The Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 became the Russian Federation quite a popular topic. All authors who like to walk through the "totalitarian past" like to remember this war, to recall the balance of forces, the losses, the failures of the initial period of the war.

Reasonable causes of war are denied or hushed up. The decision to war is often blamed on Comrade Stalin personally. As a result, many of the citizens of the Russian Federation who have even heard about this war are sure that we lost it, suffered huge losses and showed the whole world the weakness of the Red Army.

Origins of Finnish statehood

The land of the Finns (in Russian chronicles - "Sum") did not have its own statehood, in the XII-XIV centuries it was conquered by the Swedes. On the lands of the Finnish tribes (sum, em, Karelians) three Crusade- 1157, 1249-1250 and 1293-1300. The Finnish tribes were subjugated and forced to accept Catholicism. The further invasion of the Swedes and the Crusaders was stopped by the Novgorodians, who inflicted several defeats on them. In 1323, the Peace of Orekhov was concluded between the Swedes and Novgorodians.

The lands were controlled by the Swedish feudal lords, the castles were the centers of control (Abo, Vyborg and Tavastgus). The Swedes had all the administrative, judicial power. The official language was Swedish, the Finns did not even have cultural autonomy. Swedish was spoken by the nobility and the entire educated population, Finnish was the language ordinary people. The church, the Abo episcopate, had great power, but paganism retained its position among the common people for quite a long time.

In 1577, Finland received the status of a Grand Duchy and received a coat of arms with a lion. Gradually, the Finnish nobility merged with the Swedish.

In 1808, the Russian-Swedish war began, the reason was the refusal of Sweden to act together with Russia and France against England; Russia has won. According to the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty of September 1809, Finland became the property of the Russian Empire.

For a little over a hundred years Russian empire turned the Swedish province into a practically autonomous state with its own authorities, monetary unit, post office, customs and even an army. Since 1863, Finnish, along with Swedish, has become the state language. All administrative posts, except for the governor-general, were occupied by local residents. All taxes collected in Finland remained in the same place, St. Petersburg almost did not interfere in the internal affairs of the Grand Duchy. The migration of Russians to the principality was prohibited, the rights of Russians living there were limited, and the Russification of the province was not carried out.

Sweden and the territories it colonized, 1280

In 1811, the principality was given the Russian province of Vyborg, which was formed from the lands that had ceded to Russia under the treaties of 1721 and 1743. Then the administrative border with Finland approached the capital of the empire. In 1906, by decree Russian emperor Finnish women, the first in all of Europe, were given the right to vote. Cherished by Russia, the Finnish intelligentsia did not remain in debt and wanted independence.

The territory of Finland as part of Sweden in the 17th century

Beginning of independence

On December 6, 1917, the Sejm (Parliament of Finland) declared independence; on December 31, 1917, the Soviet government recognized the independence of Finland.

On January 15 (28), 1918, a revolution began in Finland, which grew into civil war. The White Finns called for help from German troops. The Germans did not refuse, in early April they landed a 12,000th division (“Baltic Division”) under the command of General von der Goltz on the Hanko Peninsula. Another detachment of 3 thousand people was sent on April 7. With their support, the supporters of Red Finland were defeated, on the 14th the Germans occupied Helsinki, on April 29 Vyborg fell, in early May the Reds were completely defeated. The Whites carried out mass repressions: more than 8 thousand people were killed, about 12 thousand rotted in concentration camps, about 90 thousand people were arrested and put in prisons and camps. A genocide was unleashed against the Russian inhabitants of Finland, killed everyone indiscriminately: officers, students, women, old people, children.

Berlin demanded that the German prince, Friedrich Karl of Hesse, be put on the throne; on October 9, the diet elected him king of Finland. But Germany was defeated in World War I and so Finland became a republic.

First two Soviet-Finnish wars

Independence was not enough, the Finnish elite wanted an increase in territory, deciding to take advantage of the Time of Troubles in Russia, Finland attacked Russia. Karl Mannerheim promised to annex Eastern Karelia. On March 15, the so-called “Wallenius Plan” was approved, according to which the Finns wanted to seize Russian lands along the border: the White Sea - Lake Onega - the Svir River - Lake Ladoga, in addition, the Pechenga region, the Kola Peninsula, Petrograd had to move to Suomi become a "free city". On the same day, detachments of volunteers received an order to begin the conquest of Eastern Karelia.

On May 15, 1918, Helsinki declared war on Russia, until the autumn there were no active hostilities, Germany concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Bolsheviks. But after her defeat, the situation changed, on October 15, 1918, the Finns captured the Rebolsk region, in January 1919 - the Porosozersk region. In April, Olonetskaya launched an offensive volunteer army, she captured Olonets, approached Petrozavodsk. During the Vidlitsa operation (June 27-July 8), the Finns were defeated and expelled from Soviet soil. In the autumn of 1919, the Finns repeated the attack on Petrozavodsk, but at the end of September they were repulsed. In July 1920, the Finns suffered several more defeats, negotiations began.

In mid-October 1920, the Yuryev (Tartu) peace treaty was signed, Soviet Russia ceded the Pechengi-Petsamo region, Western Karelia to the Sestra River, the western part of the Rybachy Peninsula and most of the Sredny Peninsula.

But this was not enough for the Finns, the Great Finland plan was not implemented. The second war was unleashed, it began with the formation of partisan detachments in October 1921 on the territory of Soviet Karelia, on November 6, Finnish volunteer detachments invaded the territory of Russia. By mid-February 1922, Soviet troops liberated the occupied territories, and on March 21 an agreement on the inviolability of the borders was signed.

