The Finns were low on ammunition, had only limited anti-tank weaponry and aircraft, had virtually no armored forces, and were outnumbered three to one. The Soviets were prepared to fight with the most modern weapons and vehicles at their disposal вЂ“ equipment they expected to be superior to that of the Finns. The gun stands camouflaged in the city of Viipuri in March 1940. Wrong Weapons for the Climate The most common Finnish artillery was a 76mm gun dating back to around the year 1902 (76 K 02). Most wounded Soviet soldiers froze to death. Inadequately equipped for the conditions, medical services were unable to treat wounded men quickly enough. Finnish ski troops in Northern Finland in January 1940. Ice, wind, and snow made the life of the invaders a living hell. The Russian supply lines were breaking down and the soldiers had not the supplies they needed. Though familiar with fighting in their own harsh winters, the Soviets were unprepared for just how bitter the Finnish cold would be.

Soviet T-26 light tanks of the Soviet 7th Army during its advance on the Karelian Isthmus. Many vehicles could only advance after hundreds of infantry had gone before them, stamping down the snow. Ground kept warm by the snow above turned into muddy swamps, through which the infantry had to trudge. Roads buried beneath ten feet of snow blocked the Soviet advance. But while Poland was a land of open plains, Finland was one of frozen forests and deep snow. The Russian invasion was meant to follow the blitzkrieg model which had served the Germans so well in Poland вЂ“ a swift, hard-hitting advance that would use superior resources and technology to overcome resistance. For the next three months, the two nations would fight a grueling war. The objectives of the invasion have been disputed, but whether it was meant to end in the complete conquest or the rearrangement of borders, the point was clear вЂ“ the USSR was after Finnish land and wanted to dominate that country.ДЄ puppet government, named the Terijoki Government, was set up in occupied territory using a few Finns sympathetic to Soviet Communism. On 30 November 1939, having partitioned Poland with Germany, and with the rest of Europe preoccupied with the Nazis, the USSR invaded Finland.

Finnish winter war uniform