Thread by @HoansSolo

11:00am, February 11, 1940

The main Soviet offensive of the Winter War against the Mannerheim Line on the Karelian Isthmus begins.

The attack was preceded by a 10 day bombardment with more than 300,000 shells raining down on 🇫🇮defenses in the 1st 24 hours.

#TodayInHistory

Army Commander 1st Class Timoshenko's offensive tasked the Soviet 100th Rifle Division with taking Summa while 123rd Division was tasked with seized the 'Millionaire' & 'Poppius' bunkers of the Mannerheim Line.

The Soviet suffered heavy losses, but eventually managed to break through forcing the Finns to abandon the Mannerheim Line. Good 🧵👇

https://twitter.com/virtaava/status/1624256944759267332

I wrote on the preparations for this Soviet offensive and how the Red Army strategically, organizationally, and tactically adapted during the Soviet-Finnish Winter War of 1939 & 1940 for @WarOnTheRocks earlier this week.👇

https://twitter.com/hoanssolo/status/1623289719797719044

One note on current Russian efforts to tactically & operationally adapt in Ukraine: Tactical & operational adaptation by Russian forces does not imply increased offensive potential. Historical analogies only get you so far and are certainly not deterministic.

*seizing

I think one under-appreciated factor contributing to the Finnish defeat was the inability of the Finnish Armed Forces to conduct large-scale combined arms counteroffensives. Finns were superb on the defense & localized counterattacks, but fared poorly on the offense.