Border changes under the Tartu Treaty of 1920

Years of cold neutrality

Svinhufvud, Per Evind, 3rd President of Finland, March 2, 1931 - March 1, 1937

In Helsinki, they did not give up hope of profiting at the expense of Soviet territories. But after two wars, they drew conclusions for themselves - it is necessary to act not with volunteer detachments, but with an entire army (Soviet Russia has grown stronger) and allies are needed. As the first Prime Minister of Finland, Svinhufvud, put it: "Any enemy of Russia must always be a friend of Finland."

With the aggravation of Soviet-Japanese relations, Finland began to establish contacts with Japan. Japanese officers began to come to Finland for internships. Helsinki reacted negatively to the entry of the USSR into the League of Nations and the treaty of mutual assistance with France. Hopes for a big conflict between the USSR and Japan did not come true.

The hostility of Finland and its readiness for war against the USSR was not a secret either in Warsaw or in Washington. Thus, in September 1937, the American military attache in the USSR, Colonel F. Faymonville, reported: "The most pressing military problem of the Soviet Union is preparation to repel a simultaneous attack by Japan in the East and Germany, together with Finland in the West."

There were constant provocations on the border between the USSR and Finland. For example: on October 7, 1936, a Soviet border guard who was making a detour was killed by a shot from the Finnish side. Only after a long wrangling did Helsinki pay compensation to the family of the deceased and plead guilty. Finnish planes violated both land and water borders.

Moscow was especially concerned about Finland's cooperation with Germany. The Finnish public supported Germany's actions in Spain. German designers designed submarines for the Finns. Finland supplied Berlin with nickel and copper, receiving 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, they planned to purchase combat aircraft. In 1939, a German intelligence and counterintelligence center was created in Finland, its main task was intelligence work against the Soviet Union. The Center collected information about the Baltic Fleet, the Leningrad Military District, and the Leningrad industry. Finnish intelligence worked closely with the Abwehr. During the Soviet Finnish war 1939-1940, the blue swastika became the identification mark of the Finnish Air Force.

By the beginning of 1939, with the help of German specialists, a network of military airfields was built in Finland, which could receive 10 times more aircraft than the Finnish Air Force had.

Helsinki was ready to fight against the USSR not only in alliance with Germany, but also with France and England.

The problem of defending Leningrad

By 1939, we had an absolutely hostile state on the northwestern borders. There was a problem of protecting Leningrad, the border was only 32 km away, the Finns could shell the city with heavy artillery. In addition, it was necessary to protect the city from the sea.

From the south, the problem was solved by concluding an agreement on mutual assistance with Estonia in September 1939. The USSR received the right to place garrisons and naval bases on the territory of Estonia.

Helsinki, on the other hand, did not want to solve the most important issue for the USSR through diplomacy. Moscow proposed an exchange of territories, an agreement on mutual assistance, joint defense of the Gulf of Finland, sell part of the territory for a military base or lease it. But Helsinki did not accept any option. Although the most far-sighted figures, for example, Karl Mannerheim, understood the strategic necessity of Moscow's demands. Mannerheim proposed to move the border away from Leningrad and receive good compensation, and offer Yussarö Island for a Soviet naval base. But in the end, the position of not compromising prevailed.

It should be noted that London did not stand aside and provoked the conflict in its own way. Moscow was hinted that they would not intervene in a possible conflict, and the Finns were told that they had to hold their positions and give in.

As a result, on November 30, 1939, the third Soviet-Finnish war began. The first stage of the war, until the end of December 1939, was unsuccessful, due to a lack of intelligence and insufficient forces, the Red Army suffered significant losses. The enemy was underestimated, the Finnish army mobilized in advance. She occupied the defensive fortifications of the Mannerheim Line.

The new Finnish fortifications (1938-1939) were not known to intelligence, they did not allocate the required number of forces (for a successful breach of the fortifications, it was necessary to create superiority in the ratio of 3:1).

Position of the West

The USSR was expelled from the League of Nations, violating the rules: 7 out of 15 countries that were members of the Council of the League of Nations voted for the exclusion, 8 did not participate or abstained. That is, they were expelled by a minority of votes.

The Finns were supplied by England, France, Sweden and other countries. More than 11,000 foreign volunteers have arrived in Finland.

London and Paris eventually decided to start a war with the USSR. In Scandinavia, they planned to land an Anglo-French expeditionary force. Allied aviation was supposed to launch airstrikes on the oil fields of the Union in the Caucasus. From Syria, the Allied troops planned to attack Baku.

The Red Army thwarted large-scale plans, Finland was defeated. Despite the persuasion of the French and the British to hold on, on March 12, 1940, the Finns sign peace.

USSR lost the war?

Under the Moscow Treaty of 1940, the USSR received the Rybachy Peninsula in the north, part of Karelia with Vyborg, northern Ladoga, and the Khanko Peninsula was leased to the USSR for a period of 30 years, a naval base was created there. After the start of the Great Patriotic War the Finnish army was able to reach the old border only in September 1941.

We received these territories without giving up ours (they offered twice as much as they asked for), and for free - they also offered monetary compensation. When the Finns remembered the compensation and cited the example of Peter the Great, who gave Sweden 2 million thalers, Molotov replied: “Write a letter to Peter the Great. If he orders, we will pay compensation.” Moscow also insisted on 95 million rubles in compensation for damage to equipment and property from the lands seized by the Finns. Plus, 350 sea and river transports, 76 steam locomotives, 2 thousand wagons were also transferred to the USSR.

The Red Army gained important combat experience and saw its shortcomings.

It was a victory, albeit not a brilliant one, but a victory.

Territories ceded by Finland to the USSR, as well as leased by the USSR in 1940

Sources:
Civil war and intervention in the USSR. M., 1987.
Dictionary Dictionary in three volumes. M., 1986.
winter war 1939-1940. M., 1998.
Isaev A. Antisuvorov. M., 2004.
History of international relations (1918-2003). M., 2000.
Meinander H. History of Finland. M., 2008.
Pykhalov I. The Great Slandered War. M., 2006.

