World At War 77 Winter War

Winter War: Finland vs the Soviet Union 1939 is an operational level two player wargame. It covers the Soviet invasion of Finland over the Winter of 1939-40. The Soviets initially expected a quick victory. However, the Finns, under the leadership of Carl Gustav Mannerheim, resisted and outmaneuvered the more ponderous Red Army forces. It was not until Marshal Timoshenko was appointed to lead the campaign, that the Soviets gained the initiative. They captured sufficient territory to bring the war to a negotiated end. The Soviet historical objectives were to seize key geographical areas and inflict sufficient Finnish casualties to force the Finns to negotiate a pro-Soviet Union peace treaty. The Finns were attempting to prevent this or prolong the war to where outside intervention would come to their aid. Each hex on the map represents circa 21 miles. Each turn of play represents ten days. Ground units represent detachments, battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions and corps. Aircraft units represent a number of sorties to accomplish a mission.