When Russia invaded Finland in November 1939, the international community reacted with shock and outrage, and yet did not come to their aid. The results of the invasion seemed to be a forgone conclusion, as the Soviet army was reputed to be one of the best in the world, with nearly complete air supremacy, and the Finns were outnumbered four to one. But the Finns did not collapse under Soviet pressure, and their doomed but valiant defense is only dwarfed by the events at Thermopylae. Edwards also addresses the geopolitical consequences of the Russian embarrassment—most notably, the change in German opinion of the capabilities of the Red Army, which would lead to Operation Barbarossa two years later.