Finland was assigned to the sphere of influence of the USSR by secret protocols to the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of 1939. But, unlike other Baltic countries, she refused to make serious concessions to the USSR. The Soviet leadership demanded that the border be moved away from Leningrad, as it passed 32 km from the "northern capital". In exchange, the USSR offered more extensive and less valuable territories of Karelia. Referring to the threat to Leningrad in the event of aggression from a potential enemy through the territory of Finland in the conditions of World War II, the USSR also demanded the rights to lease the islands (primarily Hanko) to create a military base.

The Finnish leadership, headed by Prime Minister A. Cajander and the head of the Defense Council K. Mannerheim (in his honor, the Finnish line of fortifications became known as the "Mannerheim Line"), in response to Soviet demands, decided to play for time. Finland was ready to slightly adjust the border so as not to affect the Mannerheim Line. On October 12 - November 13, negotiations were held in Moscow with the Finnish ministers V. Tanner and J. Paasikivi, but they reached an impasse.

On November 26, 1939, on the Soviet-Finnish border, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Soviet border checkpoint Mainila, the Soviet side carried out a provocative shelling of Soviet positions, which was used by the USSR as a pretext for an attack. On November 30, Soviet troops invaded Finland in five main directions. In the north, the Soviet 104th division occupied the Petsamo area. South of the Kandalaksha region, the 177th division moved to Kemi. Further south, the 9th Army advanced on Oulu (Uleaborg). By occupying these two ports in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Soviet army would cut Finland in two. To the north of Ladoga, the 8th army advanced to the rear of the Mannerheim Line. And finally, on the main line 7, the army was to break through the Mannerheim line and enter Helsinki. Finland was to be defeated in two weeks.

On December 6-12, the troops of the 7th Army under the command of K. Meretskov reached the Mannerheim line, but could not take it. On December 17-21, Soviet troops stormed the line, but unsuccessfully.

An attempt to bypass the line north of Lake Ladoga and through Karelia failed. The Finns knew this territory better, moved faster and better camouflaged among the hills and lakes. Soviet divisions moved in columns along the few roads suitable for the passage of equipment. The Finns, bypassing the Soviet columns from the flanks, cut them in several places. So several Soviet divisions were defeated. As a result of the fighting in December - January, the forces of several divisions were surrounded. The most severe was the defeat of the 9th Army near Suomussalmi on December 27 - January 7, when two divisions were defeated at once.

Frosts hit, snow filled up the Karelian Isthmus. Soviet soldiers they died from cold and frostbite, since the units arriving in Karelia were not sufficiently provided with warm uniforms - they did not prepare for the winter war, counting on a quick victory.

Volunteers of various views went to the country - from social democrats to right-wing anti-communists. Great Britain and France supported Finland with arms and food.

On December 14, 1939, the League of Nations declared the USSR an aggressor and expelled it from its membership. In January 1940, Stalin decided to return to modest tasks - not to take all of Finland, but to move the border away from Leningrad and establish control over the Gulf of Finland.

The Northwestern Front under the command of S. Timoshenko broke through the Mannerheim Line on February 13-19. On March 12, Soviet troops broke into Vyborg. This meant that in a few days Helsinki might fall. The number of Soviet troops was increased to 760 thousand people. Finland was forced to accept the conditions of the USSR, and they became tougher. Now the USSR demanded that the border be drawn near the line determined by the Treaty of Nishtad in 1721, including the transfer of Vyborg and the Ladoga coast to the USSR. The USSR did not remove the demand for the lease of Hanko. A peace agreement on these terms was concluded in Moscow on the night of March 13, 1940.

Dead Losses the Soviet army in the war amounted to more than 126 thousand people, and the Finns - more than 22 thousand (not counting those who died from wounds and diseases). Finland retained its independence.

Sources:

On both sides of the Karelian front, 1941-1944: Documents and materials. Petrozavodsk, 1995;

Secrets and lessons of the Winter War, 1939-1940: According to documents from declassified archives. SPb., 2000.

The Soviet-Finnish or Winter War began on November 30, 1939, and ended on March 12, 1940. The reasons for the start, the course and results of the war are still considered very ambiguous. The instigator of the war was the USSR, whose leadership was interested in territorial acquisitions in the area of ​​the Karelian Isthmus. Western countries almost did not react to the Soviet-Finnish conflict. France England and the United States tried to adhere to the position of non-intervention in local conflicts, so as not to give Hitler a pretext for new territorial seizures. Therefore, Finland was left without the support of the Western allies.

Reason and causes of the war

The Soviet-Finnish war was provoked by a whole range of reasons, primarily related to the protection of the border between the two countries, as well as geopolitical differences.

