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Winter War 1939 Trivia Quiz

This quiz aims at reintroducing one important war that had severe impacts on relations such as German-Russian, German-Swedish, German-British and even British-Russian.

A multiple-choice quiz by rnddude. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
rnddude

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
356,607

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
7 / 15

Plays
403

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Finnish-Russian relations were never particularly good especially as the Finns had been under Russian rule for over a hundred years, from 1809-1917. In 1939 the Soviet Union demanded that the Finns cede part of their border and lease them the Hanko Peninsula in return the Finns would gain what? Hint

A large sum of money

Nothing

A expenditionary force of 200,000 soldiers

A large tract of the Karelian wilderness

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Question 2 of 15

2. Just prior to the start of the Winter War the city of Mainila, the Soviet Union was shelled. Which of the following statements IS true of the attack? Hint

The Soviets used this as a propoganda tool

The Soviets created a bogus casus belli against Finland

The Finnish shelled Mainila

All of the these

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Question 3 of 15

3. On what date the Soviet Union declare war on Finland thus initiating the Winter War? Hint

October 30th 1939

November 30th 1939

November 21st 1939

December 1st 1939

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Question 4 of 15

4. The Soviets were very confident in their military and expected total victory over the Finnish within two weeks. However, poor planning and a lack of training meant in the conditions that the Soviets were about to face in terms of both terrain and weather that which section of the military would encounter the most trouble?
Hint

Infantry

Armour

Air Force

Cavalry

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Question 5 of 15

5. Finnish soldiers may not have been well equipped nor did they have a lot of resources but they were still a very capable fighting force. Which of these did NOT contribute to their early success?
Hint

Ski troops

Mobile light armour

Snipers

Molotov cocktails

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Question 6 of 15

6. The Mannerheim line, a line of Finnish defence structures was located on which Isthmus? Hint

Karelian

Mannerheim

Aral

Finnish

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Question 7 of 15

7. The Finns may have had a skilled army but they had one major tactical weakness. What was it?
Hint

Large scale warfare

Jungle warfare

Small scale warfare

Guerrilla warfare

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Question 8 of 15

8. At which battle did the Soviet Union suffer one of its worst losses of the Winter War? Hint

The Battle of the Karelian Isthmus

The Battle of Ladoga Karelia

The Battle of Suomussalmi

The Battle of Viipuri

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Question 9 of 15

9. Prior to January 7th 1940 the commander of the Soviet forces in Finland was Kliment Voroshilov. Who replaced him? Hint

Boris Shaposhnikov

Josef Stalin

Andrei Zhdanov

Semyon Timoshenko

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Question 10 of 15

10. The Battles of Ladoga Karelia would become some of the most memorable of the Winter War. One battle in particular inspired a quote that became a legendary Finnish motto. What battle was this? Hint

The Battle of Ladoga Karelia

The Battle of Kollaa

The Battle of Tolvaj�rvi

The Battle of Ilomantsi

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Question 11 of 15

11. The turning point of the war would come with the change in command. Within a month the Soviets broke through the Mannerheim line forcing both Mannerheim and his men to retreat. However help was offered in the form of a massive expeditionary force. Who offered to supply this force? Hint

Germany and Hungary

The United Kingdom and France

The United States and the United Kingdom

The Scandinavian Alliance

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Question 12 of 15

12. For a month prior to the Finnish surrender two countries continued to pressure Finland to surrender. Which two countries were these? Hint

Sweden and Germany

Norway and Germany

Norway and Sweden

France and Sweden

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Question 13 of 15

13. The Finns finally admitted defeat after the Soviets captured Viipuri. On what date did Finland and the Soviet Union come to a peace agreement? Hint

6th March 1940

21st March 1940

31st March1940

12th March 1940

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Question 14 of 15

14. Finland made several secessions to the Soviet Union. Which of these is NOT one of them? Hint

Finnish Karelia

Hanko Peninsula

Part of Salla

Kalastajansaarento Peninsula

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Question 15 of 15

15. Finland later re-entered the war with the Soviet Union in June 1941 as part of Operation Barbarossa. After reunifying its own country the Finns assisted the Germans in Operation Silver Fox. As part of this they would attempt to help capture which port and railway? Hint

Murmansk and Murman railway

Salla and Murman railway

Kandalaksha and Murman railway

Arkhangelsk and Murman railway

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Dec 12 2024 : Guest 118: 10/15
Nov 05 2024 : Guest 172: 5/15

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: A large tract of the Karelian wilderness

The Finns were offered a large tract of the Karelian wilderness. The Finns referred to the exchange as "two pounds of dirt for one pound of gold". However both Paasikivi, who was sent to the Soviet Union to negotiate, and Carl Gustaf Mannerheim believed that the offer from the Soviets should be accepted to avoid war.

