COLD WARFAR

Discover the events of history’s wintery wars, where the weather was the most lethal weapon

Words by Ailsa Harvey

DID YOU KNOW? With 20,000 US troops dying at the Battle of the Bulge, it’s the third-deadliest campaign in American history

H ow do we cope when temperatures fall far below zero, mighty snowstorms sap our strength and frost-covered floors knock us from our feet with surprising ease? Just stepping outside in extreme weather can feel like a fight in itself sometimes. But how would you manage if you were forced to spend hours in these numbing conditions? Physically, the human body begins to shut down after long periods of time in very low temperatures, as our internal heat becomes compromised. In fact, if our core body temperature drops by just two degrees Celsius, we can begin to experience early signs of hypothermia.

For those who fought in some of history’s coldest wars, there was no option to step back indoors. Their lives were in danger from two major threats. As their bodies were battered by the frosty conditions, they needed to retain the strength to dodge the wall of weapons being launched towards them. The only way to warmth was to eliminate the human threat before them.

As much as the cold has been a hindrance to some armies, the changing properties of frozen landscapes could sometimes be used to their advantage on the battlefield. For those fighting on their home turf, the experience of navigating icy ground allowed them to focus on the fight. In other cases, poor visibility benefited defence, like a natural smoke bomb. From the mid-storm scheming of the Middle Ages to the fight against frostbite in 20th-century warzones, these are some of history’s most bitterly cold battlefields.

Freezing fog of Austerlitz

2 DECEMBER 1805 MORAVIA, AUSTRIA

In this battle of the War of the Third Coalition, French military leader Napoleon emerged triumphant. What did he do to attain this result? He incorporated the difficult weather conditions that surrounded him into his attack: instead of waiting for better visibility, he used this weather to his advantage. Amid the sub-zero fog, his tactic was to confuse the Russian and Austrian forces, whose troops outnumbered Napoleon’s French army by over 20,000 men.

By pretending to retreat from the small town of Austerlitz, Napoleon made it appear that their side was weak. He planned to convince the allied Russian-Austrian armies to move into an area of dense fog. When the enemy was in place, Napoleon’s troops returned to the area to attack their surprised targets, charging and reemerging from the winter fog.

As Russian troops retreated, Napoleon’s cannons broke the ice covering the frozen Satschan ponds, drowning soldiers

The Eylau snowstorm

7 TO 8 FEBRUARY 1807 EYLAU, EAST PRUSSIA

This painting depicts the aftermath of the Battle of Eylau

By 1807, Napoleon was on a winning streak, but the Battle of Eylau provided a bitter end to his successes. While he was expecting another victory, he wasn’t prepared for the snowstorm that encased the skirmish. In this 14-hour battle against Russia and the Prussians, the violent storm significantly reduced visibility so that his troops could only see soldiers standing immediately before them. Following a plan became difficult as every man fought for their survival.

However, surviving the fight didn’t necessarily mean surviving the day. After the bloody battle, many of those wounded were left to freeze to death before they could be recovered. Temperatures continued to drop, and the attack persisted until after nightfall. When both sides were too exhausted to continue, they halted the fighting.

Battle on the Ice

5 APRIL 1242 LAKE PEIPUS, RUSSIA

If you’ve ever attempted to walk on a sheet of ice, you’ll know how this frozen layer can upset your coordination performing even the simplest tasks. During a life-or-death contest of strength and skill, balance and perfect foot placement becomes a much more vital goal.

During the battles of the Northern Crusades, the German Teutonic Knights fought Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky’s troops. The German troops, along with their allies, followed Catholicism and opposed the Orthodox Christian views of Russian leader Alexander Nevsky. In order to guarantee their win, the Russian soldiers led their enemy onto frozen Lake Peipus. Fighting on this solid lake required a whole new set of skills, and proved to be a ruthless test of endurance for the majority of the soldiers. The unlikely choice of battlefield is what gives the confrontation its name: the Battle on the Ice.