• During 1918-1922. The Finns attacked the RSFSR twice. To prevent further conflicts in 1922, an agreement was signed on the inviolability of the Soviet-Finnish border, according to the same document, Finland received Petsamo or the Pecheneg region, the Rybachy Peninsula and part of the Sredny Peninsula. In the 1930s, Finland and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact. At the same time, relations between the states remained tense, the leaderships of both countries were afraid of mutual territorial claims.
• Stalin regularly received information that Finland had signed secret agreements for support and assistance with the Baltic states and Poland, if Soviet Union attack one of them.
• In the late 1930s, Stalin and his associates were also worried about the rise of Adolf Hitler. Despite the signing of the Non-Aggression Pact and the secret protocol on the division of spheres of influence in Europe, many in the USSR feared a military clash and considered it necessary to start preparing for war. One of the most strategically important cities in the USSR was Leningrad, but the city was too close to the Soviet-Finnish border. In the event that Finland decided to support Germany (and this is exactly what happened), Leningrad would be in a very vulnerable position. Shortly before the start of the war, the USSR repeatedly appealed to the leadership of Finland with a request to change part of the Karelian Isthmus to other territories. However, the Finns refused. Firstly, the lands offered in exchange were infertile, and secondly, on the site that interested the USSR, there were important military fortifications - the Mannerheim Line.
• Also, the Finnish side did not give its consent to the lease by the Soviet Union of several Finnish islands and part of the Hanko Peninsula. The leadership of the USSR planned to place its military bases in these territories.
• Soon, activities were banned in Finland communist party;
• Germany and the USSR signed a secret non-aggression pact and secret protocols to it, according to which the Finnish territory was to fall into the zone of influence of the Soviet Union. To some extent, this agreement untied the hands of the Soviet leadership regarding the regulation of the situation with Finland

The reason for the start of the Winter War was. On November 26, 1939, the village of Mainila, located on the Karelian Isthmus, was fired from Finland. The Soviet border guards, who were in the village at that time, suffered the most from the shelling. Finland denied its involvement in this act and did not want further development conflict. However, the Soviet leadership took advantage of the situation and announced the start of the war.

Until now, there is no evidence confirming the guilt of the Finns in the shelling of Mainila. Although, however, there are no documents indicating the involvement of the Soviet military in the November provocation. The papers provided by both sides cannot be considered as unambiguous evidence of someone's guilt. Back in late November, Finland advocated the creation of a common commission to investigate the incident, but the Soviet Union rejected this proposal.

On November 28, the leadership of the USSR denounced the Soviet-Finnish non-aggression pact (1932). Two days later, active hostilities began, which went down in history as the Soviet-Finnish war.

In Finland, the mobilization of those liable for military service was carried out, in the Soviet Union, the troops of the Leningrad Military District and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet were put on full combat readiness. An extensive propaganda campaign was launched against the Finns in the Soviet media. In response, Finland began to carry out an anti-Soviet campaign in the press.

From mid-November 1939, the USSR deployed four armies against Finland, which included: 24 divisions (the total number of military reached 425 thousand), 2.3 thousand tanks and 2.5 thousand aircraft.

The Finns had only 14 divisions, in which 270 thousand people served, 30 tanks and 270 aircraft were available.

Course of events

The Winter War can be divided into two phases:

• November 1939 - January 1940: Soviet offensive in several directions at once, fighting had a rather violent character;
• February - March 1940: massive shelling of Finnish territory, attack on the Mannerheim Line, capitulation of Finland and peace negotiations.

On November 30, 1939, Stalin gave the order to advance on the Karelian Isthmus, and already on December 1, Soviet troops captured the city of Terijoki (now Zelenogorsk).

On the occupied territory, the Soviet army established contacts with Otto Kuusinen, who was the head of the Communist Party of Finland and an active member of the Comintern. With the support of Stalin, he proclaimed the creation of the Finnish Democratic Republic. Kuusinen became its president and began to negotiate with the Soviet Union on behalf of the Finnish people. Official diplomatic relations were established between the FDR and the USSR.

The 7th Soviet Army moved very quickly towards the Mannerheim Line. The first chain of fortifications was broken in the first decade of 1939. The Soviet soldiers could not advance further. All attempts to break through the following lines of defense ended in losses and defeats. Failures on the line led to the suspension of further advance inland.

Another army - the 8th - was advancing in the north of Lake Ladoga. In just a few days, the troops covered 80 kilometers, but were stopped by a lightning attack by the Finns, as a result, half of the army was destroyed. The success of Finland was due, first of all, to the fact that the Soviet troops were tied to the roads. The Finns, who moved in small mobile detachments, easily cut off equipment and people from the necessary communications. The 8th Army retreated, having lost people, but did not leave this region until the very end of the war.

The most unsuccessful campaign of the Red Army during the Winter War is considered to be the attack on Central Karelia. Stalin sent the 9th Army here, which successfully advanced from the first days of the war. The troops were tasked with capturing the city of Oulu. This was supposed to cut Finland in two, demoralize and disorganize the army in the northern regions of the country. Already on December 7, 1939, the soldiers managed to capture the village of Suomussalmi, but the Finns were able to surround the division. The Red Army switched to all-round defense, repulsing the attacks of Finnish skiers. Finnish detachments carried out their actions suddenly, moreover, the main striking force of the Finns were almost elusive snipers. The clumsy and insufficiently mobile Soviet troops began to suffer huge human losses, equipment also broke down. The 44th rifle division was sent to help the encircled division, which also fell into the Finnish encirclement. Due to the fact that two divisions were under constant fire, the 163rd Rifle Division began to gradually fight its way back. Almost 30% of the personnel died, more than 90% of the equipment was left to the Finns. The latter almost completely destroyed the 44th division and returned the state border in Central Karelia under their control. In this direction, the actions of the Red Army were paralyzed, and the Finnish army received huge trophies. The victory over the enemy raised the morale of the soldiers, but Stalin repressed the leadership of the 163rd and 44th rifle divisions of the Red Army.

In the area of ​​the Rybachy Peninsula, the 14th Army advanced quite successfully. Within a short time, the soldiers captured the city of Petsamo with its nickel mines and went straight to the border with Norway. Thus, Finland was cut off from access to the Barents Sea.

In January 1940, the Finns encircled the 54th Infantry Division (in the Suomussalmi region, in the south), but did not have the strength and resources to destroy it. Soviet soldiers were surrounded until March 1940. The same fate awaited the 168th Rifle Division, which tried to advance in the Sortavala area. Also, a Soviet tank division fell into the Finnish encirclement near Lemetti-Yuzhny. She managed to get out of the encirclement, losing all the equipment and more than half of the soldiers.

The Karelian Isthmus has become a zone of the most active hostilities. But by the end of December 1939, the fighting stopped here. This was due to the fact that the leadership of the Red Army began to understand the futility of strikes along the Mannerheim line. The Finns tried to use the lull in the war to the maximum advantage and go on the attack. But all operations ended unsuccessfully with huge human casualties.

By the end of the first stage of the war, in January 1940, the Red Army was in difficult situation. She fought in an unfamiliar, practically unexplored territory, it was dangerous to move forward due to numerous ambushes. In addition, the weather complicated the planning of operations. The position of the Finns was also unenviable. They had problems with the number of soldiers and lacked equipment, but the population of the country had tremendous experience in guerrilla warfare. Such tactics made it possible to attack with small forces, inflicting significant losses on large Soviet detachments.

Second period of the Winter War

Already on February 1, 1940, on the Karelian Isthmus, the Red Army began a massive shelling that lasted 10 days. The purpose of this action was to damage the fortifications on the Mannerheim Line and the troops of Finland, to exhaust the soldiers, to morally break their spirit. The actions taken achieved their goals, and on February 11, 1940, the Red Army launched an offensive inland.

Very fierce battles began on the Karelian Isthmus. At first, the Red Army planned to strike the main blow at the settlement of Summa, which was located in the Vyborg direction. But the army of the USSR began to get stuck on foreign territory, incurring losses. As a result, the direction of the main attack was changed to Lyakhda. In the area of ​​​​this settlement, the Finnish defenses were broken through, which allowed the Red Army to pass the first strip of the Mannerheim Line. The Finns began to withdraw troops.

By the end of February 1940, the Soviet army also crossed the second line of defense of Mannerheim, breaking through it in several places. By the beginning of March, the Finns began to retreat, because they were in a difficult position. The reserves were depleted, the morale of the soldiers was broken. A different situation was observed in the Red Army, the main advantage of which was the huge stocks of equipment, materiel, replenished personnel. In March 1940, the 7th Army approached Vyborg, where the Finns put up stiff resistance.

On March 13, hostilities were stopped, which was initiated by the Finnish side. The reasons for this decision were as follows:

• Vyborg was one of the largest cities in the country, its loss could have a negative impact on the morale of citizens and the economy;
• After the capture of Vyborg, the Red Army could easily reach Helsinki, which threatened Finland with a complete loss of independence and independence.

Peace negotiations began on March 7, 1940 and took place in Moscow. As a result of the discussion, the parties decided to stop hostilities. The Soviet Union received all the territories on the Karelian Isthmus and the cities: Salla, Sortavala and Vyborg, located in Lapland. Stalin also achieved that he was given the Hanko peninsula for a long lease.

• The Red Army lost about 88 thousand people who died from wounds and frostbite. Almost 40 thousand more people were missing, 160 thousand were injured. Finland lost 26 thousand people dead, 40 thousand Finns were injured;
• The Soviet Union achieved one of its key foreign policy objectives - it ensured the security of Leningrad;
• The USSR strengthened its positions on the Baltic coast, which was achieved by acquiring Vyborg and the Hanko Peninsula, where Soviet military bases were moved;
• The Red Army gained vast experience in conducting military operations in difficult weather and tactical conditions, having learned to break through fortified lines;
• In 1941, Finland supported Nazi Germany in the war against the USSR and allowed German troops through its territory, who managed to establish a blockade of Leningrad;
• The destruction of the Mannerheim Line became fatal for the USSR, as Germany was able to quickly capture Finland and pass into the territory of the Soviet Union;
• The war showed Germany that the Red Army in difficult weather conditions is unfit for combat. The same opinion was formed by the leaders of other countries;
• Finland, under the terms of the peace agreement, was to build a railway track, with the help of which it was planned to connect the Kola Peninsula and the Gulf of Bothnia. The road was supposed to pass through the settlement of Alakurtia and connect with Tornio. But this part of the agreement was never carried out;
• On October 11, 1940, another treaty was signed between the USSR and Finland, which concerned the Åland Islands. The Soviet Union received the right to place a consulate here, and the archipelago was declared a demilitarized zone;
• The international organization League of Nations, created following the results of the First World War, excluded the Soviet Union from its membership. This was due to the fact that the international community reacted negatively to the Soviet intervention in Finland. The reasons for the exclusion were also constant aerial bombardments of Finnish civilian targets. Incendiary bombs were often used during the raids;

Thus, the Winter War became an occasion for Germany and Finland to gradually draw closer and interact. The Soviet Union tried to resist such cooperation, restraining the growing influence of Germany and trying to establish a loyal regime in Finland. All this led to the fact that with the outbreak of World War II, the Finns joined the Axis countries in order to free themselves from the USSR and return the lost territories.

The Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940 (Soviet-Finnish War, known in Finland as the Winter War) is an armed conflict between the USSR and Finland from November 30, 1939 to March 12, 1940.

Its reason was the desire of the Soviet leadership to move the Finnish border away from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in order to strengthen the security of the northwestern borders of the USSR, and the refusal of the Finnish side to do this. The Soviet government asked to lease parts of the Hanko peninsula and some islands in the Gulf of Finland in exchange for a large area of ​​Soviet territory in Karelia, with the subsequent conclusion of a mutual assistance agreement.

The Finnish government believed that the acceptance of Soviet demands would weaken the strategic positions of the state, lead to the loss of neutrality by Finland and its subordination to the USSR. The Soviet leadership, in turn, did not want to give up its demands, which, in its opinion, were necessary to ensure the security of Leningrad.

The Soviet-Finnish border on the Karelian Isthmus (Western Karelia) was only 32 kilometers from Leningrad, the largest center of Soviet industry and the second largest city in the country.

