SOVIET-FINNISH WAR 1939–1940 AND RED ARMY’S LOSSES
SOVIET-FINNISH WAR 1939–1940 AND RED ARMY’S LOSSES

Summary/Abstract: The 105-day long Soviet-Finnish War (30 Nov. 1939–13 Mar. 1940) was one of the largest local wars waged in the XXth century. Its frontline stretched from the Barents Sea to the Gulf of Finland, exceeding 1 400 kilometers, and approximately one fourth of the Red Army’s whole battle strength was engaged in the war. By the end of the military conflict exactly 60 infantry and cavalry divisions of various types were massed on the front, providing the Red Army with an overwhelming numerical superiority over the Finnish Army, whose battle strength did not exceed 300 000 soldiers. Shortly before the outbreak of the fighting, the Red Army deployed assault troops of roughly 450 000 men on the border territories, all in all, 21 infantry divisions. These forces were massively strengthened in January – March, 1940 by 39 infantry and cavalry divisions speedily dispatched to the front, raising the battle strength of the Soviet troops to a so far (after the Russian Civil War) unprecedented one million man army, to say nothing about its technical superiority counted in tens (combat aircraft) and hundreds (armoured combat vehicles). The Red Army suffered exceptionally heavy losses in comparison to the casualties sustained by the seized territories during the Winter War. The Red Army’s principal battles had been fought in extremely severe long-lasting frosts, in many cases at forty degree below zero Centigrade. The author of this article estimates that the total irretrievable losses of the Red Army during the Soviet–Finnish war amounted to 138 533 men.

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