Unpopular Winter war was the forerunner of the great Victory

This week marks 80 years since the end of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, received in common parlance the name of the Winter war. A peace Treaty based on its results was signed on 12 March 1940.

History of a distant Civil

This war is unpopular among the Russian politicians and historians, and the people. The reason of two important factors: the large losses suffered by the red Army in the fighting with the Finns, and the seizure of foreign territory. The second factor was a special stimulus, as in conflict with the official interpretation of the war, divided the Soviet ideologues in a "fair" and "unfair", a synonym which was the liberation and wars of conquest.
Because of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 was to say casual (almost a tongue Twister), so as not to affect painful for ideology issues. This default came out sideways when in the post tolerant historians have focused on the accession of the Finnish territory, not particularly delving into the nature of the conflict.

Meanwhile, its roots must be sought in the busiest time of the Civil war, when Finnish nationalists, exhilarated granted independence, dreaming about a "greater Finland" and rushed to the Russian North. The history of the two known Soviet-Finnish war of that period (1918– 1920 1921-1922). They both took place on Russian territory.

There Was a time when the Finns (remember these?) supervised up to five municipalities of the Arkhangelsk province. They have created on these lands of the unrecognized North-Karelian state ended its existence under the terms of the Tartu peace Treaty between RSFSR and Finland of October 14, 1920.

The Soviet-Finnish war of the twenties local historians have described as a struggle against foreign intervention. Over time, with a side to these conflicts do not come, another estimate is difficult to pick up.

How the Finnish authorities recorded the USSR as its enemy

The war has imposed a heavy imprint on the relations between the two countries. Finnish newspaper long practiced hatred of Soviet Russia, have turned the people into a rejection not only of the country and building, but also ordinary Soviet people. Authorities also did not feed special love to the neighbors.

The case when the President of Finland, Svinhufvud during his visit in 1937 in Berlin, said the Germans, "the enemy of Russia must always be a friend of Finland". Meanwhile, at this time, relations between our countries were built on the Treaty of non-aggression and the peaceful settlement of conflicts between Finland and the Soviet Union signed in the winter of 1932.
Despite this international agreement, Svinhufvud had read out the Soviet Union, enemy of Finland. Here on this emotional background in 1938, negotiations began between the two countries on territorial exchange. Moscow is waiting for the big war was asked to push the Finnish border 90 kilometers away from Leningrad and to lease the USSR four Islands in the Gulf. As compensation Finland has offered territory in Eastern Karelia area over five thousand square kilometres, twice the land, requested the Finns to the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union has learned from the failures of the Winter war

As they say, word for word reached the hands. Negotiations on the exchange of territories has led to escalation of tension in relations between the two countries. It ended the hot war, indicating that the subject adjacent to the Leningrad territory was extremely important for the Soviet Union.

The Formal reason for the war was the so-called Manelski the incident. November 26, 1939 near the village of Maynila at the Finnish border was shelled by artillery our post. Soviet Union sent Finland a note of protest. The Finns rejected her, not admitting his guilt.
The Country began to prepare for war. It started just four days later. The red Army attacked the Finns on the Karelian isthmus. Military aircraft bombed Helsinki, but did it so poorly. Due to pilot error bombs fell on the residential sector. The Western media was filled with images of the destruction of the peaceful Finnish homes. USSR recognized as an aggressor and expelled from the League of Nations.

With the big problems facing the Red Army. Military historians believe that Soviet strategists underestimated the enemy and the conditions of warfare. Stalin called it harder. The fact that the Winter war was preceded by victory at Khalkhin Gol, the accession of the occupied Polish territories of Western Belarus and Ukraine. These successful for the red Army events occurred within six months before the war with Finland. They formed part of the team, according to Stalin, the psychology of the "cocked hat".

The War was fought in conditions of the marshy area and low temperatures (the temperature reached -40 degrees). Followed by equipment failures, frostbite personnel. They leveled the firing and numerical advantage of the red Army.

Unusual was the resistance of the Finns. It was largely guerrilla in nature, used snipers, tanks were burned with Molotov cocktails, later named "Molotov cocktail".
Faced with this, the Red Army suffered heavy losses. "The most tragic episode of the first stage of the battle, believes the war historian Dmitri Khazanov, – was the defeat of the 44th infantry division in the battle raatskoy on the road. To the 8th January 1940 almost all connection was lost or fell intocaptured, and only a small part of the troops managed to break out of encirclement, leaving all the equipment and carts (the Finns went to 37 tanks, 20 armored vehicles, 350 machine guns, 97 guns, 160 vehicles, all radio stations)".

The connection Command, headed by the brigade commander Alexei Vinogradov was sent to the Tribunal and then shot. By February, the order at the front point and began to push the Finns. By mid-March the Red Army occupied more than 11 percent of the territory of Finland. After which peace was concluded on the conditions of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet government and red army command took into account the lessons of the Winter war. The resignation was sent to the Minister of defense, Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, a hero of the Civil war. Stalin no longer trusted him such large-scale operations.

Minister of defense was appointed commander of the 1st rank Semyon Timoshenko. It is under his leadership the troops of the North-Western front stormed the "Mannerheim line" and put an end to the Russo-Finnish war.

When Minister Tymoshenko was a revision of the plans of combat training and tactics of armored forces. Considered a lot of other things. For example, in aviation, worked for engine start in low temperatures. It's cool to use in battle near Moscow in 1941, when Soviet pilots in extreme cold, flew combat missions, and the Germans – no. Made adjustments to the design of weapons and equipment. Began to use units of skiers. The troops arrived "Molotov cocktail".

The Hard lessons of the Winter war that claimed the lives of 120 thousand red army soldiers, according to military historians, the forerunner of our great Victory over Nazi Germany.