Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Russian Winter shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Russian Winter offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Russian Winter at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Russian Winter? Wrong! If the Russian Winter is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Russian Winter then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Russian Winter? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Russian Winter and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Russian Winter wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Russian Winter then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Russian Winter site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Russian Winter, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Russian Winter, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
The
Russian (or
Soviet Union)
Winter is a common name of winter in Russia. It lasts for 5 months, from November till the end of March, and is known for its low temperatures and transportation difficulties, and also because of its role in military events on Russian territory. Common nicknames for the notion are
General Winter and
General Snow. Yet another one was "General Mud", see "
rasputitsa".
Temperatures
The average and minimal temperatures in Russian regions differ. In Yakutia the winter is most severe, with the lowest temperature around –55 to –60 °C (around –70 °F). In the European regions of Russia (west to Ural mountains) the winter is more European-like, with average temperature rarely falling lower than –15 °C; however, sometimes it is much colder: for example, the winter 2005/2006 showed temperature around –25 to –30 °C in Moscow in January, during the whole month. In Russia this period of the year is called the Epiphany (Christian) frosts and has been known for its low temperatures for centuries. One of the factors for these temperatures is the climate, that is Continental climate. The other factor is Russia's geography: it is as northerly as Canada, but with little open water inside to store the sun's energy. For example, in the
Altai Republic region in August the day temperature is higher than 20 °C, but at night it can fall down to 0 to -5 °C.
Effects on Warfare
The severity of Russian winter is often linked with Russian military victories. In the
Great Northern War, Charles XII of Sweden of
Sweden invaded the Russia of
Peter I of Russia. The Russians retreated, burning everything in their wake, leaving no supplies. This particular winter happened to be the most brutal winter of the 18th century, so severe that the salt water port of Venice froze. Charles' 35,000 troops were decimated, and only 19,000 were left after that winter. The
Battle of Poltava in 1709 sealed the end of the Swedish Empire.
) plotted on the lower graph for the return journey. –30 degrees
Réaumur = –37.5 Celsius = –35.5
FahrenheitNapoleon I of France La Grande Armée of 610,000 men Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, heading towards Moscow, in 1812. The Russian army retreated before the French and again burnt their crops and villages, denying the enemy their use. Napoleon's army was ultimately reduced to 100,000. His army suffered further, even more disastrous losses on the retreat from Moscow. According to an American military study, the main body of Napoleon's Grande Armée, initially at least 378,000 strong, "diminished by half during the first eight weeks of his invasion, before the major battle of the campaign. This decrease was partly due to garrisoning supply centres, but disease, desertions, and casualties sustained in various minor actions caused thousands of losses. At
Borodino on
7 September 1812—the only major engagement fought in Russia - Napoleon could muster no more than 135,000 troops and he lost at least 30,000 of them to gain a narrow and
Pyrrhic victory almost 600 miles inside hostile territory. The sequels were his uncontested and self-defeating occupation of Moscow and his humiliating retreat, which began on 19 October, before the first severe frosts later that month and the first snow on 5 November."
Under
Hitler,
Nazi Germany Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and Soviet forces withdrew into the steppe of Russia to acquire time and stretch the German army. Industries were dismantled and withdrawn to the Ural mountains for reassembly. The Soviet forces held off the Germans outside Moscow and defeated them at
Battle of Stalingrad in the bitterly cold January of 1943.
The argument of the Russian winter may be partly mythologized. Failed invaders liked to exaggerate the significance of weather conditions in their failures. According to the meteorological records, the 1812-1813 winter was milder than usual. During WWII the only cold winter was in 1941-1942, and the Wehrmacht had no supplies, such as winter uniforms due to the many delays in the German army's movements. Hitler's plans also miscarried before the onset of severe winter weather; he was so confident of a lightning victory that he did not prepare for even the possibility of winter warfare in Russia. Yet his eastern army suffered more than 734,000 casualties (about 23 percent of its average strength of 3,200,000 troops) during the first five months of the invasion, and on
27 November 1941, General
Eduard Wagner, the Quartermaster General of the German Army, reported that "We are at the end of our resources in both personnel and materiel. We are about to be confronted with the dangers of deep winter."
