2. Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
A non-aggression pact
signed by Germany and
the Soviet Union
Contained a secret clause
that divided eastern
European countries
between the two nations
3. Stalin used the Pact to annex the countries of:
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
4. Stalin also moved against Finland
12 October 1940: Stalin demands naval
basing rights in Finland
He demands a strip of territory in the
Karelian Isthmus area of Finland
5. The Finnish government stonewalled until
26 November, Stalin decided to act
30 November 1940: The Soviets attacked
with four armies
14 December 1940: The Soviet Union is
expelled from the League of Nations
Stalin commits 1 million men to the
Finnish Campaign
6. Not What the Soviets Expected
Finland mustered
175,000 men
The majority
defended the
Mannerheim Line in
the Karelian Isthmus
7. Motti Tactics
To defend the eastern
front between Lake
Ladoga and the White
Sea the Finnish used
“logging” or Motti
tactics to isolate and
encircle Soviet forces
8. Using logging trails and skies, the Finnish
forces would attack Soviet forces that
were forced to use the roads
They attacked unusual targets like mobile
kitchens and groups of soldiers sitting
around campfires
Using these tactics, the Finnish inflicted
200,000 casualties on the Soviets, while
taking only 25,000 of their own
9. February 1940: The Soviets break through the
Mannerheim Line
The Soviet Armies
inflicted casualties the
Finnish population
couldn’t support
12 March: The
Finnish sign a treaty
and turned over the
territory the Soviets
wanted
