March 16, 2026

Several Shoulders: The Molotov Cocktail

Several Shoulders: The Molotov Cocktail
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A superpower rolls in with tanks and a million soldiers, convinced the job will be quick. Then the snow hits, the forests close in, and Finland refuses to play by the rules. We’re Bradley and Kate, and we’re telling the underdog story of the Winter War, when the Soviet Union invades Finland in late 1939 and discovers that “overwhelming force” doesn’t mean much on narrow roads, in deep drifts, at brutal temperatures.

We break down why Stalin wants a buffer zone near Leningrad, how negotiations collapse, and why the Mainila shelling incident is widely viewed as a pretext for war. From there we get into the on-the-ground reality: Finnish ski troops, white camouflage, locals who know the terrain, and the motti tactic that slices Soviet columns into isolated pockets and slowly starves them of supplies. If you’ve ever wondered how a smaller army can outthink a larger one, this is a masterclass in winter warfare and battlefield adaptability.

Then we get to the wild part: the true origin of the Molotov cocktail. Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov claims bombs are actually humanitarian “food parcels,” so Finns sarcastically nickname them “Molotov bread baskets” and decide to provide a drink to go with the meal. We talk about how these improvised firebombs could disable tanks, how Finland scaled production through Alko, and how the Molotov cocktail later spreads through conflicts around the world. If you like military history, World War II stories, and the weird places language comes from, hit play, subscribe, and leave us a review, then share your favorite underdog moment with us.

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00:15 - Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

03:04 - Beer Tasting And Setup

08:35 - Why The Soviet Union Invades

15:14 - Finland’s Winter Terrain Advantage

21:57 - Motti Tactics Against Soviet Columns

24:00 - Tanks Become Trapped Targets

25:44 - Molotov Cocktail Name Origin

28:52 - How Molotov Cocktails Stop Tanks

34:37 - Mass Production And Global Afterlife

36:38 - Winter War Outcome And Casualties

39:36 - Idioms Corner And Wrap Up

47:06 - Where To Find The Show

WEBVTT

00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:16.640
Oh hey there.

00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:17.600
Oh hey there.

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How are you?

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You better know that that stopped.

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It's very windy out.

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It's extremely windy out, and we're the history buffoons.

00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:28.800
Yes, I am Kate.

00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:29.839
And I am Bradley.

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And we are very unpolished.

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Very unpolished.

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And that's what makes us great.

00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:36.719
That's what makes us buffoons.

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We just throw some history on top of it.

00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:43.200
So uh we just kind of sprinkle it in.

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A little dustin'.

00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.320
A little dustin of history.

00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.719
You know, I think it needs a little more history.

00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.840
Get out the history shaker, pour some on it.

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Pour some history on me.

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In the name of learning.

00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:00.399
I don't know.

00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:02.960
Um so yeah, we're the history buffoons.

00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:04.959
Did I say I was Kate?

00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:05.519
You did.

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I was talking, but okay.

00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:08.480
Yeah, what's up?

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Uh anyone who likes listening to the show, please like, subscribe, all that nonsense that people say.

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And uh, if you feel so inclined to help us out with uh researching and equipment and such, you can go to our website.

00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:34.480
There's a link on the top that you can help us uh by donating very minimal amounts of dollars, but it helps with uh just getting done what we like to do because we rather enjoy doing this.

00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:41.920
And uh that's I think shown because we're about to record episode 85 of the buffoons.

00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:43.200
That is wild.

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I mean, that's a lot of you okay?

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Yep.

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Was it sliding down?

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No, I just decided to move it.

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Oh, okay.

00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.280
Like we said, we're very unpolished.

00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:56.879
Yeah.

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Yeah.

00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.760
So today.

00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:07.439
Today, we are going to talk about um the Soviet Union invading Finland.

00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:08.000
Okay.

00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:09.520
Right before World War II.

00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:10.240
Oh, nice.

00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:11.520
Just to kind of put it out there.

00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:13.280
Sounds like an upbeat tale.

00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.120
It's super de-duper.

00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:16.479
Super de duper.

00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:18.400
Super de duper upbeat.

00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:22.000
Can you hear the drums applying?

00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:23.520
I like drums.

00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.120
Snap your fingers.

00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:26.400
Snap your neck.

00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:28.960
No fingers like a gang.

00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:30.960
No, I got it.

00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:34.159
There's a song by Prong called Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck.

