✦ History

Winter War

November 30, 1939 – March 13, 1940 · Karelia, Finland

Result Moscow Peace Treaty

Soviet invasion of Finland beginning 30 November 1939, ending with the Moscow Peace Treaty of 13 March 1940. Despite superiority in tanks and aircraft, the Red Army suffered severe losses and made little headway; Finland ceded 9 percent of its territory but kept its sovereignty. The League of Nations expelled the USSR, and the poor showing emboldened Hitler toward war with the Soviet Union.

On the map Overview Contemporaries

Finland

Soviet Union

Other

Finland
Soviet Union
Kyösti Kallio Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim belligerent leader Hugo Österman belligerent leader Wiljo Tuompo military commander Woldemar Hägglund military commander
Joseph Stalin belligerent leader Semyon Timoshenko Kliment Voroshilov Kirill Meretskov belligerent leader Valerian Frolov military commander Grigori Shtern military commander Vladimir Grendal military commander

Strength and losses

Strength
300,000–340,000
Casualties
70,000
Wounded
43,557
Captured
800–1,100
Tanks
32
Tanks lost
20–30
Aircraft
114
Aircraft lost
62

Finland Killed c. 24,923

Strength
425,000–760,000
Casualties
321,000–381,000
Captured
5,572
Tanks
2,514–6,541
Tanks lost
1,200–3,543
Aircraft
3,880
Aircraft lost
261–515
Killed
c. 151,798

Units

Swedish Volunteer Corps
13th Army (Soviet Union) 14th Army (Soviet Union) 15th Army (Soviet Union) 7th Army (Soviet Union) 8th Army (Soviet Union) 9th Army (Soviet Union) 122nd Rifle Division 88th Rifle Division 10th Rifle Corps 3rd Rifle Corps 100th Rifle Division 104th Rifle Division 113th Rifle Division 119th Rifle Division 11th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) 123rd Rifle Division 128th Rifle Division 138th Rifle Division 142nd Rifle Division 155th Rifle Division 163rd Rifle Division 164th Rifle Division 168th Rifle Division 17th Rifle Division 194th Rifle Division 37th Rifle Division 42nd Rifle Division 43rd Rifle Division 44th Rifle Division 49th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) 4th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) 50th Rifle Division 51st Rifle Division 52nd Rifle Division (Soviet Union, 1935–1941) 54th Rifle Division 62nd Rifle Division 69th Guards Motor Rifle Division 70th Rifle Division 7th Rifle Division 84th Rifle Division 8th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) 91st Rifle Division 97th Rifle Division 24th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine) Soviet Navy Baltic Fleet
18th Rifle Division 86th Rifle Division

Battles 10

Before and after

Followed from
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact August 23, 1939
Ended by
Moscow Peace Treaty March 12, 1940

Related events 1 degree away • 2 degrees away

1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
 
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
 
World War II
 
Winter War
 
Moscow Peace Treaty
 
Second Soviet-Finnish War

Also involved 26

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