieg of Germany and the Allies.
Second stage June 22, 1941 - approximately mid-November 1942. Attack on the USSR and the subsequent failure of the Barbarossa plan.
The third stage, the second half of November 1942 - the end of 1943. A radical turning point in the war and Germany’s loss of strategic initiative.
At the end of 1943, at the Tehran Conference, in which Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill took part, a decision was made to open a second front.
Fifth stage May 10, 1945 – September 2, 1945. At this time, fighting takes place only in Southeast Asia and Far East. The United States used nuclear weapons for the first time.
The Second World War began on September 1, 1939. On this day, the Wehrmacht suddenly began aggression against Poland. Despite the reciprocal declaration of war by France, Great Britain and some other countries, no real assistance was provided to Poland. Already on September 28, Poland was captured. A peace treaty between Germany and the USSR was concluded on the same day. Having thus received a reliable rear, Germany begins active preparations for war with France, which capitulated already in 1940, on June 22. Nazi Germany begins large-scale preparations for war in eastern front from the USSR. Plan Barbarossa was approved already in 1940, on December 18. The Soviet senior leadership received reports of the impending attack, but fearing to provoke Germany, and believing that the attack would be carried out at a later date, they deliberately did not put the border units on alert.
In the chronology of the Second World War, the most important period is the period of June 22, 1941-1945, May 9, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. On the eve of World War II, the USSR was an actively developing state. As the threat of conflict with Germany increased over time, defense and heavy industry and science developed primarily in the country. Closed design bureaus were created, whose activities were aimed at developing the latest weapons. At all enterprises and collective farms, discipline was tightened as much as possible. In the 30s, more than 80% of the officers of the Red Army were repressed. In order to make up for the losses, a network of military schools and academies has been created. But there was not enough time for full training of personnel.
The main battles of World War II, which were of great importance for the history of the USSR, are:
The Battle of Moscow September 30, 1941 – April 20, 1942, which became the first victory of the Red Army;
The Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 – February 2, 1943, which marked a radical turning point in the war;
Battle of Kursk July 5 – August 23, 1943, during which the largest tank battle of World War II took place near the village of Prokhorovka;
The Battle of Berlin - which led to the surrender of Germany.
But events important for the course of World War II took place not only on the fronts of the USSR. Among the operations carried out by the Allies, it is worth especially noting: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which caused the United States to enter World War II; opening of the second front and landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944; the use of nuclear weapons on August 6 and 9, 1945 to strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The end date of World War II was September 2, 1945. Japan signed the act of surrender only after the defeat of the Kwantung Army by Soviet troops. The battles of World War II, according to rough estimates, claimed 65 million people on both sides. The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses in World War II - 27 million citizens of the country died. It was he who took the brunt of the blow. This figure is also approximate and, according to some researchers, underestimated. It was the stubborn resistance of the Red Army that became the main cause of the defeat of the Reich.
The results of World War II horrified everyone. Military actions have brought the very existence of civilization to the brink. During the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, fascist ideology was condemned, and many war criminals were punished. In order to prevent similar possibilities of a new world war in the future, at the Yalta Conference in 1945 it was decided to create the United Nations Organization (UN), which still exists today. The results of the nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the signing of pacts on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on their production and use. It must be said that the consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still felt today.
The economic consequences of World War II were also serious. For Western European countries it turned into a real economic disaster. Country influence Western Europe decreased significantly. At the same time, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position.
The significance of World War II for the Soviet Union is enormous. The defeat of the Nazis determined the future history of the country. As a result of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR noticeably expanded its borders. At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. Communist regimes were established in some European countries. Victory in the war did not save the USSR from the mass repressions that followed in the 50s.
On the eve of the World War, both Europe and Asia were already in flames with many local conflicts. International tension was due to the high probability of a new big war, and all the most powerful political players on the world map before it began tried to secure favorable starting positions for themselves, without neglecting any means. The USSR was no exception. In 1939-1940 The Soviet-Finnish war began. The reasons for the inevitable military conflict lay in the same looming threat of a major European war. The USSR, increasingly aware of its inevitability, was forced to look for an opportunity to move the state border as far as possible from one of the most strategically important cities - Leningrad. Taking this into account, the Soviet leadership entered into negotiations with the Finns, offering their neighbors an exchange of territories. At the same time, the Finns were offered a territory almost twice as large as what the USSR planned to receive in return. One of the demands that the Finns did not want to accept under any circumstances was the USSR’s request to locate military bases on Finnish territory. Even the admonitions of Germany (an ally of Helsinki), including Hermann Goering, who hinted to the Finns that they could not count on Berlin’s help, did not force Finland to move away from its positions. Thus, the parties who did not come to a compromise came to the beginning of the conflict.
Progress of hostilities
The Soviet-Finnish war began on November 30, 1939. Obviously, the Soviet command was counting on a quick and victorious war with minimal losses. However, the Finns themselves were also not going to surrender to the mercy of their big neighbor. The president of the country, the military Mannerheim, who, by the way, received his education in the Russian Empire, planned to delay the Soviet troops with a massive defense for as long as possible, until the start of assistance from Europe. The complete quantitative advantage of the Soviet country in both human resources and equipment was obvious. The war for the USSR began with heavy fighting. Its first stage in historiography is usually dated from November 30, 1939 to February 10, 1940 - the time that became the bloodiest for the advancing Soviet troops. The line of defense, called the Mannerheim Line, became an insurmountable obstacle for the Red Army soldiers. Fortified pillboxes and bunkers, Molotov cocktails, which later became known as Molotov cocktails, severe frosts that reached 40 degrees - all this is considered to be the main reasons for the failures of the USSR in the Finnish campaign.
The turning point in the war and its end
The second stage of the war begins on February 11, the moment of the general offensive of the Red Army. At this time, a significant amount of manpower and equipment was concentrated on the Karelian Isthmus. For several days before the attack, the Soviet army carried out artillery preparations, subjecting the entire surrounding area to heavy bombardment.
As a result of the successful preparation of the operation and the further assault, the first line of defense was broken within three days, and by February 17 the Finns had completely switched to the second line. During February 21-28, the second line was also broken. On March 13, the Soviet-Finnish war ended. On this day, the USSR stormed Vyborg. The leaders of Suomi realized that there was no longer a chance to defend themselves after a breakthrough in the defense, and the Soviet-Finnish war itself was doomed to remain a local conflict, without outside support, which is what Mannerheim was counting on. Given this, a request for negotiations was a logical conclusion.
Results of the war
As a result of protracted bloody battles, the USSR achieved satisfaction of all its claims. In particular, the country became the sole owner of the waters of Lake Ladoga. In total, the Soviet-Finnish war guaranteed the USSR an increase in territory by 40 thousand square meters. km. As for losses, this war cost the Soviet country dearly. According to some estimates, about 150 thousand people left their lives in the snows of Finland. Was this company necessary? Considering the moment that Leningrad was the target German troops almost from the very beginning of the attack, it is worth admitting that yes. However, heavy losses seriously called into question the combat effectiveness Soviet army. By the way, the end of hostilities did not mark the end of the conflict. Soviet-Finnish War 1941-1944 became a continuation of the epic, during which the Finns, trying to regain what they had lost, failed again.