00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.000
Oh, I believe you.

00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:37.599
You should because it's real.

00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:38.080
Yeah.

00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:39.759
So you know.

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Anyways.

00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:41.120
All right.

00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:43.759
Finland getting invaded by Germany.

00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:44.080
No.

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Russia.

00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:45.199
Yes.

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There it is.

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There you go.

00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.120
Well, you know, you can see where I mixed up there.

00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:50.639
But I just said it.

00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.000
Well, not everything you say is sticks.

00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:54.719
Oh.

00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:56.479
Is that my problem or yours?

00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:57.360
I think both.

00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:57.680
Oh.

00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:00.319
That's why we record this so I can I listen back all the time.

00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.000
I'm like, I just learned something.

00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:05.599
Anyways, what are we drinking today?

00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:07.280
I got you something special.

00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:08.719
I got a B on mine.

00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:12.639
You got a but yeah, I'm gonna have one with her, and then I got a secondary one as well.

00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.280
So we got Have I had this one before?

00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.280
No, I don't I don't think so.

00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:25.599
It is uh the Lakefront Brewery um Honey Bach Lager with Honey, but it's also barrel aged.

00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.719
It's barrel aged, and you really wanted to try one as well.

00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.919
You have a different podcast beer, but you're like, I want to try this one.

00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.439
Well, yeah, because it looked good.

00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:34.719
I mean, honey bock.

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I like it's good.

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Loggers are growing on me.

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Are they?

00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.520
Um, well, I drink banquet all the time, and that's yeah.

00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.639
But like, I don't know, the honey sounded good and the barrel aged sounded good.

00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:49.120
So, does it have an ABV on it?

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This German-inspired honey bok was aged in bourbon barrels.

00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:01.199
Um it doesn't look like it has it listed on the can.

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Alright, well let's crack her up and see what it tastes like, shall we?

00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:07.280
We shall.

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Cheers.

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Cheers to be happy.

00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:17.680
Oh, you're not gonna like that.

00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:20.480
Nope.

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Holy shit.

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I have a backup modello.

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That is that is strong.

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Holy crap.

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That is not my thing.

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Nope.

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And that's why I'm like, I should try this with you.

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Okay, the honey is strong.

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It's very strong, but so is the barrel age.

00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:43.279
So is the barrel age?

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Because it's uh bourbon barrel, right?

00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:53.279
So do you think okay, so if you had your way, would you take out more of the honey, or would you take out more of the the bourbon?

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Let me take another sip here.

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I have to wash mine.

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I don't know.

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I like it.

00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:05.279
Do you?

00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:05.680
Yeah.

00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:06.480
Okay, good.

00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:08.800
It's not something I hate to waste a beer.

00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:09.120
Sorry.

00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:10.160
Oh, it won't go to waste.

00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:10.639
Yeah.

00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:12.720
Um, and I hate when you waste beer too.

00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.319
But um, it's it's potent.

00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:16.959
It is.

00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.439
This has got to be some pretty high ABV then.

00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:21.040
Yeah, I'm gonna try it again.

00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:22.160
Just give it another go.

00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:23.839
You're not gonna like it, but give it a try.

00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:25.759
But I like the I like the can.

00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:26.560
The can.

00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.800
It's oh no.

00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:34.560
Okay, for me it's the bourbon.

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I figured.

00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:35.519
Yeah.

00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:36.800
For me, it's the bourbon.

00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:37.279
Yeah.

00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:41.519
Oh, cross.

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I'm kidding.

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Gurgling her modello.

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Just I don't have a very big mouth.

00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:48.319
Nope.

00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:49.680
That's what you say.

00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:50.720
Oh my gosh.

00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:50.959
Okay.

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She has to cut her grapes in half to eat them.

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Just saying.

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Okay, well, that will put some hair on your chest.

00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:04.560
Oh, Jesus.

00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.560
I think I'll put some hair in my ass.

00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:07.360
Jesus Christ.

00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.399
That is that is potent stuff.

00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:14.319
Okay, so I think my microphone.

00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:15.519
Isn't my microphone okay?

00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:16.480
Can you hear me well?

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I can hear you fine.

00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:18.160
Okay.

00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:19.199
I think.

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I don't know.

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I feel like no.

00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:28.879
Well, because you you extended it and because the weight balance is now way off, it's gonna keep going down on you.

00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:30.240
Okay.

