The Arsenal

The Finnish M28 was a refined variant of the Russian Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle, improved by Finnish gunsmiths for better accuracy and cold-weather reliability. Chambered in 7.62×54mmR, it was the primary Finnish infantry rifle and the weapon used by Simo Häyhä to accumulate his record 505 confirmed kills. Finnish arms manufacturers Tikka and SAKO produced rifles with tighter tolerances and improved triggers compared to Soviet production standards. The rifles were maintained to a much higher standard than typical Soviet issue weapons, and Finnish marksmanship training emphasized precision shooting from an early age.

The Suomi KP/-31 ('Finland submachine gun, model 1931') was a Finnish-designed and manufactured 9mm submachine gun feeding from a distinctive 71-round drum magazine. Designed by Aimo Lahti, it was among the most advanced submachine guns in the world in 1939 — featuring exceptional reliability in extreme cold where many competing designs froze and malfunctioned. Its high rate of fire (around 900 rounds per minute) and large magazine capacity made Finnish ski troops capable of delivering overwhelming firepower in the sudden close-quarters ambushes that motti tactics produced. The drum magazine proved significantly more reliable in cold conditions than box magazines used by competing designs.

The Molotov cocktail as used by Finnish forces was a bottle filled with a mixture of gasoline, ethanol, and tar, with a wick of stormproof matches ignited before throwing. Named in bitter irony after Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov — who had claimed Soviet bombers were dropping humanitarian bread, so the Finns would provide a drink to go with it — the weapon exploited a critical vulnerability in Soviet T-26 and BT tanks: ventilation slots in the engine compartment drew in burning liquid, igniting the engine. Finnish troops also used a factory-produced variant with a phosphorus mixture that ignited on contact with air when the bottle broke, simplifying use under combat conditions. Approximately 450,000 bottles were produced by the Finnish alcohol monopoly Alko during the war.

The Lahti L-39 was a Finnish semi-automatic anti-tank rifle chambered in 20×138mmB, designed by Aimo Lahti and produced from 1939 onward. Extremely powerful for an infantry-carried weapon, it could penetrate the armor of all Soviet tanks encountered in the Winter War at normal combat ranges. Its semi-automatic action gave it a higher rate of fire than bolt-action anti-tank rifles used by other nations. Finnish troops nicknamed it 'Norsupyssy' (elephant gun) for its size and power. It was heavy at 49 kilograms and required a two-man crew, but it was devastatingly effective against the lightly armored Soviet T-26 tanks that formed the bulk of Red Army armor.

The T-26 was the Soviet Union's most numerous tank at the outbreak of the Winter War, a light infantry support vehicle based on the British Vickers 6-ton design. Armed with a 45mm gun capable of penetrating any Finnish fortification, the T-26 was theoretically formidable. In practice, it proved catastrophically unsuited to Finnish conditions. Its light armor was vulnerable to Molotov cocktails, anti-tank rifles, and even heavy machine guns at close range. In the frozen forests, it could not leave roads, making it predictable and vulnerable to ambush. Tank engines frequently froze overnight in -40°C temperatures, requiring fires to be lit beneath them. Without infantry support — which Soviet doctrine and the terrain frequently prevented — T-26 crews were helpless against Finnish infantry ambushes.

The BT-7 was the Soviet Union's principal 'fast tank' — designed for rapid exploitation and pursuit operations on open terrain. In Finland it was essentially useless. The BT series' signature feature was its ability to run on wheels as well as tracks, optimized for road travel in European plain environments. Finnish forest roads provided no opportunity for exploitation, and the BT-7's thin armor was no better than the T-26's against Finnish anti-tank weapons. Its Christie suspension, while innovative, was no advantage in deep snow. BT-7s destroyed in motti engagements at Suomussalmi and Raate Road were photographed by journalists and became iconic images of Soviet military failure.

The Polikarpov I-16 was the Soviet Union's primary fighter aircraft in 1939, a stubby, highly maneuverable monoplane that had been advanced for its time when introduced in 1934 but was becoming obsolescent by the Winter War. Soviet aircraft conducted bombing raids on Finnish cities from the first day of the war, and I-16 fighters provided escort. Finnish fighter opposition was weak due to the tiny size of the Finnish Air Force, but Soviet aircraft nonetheless suffered significant losses to ground fire, Finnish anti-aircraft artillery, and the small number of Finnish fighters (including some Fokker D.XXI and Brewster Buffalo aircraft). Cold weather caused persistent maintenance problems with Soviet aircraft, and crews were poorly prepared for winter operations.

Heavy Soviet artillery — including the M1938 152mm howitzer — was ultimately the weapon that broke the Mannerheim Line. During Timoshenko's February 1940 offensive, Soviet forces massed over 3,000 guns along the Summa sector, including large numbers of 152mm and larger howitzers, firing day after day in one of the most concentrated artillery bombardments in history to that point. The concrete bunkers of the Mannerheim Line were designed to withstand field artillery but not this weight of fire. Finnish defenders described the bombardment as transforming the landscape — trees disappeared, earth moved, and even reinforced concrete eventually cracked under repeated impacts.

Finnish ski troops in white camouflage overalls represented the most consequential asymmetric advantage of the Winter War. Every Finnish male over 16 was typically competent on skis, having grown up in a country where skiing was the primary winter transportation method for much of the population. Finnish soldiers could travel 40-50 kilometers per day across frozen terrain that was completely impassable to Soviet vehicles and infantry. White camouflage made them invisible against the snow. Small Finnish ski detachments of 20-30 men could cut Soviet columns at multiple points, traveling through forest at night to emerge at points miles behind enemy lines. Soviet soldiers, many from Ukraine, Central Asia, and southern Russia, had no comparable skill or equipment. The majority arrived at the Finnish border without skis, white camouflage, or adequate winter boots.