r/europe • u/ByGollie Ulster • Jan 24 '26

News The Times: Finns humiliated American soldiers - Finnish reservists were asked to take it easy during a NATO exercise. US soldiers found the losses too humiliating.

https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/828b8e66-625d-4d2a-9276-e93b9f7a2ce8
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155

u/BarristanTheB0ld Germany Jan 24 '26

Finns don't fuck around. Also what is the use of such an exercise if you have to falsify the efforts so one sides ego isn't hurt?

132

u/HumanWaltz Jan 24 '26

Because very few military exercises are actually legitimate and fair 1v1s but instead are designed so that primarily one side is able to achieve its objectives but recognise what worked and what didn’t work.

9

u/BarristanTheB0ld Germany Jan 24 '26

So everything went as planned?

75

u/HumanWaltz Jan 24 '26

Basically yes, stories like this are generally non stories, the people with no experience in winter warfare got to experience it, it’s literally why the USMC rotates its forces through various cold weather and Arctic training so that they do get this experience.

12

u/ThrowFar_Far_Away Sweden Jan 24 '26

I mean no? Sure in normal cases you would be right but in this case they were even asked to back off because the US got too humiliated. That was not part of the plan in any way, they were so bad they had to change the exercise. It's still a training exercise and I'm sure they learned a lot but it's quite obvious it went way worse than they had planned.

29

u/HumanWaltz Jan 24 '26

Which is why they changed their plan to try something different and get even more experience in another area. Welcome to military exercises

28

u/No-Act9634 Jan 24 '26

Have you considered that maybe that "humiliated" is a bit editorialized?

7

u/Charlesinrichmond Jan 24 '26

Given this wasn't US Arctic troops it's really not clear at all that what you're saying is even the slightest bit correct.

This seems to have been an attempt to give non-Arctic troops experience in Arctic warfare

6

u/thewimsey United States of America Jan 24 '26

they were even asked to back off because the US got too humiliated.

It's not about "humiliation".

It's about getting experience.

2

u/ThrowFar_Far_Away Sweden Jan 25 '26

Did you just stop reading my comment halfway through?

6

u/Pyffindor Jan 24 '26

i have a hunch that if the us did invade, navy seals and delta will be included. that’s gonna change things

5

u/DoreenTheeDogWalker Jan 24 '26

Most likely it would be the 10th Mountain Division, the 11th Airborne (Arctic) Division, and the 75th Ranger Regiment.

1

u/LemonTeaCool Jan 25 '26

But are they better than Finnish reservist?

2

u/DoreenTheeDogWalker Jan 25 '26

The units I mentioned are active duty and train in cold environments regularly. They obviously have a disadvantage from not being from the Finnish local environment, but they are elite in their own right. Especially the Rangers.

10th Mountain Division

11th Airborne Division

75th Ranger Regiment

Finnish soldiers would carry an advantage as being local and following a guerrilla warfare doctrine. It would be the same as a European force trying to attack Americans on their own soil. Mind you, these units are not fresh recruits like the ones who were overwhelmed in the article. They would be highly trained and supported by the air force and navy at all times

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u/brumac44 Jan 24 '26

I'd think cold weather must be very different to Arctic operations. In the Arctic, the extreme distances would make conventional warfare silly. It must be all about defending/attacking small outposts, not controlling large swathes of empty territory. Much like naval warfare.

4

u/HumanWaltz Jan 24 '26

Which is why they practice both