Originally posted by miko2d:
1. 20 years of Finland's considerable military spending went into creation of the defense area just against such an attack. 50-100 kilometers deep, many lines with dozens of rows of barb wire. Extensive network of underground concrete forts. Interconnected fortifications masked by forests that grew over them. Bridges with explosives built in DURING construction.
Ahemm.. No. Our "defence area" was not a "Maginot-line". There were only few new bigger bunker but most of them were old and "out-dated". In bridges you are allmost right: Even today allmost all our bigger bridges have places for explosives but those are installed when needed(I did spend some "quality-time" in KymPionP, a battle-pioneer battaillon, And I know how to send a concrete bridge to the moon
)
2. Extensive minefields, transparent to finnish troops who knew the safe passes.
I haven't seen any documents about this issue so all I can say is that this is quite unbelievable.
3. Scarse roads extensively mined all around, no redundancy in case a bridge is blown up.
Our groups had to use same roads... Mine don't look who's driving that car.
4. Extremely well prepared and equipped finnish soldiers specifically trained for such kind of war.
This was true in continuation war but bs in winter war. Some Soldiers had to use their own clothes and boots. All what our governmet could give them was a belt and tiny mark to their cap. You noticed what kind of armament our Army had to use in -39?
Old Renault mg-tanks, Gloster Gladiators, old Mosin-Nagant rifles from era earlier than -17, Artillery was also from those years. So BS.
5. Temperatures -40 degrees, same Celsius of Farenheit - yes, minus forty. Ever tried to spend a day at that temperature? How about a week? A month? Ever try to start a car at that temperature? How about a diesel engine? How about just going to sleep and then wake up?
In my army time I spent many weeks in tent in winter. Not bad when you used to it
Of course somebody had to put some wood to the fire all the time. When smokestack was yellow/red it was quite warm in tent.
No diesels at those time. Some old Fords and Chevrolets but most of supplies carryed by wagons towed by horses. We didn't got enough fuel to spend to cars so we had to use a "wood-gas" which was a carbon-monoxide produced in a "thingie" behind the cockpit.
6. 1.5 meter (5 feet) of snow cover. Boulders hidden in the snow, thousands of lakes with thin ice cover and swamps that do not freze - due to the thick snow acting as insulator. Plenty of artificial anti-tank constructions like hedgehogs, etc. All natural creeks and ravines escarped and contr-escarped to make them impassable to machinery. Try using tanks in such conditions. Or infantry for that matter.
First you say -40degree and then our lakes didn't freeze enough or our swamps at all ?
bs. FAF used lakes as a airfields. Near my summerplace in Hauho in the middle of Finland are lake "Iso-Roine". Few russian SB-2's landed on that freezed lake because they had to share some fuel. One of them stayed there because couple our "Fighters" came in. If I remember right those were Gladiators.
7. No maps of enemy defence, useless aerial reconessance due to many years of concealment works and natural growth and bad flying weather. No way to correct artillery fire in the forests.
Artillery is only usefull at point blank where it falls easy pray to finnish counterfire.
True.
So when Stalin politely asked Finland's neighbours - the three baltic states, to capitulate, they did not even think of the resistsnce.
Damn... You are trolling aren't you ?
At least our Southern "Cousins" Estonians had a very strong group called "Forest brothers"
("That one of us who survive, He must tell the truth when the time is right" they talked...)
So divide the Finland war casualties into those three countries, also a piece of Romania surrendered in 1940 and experience russians gained, and the price is not too high.
Huhh... Now I'm sure you're joking
When they had their chance in 1941, finns grabbed back their piece of territory but did not want to go any further even though it seemed to everyone else that russians were losing. Finnish generals knew the truth about the capabilities of the russian army.
True.
..And Russians really shooted their own soldiers with artillery late -39 near Mainila in Carelia when they wanted to start a war with Finland. WTFG!
I just wish they should continue it that way
Staga
(wondering how this looks like out of that small window...)
[This message has been edited by Staga (edited 08-04-2000).]