The reason for the start of the Soviet-Finnish war was the so-called Mainil incident. According to the Soviet version, on November 26, 1939, at 15.45, Finnish artillery in the Mainila area fired seven shells at the positions of the 68th Infantry Regiment on Soviet territory. Allegedly, three Red Army soldiers and one junior commander were killed. On the same day, the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the USSR addressed a note of protest to the government of Finland and demanded the withdrawal of Finnish troops from the border by 20-25 kilometers.

The Finnish government denied the shelling of Soviet territory and proposed that not only Finnish, but also Soviet troops be withdrawn 25 kilometers from the border. This formally equal demand was not feasible, because then the Soviet troops would have to be withdrawn from Leningrad.

On November 29, 1939, the Finnish envoy in Moscow was presented with a note about the severance of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Finland. On November 30, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the troops of the Leningrad Front received an order to cross the border with Finland. On the same day, Finnish President Kyösti Kallio declared war on the USSR.

During the "perestroika" several versions of the Mainilsky incident became known. According to one of them, the shelling of the positions of the 68th regiment was carried out by a secret NKVD unit. According to another, there was no shooting at all, and in the 68th regiment on November 26 there were neither killed nor wounded. There were other versions that did not receive documentary evidence.

From the very beginning of the war, the advantage in forces was on the side of the USSR. The Soviet command concentrated 21 rifle divisions, one tank corps, three separate tank brigades (a total of 425 thousand people, about 1.6 thousand guns, 1476 tanks and about 1200 aircraft) near the border with Finland. To support the ground forces, it was planned to attract about 500 aircraft and more than 200 ships from the Northern and Baltic fleets. 40% of Soviet forces were deployed on the Karelian Isthmus.

The grouping of Finnish troops had about 300 thousand people, 768 guns, 26 tanks, 114 aircraft and 14 warships. The Finnish command concentrated 42% of its forces on the Karelian Isthmus, deploying the Isthmus Army there. The rest of the troops covered separate areas from the Barents Sea to Lake Ladoga.

The main frontier of Finland's defense was the "Mannerheim Line" - unique, impregnable fortifications. The main architect of the Mannerheim line was nature itself. Its flanks rested on the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. The coast of the Gulf of Finland was covered by large-caliber coastal batteries, and in the Taipale region on the shores of Lake Ladoga, reinforced concrete forts with eight 120- and 152-mm coastal guns were created.

The "Mannerheim Line" had a frontal width of 135 kilometers, a depth of up to 95 kilometers and consisted of a support strip (depth 15-60 kilometers), a main strip (depth 7-10 kilometers), a second strip 2-15 kilometers away from the main one, and the rear (Vyborg) line of defense. Over two thousand long-term firing structures (DOS) and wood-earth firing structures (DZOS) were erected, which were combined into strong points of 2-3 DOS and 3-5 DZOS each, and the latter - into resistance nodes (3-4 point). The main line of defense consisted of 25 nodes of resistance, numbering 280 DOS and 800 DZOS. The strongholds were defended by permanent garrisons (from a company to a battalion in each). Between the strongholds and nodes of resistance were positions for field troops. The strongholds and positions of the field troops were covered by anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers. Only in the security zone, 220 kilometers of wire barriers in 15-45 rows, 200 kilometers of forest debris, 80 kilometers of granite gouges up to 12 rows, anti-tank ditches, scarps (anti-tank walls) and numerous minefields were created.

All fortifications were connected by a system of trenches, underground passages and were supplied with food and ammunition necessary for a long-term autonomous battle.

On November 30, 1939, after a long artillery preparation, Soviet troops crossed the border with Finland and launched an offensive on the front from the Barents Sea to the Gulf of Finland. In 10-13 days, they overcame the zone of operational barriers in certain directions and reached the main strip of the Mannerheim Line. For more than two weeks, unsuccessful attempts to break through it continued.

At the end of December, the Soviet command decided to stop further offensive on the Karelian Isthmus and begin systematic preparations for breaking through the Mannerheim Line.

The front went on the defensive. The troops were regrouped. The North-Western Front was created on the Karelian Isthmus. Troops have been replenished. As a result, the Soviet troops deployed against Finland numbered more than 1.3 million people, 1.5 thousand tanks, 3.5 thousand guns, and three thousand aircraft. The Finnish side by the beginning of February 1940 had 600 thousand people, 600 guns and 350 aircraft.

On February 11, 1940, the assault on the fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus resumed - the troops of the North-Western Front, after 2-3 hours of artillery preparation, went on the offensive.

Having broken through two lines of defense, on February 28, Soviet troops reached the third. They broke the enemy's resistance, forced him to start a retreat along the entire front and, developing the offensive, captured the Vyborg grouping of Finnish troops from the northeast, captured most of Vyborg, crossed the Vyborg Bay, bypassed the Vyborg fortified area from the northwest, cut the highway to Helsinki.

The fall of the "Mannerheim Line" and the defeat of the main grouping of Finnish troops put the enemy in a difficult position. Under these conditions, Finland turned to the Soviet government with a request for peace.

On the night of March 13, 1940, a peace treaty was signed in Moscow, according to which Finland ceded about a tenth of its territory to the USSR and pledged not to participate in coalitions hostile to the USSR. On March 13, hostilities ceased.

In accordance with the agreement, the border on the Karelian Isthmus was moved away from Leningrad by 120-130 kilometers. The entire Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg, the Vyborg Bay with islands, the western and northern shores of Lake Ladoga, a number of islands in the Gulf of Finland, part of the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas went to the Soviet Union. The Hanko Peninsula and the sea area around it were leased by the USSR for 30 years. This improved the position of the Baltic Fleet.

