Logotyp: till Försvarshögskolans hemsida

This study investigates the tactical success of Finland in the battle of Salla which took place from 2nd December 1939 to 10th March 1940, during the Finnish winter war against the Soviet Union. 

The previous research on the winter war is extensive and well established, despite that, scientists disagree about the importance of combined arms in the war. The scientists Tuunainen and Reese point out the lack of ammunition and weapons in Finland to be a crucial part of combined arms not being used on the tactical level, though Tuunainen claims it was used on the operational level. This creates the research problem this study will solve. The study will answer following research question how can Finnish success during the battle of Salla 1939-1940 be explained by Leonhard´s combined arms theory and will help reach the purpose of the study which aims to investigate how Finnish success on the tactical level can be explained by a theory of combined arms, to clarify inconsistencies in previous research. 

Leonhard states that his theory can be adapted to minor actors such as Finland and major actors. The theory includes three principles to achieve success in battle with combined arms. The complementary principle is the way to combine two or more combat arms into a single organization with the purpose to protect each other vulnerabilities. The dilemma principle highlights the importance of effective force deployments of the combined organization to create a dilemma for the enemy. The enemy can only if not using combined arms protect themselves from one combat arm and will be vulnerable for the other. The alcyoneus principle is the combined version of the first two principles. The enemy must be put in a place where he or she is most vulnerable, for example infantry units in open terrain against armoured vehicles which of course creates a hard handled dilemma. An army that does not apply combined arms will not achieve success with these principles.

The qualitative text analysis allows this theory consuming single case study to conclude from the history books that Finnish military have been using a combined arms tactic with a various type of arms, mostly reconnaissance, artillery, and infantry which allows the theory to show how the success can be explained. The study contributes to a further understanding of the tactical level and can allow scientists a new perspective, that the winter war may not be fully explained. The study provides further insight for today’s officers on how they can implement combined arms for it to be successful and avoid dilemmas.