Page 410 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

410 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

Mission Impossible? Soviet’s Major offensive
at the End of the Winter War in 1940

Laaksonen LASSE

he heaviest battles of the Winter War were fought at the Karelian Isthmus, also
T known as the Gate of Finland, during the two last weeks before the signing of
th
the Moscow Peace Treaty on March 13 1940. The Russians attempted to widen the
Karelian Isthmus Front by launching a massive crossing offensive over the frozen Bay
of Vyborg at the beginning of March. The aim of the attack was to advance deep into the
mainland. The Bay of Vyborg -operation was also an important part of the effort to con-
1
quer the biggest city in the Karelian Isthmus − Vyborg. The intention of the Russians
was to capture the city with a double envelopment manoeuvre, also called the pincer
movement, when direct attempts to advance proved unsuccessful. 2
The massive offensive on a wide front carried out by the Russians on the Bay of
Vyborg came as a surprise to the Finns. Exceptional conditions, i.e. a winter far colder
than the average, provided the attacker with an opportunity to drive their heavy vehicles,
3
such as tanks, on ice, a circumstance that the Finns were not prepared for. The Russians
aimed to utilise their overwhelming superiority in all areas on an open battlefield. A
crossing attack, however, was a rash undertaking. Large enough forces had to advance
quickly on the coast. Spring was on its way and the thawing of ices would have led to a

1 Lasse Laaksonen, Todellisuus ja Harhat - Kannaksen taistelut ja suomalaisten joukkojen tila talvisodan
lopussa 1940 (Reality and Illusions: The Battles in the Karelian Isthmus and the Condition of the Finnish
Troops at the End of the Winter War in 1940) (Helsinki 1999), passim. See also English summary; Olisiko
taisteluja pystytty jatkamaan? Suomalaisten tilanne Kannaksella talvisodan lopussa 1940 (Could the fight
have been continued? The Finn’s situation on the Karelian Isthmus at the End of the Winter War in 1940). In
the Journal of Military History 19. (Jyväskylä 2000), 128-174. See also English summary.
2 Ohto Manninen, Neuvostoliiton operatiiviset suunnitelmat 1939-1941 Suomen suunnalla. Journal of Military
History 11, (Jyväskylä 1993). See also English summary.
3 Osasto 5/Merivoimien esikunta 19. 1. 40 n:o 273/Ase l.sal. Merivoimien esikunta operatiivinen osasto v.
1940. Rannikkosotatsto (Op. 2.). Rannikkovoimien talvitoiminta. National Archives. T 16320. Ilmari Karhu,
Suomen sotilasmaantieto. Valtioneuvoston kirjapaino (Helsinki 1932), 14, 69-70 and 93. Air Force types, see
Lasse Laaksonen, Taivaan vartiat - Ilmasotakoulun historia 1918-2008 (the History of the Air Force Acad-
emy of Finland) (Jyväskylä 2008), passim.