Many people believe that the reason why the "Winter Battle" began was that after the Finns refused to change the islands of Karelia Isthmus , Rebach Island, Anko Port and Gulf of Finland to territory that are not suitable for economic activities (the exchange conditions proposed by Moscow ), the Soviet Union hoped to ensure the security of Leningrad.
This theory would sound very reasonable if it weren't for the secret agreement signed by the Soviet Union and Germany earlier (Additional Protocol to Molotov-Ribbintrov), which believed that Finland was part of the "Soviet sphere of influence."
Overall, Stalin is likely to want to include Finland in the Soviet Union (histor Victor Suvorov has the same view) and be confident in his victory. The following is what was published in the newspaper at that time:
... The heroic Red Army soldiers, equipped with the latest sniper rifle , excellent automatic light machine gun... Soviet army... A powerful army with advanced technology, while a corrupt Finnish army, capitalists forced them to be tense. Frankly, their weapons are old and broken. There is not enough ammunition... Leningrad Pravda
or another:
We are waiting for the call from the government to eliminate the provocateurs in Finland and ensure the security of our borders. Stahanowitz Kravchenko from Factory 183.
In general, the Soviets were in a fight at that time. In fact, by the end of 1940, 58 rifle divisions had tanks, , aircraft and cannons that had been thrown into a country with a population of about 3.5 million. What's the result? The Soviet Union lost 126,875 people in this battle and the Finnish army lost 25,904 people.
The Soviet parties had to come out to defend themselves. Immediately, the Soviet Union put forward a statement about "the indestructible Mannaheim line of defense ". It is said to be an indestructible fortress that neither tank nor infantry can be crossed. This is why the Finns have been able to hold on for so long.
The current ruins of the Mannaheim Line of Defense
According to the report of Voronov (later Air Marshal), ammunition consumption: 230 super heavy shells landed on a bunker on the Mannaheim Line of Defense and pierced it. From the article "Let Finland kneel down!" published by "Free Radio" on November 30, 2019.
But what exactly is the situation of Mannaheim's defense line?
... The Mannheim defense line is far from the best example of European fortifications. The vast majority...The Finns had only one layer of fortifications... In addition to the famous granite boulders, the Finns also used low-quality concrete designed for outdated tanks... This proved to be at a loss for the cannons of new Soviet technology. The Mannahim defense line is mainly composed of field fortifications. - Historian Alexei Isaev
Historian Manning believes that the Finns only built 101 bunkers with resources, and the concrete used is less than the Helsinki Opera House. Basically, the fortifications are built of soil.
Even Anastas Migoyan later admitted that Stalin invented an "indestructible line of defense" to defend the failure of the Soviet army and made a movie for it.
What would happen if it weren't for the Mannarheim line of defense? It's all about strategy. The Soviet war machine was extremely clumsy under the guidance of the "old principles." It slowly advanced inland and fell into the quagmire of heavy snow and bad weather conditions. There are also great problems in the training of command personnel and the supply of troops.
On the other hand, Finland's skier mobile troops are moving quickly and very organized. The tactics of this mobile team are very simple - suddenly appearing from the forest, exhausting the enemy and disappearing into the forest again. The Soviet army was unable to pass through the Isthmus of Karelia for a month and a half, and Stalin even urgently suppressed the old commander of the troops and appointed General Xie Miao Tymoshenko to replace him.
In order to break through the "indestructible line of defense" (as mentioned above, it is not so indestructible), Stalin tried his best and the line of defense was finally broken through, but it did not bring victory. The Finnish army was still in full operation until Stalin accepted Finland's peace proposal. In fact, Finland lost. On the evening of March 12, 1940, the Soviet Union and Finland concluded a peace treaty.
As mentioned above, on the one hand, Finland seems to lose. On the other hand, it defended its independence rather than becoming one of the "republics within the Soviet Union".
The Soviet Union also showed its weaknesses. Its massive army is extremely ineffective against Finland's smaller mobile forces.
"In Finland, the Russians did not advance at all. It seems that the Red Army is not invincible in fact." Goebbels' diary, written on January 5, 1940.
The multiple failures of the Soviet army in the "Winter Battle" brought it serious reputation losses. Heinz Lorenz wrote: "Frankly speaking, the Soviet soldiers were interesting." (Don't you know he thought so when the Red Army occupied Berlin?)
Many people believe that Stalin launched a "purgation" in the Soviet army was precisely because of the failure of the "Winter Battle". This "cleaning" later helped the Soviet Union defeat Germany. This is a paranoid statement that the suppression in the army took place between 1937 and 1938, and the war with Finland began in 1939. The main reason for the initial failure of
Supremium War and Patriotic War was Stalin's personal poor management of the country and the army. According to psychiatrist Vladimir Bekhtelev, Stalin suffered from multiple mental disorders (the diagnosis was made during Stalin's lifetime). In particular, including his diagnosis of "persecution delusion" and "parasiac".
Soviet supporters like to accuse Stalin's subordinates of incompetence, but these incompetent officials were appointed by him. The Soviet people eventually defeated Germany with their heroic feats. Despite Stalin, this happened.
