U.S. alpine warfare capabilities?

[jmm99]

can handle making molehills into mountains. Look at what the Delaware Finns (the first Finns in the US in the 1600s) did to West Virginia - and that was by long-distance sorcery.

Seriously, a major Russian problem (leading to ceasefires in the Winter and Continuation Wars) was not just the Finnish capability to inflict casualties, but also the Finnish capability to accept casualties. Let's look at some KIA comparisons.

In the Vietnam War, the USA had ~58,200 KIA, as compared to a 1970 pop. of ~203,000,000. That works out to .287 KIA per 1000 pop.

South Boston (per Jim Webb) had 25 KIA, as compared to a pop. of ~34,000. That works out to .735 KIA per 1000 pop.

Our "Copper Country" area (4-county totals; specifics in the Vietnam Wall.pdf attached to this post) was between the USA and South Boston - 29 KIA, 1970 pop. 55,253; .525 KIA per 1000 pop.; although Ontonagon County exceeded South Boston - 9 KIA, 1970 pop. 10,548; .853 KIA per 1000 pop.

Before we hit the next paragraph, one should reflect on the fact that the Vietnam War was not an "existential war" to the USA.

My grandfather was born in the village of Pörtom (Pirttakylä), Finland. During the Winter & Continuation Wars, the Pörtombor sustained 75 KIA, from a 1940 pop. of 3,324. That computes to 22.563 KIA per 1000 pop. For a pop. of 203,000,000 (USA 1970), equivalence would require 4,580,300 KIA !!! The two Finnish wars were more "existential" than not.

The Pörtombor have no particular claim to fame, but were simply representative (Finland for both wars: ~88,000 KIA & MIA, 1940 pop. ~ 4,000,000; 22.0 KIA & MIA per 1000 pop.).

A possibly substantive factoid (from my cousin whose ancestry is Pörtombor, but who grew up in another nearby community) is that young, male Pörtombor have a reputation for cruising around in neighboring communities looking for festivities (e.g., wedding receptions) and picking group brawls. Cf., Dave Grossman's and Lonnie Athens' theories on violence.

Regards

Mike (and from Mannerheim the Dog )

PS: just for the sake of the record (from AGF No. 23 cited in post #14 above):

... As American newspaper readers became bored with the war in December 1939 a new conflict broke out between small Finland and the giant Soviet Union. The Finns, instead of being overwhelmed as most observers expected, surprised the world with the tenacity and effectiveness of their resistance. Ski troops, clothed in white to mask their moves' disrupted Russian Supply columns and won victory after victory.

Those initial victories of the highly Specialized Finnish winter troops aroused the interest of American political and military leaders. On 6 January 1940, Louis Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of War, asked General Marshall what consideration the General Staff had given to the subject of special clothing, equipment' food, transportation and other essentials necessary for an effective field force under conditions approximating those of the campaigns in Finland and Northern Russia.[1]

Three weeks later The Chief of Staff replied that operations of this nature had been under continuous study in connection with the problem of the defense of Alaska. Winter training had also been conducted annually by troops stationed in severe climate and had been especial y successful at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where some of the men had become highly skilled in the use of skis. "It is my intention," General Marshall added' "to continue, accelerating where practicable, tests of food, clothing, equipment and transportation in order to standardize for the purpose the types best suited to operations under severe winter conditions. The campaign in Finland is being studied and should be of considerable assistance. Winter maneuvers, on a larger scale than yet attempted are desirable, but to date funds for this purpose have not been available."[2]

1. Memo of Mr. Louis Johnson, ASW, for the CofS, USA, no file, 6 Jan 40, sub: Campaign under Extreme Conditions of Weather. In AGO 370.22 (1-6-40)

2. Memo of the CofS, USA, G-4/31624, 24 Jan 40, sub as above. Ibid.

So, blame the Finnish link on Louis A. Johnson (a resident of West Virginia).