00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:32.959
Okay.

00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:35.040
Yeah, that's my apologies.

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You're good.

00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:36.480
All right.

00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:41.920
We we pack up our stuff after every recording, so we have to take it all back out just because we don't have the space.

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So we don't have a dedicated studio, even though we are actually in the podloft together.

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We are.

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It's been a minute.

00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:55.920
Um but we uh, you know, it's a small room, so we clean it up and pack it up so it's not everywhere.

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But it would be lovely to have a studio someday, but you know, we we make do.

00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:01.040
Yeah, we do.

00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:03.680
Just like, you know, Russia may do attacking Finland.

00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:04.879
Yeah, let's talk about that.

00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:06.240
Let's get into it.

00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:08.639
So when you think of war.

00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.800
I think of uh the band.

00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:14.319
War.

00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:19.519
Say it again.

00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:20.240
Exactly.

00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:22.240
No, that's not what I think of.

00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:27.040
Uh oh my god, why Lowrider.

00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:28.240
There we go.

00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:30.560
You're thinking of a song called War.

00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:31.279
Yes, I know.

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I'm thinking of the band that does the song Lowrider.

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Yes, I know.

00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:35.600
No, you don't.

00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:38.160
Well, I knew you weren't referencing a song, you were referencing a band.

00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:38.959
Anyway, let's move on.

00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:45.439
Wow, that just when you think of war, you think of burping.

00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:46.399
Pardon me.

00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:55.279
Massive armies, powerful leaders, giant machine tanks, and guns and stuffs.

00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:58.399
Depending on the era, cannons, like whatever.

00:07:58.639 --> 00:07:59.519
Yeah, right, right.

00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:10.160
But every once in a while something ridiculous happens during war, and that's what we're gonna talk about today.

00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:14.639
Kind of like the what was Cor Corporal Wo Wojak?

00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:15.759
What was the bear?

00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:16.480
The bear.

00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:16.800
Yeah.

00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:17.839
The bear.

00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:19.120
Because that's that was weird.

00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:21.360
That was that was that was weird.

00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:22.240
Yeah, that was.

00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:27.040
If you haven't listened to the origin story on Wojtek Voy t Voytek.

00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:31.759
Voytek, that's it's Voytek the the bear in the in the Polish army.

00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:33.279
That one's that's a great episode.

00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:34.320
That's so weird.

00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:38.799
So our story begins in uh the autumn of 1939.

00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:40.000
Oh, that's a good time.

00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:45.120
Europe is um sliding towards this big catastrophe we all know is gonna happen.

00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:45.519
Yep.

00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:50.320
In September of that year, Nazi Germany had already invaded Poland, yep.

00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:52.559
Um, which which would start World War II.

00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:53.759
Started the war, yep.

00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:57.919
But north of that, there's another conflict that's happening.

00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:10.799
Um, so in November of 1939, tensions between Finland and the Soviet Union um erupted into like open warfare um in what would become the winter war.

00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:11.919
Winter war.

00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:13.360
I've not heard of that, have you?

00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:14.799
No, yeah, I don't think so.

00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:19.679
So the Soviet Union's second largest city at the time was called Leningrad.

00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:20.080
Yep.

00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:21.519
Um, today it's St.

00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:22.399
Petersburg.

00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:23.039
Correct.

00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:27.840
Um, and it sat really close to the Finnish border.

00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:28.559
Oh, okay.

00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:29.039
Yeah.

00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.720
I should have looked up some some maps because I don't know that area.

00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.840
We'll try and get some the in the video portion of this.

00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:43.279
So um at its nearest point, the frontier of Finnish Finland was like 20 miles away.

00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:44.480
Like super close.

00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:45.200
That close.

00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:45.919
Gotcha.

00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:51.039
So to Soviet leadership, this proximity was very, very vulnerable.

00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:51.679
Sure.

00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:59.919
Um, and if a hostile power ever attacked through Finland, uh Leningrad would be threatened immediately.

00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:01.039
Instantly, yeah.

00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:10.399
So the man making these um calculations, if you will, was Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:15.120
Yeah, and he had spent much of the 1930s tightening his grip on power.

00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:15.440
Sure.

00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:22.080
Stalin believed that the Soviet Union needed a protective buffer zone of territory between itself and potential enemies.

00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:22.799
Okay.

00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:24.000
I mean, it makes sense.

00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:26.399
It's like having a moat around your country.

