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Phoney War and Winter War

Phoney War and Winter War . Sisir Gudipati , Liam Paup , Kristine Chen, Sarah Chu . Thesis.

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Phoney War and Winter War

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  1. Phoney War and Winter War SisirGudipati, Liam Paup, Kristine Chen, Sarah Chu

  2. Thesis In an attempt for the violent annexation of Finland, Joseph Stalin led the unprepared Soviet army into unknown Finnish territory. However, the Soviets’ vast army was eventually able to overwhelm Finland and win the war- but not without consequences. Due to a combination of Finland’s stellar defense and the incompetent offense of the Reds, the Soviets suffered five times more casualties than Finland, culminating in an overall atrocious perception of the might of the Soviet Union. This encouraged Hitler to pursue Operation Barbarossa in an attempt to wipe the Soviets out as a world power. In the meantime, the lack of military action during the Phoney War in Western Europe was falsely easing people’s minds, decreasing their wariness and allowing Hitler to strike while his opponents were unprepared.

  3. Timeline September 1, 1939- Germany invades Poland, Soviet Union follows b/c of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact March 13, 1940- Winter War ends; Finland accepts defeat and signs Treaty of Moscow September 27- 1939 Poland surrenders to Germany and partitioned by Germany and Russia September 4-5, 1939 U.S. and Japan declare neutrality in the war April 9, 1940- Germany invades Denmark and Norway → Phoney War ends November 30- 1939 Soviet Union invades Finland, Winter War begins September 3, 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany (honor treaty with Poland), but nothing happens on the Western Front for 6-7 months

  4. Phoney War (1939-40) • Who: Germany vs. France & Britain • Background: • Other countries started to realize the tyrannical injustice occurring in Germany • Events: • September: Germany invaded and defeated Poland • Lack of military action in Western Europe • People expected Hitler to use Blitzkrieg tactics, but nothing happened • Importance: • Neither Britain nor France attempted to attack Germany • Britain was too weak to challenge Nazis • Spring 1940: Inactivity for 6-7 months led to bad mentality and lost opportunity to strengthen defensive • April 09, 1940: Germany took advantage of their weak state and attacked Denmark & Norway and low countries

  5. Winter War (1939-1940) • Who: Finland vs. Soviet Union (also known as Russo-Finnish War) • Background: • Countries on Eastern Front (Scandinavia) actively fighting • Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact  Bloodlands divided into spheres of influence controlled by Nazis and Soviet Union • Events: • Finland part of Soviet Union sphere of influence • Finland = potential buffer zone against Germany + military base • Finnish Advantage- knowledge of geography • Russian Advantage- vast army • Poor offensive, but still able to overwhelm Finnish

  6. Winter War- Importance • Treaty of Moscow • Finland = ally of Germany • USSR expelled from League of Nations • Made Hitler think the Soviets could be easily defeated • Raised reputation of Finland- had stood up against USSR

  7. Tactics Finnish Tactics: • Used guerilla tactics • Defensive Mannerheim Line • Winter weather used to advantage (frozen Baltic Sea, snowy terrain) Soviet Tactics: • Aircrafts (outnumbered Finnish by almost 25x) used for bombing • Vast number of men in army  could afford to lose men in risky maneuvers • Used tanks and heavy military equipment to break through Mannerheim Line • Soldiers lacked military strength needed

  8. Soviet Tanks Finnish troops on skis The Finnish threw Molotov Cocktails into Soviet tanks

  9. Mannerheim • Finnish Commander in Chief during the Winter War and the course of World War II • Allied with Hitler (who visited him secretly)

  10. Works Cited "Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 10 May 2014. Clancey, Patrick. "HyperWar: The Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-1940 (USMA)." HyperWar: The Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-1940 (USMA). Hyperwar Foundation, n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. Hickman, Kennedy. "The Winter War - Soviet Union Finland The Winter War During World War II - Russian Winter War." About.com Military History. About.com, n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. Robinson, Bruce. "World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events." BBC News. BBC, 30 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 May 2014. "Timeline of World War Two." PBS. PBS, 1 Sept. 2007. Web. 12 May 2014. "World War II: The Invasion of Poland and the Winter War." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 26 June 2011. Web. 12 May 2014.

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