Lake Peipus is a large lake, covering 1,373 square miles

The icy strategy

How did Nevsky carry out this slippery manipulation?

DID YOU KNOW? The White Friday avalanche holds the world record for the deadliest single avalanche

Mount Marmolada is the highest mountain in the Dolomites

The events of ‘White Friday’

MOUNT MARMOLADA, ITALY

High in the snow-packed Alps, a series of attacks took place surrounding the Austrian-Italian border during World War I. As Austria and Italy’s armies climbed higher to reach better positions and continued to fire their weapons into the snowy peaks, the danger level escalated. But one particular day saw a killer with much more power than enemy fire. In mid-December 1916, a series of deadly avalanches swept away the lives of at least 2,000 soldiers.

BUILD-UP

1 DECEMBER 1916

From the beginning of the month, the summit of the mountain had gained between 8 and 12 metres of piled-up snow. Observing the accumulation, Austro-Hungarian commander Captain Rudolf Schmid demanded troops’ relocation due to a potentially larger threat. His superiors, situated in the safety of their heated offices, denied this request.

OUT OF CONTACT

5 DECEMBER 1916

Eight days before White Friday, the weather caused major disruptions to telephone lines. Without communication, both sides were low on supplies and unable to contact their bases for assistance.

HEAVY SNOWFALL

6 TO 12 DECEMBER 1916

The week prior to White Friday saw persistent heavy snowfall. This only added to the build-up to a fatal avalanche.

AUSTRIA’S BARRACKS ARE BURIED

13 DECEMBER 1916 (MORNING)

At 05:30, 200,000 tonnes of snow hurtled down the slopes and filled the Austrian soldiers’ barracks. Destroying everything in its path, the wooden buildings and the 332 people occupying them were instantly crushed. Only 40 bodies were recovered from the snow, and only a few survived the event, including Captain Schmid.

ITALIAN BASE BURIED

13 DECEMBER 1916 (EVENING)

Later that same day, a second avalanche erupted from the mountains above the Italian military base. This killed hundreds more, but this was not the end of the war’s avalanches.

These events continued throughout the rest of December, bringing casualty numbers up to their thousands.

INFLUENCING TACTICS

DECEMBER 1916

It’s reported that throughout December, later avalanches were used tactically. Their destructive ability to doom large numbers was displayed in the early avalanches, so some soldiers would aim for weak spots of snow, firing their weapons to purposefully trigger avalanches above their enemies.

WWII’s coldest conflicts

BATTLE OF THE BULGE

In a last major offensive towards the end of the war, Germany aimed to split up the Allied forces. Amid the icy blizzards, visibility was poor and temperatures plummeted, freezing weapons and tanks.

American soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge

BATTLE OF STALINGRAD

Around 2 million people lost their lives as Germany attempted to take the city of Stalingrad. Becoming one of the bloodiest battles in history, the freezing temperatures added to the death toll. Most days the temperature was a harsh -20 degrees Celsius, reaching a low of -30 degrees Celsius.

Battle of Stalingrad soldiers on the front line

LAPLAND WAR

Finland and Nazi Germany fought for power over the Lapland province during the winter, when temperatures ranged from zero to -30 degrees Celsius.

German soldier preparing weapons during the Lapland War

OPERATION SILVER FOX

The German military’s main aim was to capture a Soviet port in Finland.

This proved unsuccessful, largely due to the unforgiving weather. Ice and snow had frozen over most of the land, and with only a few roads available to travel, their route to the port was limited. An overall lack of preparation meant that the defence had the advantage and won.

Operation Silver Fox took place in Karelia, Finland

BATTLE OF ATTU

Japan gained control of the island, getting used to the drastic difference in climate compared to their homeland. US soldiers didn’t anticipate the sudden wind storms and fog-covered peaks. Early on, more American soldiers fell victim to the weather conditions, dying from frostbite and trench foot rather than from Japanese attacks.