As a result of the Soviet-Finnish war, the main strategic goal pursued by the Soviet leadership was achieved - to secure the northwestern border. However, worsened international position Soviet Union: he was expelled from the League of Nations, relations with England and France worsened, an anti-Soviet campaign unfolded in the West.

The losses of the Soviet troops in the war amounted to: irretrievable - about 130 thousand people, sanitary - about 265 thousand people. Irretrievable losses of the Finnish troops - about 23 thousand people, sanitary - over 43 thousand people.

WINTER WAR. HOW IT WAS

1. Evacuation in October 1939 of the inhabitants of the border areas deep into Finland.

2. Delegation of Finland at the talks in Moscow. October 1939 “We will not make any concessions to the USSR and will fight at all costs, as England, America and Sweden promised to support us” - Errko, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

3. The engineering unit of the White Finns is sent to the installation of gouges. Karelian isthmus. Autumn 1939.

4. Junior sergeant of the Finnish army. October - November 1939. Karelian isthmus. The countdown to the last days of the world has begun.

5.Tank BT-5 on one of the streets of Leningrad. Finland Station area

6. Official announcement of the start of hostilities.

6. The first day of the war: the 20th heavy tank brigade receives a combat mission.

8. American volunteers sail from New York on December 12, 1939 to fight in Finland with the Russians.

9. The Suomi submachine gun is a Finnish miracle weapon by Aimo Lahti, a self-taught engineer. one of the best gunsmiths of his time. Trophy "Suomi" was very much appreciated.

10. Rally of conscripts in Naryan-Mar.

11. Getmanenko Mikhail Nikitich. Captain. Died of wounds 12/13/1939 Karelian Isthmus

12. The Mannerheim line began to be built in 1918, with Finland gaining independence.

13. The Mannerheim Line crossed the entire Karelian Isthmus.

14. View of the bunker of the Mannerheim Line from the side of the advancing Soviet troops.

15. The losses of the dashing Finnish tank destroyers reached 70%, but they also burned the tanks in order.

16. A subversive anti-tank charge and a Molotov cocktail.

Assembly at the front.

19. Soviet armored cars on the march. Karelian isthmus.

13. White Finns at the captured flamethrower tank. January 1940

14. Karelian Isthmus. January 1940 Red Army units move to the front.

Intelligence service. Three left, two returned. Artist Aukusti Tukhka.

15. Spruce spread wide In the snow, as in dressing gowns, stand.
Sat down on the edge of the deep In the snow White Finns detachment.

Finnish pilots and aircraft technicians near the French fighter Moran-Saulnier MS.406. During December 1939 - April 1940, the Finnish Air Force received: from England - 22 of the most modern twin-engine Bristol-Blenheim bombers, 42 Gloucester Gladiators and 10 Hurricanes; from the USA - 38 "Brewster-B-239"; from France - 30 "Moran-Saulnier"; from Italy - 32 Fiats. The newest Soviet fighter of that period, the I-16, lost to them at a speed of about 100 km, and they easily overtook and burned the main SB bomber.

Dinner of the Red Army soldiers in a front-line situation.

View from the bunker to the barbed wire and minefields, 1940

Acoustic air defense locator of the White Finns.

Snowmobiles of the White Finns. The swastika has been used by them to designate military equipment since 1918.

From a letter found on a dead Red Army soldier. “... You write to me if I need some kind of package or money order. To be frank, money is useless here, you can’t buy anything here with it, and parcels go too slowly. We live here in snow and cold, around only swamps and lakes. You also wrote that you started selling my stuff - for obvious reasons. But it still hurt me, as if I no longer exist. You probably have the feeling that we are not destined to see each other again, or you will only see me as a cripple ... "

V total for 105 days of the war, "poor" white-Finland issued more than two hundred (!) Various leaflets. There were leaflets addressed specifically to Ukrainians and the peoples of the Caucasus.

Leaflet addressed to Soviet pilots.

English volunteers came to fight the Russians.

The feat of the head of the outpost Shmagrin, 12/27/1939 Artist V.A. Tokarev.

Heroic defense of the garrison. Artist V.E. Pamfilov.

The battle of thirteen border guards with a sabotage detachment of the White Finns on the night of January 24-25 at the border in the Murmansk region. The last message of the signalman Alexander Spekov, who blew himself up with a grenade along with the enemies: “I am fighting alone, the cartridges are running out.”

The tank fires at a long-term firing point.

Road to Raate. January 1940

Frozen Red Army soldiers. Road to Raate. December 1939

White Finns pose with a frozen Red Army soldier.

Downed bomber DB-2. The war in the air, having dispelled blissful illusions, was extremely difficult for the Red Army Air Force. Short daylight hours, difficult weather conditions, poor training of the bulk of the flight crew leveled the number of Soviet aircraft.

Finnish wolves from Russian bears. Stalin's sledgehammer "B-4" against the Mannerheim Line.

View of the height 38.2 taken from the Finns, on which the pillbox was located. Photo by Petrov RGAKFD

The White Finns fought hard, stubbornly and skillfully. In conditions of complete hopelessness to the last bullet. Breaking such an army is EXPENSIVE.

Red Army soldiers inspect the armored dome on the pillbox taken.

The Red Army soldiers inspect the taken bunker.

Commander of the 20th heavy tank brigade Borzilov (left) congratulates the soldiers and commanders who were awarded orders and medals. January 1940.

The attack of the sabotage detachment of the White Finns on the rear warehouse of the Red Army.

"The bombardment of the White Finnish station". Artist Alexander Mizin, 1940

The only one tank battle On February 26, when the White Finns tried to recapture the Honkaniemi stop. Despite the presence of brand new British Vickers tanks and numerical superiority, they eventually lost 14 vehicles and retreated. There were no losses on the Soviet side.