2. Just prior to the start of the Winter War the city of Mainila, the Soviet Union was shelled. Which of the following statements IS true of the attack?

Answer: The Soviets created a bogus casus belli against Finland

On November 26th the Soviets shelled their own city in an attempt to gain a casus belli on Finland.

3. On what date the Soviet Union declare war on Finland thus initiating the Winter War?

Answer: November 30th 1939

On November 26th the Russians shelled their own city of Mainila in an attempt to create a casus belli and hoped that the Finns would finally give in to the Soviets pressure. However, four days later after the Finns would still not submit and the Red Army troops crossed the border between the Soviet Union and Finland thus starting the Winter War.

Answer: Armour

While all branches of the Soviet military were affected by poor planning and execution no part of the force suffered as much as the Armour. The Finns, with their inferior numbers, were excellently prepared and were able to inflict massive damage on Soviet Armour and at the same time the Soviets had trouble navigating through Finnish terrain.

Answer: Mobile light armour

The Finns had very little armour - only about thirty tanks, but they had well trained ski troops, adept at fighting in the winter conditions in Finland; they had excellent snipers including one Corporal Simo H�yh� who had over 500 confirmed kills, and they used logs to stall Armour before hitting them with Molotov cocktails in an attempt to detonate their fuel tanks.

6. The Mannerheim line, a line of Finnish defence structures was located on which Isthmus?

Answer: Karelian

The Mannerheim line was located on the Karelian Isthmus about 20-30 km from the Soviet-Finnish border. This would be the scene of most of the fighting and also the sight of the strongest Finnish defence during the Winter War.

7. The Finns may have had a skilled army but they had one major tactical weakness. What was it?

Answer: Large scale warfare

The Finns were not trained to fight on a large scale because of a lack of money and supplies for such warfare. Thus they were adept at fighting in both Guerrilla and Small Scale wars. They also did not train in the jungle and for the Winter War it wasn't relevant.

They did need to fight in areas with a lot of rather densely packed trees but as part of their small scale warfare and guerrilla training they had experience in such terrain.

8. At which battle did the Soviet Union suffer one of its worst losses of the Winter War?

Answer: The Battle of Suomussalmi

Under the command of Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo the Finns were able to kill an estimated 7,000 Soviet troops and capture 2,000 horses, hundreds of trucks and dozens of tanks as well as supplies. This was to be one of the greatest victories for Finland and worst losses for the Soviet Union in the entire war.

9. Prior to January 7th 1940 the commander of the Soviet forces in Finland was Kliment Voroshilov. Who replaced him?

Answer: Semyon Timoshenko

Stalin was angered by the fact that Finland had not surrendered, that the Soviets had lost 125,000 troops and that the Finns had only lost a third of that and on the 7th of January had Timoshenko replace Voroshilov as commander.

10. The Battles of Ladoga Karelia would become some of the most memorable of the Winter War. One battle in particular inspired a quote that became a legendary Finnish motto. What battle was this?

Answer: The Battle of Kollaa

This battle lasted till the end of the war and inspired the motto "Kollaa kest��" which is translated to "Kollaa holds". Corporal Simo H�yh� served here and earned the nickname "the White Death" for killing 500 Soviet soldiers.

Answer: The United Kingdom and France

The United Kingdom offered to supply 100,000 men and the French offered 35,000 to support Finland provided that the men were allowed to pass through Norway and Sweden. In response Adolf Hitler stated that if the force did pass through Sweden that the Nazis would immediately invade.

12. For a month prior to the Finnish surrender two countries continued to pressure Finland to surrender. Which two countries were these?

Answer: Sweden and Germany

Both Sweden and Germany wanted an end to the war as neither wanted the Soviet Union to gain more land.

13. The Finns finally admitted defeat after the Soviets captured Viipuri. On what date did Finland and the Soviet Union come to a peace agreement?

Answer: 12th March 1940

Finland and the Soviet Union finally came to a peace agreement on the 12th of March, the Soviets would get to annex part of Finland as well as get a lease on another part.

14. Finland made several secessions to the Soviet Union. Which of these is NOT one of them?

Answer: Hanko Peninsula

Finland ceded all of Finnish Karelia, part of Salla and the Kalastajansaarento Peninsula but only leased the Hanko Peninsula to the Soviet Union. It also ceded four small baltic islands.

Answer: Murmansk and Murman railway

Operation Silver Fox targeted the port at Murmansk and the Murman railway, Operation Arctic Fox targeted Salla, Murmansk and Kandalaksha in an attempt to block the Murman railway. Arkhangelsk was never targeted by any of the "Fuchs" operations.

Source: Author rnddude

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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