Winter War facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Winter War
Part of World War II
A group of soldiers in snowsuits manning a heavy machine gun
A Finnish machine gun crew during the Winter War
Date 30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940
Location Eastern Finland
Territorial
changes		 Cession of the Gulf of Finland islands, Karelian Isthmus, Ladoga Karelia, Salla, and Rybachy Peninsula, and rental of Hanko to the Soviet Union
Participants
 Finland
Swedish Volunteers		  Soviet Union
Flag of Finland.svg Finnish Democratic Republic (A puppet state. Recognized only by USSR.)
Commanders and leaders
Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Soviet Union Joseph Stalin
Soviet Union Kirill Meretskov
Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov
Soviet Union Semyon Timoshenko
Finland Otto Wille Kuusinen
Strength
337,000–346,500 men
32 tanks
114 aircraft		 425,640–760,578 men
998,100 men (overall)

2,514–6,541 tanks
3,880 aircraft
Casualties and losses
25,904 dead or missing
43,557 wounded
1,000 captured
957 civilians in air raids
20–30 tanks
62 aircraft
70,000 total casualties		 126,875 dead or missing
188,671 wounded, injured or burned
5,572 captured
3,543 tanks
261–515 aircraft
323,000 total casualties

The Winter War (30 November 1939 - 13 March 1940) was a conflict fought between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began when the Soviet Union tried to invade Finland soon after the Invasion of Poland. The Soviet military forces expected a victory over Finland in a few weeks, because the Soviet army had many more tanks and planes than the Finnish army.

However, the Finnish forces resisted both better and longer than expected. One reason the Finnish forces did better is because they had good winter clothes and they wore white coats which camouflaged them in the snow. As well, the Finnish soldiers moved around on skis, which made it easy for them to sneak up on the Soviet soldiers. The Soviet army did not have good winter clothes, and they wore dark green coats, which made them easy to see in the snow.

The defeated Finns had to give up 10% of their country. They tried to get it back in the Continuation War.

Finn ski troops
Finnish ski troops

Other pages

Images for kids

  • Two men sign papers at opposite sides of a table in a small office.

    The Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact signed in Helsinki on 21 January 1932. On the left is the Finnish foreign minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen, and on the right the ambassador of the Soviet Union, Ivan Maisky.

  • A group of four men wearing hats and a train behind.

    Counsellor of state J.K. Paasikivi and his team arriving from Moscow for the first round of negotiations on 16 October 1939. From left, minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen, J.K. Paasikivi, chief of staff Johan Nykopp and colonel Aladár Paasonen.

  • SuomiKokousNewYorkissa

    On 20 December 1939, a great sympathy meeting for Finland was arranged in Madison Square Garden, New York City. Left to right: former President Herbert Hoover (chairman of the Finland Committee), Doctor Hendrik Willem van Loon, and New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

  • A cannon wears a white blanket on the snow and two men pose side of it.

    The most common Finnish artillery was a 76mm gun dating back to around the year 1902 (76 K 02). The gun stands camouflaged in the city of Viipuri in March 1940.

  • Talvisota Molotov Cocktail

    A Finnish soldier with a Molotov cocktail. The Finns made good use of these improvised incendiary devices against Soviet armor.

  • Three diagrams present major assaults by the Red Army.

    Major Soviet operations during the winter of 1939–40

  • Lahti-Saloranta M-26 in position

    A Finnish soldier with an M-26 machine gun

  • A group of soldiers with snowsuits stands in a trench, guns pointed to the left.

    Trenches on the Mannerheim Line

  • A snowy hill with stone barriers and barbed wire in front, and a distant bunker in behind.

    Stone barriers and barbed wire on the Mannerheim Line. Further in the background is the Finnish bunker Sj 5.

  • Talvisota Aarne Juutilainen at Kollaa

    Lieutenant Aarne Juutilainen became a national hero for his defence of Finland during the Battle of Kollaa.

  • A woman dressed in thick fur uses binoculars.

    A Finnish lotta, a member of the Lotta Svärd women organisation, watching the skies for Soviet aircraft during January 1940 in northern Finland

  • Talvisota 7th Army 1939

    Soviet T-26 light tanks of the Soviet 7th Army during its advance on the Karelian Isthmus

  • Red army party convention winter war

    Red Army soldiers in their trenches. Note that they are wearing dark green helmets and uniforms which make them stand out prominently against the snowy background.

  • Diagram of the Karelian Isthmus illustrates the positions and offensives of the Soviet troops.

    Situation on the Karelian Isthmus on 13 March 1940, on the last day of the war.

  • Frozen sea with a dock in front and a ship in behind.

    The Finnish coastal defence ship Ilmarinen anchored at Turku harbour

  • Three men soldiers with snowsuits and skies.

    Norwegian volunteers in Northern Finland

  • Swedish Winter War volunteers

    Swedish volunteers carrying Boys anti-tank rifles.

  • Drawing shows the Allies had two roads to Finland; through Petsamo or through Narvik, Norway.

    Franco-British support was offered on the condition their armed forces be given free passage through neutral Norway and Sweden instead of taking the difficult passage through Soviet-occupied Petsamo.

  • Soviet-finnish negotiations 1939 borderline

    The first Soviet demand of a new border line was made on 14 October 1939, and the Finnish made a counteroffer on 23 October. The Soviets made a second proposal, and the Finns responded on 3 November.

  • Drawing shows that the Finns ceded a small part of the Petsamo Kalastajansaarento, part of Salla in the Finnish Lapland, part of Karelia, islands of the Gulf of Finland and lease Hanko peninsula.

    Winter War: Finland's territorial concessions to the Soviet Union

  • Red Army Finnish flag Winter War

    Red Army soldiers display a captured Finnish state flag

  • Winter War tracerfire

    Tracer fire lights up the sky during a battle.


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