Ski detachment of the Red Army.

Ski horse. Horse skiers.

“We used Finnish pillboxes to go to hell!” Soldiers of the special purpose engineering detachment on the roof of the Ink6 bunker.

"The Capture of Vyborg by the Red Army", A.A. Blinkov

"Storm of Vyborg", P.P. Sokolov-Skalya

Kuhmo. March 13. The first clock of the world. Meeting recent enemies. In Kuhmo, the White Finns in recent days and even hours of hostilities tried to destroy the encircled Soviet units.

Kuhmo.Saunajärvi. Venal.motti. (3)

12. Residents of Helsinki at the map of the territories that went to the Soviet Union.

In Finnish captivity in 4 camps there were from 5546 to 6116 people. The conditions of their detention were extremely cruel. 39,369 missing points to the scale of executions by the White Finns of seriously wounded, sick and frostbitten Red Army soldiers.

H. Akhmetov: “... I personally saw five cases when in the hospital the seriously wounded were taken out into the corridor behind the screen and they were given a fatal injection. One of the wounded shouted: "Don't carry me, I don't want to die." In the hospital, the killing of wounded Red Army soldiers by infusion of morphine was repeatedly used, so the prisoners of war Terentiev and Blinov were killed. Finns especially hated Soviet pilots and they were mocked, the seriously wounded were kept without any medical care, which is why many died.- “Soviet-Finnish captivity”, Frolov, p.48.

March 1940 Gryazovets camp of the NKVD (Vologda region). Politruk talks with a group of Finnish prisoners of war. The vast majority of Finnish prisoners of war were kept in the camp (according to different sources from 883 to 1100). “We would have work and bread, and who will rule the country, it doesn’t matter. Since the government orders to fight, that's why we fight.", - such was the mood of the bulk. And yet twenty people wished to voluntarily remain in the USSR.

April 20, 1940 Leningraders greet the Soviet soldiers who defeated the Finnish White Guard.

A group of soldiers and commanders of the 210th separate chemical tank battalion awarded orders and medals, March 1940

Such people were in that war. Technicians and pilots of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Baltic Fleet. Kingisepp, Kotly airfield, 1939-1940

They died so that we may live...

The Russian-Finnish war began in November 1939 and lasted 105 days - until March 1940. The war did not end with the final defeat of any of the armies and was concluded on terms favorable to Russia (then the Soviet Union). Since the war was in the cold season, many Russian soldiers suffered from severe frosts, but did not retreat.

All this is known to any schoolchild, all this is studied in history lessons. Only now about how the war began, and what the Finns had to do with it, is less often said. It is not surprising - who needs to know the enemy's point of view? And our guys are great, they beat the opponents.

It is precisely because of this worldview that the percentage of Russians who know the truth about this war and accept it is so insignificant.

The Russo-Finnish war of 1939 did not break out suddenly, like a bolt from the blue. The conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland has been brewing for almost two decades. Finland did not trust the great leader of that time - Stalin, who, in turn, was dissatisfied with the union of Finland with England, Germany and France.

Russia, to ensure its own security, tried to conclude an agreement with Finland on terms favorable to the Soviet Union. And after another refusal, Finland decided to try to force it, and on November 30, Russian troops opened fire on Finland.

Initially, the Russo-Finnish war was not successful for Russia - the winter was cold, the soldiers got frostbite, some froze to death, and the Finns firmly held the defense on the Mannerheim Line. But the troops of the Soviet Union won, gathering together all the remaining forces and going on a general offensive. As a result, peace was concluded between the countries on favorable terms for Russia: a significant part of the Finnish territories (including the Karelian Isthmus, part of both the northern and western coasts of Lake Ladoga) passed into Russian possessions, and the Khanko Peninsula was leased to Russia for 30 years.

In history, the Russian-Finnish war was called "Unnecessary", since it gave almost nothing to either Russia or Finland. Both sides were to blame for its beginning, and both sides suffered huge losses. So, during the war, 48,745 people lost, 158,863 soldiers were wounded or frostbitten. The Finns also lost a huge number of people.

If not everyone, then at least many are familiar with the course of the war described above. But there is also such information about the Russian-Finnish war, which is not customary to speak out loud or they are simply unknown. Moreover, there is such unpleasant, in some ways even indecent information about both participants in the battle: both about Russia and Finland.

Thus, it is not customary to say that the war with Finland was unleashed vilely and illegally: the Soviet Union attacked it without warning, violating the peace treaty concluded in 1920 and the non-aggression pact of 1934. Moreover, by starting this war, the Soviet Union also violated its own convention, which stipulated that an attack on a participating state (which was Finland), as well as its blockade or threats against it, could not be justified by any considerations. By the way, according to the same convention, Finland had the right to attack, but did not use it.

If we talk about the Finnish army, then there were some unsightly moments. The government, taken by surprise by the unexpected attack of the Russians, drove to military schools, and then to the troops, not only all able-bodied men, but also boys, still schoolchildren, students in grades 8-9.

Somehow, children trained in shooting went to a real, adult war. Moreover, in many detachments there were no tents, not all soldiers had weapons at all - one rifle was issued for four. There were no drawers for machine guns, and the guys hardly knew how to handle the machine guns themselves. What can we say about weapons - the Finnish authorities could not even provide their soldiers with warm clothes and shoes, and young boys, lying in forty-degree frost in the snow, in light clothes and low shoes, froze their hands and feet, froze to death.

According to official data, during severe frosts the Finnish army lost more than 70% of the soldiers, while the sergeant major of the company warmed their feet in good boots. Thus, by sending hundreds of young guys to certain death, Finland itself ensured its own defeat in the Russian-Finnish war.