Arctic warfare

Arctic warfare or "winter warfare" is a term used to describe armed conflict that takes place in an exceptionally cold weather, usually in snowy and icy terrain, sometimes on ice-covered bodies of water. One must note the distinction between alpine and Arctic warfare - Arctic war does not always take place in mountainous terrain, and mountain warfare does not always take place in the cold.

History

Most winter battles have taken place in northern and eastern Europe.

In 1242, the Teutonic Order lost the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus to Novgorod. In 1520, the decisive Battle of Bogesund between Sweden and Denmark occurred on the ice of lake Åsunden.

Sweden and Denmark fought several wars during the 16th and 17th centuries. As a great deal of Denmark consists of islands, it was usually safe from invasion, but in January 1658, most of the Danish waters froze. Charles X Gustav of Sweden led his army across the ice of the Belts to besiege Copenhagen. The war ended with the treaty of Roskilde, the most favourable Swedish peace treaty ever.

During the Great Northern War, Swedish king Charles XII set off to invade Moscow, but was eventually defeated at the battle of Poltava after being weakened by cold weather and scorched earth tactics. Sweden suffered more casualties during the same war as Carl Gustaf Armfeldt with 6000 men tried to invade Trondheim, and 3000 of them died in a blizzard on a snowy mountain named Öjfjället.

During the Finnish War, the Russian army unexpectedly crossed the frozen Gulf of Bothnia from Finland to the Åland Islands and, by 19 March 1809, reached the Swedish shore within 70 km from the Swedish capital, Stockholm. This daring maneouvre decided the outcome of the war.

Another famous example is the use of ski troops by the Finnish Army during the Winter War and the subsequent Continuation War, where the numerically dominant Soviet forces had a hard time fighting mobile ski soldiers.

In Operation Barbarossa in 1941, both Russian and German Soldiers had to endure terrible conditions during the Russian winter. Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation conducted by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht in 1944 in northern Finland and Norway. In the Lapland War, Finland turned against Nazi Germany under the Soviet Union's pressure, their former cobelligerents. While use of ski infantry was prolific in the Red Army, Germany formed only one division for movement on skis.

Operation Rösselsprung and Operation Wunderland were Arctic naval battles in World War Two.

The Falklands War in the 1980s had to end in June, as the southern hemisphere winter caused logistical problems.

Some battles during the Yugoslav wars, the war between India and Pakistan at Siachen, as well as the current conflict in Afghanistan fall into this category.

Equipment

Arctic warfare is very dependent on equipment. For survival, troops need warm clothing and footwear, extra nutritious food, white camouflage, tents with sleeping bags, heaters and fuel.

Weapons can be fitted with an arctic trigger which permits firing while wearing heavy mittens.

Individual mobility can be increased by skis, ice cleats, and snowshoes.

Motorized vehicles are often unfit to stand freezing temperatures. Special procedures can be used to ensure they perform in the cold, such as running them continuously or starting them at regular intervals. Studded tires or tire chains are useful equipment for maintaining traction of wheeled vehicles. It is also possible to design special vehicles for operation specifically in arctic conditions, such as the M29 Weasel or Aerosan.

ee also

* Ski warfare
* Siachen
* Arctic survival/winter survival

References

[http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/gebhardt/gebhardt.asp James F. Gebhardt - The Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation]