Years of the Finnish war with the USSR. Briefly about the balance of forces and means in the winter war

Soviet-Finnish War for a long time remained a “closed” topic, a kind of “blank spot” (of course, not the only one) in Soviet historical science. For a long time, the course and causes of the Finnish War were kept silent. There was one official version: the policy of the Finnish government was hostile to the USSR. The documents of the Central State Archive of the Soviet Army (TSGASA) remained unknown to the general public for a long time.

This was partly due to the fact that the Great Patriotic War ousted the Soviet-Finnish War from minds and research, but at the same time they tried not to deliberately resurrect it.

The Soviet-Finnish war is one of the many tragic and shameful pages of our history. Soldiers and officers “gnawed through” the Mannerheim line, freezing in summer uniforms, having neither proper weapons nor experience of war in the harsh winter conditions of the Karelian Isthmus and the Kola Peninsula. And all this was accompanied by the arrogance of the leadership, confident that the enemy would ask for peace in 10-12 days (that is, they hoped for Blitzkrieg *).

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It did not add to the USSR either international authority or military glory, but this war could teach the Soviet government a lot if it had the habit of learning from own mistakes. The same mistakes that were made in the preparation and conduct of the Soviet-Finnish War, and which led to unjustified losses, then, with some exceptions, were repeated in the Great Patriotic War.

There are practically no complete and detailed monographs on the Soviet-Finnish War containing the most reliable and up-to-date information about it, with the exception of a few works by Finnish and other foreign historians. Although, in my opinion, they can hardly contain complete and up-to-date information, since they give a rather one-sided view, just like Soviet historians.

Most of the military operations took place on the Karelian Isthmus, in close proximity to St. Petersburg (then Leningrad).

When you are on the Karelian Isthmus, you constantly come across the foundations of Finnish houses, wells, small cemeteries, then the remains of the Mannerheim line, with barbed wire, dugouts, caponiers (how we loved to play “war games” with them!), or at the bottom of a half-overgrown crater by chance you will come across bones and a broken helmet (although these may have been the consequences of hostilities during the Great Patriotic War), and closer to the Finnish border there are entire houses and even farmsteads that were not taken away or burned.

The war between the USSR and Finland, which lasted from November 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940 (104 days), received several different names: in Soviet publications it was called the “Soviet-Finnish War”, in Western publications - “Winter War”, popularly - “Finnish War”, in publications of the last 5-7 years it was also called “Unfamous”.

Reasons for the outbreak of war, preparation of the parties for hostilities

According to the “Non-Aggression Pact” between the USSR and Germany, Finland was included in the sphere of interests of the USSR.

The Finnish nation is a national minority. By 1939, the population of Finland was 3.5 million people (that is, it was equal to the population of Leningrad at the same time). As you know, small nations are very concerned about their survival and preservation as a nation. "The small people can disappear, and they know it."

Probably, this can explain its withdrawal from Soviet Russia in 1918, its constant desire, even somewhat painful, from the point of view of the dominant nation, to protect its independence, the desire to be a neutral country during the Second World War.

In 1940, in one of his speeches V.M. Molotov said: “We must be realistic enough to understand that the time of small nations has passed.” These words became a death sentence for the Baltic states. Although they were said in 1940, they can fully be attributed to the factors that determined the policy of the Soviet government in the war with Finland.

Negotiations between the USSR and Finland in 1937 - 1939.

Since 1937, at the initiative of the USSR, negotiations have been held between the Soviet Union and Finland on the issue of mutual security. This proposal was rejected by the Finnish government, then the USSR invited Finland to move the border several tens of kilometers north of Leningrad and lease the Hanko Peninsula for a long term. In exchange, Finland was offered a territory in the Karelian SSR, several times larger in size than the exchange, but such an exchange would not be profitable for Finland, since the Karelian Isthmus was a well-developed territory, with the most warm climate on the territory of Finland, and the proposed territory in Karelia was practically wild, with a much harsher climate.

The Finnish government understood well that if it was not possible to reach an agreement with the USSR, war was inevitable, but it hoped for the strength of its fortifications and for the support of Western countries.

October 12, 1939, when the second was already underway world war, Stalin proposed that Finland conclude a Soviet-Finnish mutual assistance pact, modeled on the pacts concluded with the Baltic states. According to this pact, a limited contingent was to be stationed in Finland Soviet troops, as well as Finland, it was proposed to exchange territories, as discussed earlier, but the Finnish delegation refused to conclude such a pact and left the negotiations. From that moment on, the parties began to prepare for military action.

Reasons and goals of the USSR’s participation in the Soviet-Finnish War:

For the USSR, the main danger was that Finland could be used by other states (most likely Germany) as a springboard for an attack on the USSR. The common border of Finland and the USSR is 1400 km, which at that time amounted to 1/3 of the entire northwestern border of the USSR. It is quite logical that in order to ensure the security of Leningrad it was necessary to move the border further away from it.

But, according to Yu.M. Kilin, author of an article in No. 3 of the magazine "International Affairs" for 1994, while moving the border on the Karelian Isthmus (according to negotiations in Moscow in 1939) would not have solved the problems, and the USSR would not have won anything, therefore war was inevitable.

I would still like to disagree with him, since any conflict, be it between people or countries, arises due to the reluctance or inability of the parties to agree peacefully. In this case, this war was, of course, beneficial for the USSR, since it was an opportunity to demonstrate its power and assert itself, but in the end it turned out the other way around. In the eyes of the whole world, the USSR not only did not look stronger and more invulnerable, but on the contrary, everyone saw that it was a “colossus with feet of clay”, unable to cope even with such a small army as the Finnish one.

For the USSR, the Soviet-Finnish War was one of the stages of preparation for a world war, and its expected outcome, in the opinion of the military-political leadership of the country, would significantly improve the strategic position of the USSR in Northern Europe, and would also increase the military-economic potential of the state, correcting imbalances national economy that arose as a result of the implementation of largely chaotic and ill-considered industrialization and collectivization.

From a military point of view, the acquisition of military bases in the South of Finland and 74 airfields and landing sites in Finland would make the USSR’s positions in the North-West practically invulnerable, it would be possible to save money and resources, and gain time in preparation for a big war, but in at the same time it would mean the destruction of Finnish independence.

But what does M.I. think about the reasons for the start of the Soviet-Finnish War? Semiryaga: “In the 20-30s, many incidents of various types occurred on the Soviet-Finnish border, but they were usually resolved diplomatically. Clashes of group interests based on the division of spheres of influence in Europe and the Far East created by the end of the 30s real threat conflict on a global scale and on September 1, 1939, the Second World War began.

At this time, the main factor that predetermined the Soviet-Finnish conflict was the nature of the political situation in Northern Europe. For two decades after Finland, as a result October Revolution gained independence, its relations with the USSR developed in a complex and contradictory manner. Although the Tartu Peace Treaty was concluded between the RSFSR and Finland on October 14, 1920, and the “Non-Aggression Pact” in 1932, which was later extended to 10 years."

Reasons and goals of Finland’s participation in the Soviet-Finnish War:

“During the first 20 years of independence, it was believed that the USSR was the main, if not the only threat to Finland” (R. Heiskanen - Major General of Finland). "Any enemy of Russia must always be a friend of Finland; the Finnish people... are forever a friend of Germany." (The first President of Finland - P. Svinhuvud)

In the Military Historical Journal No. 1-3 for 1990, an assumption appears about the following reason for the start of the Soviet-Finnish War: “It is difficult to agree with the attempt to place all the blame for the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish War on the USSR. In Russia and Finland they understood that the main culprit of the tragedy It was not our peoples and not even our governments (with some reservations), but German fascism, as well as political circles in the West, who benefited from Germany’s attack on the USSR. The territory of Finland was considered by Germany as a convenient springboard for an attack on the USSR from the North. historian L. Woodward, Western countries intended, with the help of the Soviet-Finnish military conflict, to push fascist Germany to war against the USSR." (It seems to me that Western countries a clash between two totalitarian regimes would be very beneficial, since it would undoubtedly weaken both the USSR and Germany, which were then considered sources of aggression in Europe. The Second World War was already underway and a military conflict between the USSR and Germany could lead to the dispersion of the Reich’s forces on two fronts and the weakening of its military actions against France and Great Britain.)

Preparing the parties for war

In the USSR, supporters of the forceful approach to solving the Finnish question were: People's Commissar of Defense K.E. Voroshilov, Head of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army Mehlis, Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and Secretary Leningrad Regional Committee and the city committee of the CPSU (b) Zhdanov and the People's Commissar of the NKVD Beria. They opposed negotiations and any preparation for war. This confidence in their abilities was given to them by the quantitative superiority of the Red Army over the Finnish (mainly in the amount of equipment), as well as the ease of introducing troops into the territory Western Ukraine and Belarus in September 1939.

"The anti-criminal sentiments led to serious miscalculations being made in assessing Finland's combat readiness."

On November 10, 1939, Voroshilov was presented with the General Staff’s assessment data: “Material part armed forces The Finnish Army is mainly pre-war models of the old Russian Army, partially modernized at military factories in Finland. The rise of patriotic sentiments is observed only among young people."

The initial plan of military action was drawn up by Marshal of the USSR B. Shaposhnikov. According to this plan (highly professionally drawn up), the main military operations were to be carried out in the coastal direction of Southern Finland. But this plan was designed for a long time and required preparation for war for 2-3 years. The implementation of the “Agreement on Spheres of Influence” with Germany was required immediately.

Therefore, at the last moment before the start of hostilities, this plan was replaced by the hastily drawn up “Meretskov plan”, designed for a weak enemy. Military operations according to this plan were carried out head-on in the difficult natural conditions of Karelia and the Arctic. The main focus was on a powerful initial strike and the defeat of the Finnish Army in 2-3 weeks, but the operational concentration and deployment of equipment and troops was poorly supported by intelligence data. The commanders of the formations did not even have detailed maps of the combat areas, while Finnish intelligence determined with high accuracy the main directions of the Red Army's attacks.

By the beginning of the war, the Leningrad Military District was very weak, as it was considered secondary. The resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of August 15, 1935 “On the development and strengthening of areas adjacent to the borders” did not improve the situation. The condition of the roads was especially deplorable.

In preparation for the war, a Military-Economic Description of the Leningrad Military District was compiled - a document unique in its information content, containing comprehensive information about the state of the economy of the North-Western region.

On December 17, 1938, when summing up the results at the headquarters of the Leningrad Military District, it turned out that in the supposed territory of military operations there were no roads with stone surfaces, military airfields, level agriculture was extremely low ( Leningrad region, and even more so Karelia - areas of risky agriculture, and collectivization almost destroyed what was created by the labor of previous generations).

According to Yu.M. Kilina, blitzkrieg - lightning war - was the only possible one in those conditions, and at a strictly defined time - late autumn - early winter, when the roads were most passable.

By the forties, Karelia had become the “patrimony of the NKVD” (almost a quarter of the population of the KASSR by 1939 were prisoners; the White Sea Canal and Soroklag were located on the territory of Karelia, in which more than 150 thousand people were detained), which could not but affect its economic condition.

Material and technical preparations for war were at a very low level, since it was almost impossible to make up for lost time in 20 years in a year, especially since the command flattered itself with hopes of an easy victory.

Despite the fact that preparations for the Finnish war were carried out quite actively in 1939, the expected results were not achieved, and there are several reasons for this:

Preparations for war were carried out by different departments (Army, NKVD, People's Commissariats), and this caused disunity and inconsistency in actions. The decisive role in the failure of material and technical preparations for the war with Finland was played by the factor of poor controllability of the Soviet state. There was no single center involved in preparations for war.

The construction of roads was carried out by the NKVD, and by the beginning of hostilities the strategically important road Svir - Olonets - Kondushi had not been completed, and on railway"Murmansk - Leningrad" the second track was not built, which significantly reduced it throughput. (The construction of the second track has not yet been completed!)

The Finnish War, which lasted 104 days, was very fierce. Neither the People's Commissar of Defense nor the command of the Leningrad Military District initially imagined the peculiarities and difficulties associated with the war, since there was no well-organized intelligence. The military department did not approach the preparations for the Finnish War seriously enough:

Rifle troops, artillery, aviation and tanks were clearly not enough to break through the fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus and defeat the Finnish Army. Due to a lack of knowledge about the theater of operations, the command believed possible use heavy divisions and tank troops in all areas of combat operations. This war was fought in winter, but the troops were not sufficiently equipped, equipped, supplied and trained to conduct combat operations in winter conditions. The personnel were armed mainly with heavy weapons and there were almost no light pistols - machine guns and company 50 mm mortars, while the Finnish troops were equipped with them.

The construction of defensive structures in Finland began already in the early 30s. Many countries Western Europe helped in the construction of these fortifications: for example, Germany participated in the construction of a network of airfields capable of accommodating 10 times more aircraft than the Finnish Air Force; The Mannerheim line, the total depth of which reached 90 kilometers, was built with the participation of Great Britain, France, Germany, and Belgium.

The Red Army troops were highly motorized, and the Finns had high level There was tactical and shooting training. They blocked the roads, which were the only way for the Red Army to advance (it is not particularly convenient to advance in a tank through forests and swamps, and what are the boulders on the Karelian Isthmus, 4-5 meters in diameter!), and attacked our troops from the rear and flanks. To operate in off-road conditions, the Finnish Army had ski troops. They carried all their weapons with them on sleds and skis.

On November 1939, troops of the Leningrad Military District crossed the border with Finland. The initial advance was quite successful, but the Finns launched highly organized sabotage and partisan activities in the immediate rear of the Red Army. The supply of the LVO troops was disrupted, tanks got stuck in the snow and in front of obstacles, and “traffic jams” of military equipment were a convenient target for shooting from the air.

The entire country (Finland) has been turned into a continuous military camp, but military measures continue to be taken: water mining is carried out off the coasts of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, the population is evacuated from Helsinki, armed groups march in the Finnish capital in the evenings, and a blackout is carried out. The warlike mood is constantly fueled. There is a clear sense of decline. This can be seen at least from the fact that evacuated residents are returning to the cities without waiting for the “aerial bombardment”.

Mobilization costs Finland enormous amounts of money (from 30 to 60 million Finnish marks per day), workers are not paid everywhere wages, the discontent of the working people is growing, the decline of the export industry and increased demand for the products of defense industry enterprises are noticeable.

The Finnish government does not want to negotiate with the USSR; anti-Soviet articles are constantly published in the press, blaming the Soviet Union for everything. The government is afraid to announce the demands of the USSR at a meeting of the Sejm without special preparation. From some sources it became known that in the Sejm, most likely, there is opposition to the government..."

The beginning of hostilities: Incident near the village of Maynila, November 1939, Pravda newspaper

According to a message from the headquarters of the Leningrad Military District, on November 26, 1939, at 15:45 Moscow time, our troops located a kilometer northwest of the village of Mainila were unexpectedly shot from Finnish territory by artillery fire. Seven were produced gun shots, which resulted in the death of three Red Army soldiers and one junior commander and the injury of seven Red Army soldiers and one junior commander.

To investigate the incident, the head of the 1st department of the district headquarters, Colonel Tikhomirov, was called to the scene. The provocation caused a wave of indignation in the units located in the area of the Finnish artillery raid."

Exchange of notes between the Soviet and Finnish governments

Note from the Soviet government regarding the provocative shelling of Soviet troops by the Finnish military units

On the evening of November 26, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov received the Finnish envoy A.S. Irie-Koskinen and handed him a note from the USSR government regarding the provocative shelling of Soviet troops by Finnish military units. Accepting the note, the Finnish envoy stated that he would immediately communicate with his government and give an answer.

"Mr. Envoy!

On November 26, 1939, at 15:45 Moscow time, our troops, located a kilometer northwest of the village of Mainila, were unexpectedly fired upon by artillery fire from Finnish territory. Seven gun shots were fired, which resulted in casualties among Soviet soldiers.

The Soviet government, informing you about this, considers it necessary to emphasize that during negotiations with Mr. Tanner and Paaskivi, it pointed to the danger created by the concentration of a large number of regular Finnish troops near the border in the immediate vicinity of Leningrad.

Now, in connection with the fact of provocative artillery shelling of Soviet troops from the territory of Finland, the Soviet government is forced to state that the concentration of Finnish troops near Leningrad not only creates a threat to the city, but also represents a hostile act towards the USSR, which has already led to an attack on Soviet troops and victims.

The Soviet government does not intend to inflate this outrageous act of attack by units of the Finnish Army, perhaps poorly controlled by the Finnish command. But it would like to ensure that such outrageous acts do not take place in the future.

In view of this, the Soviet government expresses a strong protest against what happened and invites the Finnish government to immediately withdraw troops from the border on the Karelian Isthmus to 20-25 kilometers and prevent the possibility of a repetition of the provocation."

People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov.

“In connection with the alleged violation of the Finnish border, the Finnish government conducted an investigation, which established that the shots were fired not from the Finnish side, but from the Soviet side, near the village of Mainila, located 800 meters from the Finnish border.

Based on the calculation of the speed of sound propagation from seven shots, it could be concluded that the guns from which the shots were fired are located at a distance of 1.5-2 kilometers to the Southeast from the place where they exploded... Under such circumstances, it seems possible that this is an unfortunate an incident that occurred during training exercises that took place on the Soviet side and resulted in human casualties. As a result, I consider it my duty to reject the protest set out in your letter and to state that the hostile act against the USSR that you are talking about was not carried out by the Finnish side.

Regarding the statements made to Tanner and Paaskivi during their stay in Moscow, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it was mainly border troops located in close proximity to the border on the Finnish side. There were no guns with such range that their shells would land on the other side of the border in this zone.

Although there are no specific reasons for withdrawing troops from the border line, my Government is nevertheless ready to begin negotiations on this issue(on mutual withdrawal of troops).

In order to ensure that there is no uncertainty about the alleged incident, my Government proposes to carry out a joint investigation in accordance with the "Convention on Border Commissioners" of September 24, 1928..."

A.S. Irie-Koskinen

“The response of the Finnish Government to the note of the Soviet Government dated November 26, 1939 is a document reflecting the deep hostility of the Finnish Government towards the Soviet Union and designed to bring to the extreme a crisis in the relations between both countries, namely:

Denial of the fact of shelling and an attempt to explain the incident as “training exercises” of the Soviet troops.

The refusal of the Finnish government to withdraw troops and the demand for the simultaneous withdrawal of Soviet and Finnish troops, while this would mean the withdrawal of Soviet troops directly to the outskirts of Leningrad.

Thereby violating the terms of the “Non-Aggression Pact” concluded by the USSR and Finland in 1932.

In view of this, the Soviet government considers itself free from the obligations assumed by virtue of the “Non-Aggression Pact” concluded by the USSR and Finland and systematically violated by the Finnish government."

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 is the military Mannerheim, who, by the way, received his education in Russian Empire, planned to delay 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 soldiers of the Red Army. 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 successful preparation operation and 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 fact that Leningrad was the target of German troops almost from the very beginning of the attack, it is worth admitting that yes. However, large losses seriously called into question the combat effectiveness of the 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.

Of all the wars that Russia has waged throughout history, the Karelian-Finnish war of 1939-1940. remained the least advertised for a long time. This is due both to the unsatisfactory outcome of the war and to significant losses.

It is still not known for certain how many combatants on both sides died in the Finnish war.

Soviet-Finnish war, soldiers' march to the front

When the Soviet-Finnish war, started by the country's leadership, took place, the whole world took up arms against the USSR, which in fact turned into colossal foreign policy problems for the country. Next, we will try to explain why the war could not end quickly and turned out to be a failure overall.

Finland has almost never been independent state. In the period from the 12th to the 19th centuries it was under Swedish rule, and in 1809 it became part of the Russian Empire.

However, after February Revolution Unrest began on the territory of Finland, the population first demanded broad autonomy, and then completely came to the idea of independence. After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks confirmed Finland's right to independence.

The Bolsheviks confirmed Finland's right to independence.

However, the further path of development of the country was not clear-cut; a civil war broke out in the country between whites and reds. Even after the victory of the White Finns, there were still many communists and social democrats in the country's parliament, half of whom were eventually arrested, and half were forced to hide in Soviet Russia.

Finland supported a number of White Guard forces during the Russian Civil War. Between 1918 and 1921, several military conflicts occurred between the countries - two Soviet-Finnish wars, after which the final border between the states was formed.

Political map Europe in the interwar period and the border of Finland before 1939

In general, the conflict with Soviet Russia was settled and until 1939 the countries lived in peace. However, on detailed map The territory that belonged to Finland after the Second Soviet-Finnish War is highlighted in yellow. The USSR claimed this territory.

Finnish border before 1939 on the map

The main causes of the Finnish War of 1939:

Until 1939, the USSR border with Finland was located only 30 km away. from Leningrad. In case of war, the city could be located under shelling from the territory of another state;
Historically, the lands in question were not always part of Finland. These territories were part of the Principality of Novgorod, then were captured by Sweden, and recaptured by Russia during the Northern War. Only in the 19th century, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, were these territories transferred to them for management. Which, in principle, was not of fundamental importance within the framework of a single state;
The USSR needed to strengthen its position in the Baltic Sea.

In addition, despite the absence of war, the countries had a number of claims against each other. Many communists were killed and arrested in Finland in 1918, and a number of Finnish communists found refuge in the USSR. On the other hand, many Finns suffered during the political terror in the Soviet Union.

was killed and arrested this year large number communists in Finland

In addition, border crossings regularly took place local conflicts between countries. Just as the Soviet Union was not satisfied with such a border near the second largest city in the RSFSR, not all Finns were satisfied with the territory of Finland.

In some circles, the idea of creating a “Greater Finland” that would unite the majority of Finno-Ugric peoples was considered.

Thus, there were enough reasons for the Finnish war to start, when there were a lot of territorial disputes and mutual discontent. And after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, Finland moved into the sphere of influence of the USSR.

Therefore, in October 1939, negotiations began between the two sides - the USSR demanded to cede the territory bordering Leningrad - to move the border at least 70 km.

Negotiations between the two countries begin in October this year

In addition, we are talking about the transfer of several islands in the Gulf of Finland, the lease of the Hanko Peninsula, and the transfer of Fort Ino. In exchange, Finland is offered a territory twice as large in area in Karelia.

But despite the idea of a “Greater Finland”, the deal looks extremely unfavorable for the Finnish side:

firstly, the territories offered to the country are sparsely populated and practically devoid of infrastructure;
secondly, the territories to be taken away are already inhabited by the Finnish population;
finally, such concessions would both deprive the country of a line of defense on land and seriously weaken its position at sea.

Therefore, despite the duration of the negotiations, the parties did not come to a mutually beneficial agreement and the USSR began preparations for offensive operation. The Soviet-Finnish war, the start date of which was secretly discussed in the highest circles of the political leadership of the USSR, increasingly appeared in Western news headlines.

The causes of the Soviet-Finnish war are briefly outlined in archival publications of that era.

Briefly about the balance of forces and means in the winter war

As of the end of November 1939, the balance of forces on the Soviet-Finnish border is presented in the table.

As you can see, the superiority of the Soviet side was colossal: 1.4 to 1 in numbers of troops, 2 to 1 in guns, 58 to 1 in tanks, 10 to 1 in aircraft, 13 to 1 in ships. Despite thorough preparation, the beginning of the Finnish war (the date of the invasion had already been agreed upon with the political leadership of the country) occurred spontaneously, the command did not even create a front.

They wanted to fight the war using the Leningrad Military District.

Formation of the Kuusinen government

First of all, the USSR creates a pretext for the Soviet-Finnish war - it organizes a border conflict at Mainila on November 26, 1939 (the first date of the Finnish war). There are many versions describing the reasons for the start of the Finnish War of 1939, but the official version of the Soviet side:

The Finns attacked the border outpost, 3 people were killed.

The documents disclosed in our time that describe the war between the USSR and Finland in 1939-1940 are contradictory, but do not contain clear evidence of an attack by the Finnish side.

Then the Soviet Union forms the so-called. Kuusinen's government, which heads the newly formed Finnish Democratic Republic.

It is this government that recognizes the USSR (no other country in the world has recognized it) and responds to the request to send troops into the country and support the struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeois government.

From that time until the peace negotiations, the USSR did not recognize the democratic government of Finland and did not negotiate with it. War has not even been officially declared - the USSR sent troops to assist a friendly government in an internal civil war.

Otto V. Kuusinen, head of the Finnish government in 1939

Kuusinen himself was an old Bolshevik - he was one of the leaders of the Red Finns in Civil War. He fled the country in time, headed the international for some time, and even escaped repression during the Great Terror, although it primarily fell on the old guard of the Bolsheviks.

Kuusinen's coming to power in Finland would be comparable to the coming to power in the USSR in 1939 of one of the leaders white movement. It is doubtful that major arrests and executions could have been avoided.

However, the fighting is not going as well as planned by the Soviet side.

Hard war of 1939

The original plan (developed by Shaposhnikov) included a kind of “blitzkrieg” - the capture of Finland was to be carried out within short term. According to the plans of the General Staff:

The war in 1939 was supposed to last 3 weeks.

It was supposed to break through the defenses on the Karelian Isthmus and make a breakthrough with tank forces to Helsinki.

Despite the significant superiority of Soviet forces, this basic offensive plan failed. The most significant advantage (in tanks) was offset by natural conditions - tanks simply could not make free maneuvers in forest and swampy conditions.

In addition, the Finns quickly learned to destroy Soviet tanks that were not yet sufficiently armored (they used mainly T-28s).

It was during the Finnish war with Russia that an incendiary mixture in a bottle and a wick got its name - the Molotov cocktail. The original name was “Cocktail FOR Molotov”. Soviet tanks simply burned upon contact with the combustible mixture.

The reason for this was not only low-level armor, but also gasoline engines. This incendiary mixture was no less terrible for ordinary soldiers.

The Soviet army also turned out, surprisingly, to be unprepared for war in winter conditions. Ordinary soldiers were equipped with ordinary Budenovkas and overcoats, which did not protect them from the cold. On the other hand, if necessary to fight in the summer, the Red Army would face more big problems, for example, impassable swamps.

The offensive that began on the Karelian Isthmus was not prepared for heavy fighting on the Mannerheim Line. In general, the military leadership did not have clear ideas about this line of fortifications.

Therefore, the artillery shelling at the first stage of the war was ineffective - the Finns simply waited out it in fortified bunkers. In addition, ammunition for the guns took a long time to be delivered - the weak infrastructure affected it.

Let us dwell in more detail on the Mannerheim line.

1939 - war with Finland on the Mannerheim Line

Since the 1920s, the Finns have been actively building a series of defensive fortifications, named after a prominent military leader of 1918-1921. - Carl Gustav Mannerheim. Realizing that a possible military threat to the country does not come from the north and west, it was decided to build a powerful defensive line in the southeast, i.e. on the Karelian Isthmus.

Karl Mannerheim, the military leader after whom the front line is named

We should pay tribute to the designers - the terrain of the territory made it possible to actively use natural conditions- numerous dense forests, lakes, swamps. The key structure was the Enkel bunker - a standard concrete structure armed with machine guns.

At the same time, despite the long construction time, the line was not at all as impregnable as it would later be called in numerous textbooks. Most of the pillboxes were created according to Enkel's design, i.e. early 1920s These were outdated at the time of the Second World War for several people, with 1-3 machine guns, without underground barracks.

In the early 1930s, million-dollar pillboxes were designed and began to be built in 1937. Their fortification was stronger, the number of embrasures reached six, and there were underground barracks.

However, only 7 such pillboxes were built. It was not possible to build up the entire Mannerheim line (135 km) with pillboxes, because before the war, certain sections were mined and surrounded by wire fences.

On the front, instead of pillboxes, there were simple trenches.

This line should not be neglected either; its depth ranged from 24 to 85 kilometers. It was not possible to break through it in a rush - for some time the line saved the country. As a result, on December 27, the Red Army stopped its offensive operations and prepared for a new assault, bringing up artillery and retraining soldiers.

The further course of the war will show that with proper preparation, the outdated line of defense could not hold out for the required time and save Finland from defeat.

Expulsion of the USSR from the League of Nations

During the first stage of the war there was an exception Soviet Union from the League of Nations (12/14/1939). Yes, at that time this organization has lost its meaning. The exclusion itself was more likely a consequence of increased antipathy towards the USSR throughout the world.

England and France (at that time not yet occupied by Germany) provide Finland with various assistance - they do not enter into open conflict, but northern country There are active deliveries of weapons.

England and France are developing two plans to help Finland.

The first involves the transfer of military corps to Finland, and the second involves the bombing of Soviet fields in Baku. However, the war with Germany forces us to abandon these plans.

Moreover, the expeditionary force would have to pass through Norway and Sweden, to which both countries responded with a categorical refusal, wanting to maintain their neutrality in World War II.

Second stage of the war

Since the end of December 1939, a regrouping of Soviet troops has been taking place. A separate North-Western Front is formed. Armed forces are being built up on all sectors of the front.

By the beginning of February 1940, the number of armed forces reached 1.3 million people, guns - 3.5 thousand. Airplanes - 1.5 thousand. Finland by that time was also able to strengthen the army, including through the help of other countries and foreign volunteers, but the balance of forces became even more catastrophic for the defending side.

On February 1, a massive artillery bombardment of the Mannerheim Line began. It turns out that most Finnish pillboxes cannot withstand accurate and prolonged shelling. They bomb for 10 days just in case. As a result, when the Red Army attacked on February 10, instead of bunkers, it found only many “Karelian monuments.”

In winter, on February 11, the Mannerheim Line was broken, Finnish counter-offensives lead to nothing. And on February 13, the second line of defense, hastily strengthened by the Finns, breaks through. And already on February 15, using weather conditions, Mannerheim gives the order for a general retreat.

Help for Finland from other countries

It should be noted that breaking through the Mannerheim Line meant the end of the war and even defeat in it. Hopes for a big one military assistance there was practically none from the west.

Yes, during the war, not only England and France provided Finland with various technical assistance. Scandinavian countries, the USA, Hungary and a number of others sent many volunteers to the country.

soldiers were sent to the front from Sweden

At the same time, it was the threat of direct war with England and France, in the event of a complete capture of Finland, that forced I. Stalin to negotiate with the current Finnish government and make peace.

The request was transmitted through the USSR Ambassador to Sweden to the Finnish Ambassador.

The myth of war - Finnish "cuckoos"

Let us dwell separately on the well-known military myth about Finnish snipers - the so-called. cuckoos During the Winter War (as it is called in Finland), many Soviet officers and the soldiers fell victims to Finnish snipers. A story began to circulate among the troops that Finnish snipers were hiding in the trees and firing from there.

However, sniper fire from trees is extremely ineffective, since a sniper in a tree himself represents an excellent target and does not have a proper foothold and the ability to quickly retreat.

The answer to such accuracy of snipers is quite simple. At the beginning of the war, the officers were equipped with insulated sheepskin coats of a dark color, which were clearly visible in the snowy desert and stood out against the background of the soldiers' greatcoats.

The fire was fired from insulated and camouflaged positions on the ground. Snipers could sit in improvised shelters for hours, waiting for a suitable target.

The most famous Finnish sniper Winter War is Simo Häyhä, who shot about 500 Red Army officers and soldiers. At the end of the war, he received a serious injury to his jaw (it had to be inserted from the femur), but the soldier lived to be 96 years old.

The Soviet-Finnish border was moved 120 kilometers from Leningrad - Vyborg, the northwestern coast of Lake Ladoga, and a number of islands in the Gulf of Finland were annexed.

A 30-year lease for the Hanko Peninsula was agreed upon. In return, Finland received only the Petsamo region, which provided access to the Barents Sea and was rich in nickel ores.

The completion of the Soviet-Finnish war brought bonuses to the winner in the form of:

USSR acquisition of new territories. They managed to move the border away from Leningrad.
Acquisition combat experience , awareness of the need to improve military equipment.
Colossal battle losses. Data vary, but the average death toll was over 150 thousand people (125 from the USSR and 25 thousand from Finland). Sanitary losses were even greater - 265 thousand in the USSR and over 40 thousand in Finland. These figures had a discrediting effect on the Red Army.
Failure of the plan for the creation of the Finnish Democratic Republic .
Decline in international authority. This applies to both the countries of the future allies and the Axis countries. It is believed that it was after the Winter War that A. Hitler finally became convinced that the USSR was a colossus with feet of clay.
Finland lost territories that are important to them. The area of land given away was 10% of the entire territory of the country. The spirit of revanchism began to grow in her. From a neutral position, the country increasingly gravitates towards supporting the Axis countries and ultimately participates in the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War on the German side (in the period 1941-1944).

