The Winter War: The Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40

On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, theapital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tractsf territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by theinnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giantoviet military machine.;But this forgotten war, fought under brutal,ub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one ofhe most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis,ven reindeer to haul supplied on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks onanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of onef the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bayut won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts.ts surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", whentarving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resisthe cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and werembushed as they stopped to sup. Although by sheer attritional weight of