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Old 28th February 2005, 20:38
Christer Bergström Christer Bergström is offline
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Is there any campaign where one side’s numerical superiority can’t be dismissed through a combination of scholastic tricks and selection of isolated events?



Let me play this game with the Soviet Winter War against Finland: The Finns started with 41 operational fighter planes against 900 Soviet aircraft. Let’s try to dismiss that.

Note - everything below is only a joke.

Okay, here we go. I’ll start with a quotation that could become a classic:

1. ”Do I have to understand all 900 Soviet aircraft were at one place and time? Following this logic we can achieve really tremendous disproportions.”

2. Here are some examples which shall prove that the Soviets actually enjoyed no numerical superiority in the air:

a) On 2 February 1940, two Finnish Fokker D-XXIs attacked a lonely SB of 57 AP/VVS KBF and shot it down. (Finnish sources.)

b) On 3 February 1940, five Finnish Fokker D-XXIs attacked three unescorted DB-3 bombers of 10 AB/VVS KBF and shot all three down in the uneven fight. (Finnish sources.)


c) On 4 February 1940, four Finnish fighters intercepted four VVS KBF DB-3s. (Finnish sources.)

d) On 18 February 1940, at least three Finnish fighters intercepted and shot down two unescorted DB-3 bombers. (Finnish sources.)

By carefully selecting these cases, we have transformed the reality of the Winter War - wh9ich was one of a huge Soviet numerical superiority in the air - into a relation where a total of 14 Finnish aircraft encountering the sum of 8 Soviet aircraft in these carefully selected cases give a totally distorted picture of the realities. One gets the impression that the Soviets won the Winter War only because they fought so bravely and skilfully against those Finns!


Since it is our purpose in this game to deny the effect of the numerical superiority, thus creating a brighter view of the accomplishments of the Soviet airmen in the Winter War, allow us also to portray Soviet figures as unquestionable facts. Thus we continue:

e) On 19 February 1940, the crew of Mayor Tokarev, commanding 1 AP/VVS KBF, warded off attacks by fourteen Finnish Fokker D-XXIs against their lonely DB-3 bomber. Six Finnish fighters were shot down.

Hilarious, isn’t it?

Okay, now someone arrives and tries to demonstrate how useful the numerical superiority was to the Soviet AF in the Winter War by asking us to imagine a reversed situation: 41 operational Soviet fighter planes against 900 Finnish aircraft: Would that alter the situation in the air during the Winter War? ops:

Okay, first allow us to counter by this: Imagine that Urho Kekkonen crossed the Mannerheim line completely nude in the winter of 1939/1940, wouldn’t that alter the situation completely, since the Soviets would have laughed themselves to death?

Then let’s get on track again: Well, maybe their numerical superiority was one secondary contributing factor to the Soviet dominance in the air during the Winter War, but I will blatantly state that of far greater importance was superior Soviet tactics, training, and a superior command. And the Soviets were superior regarding perseverance of their air force!

So, allow me to conclude with this regarding the outcome of the Winter War in this little game: “The Finns stood no chance against highest quality Soviet war machine that annihilated the enemy within a few months.”
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