The Phoney War and The Winter War

By: Ethan Hines, Isaac Muhlestein, Daniel Hutoraner, Antony Traino

The Phoney War

September 3 1939-May 10 1940

Thesis and Guiding question:

Thesis: The Phony War held impacts on the German progression into France as well as the morale of the French army, resulting in a successful German attack and the continuing the progression of the war.

Question: What impacts did the Phony War have on the German invasion of France ?

Phoney War● Lasted until May 1940 ● Known as Sitzkrieg; Sitting War● Hopes the allies would stop fighting● Allied terms for peace

○ Germany gets out of Poland and Czechoslovakia○ Hitler must step down

Later resulted in Battle of France

● Was perpetuated by a cold winter.● Britain dropped 13 tons Anti-Nazi propaganda calling

for Hitler to be overthrown ● Poor discipline by the French.

Phoney War (continued)

Plan Yellow

Evolution over time:

Plan Yellow

Focused mainly on Blitzkrieg tactics.

Assumed that Netherlands and Belgium would fall quickly, so mostly only planned for France.

Old plan focused on invading South towards Paris.

Allies intercepted a copy of the plan, meaning, Gen. von Manstein had to revise a new one.

Plan Yellow (continued)

Main push now directed through Ardennes to the NW, while the force pushing towards Paris was mainly as a distraction.

Ironically, the Ardennes was the least defended area by the allies.

The German Blitzkrieg was successful.

The Winter War

Death To The Reds!

Beligerantes

Winter War Thesis and Guiding Question

● Thesis: The Winter War showed the weaknesses to the previously highly-esteemed Red Army, thus ultimately leading to Hitler’s decision to initiate operation Barbarossa.

● Guiding Question: What impact did the Soviet blunders in the Winter War have on the early stages of WWII?

The Great Purge of 1937

● 1937: Stalin executes or imprisons >500,000 military officers

● Army led by inexperienced commanders

Russian Command Structure

● (Nov. - Dec.)inexperienced commanders.

● Lack of flexibility on a small scale

● (Jan.-Mar.) Grigory Shtern and Semyon Timoshenko take full control○ Much more tactical

flexibility

Grigory Shtern

Semyon Timoshenko

Finnish Command Structure

Marshal Carl Gustaf Von Mannerheim

● Flexible

Kurt Wallenius

The Hanko Peninsula

● Tried to purchase● Warm water port with

access to the Baltic● Benefits

○ Military base○ Transportation○ Ability to get to West

Europe easier

Hanko Peninsula

Russian Objectives

● Strengthen northern border

● Gain territory● Port of Hanko

Russian Forces

● 26 Divisions ~ 1.2 million men● 1500 tanks● 3000 aircraft

Finnish Defences

● 10 infantry Divisions● Civic Defense● Poorly Equipped● Well Trained

Russian Battle Strategies

● November-December Strategies○ Use air superiority ○ Use tanks independently of infantry○ Take Finland quickly and easily

● February-March Strategies○ Overwhelming numbers○ Improved armored- infantry coordination○ Attack across the Gulf of Finland

Finnish Battle Strategies

● Mannerheim line ● Ski troops to penetrate Russian lines

War Progression TIMELINE

● 30 November 1939: Invasion of Finland Begins● 11 December -- 8 January 1940: Battle of Suomussalmi

○ 22 -- 23 December: Russians take defensive positions○ 5 -- 8 January: Finnish Offensive

● 11 February: Russians break through Mannerheim Line● 12 March: Fins sign the Treaty of Moscow

Russian Outcomes of the War

● Kicked out of the League Of Nations ● Their power is doubted● Take Karelian Isthmus● “Lease” Hanko Peninsula

Finnish Outcomes of the War

● Loss of the Port of Hanko● Koss of the Karelian Peninsula● Eventual Nazi Sympathy

Russian Casualties and Losses

● Approximate 60% casualty rate: 131,476 dead or missing, another 264,908 wounded or injured, 132,213 frostbitten, and 5,486 captured, altogether about 538,083 casualties out of 900,000 initial troops.

● 794 destroyed fighter planes● About 1,000 tanks lost

Finnish Casualties

● 18,000 dead● 18,000 seriously wounded

Works Cited

"America Beats The Nazis - America In WWII Magazine". Americainwwii.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Applegate, La Rue. "1,155 PLANES LOST IN WAR: Destruction of Craft in Russo-Finnish War Put At $152,000,000 More Data on Air Combat Russian Tactics Improve Types of Planes Used." ProQuest. New York Times, 17 Mar. 1940. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Profile, View. "Maximum Advantage In Pictures". Chumpfish3.blogspot.com. N. p., 2007. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Reese, Roger R. "Lessons of the Winter War: A Study in the Military Effectiveness of the Red Army, 1939-1940." ProQuest. ProQuest, July 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Stalin - Russia's Periphery". Russia's Periphery. N. p., 2017. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Works Cited (continued)

Trueman, C` N. "The German Plan of Attack." History Learning Site. N.p., 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Trueman, C. N. "The Phoney War." History Learning Site. N.p., 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Swanston, Alexander, and Malcolm Swanston. The Historical Atlas of WWII: Charting the Most Cataclysmic Event in Human History. Sydney: Murdoch, 2011. Print.

Department of Military Art and Engineering. "The Soviet-Finnish War." HyperWar: The Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-1940 (USMA). HyperWar Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

More Works Cited

Department of Military Art and Engineering. Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-1940. Digital image. Ibiblio.org. HyperWar Foundation, 1947. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Finland Flag. Digital image. 4photos.net. 4 Photos, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

Soviet Flag. Digital image. Wallpoper.com. Wall Poper, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Department of Military Art and Engineering. Soviet-Finnish War, 1939-1940. Digital image. Ibiblio.org. HyperWar Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.