See also
References
Chew, Allen F. (1981), "Fighting the Russians in Winter: Three Case Studies" Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The
Russian (or
Soviet Union)
Winter is a common name of winter in Russia. It lasts for 5 months, from November till the end of March, and is known for its low temperatures and transportation difficulties, and also because of its role in military events on Russian territory. Common nicknames for the notion are
General Winter and
General Snow. Yet another one was "General Mud", see "rasputitsa".
Temperatures
The average and minimal temperatures in Russian regions differ. In Yakutia the winter is most severe, with the lowest temperature around –55 to –60 °C (around –70 °F). In the European regions of Russia (west to Ural mountains) the winter is more European-like, with average temperature rarely falling lower than –15 °C; however, sometimes it is much colder: for example, the winter 2005/2006 showed temperature around –25 to –30 °C in Moscow in January, during the whole month. In Russia this period of the year is called the Epiphany (Christian) frosts and has been known for its low temperatures for centuries. One of the factors for these temperatures is the climate, that is Continental climate. The other factor is Russia's geography: it is as northerly as Canada, but with little open water inside to store the sun's energy. For example, in the
Altai Republic region in August the day temperature is higher than 20 °C, but at night it can fall down to 0 to -5 °C.
Effects on Warfare
The severity of Russian winter is often linked with Russian military victories. In the Great Northern War, Charles XII of Sweden of
Sweden invaded the Russia of Peter I of Russia. The Russians retreated, burning everything in their wake, leaving no supplies. This particular winter happened to be the most brutal winter of the 18th century, so severe that the salt water port of
Venice froze. Charles' 35,000 troops were decimated, and only 19,000 were left after that winter. The Battle of Poltava in 1709 sealed the end of the
Swedish Empire.
) plotted on the lower graph for the return journey. –30 degrees
Réaumur = –37.5
Celsius = –35.5 Fahrenheit
Napoleon I of France La Grande Armée of 610,000 men
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, heading towards Moscow, in 1812. The Russian army retreated before the French and again burnt their crops and villages, denying the enemy their use. Napoleon's army was ultimately reduced to 100,000. His army suffered further, even more disastrous losses on the retreat from Moscow. According to an American military study, the main body of Napoleon's Grande Armée, initially at least 378,000 strong, "diminished by half during the first eight weeks of his invasion, before the major battle of the campaign. This decrease was partly due to garrisoning supply centres, but disease, desertions, and casualties sustained in various minor actions caused thousands of losses. At
Borodino on 7 September 1812—the only major engagement fought in Russia - Napoleon could muster no more than 135,000 troops and he lost at least 30,000 of them to gain a narrow and
Pyrrhic victory almost 600 miles inside hostile territory. The sequels were his uncontested and self-defeating occupation of Moscow and his humiliating retreat, which began on 19 October, before the first severe frosts later that month and the first snow on 5 November."
Under
Hitler,
Nazi Germany Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and Soviet forces withdrew into the steppe of Russia to acquire time and stretch the German army. Industries were dismantled and withdrawn to the Ural mountains for reassembly. The Soviet forces held off the Germans outside Moscow and defeated them at
Battle of Stalingrad in the bitterly cold January of 1943.
The argument of the Russian winter may be partly mythologized. Failed invaders liked to exaggerate the significance of weather conditions in their failures. According to the meteorological records, the 1812-1813 winter was milder than usual. During WWII the only cold winter was in 1941-1942, and the
Wehrmacht had no supplies, such as winter uniforms due to the many delays in the German army's movements. Hitler's plans also miscarried before the onset of severe winter weather; he was so confident of a lightning victory that he did not prepare for even the possibility of winter warfare in Russia. Yet his eastern army suffered more than 734,000 casualties (about 23 percent of its average strength of 3,200,000 troops) during the first five months of the invasion, and on 27 November
1941, General
Eduard Wagner, the Quartermaster General of the German Army, reported that "We are at the end of our resources in both personnel and materiel. We are about to be confronted with the dangers of deep winter."
See also
References
Chew, Allen F. (1981), "Fighting the Russians in Winter: Three Case Studies" Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
