White Death: The Winter War 1939-40 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the name of the leader of the Finnish Army in the Winter War?

Answer: Baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim

Baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim (1867-1951) had been an officer in the Imperial Russian Cavalry before 1917, after which he led the 'White' or anti-Communist Finnish Army against the Communist 'Reds' in the Finnish Civil War.

Despite his role in the bloody civil war, he was respected by nearly all his soldiers and proved to be a very able commander, making the best use of his small resources.

2. Some Finnish soldiers were issued with the 'Cajander' pattern uniform at their depots in November 1939. What did this look like?

Answer: Civilian clothes with a Finnish Army belt and hat cockade

Finland was a poor agricultural country in 1939 and could not afford proper uniforms for its entire army. Most men arrived at their depots to receive a belt, a cap badge and if they were lucky, the cap to go with it. With typical Finnish humour, the soldiers referred to this as the 'Cajander pattern uniform', after A.K. Cajander, the then Prime Minister of Finland.

Reservists are seen in pictures wearing bits of 1927 and 1936 pattern uniforms, and their civilian clothes. Before they went into the trenches they were usually issued with a white snow suit, most usually locally made out of bedsheets.

3. The Finnish Air Force was massively outnumbered too but acquitted itself well. Which of these aircraft did NOT participate in the Winter War?

Answer: Brewster Buffalo

The Blenhiem Bomber, the Gladiator and D.XXI fighters were all active in the Winter War. The first Buffalos, although ordered during the war, arrived two days before the war ended and took no active part in the fighting.

4. Which battle am I describing? 'After a push along the road from the Finnish border at Raate, the Soviet 44th Rifle Division ran into heavy opposition from a scratch force of Finns. Hemmed in by dense forest and suffering from intense sub-zero temperatures and attacks by Finnish ski troopers, the 44th were forced into a number of defensive positions which the Finns picked off piecemeal, destroying the division as a fighting force. It was the greatest Red Army loss in a single battle of the entire war.'

Answer: Suomussalmi

The 44th Division had been one of the better Red Army divisions with the Soviet attackers in 1939, but a poor choice of road for its attack left all of its heavy equipment essentially trapped and unable to manoeuvre once the battle had started. Less than ten precent of its strength escaped the Finnish encirclement.

5. How many modern tanks did the Finns start the war with?

Answer: 13

Desperate to update its arsenal, the Finnish army ordered fifteen Vickers 6-ton tanks in 1938, to be delivered over two years. Although thirteen working tanks were delivered in 1939, a lot of them had no guns or radios fitted. These were gradually made good with equipment off captured and very similar Soviet T-26 tanks.

A small number of WW1-era Renault FT-17s were still on the Finnish books but they were mechanically unreliable and played little or no part in the war.

6. What was the name of the defensive bunker lines that ran across the Karelian Isthmus and formed the backbone of the Finnish defence?

Answer: The Mannerheim Line

The Mannerheim Line was actually a series of three lines of bunkers, trenches, anti-tank obstacles and gun emplacements that cut across the isthmus, although not all of the line was complete in 1939. It was the scene of the fiercest fighting in the war.

7. Which battle of the Winter War featured fierce fighting around a rural hotel at its climax?

Answer: Tolvajarvi

Although spread over a wide area of forest and frozen lakes, the heaviest fighting came at the climax of the battle when the Finnish 16th Infantry overran the Hirvasharju Hotel where a Soviet strongpoint dominated the battlefield. The hotel was the only stone building for miles around and was a natural defensive position and was costly and difficult for the Finns to take.

8. Foreign volunteers flocked to help defend Finland, the most numerous being the neighbouring Scandinavians, from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, who between them sent nearly 10,000 men. Who provided the next most?

Answer: Hungary

Hungary, with 450 men, followed by the USA with 350 and Britain with 250. Hardly any were involved in the fighting although a London Fire Brigade volunteer party did good work in Helsinki during the bombing.

9. The Soviet Breakthrough in February 1940 came at the Battles of Summa and Lahde. What was the name of the large bunker complex that saw the heaviest of the fighting in these battles?

Answer: The Millionaire Bunker

Bunker Sj5, 'Millionaire', so called because it had cost over 1,000,000 Finnmarks to construct. It fell on 13th February after a fierce battle involving flamethrower tanks and close range heavy artillery fire. Six Finnish soldiers were buried in the collapsing fortress and their bodies are in the bunker to this day.

10. Which two major Finnish cities were lost as a result of the Winter War?

Answer: Viipuri and Petsamo

Viipuri, then the third-biggest town in Finland, was lost to the Soviets and became Vyborg again. Although it was recaptured by the Finns in 1941, it was lost again in 1944, this time permanently.

Petsamo, within the Arctic Circle, was also recaptured and lost again. Since 1944 it has been known as Pechenga.

Source: Author spaceowl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

When, in November 1939, the USSR invaded Finland, it looked as if the Finns would be overwhelmed by the mighty Red Army. What do you know about the heroic Finnish defence?

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