The Winter War 193940 [Paperback]

Jowett has amassed an impressive amount of detail, yet the writing never bogs down. He leads the reader through this war with precision and employs images to great effect.  New York Journal of BooksWhen the Soviet Union invaded Finland in late 1939, what transpired was a true David and Goliath conflict. When Finland refused a number of Soviet demands, including the ceding of substantial border territories ostensibly to enable the Soviets to protect Leningrad, the Soviets responded by launching an invasion. The invasion involved a large Soviet army, with several thousand tanks, and a large air force.But to the world's surprise the Finnish Armymany of them reservists without proper uniforms and limited ammunitionand Air Force battled overwhelming odds, and managed to resist Russian attacks for over two months, inflicting serious losses. Geography played its part as much of the Finnish-Soviet border was impassable, meaning that Soviet numerical superiority was of less import. Operating in the winter, with temperatures ranging as low as -43F, the Finns determined resistance won them international reputation. Although hostilities finally ended in a peace treaty that saw Finland cede 9% of its territory, Soviet losses had been heavy, and Finland retained its sovereignty.This fully illustrated text will cover the forces involved and all stages of the Winter War.A fully illustrated account of the Soviet invasion of Finland in the winter of 1939.Casemate Illustrated explores key elements of military history, from campaigns, units and battles to aircraft, ships and weapons. Extensively illustrated with photographs and color profiles of tanks, aircraft and other vehicles, each volumes provides a wealth of visual detail. With biographies of key personnel, a timeline, and explanatory text boxes, the narrative gives a clear overview of events and highlights the most important information on any given topic.The Winter War, or first Soviet-Finnish War was fought between Novels)