USAWC (United States Army War College) Military Studies Program. The Russio-Finnish War, 1939-1940. A Study in Leadership, Training, and Esprit-de- Corps
Abstract
The 105-day war between Finland and Soviet Union during the winter of 1939-40 has provided volumes of lessons-learned for cold weather operations. More importantly, however, some fundamental lessons in training and leadership from the winter war could be considered a more significant legacy and therefore warrant further analysis. Finland is the only Soviet neighbor to have fought the Red Army and survived as a sovereign nation. What were the components of this successful outcome for the Finns? The evidence to answer this question was obtained from personal interviews with Finnish Officers who commanded platoons, companies, and battalions prior to and during the winter war. Many also provided personal papers. Most of the interviewees are now retired general officers, including the recent commander of the Finnish Defense Forces for the past eight years. From these interviews with infantry, artillery, armor, engineers, and aviation officers, a common theme emerged that hinged the Finnish success to several intangibles: specifically, leadership tailored to the Finnish character, training focused on the basics, and a tenacious will, Sisu, engendered by a deep national esprit de-corps, 'Henki'.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 15, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA159713
Entities
People
- Jouni Keravuori
Organizations
- United States Army War College