Wars and Campaigns
Timeline
(1938-1940)

 

In the years preceding the Great Patriotic war, the Soviets found themselves engaged in a number of small conflicts at their borders. The first was a far off border dispute with the Japanese. It was a small, but bloody struggle that convinced the Japanese expansionists to look to the south instead of to Russia. That conflict was followed by the invasion of Poland, which was undertaken as part of the Stalin-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact. It resulted in the partition of Poland between the two sides. Bolstered by these successes, the Soviet government threatened the nation of Finland. When threats ceased to produce results the war began. Unlike the previous two conflicts of this era, the Winter War was to become a nightmarish experience for the Red Army. The Red Army encountered fierce resistance and lost many men. A renewed offensive with more soldiers later crushed Finnish defenses, but the victory gained at a very high price.

Asian Conflicts 38-39

Poland 1939

The Winter War 39-40

 

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