Winter War
- Period
- November 1939 – March 1940
- Sides
- Soviet Union vs Finland
- Battles
- 13
The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from its organization.
Sources: Wikipedia — Winter War · CC BY-SA 4.0
Battles 13
November 1939 – February 1940
Battle of Salla (1939)
The Battle of Salla was fought between Finnish and Soviet troops near Salla in northern Finland during the Winter War. The Soviets had orders to advance through Salla to Kemijärvi and Sodankylä, and from there to Rovaniemi in just two weeks. From there they were to advance to Tornio and cut Finland in two. The Finnish troops managed to stop the Soviet advance just east of Kemijärvi. During the last days of February 1940 the Finnish troops were replaced with the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish volunteers of the Stridsgruppen SFK.
November 1939 – March 1940
Battle of Petsamo
The Battle of Petsamo was fought between Finnish and Soviet troops in the area of Petsamo in the far north of Finland in 1939 and 1940. The Finnish troops were greatly outnumbered but managed to contain the Soviet troops due to the extreme terrain, weather and leadership.
December 1939 – January 1940
Battle of Suomussalmi
The Battle of Suomussalmi was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces in the Winter War. The action took place from 30 November 1939 to 8 January 1940. The outcome was a Finnish victory against superior forces. The battle is considered the war's clearest, most important, and most significant Finnish victory in the northern half of Finland.
December 1939
Battle of Tolvajärvi
The Battle of Tolvajärvi began on 12 December 1939 and continued for about a week and a half, between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large offensive victory for the Finns in the Winter War.
December 1939 – March 1940
Battle of Kollaa
The Battle of Kollaa was fought from 7 December 1939 to 13 March 1940 in Ladoga Karelia, Finland, as a part of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War.
December 1939
Battle of Taipale
The Battle of Taipale was a series of battles fought during the Winter War between Finland and Soviet Union from 6 to 27 December 1939. The battles were part of a Soviet campaign to penetrate the Finnish Mannerheim Line in the Karelian Isthmus region to open a route into southern Finland. Despite their numerical superiority, the Soviet forces were unable to break through the Finnish defences.
December 1939 – February 1940
Battle of Summa
The Battle of Summa was fought between the Soviet Union and Finland, in two phases, first in December 1939 and then in February 1940. It was part of the Winter War and was fought near the village of Summa along the main road leading from Leningrad to Viipuri.
December 1939
Battle of Kelja
The Battle of Kelja, fought from December 25 to December 27, 1939 in and around the village of Kelja, was a part of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union.
December 1939
Battle of Varolampi Pond
The Battle of Varolampi Pond also known as the 'Sausage War' occurred during the Winter War and was a precursor to the Battle of Tolvajärvi.
January 1940
Battle of Raate Road
The Battle of Raate Road was fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in January 1940, as a part of the Battle of Suomussalmi.
January 1940 – March 1940
Battle of Kuhmo
The Battle of Kuhmo was a series of skirmishes, mainly between January 28 and March 13, 1940, near the town of Kuhmo during the Soviet-Finnish Winter War. The 54th Soviet Rifle Division was encircled, but was able to hold out until the end of the war.
February 1940
Battle of Honkaniemi
The Battle of Honkaniemi was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces on 26 February 1940. This battle was notable for being fought by tanks, the only time they were used en masse in combat by Finnish forces in the Winter War.
March 1940
Battle of Vyborg Bay (1940)
The Battle of Vyborg Bay or Battle of Viipuri Bay was the culmination of the Soviet Union's second offensive and the last battle in the Winter War.
Earlier and later events nearby
- 1917February Revolution
- 1917October Revolution
- 1921Kronstadt rebellion
- November 1939 – March 1940Winter WarThis page
- 1941–1944Siege of Leningrad
Who ruled this land
States that held this place in the historical borders data (Cliopatria). Years are approximate, as fine as the data's snapshots (every few years to a century). Tap to open the map for that year.
Other maps for this period
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- Inventions mapJet engine