User:DitzyDoo4/sandbox

This page is about the 2022 invasion of Chile by Argentina. For other uses, see DitzyDoo4/sandbox (disambiguation).

2022 Argentine invasion of Chile
Part of the Chilean-Argentine War
Chilean firefighters extinguishing a fire caused by Argentinian bombing in Valparaiso
Date 11 March 2022 – present (4 weeks and 2 days) Location Chile Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Chile Foreign volunteers	{{flagicon|Argentina|2022}} {{Wallmapu}}
Commanders and leaders
{{Plain list| Gabriel Boric	{{Plain list| Matías Espinoza
Strength
300,000–340,000 soldiers 32 tanks 114 aircraft	425,000–760,000 soldiers 2,514–6,541 tanks 3,880 aircraft
Casualties and losses
25,904 dead or missing 43,557 wounded 800–1,100 captured 20–30 tanks 62 aircraft 1 armed icebreaker damaged Finnish Ladoga Naval Detachment ceded to the Soviet Union 70,000 total casualties	126,875–167,976 dead or missing 188,671–207,538 wounded or sick (including at least 61,506 sick or frostbitten) 5,572 captured 1,200–3,543 tanks 261–515 aircraft 321,000–381,000 total casualties

The Winter War, also known as the First Soviet-Finnish War, was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. The war began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the organisation.

The Soviets made several demands, including that Finland cede substantial border territories in exchange for land elsewhere, claiming security reasons—primarily the protection of Leningrad, 32 km (20 mi) from the Finnish border. When Finland refused, the Soviets invaded. Most sources conclude that the Soviet Union had intended to conquer all of Finland, and use the establishment of the puppet Finnish Communist government and the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact's secret protocols as evidence of this, while other sources argue against the idea of a full Soviet conquest. Finland repelled Soviet attacks for more than two months and inflicted substantial losses on the invaders while temperatures ranged as low as −43 °C (−45 °F). The battles focused mainly on Taipale in Karelian Isthmus, on Kollaa in Ladoga Karelia and on the Raate Road, in Kainuu, but there were also battles in Salla and Petsamo in Lapland. After the Soviet military reorganized and adopted different tactics, they renewed their offensive in February and overcame Finnish defenses.

Hostilities ceased in March 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty in which Finland ceded 9% of its territory to the Soviet Union. Soviet losses were heavy, and the country's international reputation suffered. Their gains exceeded their pre-war demands, and the Soviets received substantial territories along Lake Ladoga and further north. Finland retained its sovereignty and enhanced its international reputation. The poor performance of the Red Army encouraged German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to believe that an attack on the Soviet Union would be successful and confirmed negative Western opinions of the Soviet military. After 15 months of Interim Peace, in June 1941, Germany commenced Operation Barbarossa, and the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviets began.