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939 was a strategic failure of the Soviet leadership.

The official reasons for the outbreak of the war were 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 on 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 from the border. Previously, the Soviet government had approached Finland with a request to push back its borders in the Leningrad region, offering territorial compensation in Karelia. But Finland categorically refused.

Soviet-Finnish War 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).

Troops Finnish army By the time hostilities began, there were 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. At the start of the war, the Red Army consisted of 3,900 aircraft, 6,500 tanks and 1 million soldiers.

The Russian-Finnish War of 1939 is divided by historians into two stages. Initially, it was planned by the Soviet command as a short operation that was supposed to last about three weeks. But the situation turned out differently.

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 slowed down the movement of Russian troops. The supply of ammunition was difficult. Serious problems Finnish snipers also delivered.

Second period of the war

Lasted from February 11 to March 12, 1940. By the end of 1939. General Staff developed new plan actions. Under the leadership of Marshal Timoshenko, the Mannerheim Line was broken on February 11. A serious superiority in manpower, aircraft, and tanks allowed the Soviet troops to move forward, but at the same time suffering heavy losses.

The Finnish army experienced a severe shortage of ammunition and people. The Finnish government, which 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.

Afterwards, Finland will enter the war on the side of the Nazis.

1939-1940 (Soviet-Finnish War, in Finland known as the Winter War) - 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 larger area of Soviet territory in Karelia, with the subsequent conclusion of a mutual assistance agreement.

The Finnish government believed that accepting Soviet demands would weaken the strategic position of the state and lead to Finland losing its neutrality 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) ran just 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 Maynila 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 rifle regiment on Soviet territory. Three Red Army soldiers and one junior commander were allegedly killed. On the same day, the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the USSR addressed a note of protest to the Finnish government 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 impossible to fulfill, because then Soviet troops would have to be withdrawn from Leningrad.

On November 29, 1939, the Finnish envoy in Moscow was handed a note about the severance of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Finland. On November 30 at 8 a.m., troops of the Leningrad Front received orders to cross the border with Finland. On the same day, Finnish President Kyusti Kallio declared war on the USSR.

During "perestroika" several versions of the Maynila incident became known. According to one of them, the shelling of the positions of the 68th regiment was carried out by a secret unit of the NKVD. 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 confirmation.

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

The group 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 remaining troops covered certain directions from Barents Sea to Lake Ladoga.

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

The "Mannerheim Line" had a front 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 from the main one, and rear (Vyborg) defense line. Over two thousand long-term fire structures (DOS) and wood-earth fire structures (DZOS) were erected, which were united into strong points of 2-3 DOS and 3-5 DZOS in each, and the latter - into resistance nodes (3-4 strong points point). The main line of defense consisted of 25 resistance units, numbering 280 DOS and 800 DZOS. Strong points were defended by permanent garrisons (from a company to a battalion in each). In the gaps between the strong points and the nodes of resistance there were positions for field troops. Strongholds and positions of field troops were covered by anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers. In the support zone alone, 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 and underground passages and were supplied with food and ammunition necessary for long-term independent combat.

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

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. The troops received reinforcements. As a result, Soviet troops deployed against Finland numbered more than 1.3 million people, 1.5 thousand tanks, 3.5 thousand guns, and three thousand aircraft. By the beginning of February 1940, the Finnish side 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, Soviet troops reached the third on February 28. They broke the enemy's resistance, forced him to begin a retreat along the entire front and, developing an offensive, captured the Vyborg group of Finnish troops from the northeast, captured most of Vyborg, crossed the Vyborg Bay, bypassed the Vyborg fortified area from the northwest, and cut the highway to Helsinki.

The fall of the Mannerheim Line and the defeat of the main group of Finnish troops put the enemy in a difficult situation. Under these conditions, Finland turned to the Soviet government asking 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 coasts of Lake Ladoga, a number of islands in the Gulf of Finland, and part of the Rybachy and Sredniy peninsulas went to the Soviet Union. The Hanko Peninsula and the maritime territory around it were leased to 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, the international position of the Soviet Union worsened: it was expelled from the League of Nations, relations with England and France worsened, and an anti-Soviet campaign unfolded in the West.

The losses of Soviet troops in the war were: irrevocable - about 130 thousand people, sanitary - about 265 thousand people. Irreversible losses of Finnish troops are about 23 thousand people, sanitary losses are over 43 thousand people.

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