00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:27.840
A moat, if you will.

00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:29.519
A simple moat.

00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:38.720
You know, Finland was small, but it was still a strategic, um, strategic ground that they could have, right?

00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:39.519
That they wanted.

00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:39.919
Right.

00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:49.360
So Soviet diplomats began pressuring Finland throughout 1939, proposing in what they would try to call mutual security agreement.

00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:53.919
The proposal sounded reasonable on the surface.

00:10:54.159 --> 00:11:03.679
Finland would hand over a certain amount of territory along the border in exchange for the Soviet Union would offer like other land for them far east.

00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:04.159
Sure.

00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:17.919
So, in reality, the deal would have pushed Finland's defensive lines dangerously close to the population centers and handed the Soviets control of key strategic points in the country.

00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:18.480
Okay.

00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:28.480
And Finland, they weren't having this because the country had just gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1917.

00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:32.320
Oh, so it's after centuries of being under imperial rule.

00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:33.519
Oh, I didn't realize that.

00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.080
Okay, so they were like, no, it's like 22 years.

00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:39.759
Yeah, like we're we're a fresh little training.

00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:40.000
Yeah.

00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:42.960
We're we're we're I forgot the word I was gonna use.

00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:43.519
Go on.

00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:58.799
So, so memories of like that um domination were really still fresh in their minds, and many Finns feared that giving up territory would be like the first step towards losing their their sovereignty entirely.

00:11:59.039 --> 00:11:59.200
Right.

00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:01.519
So Finland was like, no, we're good.

00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:02.240
We're good.

00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:03.039
We don't want this.

00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:17.679
Yeah, so negotiations dragged on for weeks as Soviet demands grew a little bit more aggressive, and then on November 26, in 1939, a mysterious artillery incident occurred near the village of Maynela.

00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:19.039
What's it called?

00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:20.080
Mainila.

00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:20.960
Maynila?

00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:21.360
Mm-hmm.

00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:21.759
Okay.

00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:31.919
Soviet authorities claim that Finnish forces had shelled Soviet territory, killing several sh several shoulders.

00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:32.960
Shoulders.

00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:33.840
Soldiers.

00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:34.399
Wow.

00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:37.039
I'm like, I guess that yeah, if they killed a couple soldiers.

00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:42.080
If they killed some soldiers, they probably killed a couple shoulders.

00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:43.600
I would imagine.

00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:47.360
So shoulders.

00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:48.799
Jesus Christ.

00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:51.519
Soldiers is hard to say sometimes, okay?

00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:55.039
It's oddly similar to shoulders.

00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:58.159
So Finland denied responsibility.

00:12:58.399 --> 00:12:58.639
Okay.

00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:00.799
They're like, we didn't shell your country.

00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:02.480
Why would we be that stupid?

00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:03.200
Right.

00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:08.399
Um, and they suggested the Soviet army might have fired the shells into themselves.

00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:09.360
Yeah.

00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:11.440
I kind of thought that might be where that's going.

00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:13.759
They're like, we didn't do did you didn't you?

00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:14.240
Me?

00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:14.799
No, no.

00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:22.639
So historians today widely believe that the incident was staged as a pretext for this winter war.

00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:23.360
Interesting.

00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:23.759
Okay.

00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:28.399
Four days later, on November 30th, Soviet troops crossed into Finland.

00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:29.279
Oh boy.

00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:34.480
So from the Soviet perspective, the campaign looked like it would be a routine military operation.

00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:35.039
Right.

00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:43.200
The Soviet Union fielded um an enormous army, over a million soldiers were available for this invasion.

00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:50.240
And they brought thousands of tanks, um, hundreds of aircraft, and massive artillery support.

00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:50.799
Okay.

00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:55.200
Finland's entire army was a fraction of that size.

00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:56.000
Well, yeah.

00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.200
I mean, Finland's pretty small in general compared to Russia.

00:13:59.360 --> 00:13:59.679
Uh-huh.

00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:04.320
So and Finland could only muster about 300,000 soldiers.

00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:06.080
That's actually still pretty good.

00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:10.960
And many of them were military reservists, like from the reserve and volunteers.

00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:11.840
Oh boy.

00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:18.240
Soviet planners assumed that the Finnish government would collapse quickly once faced with an overwhelming force.

00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:18.720
Right.

00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:20.000
I mean makes sense.

00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:20.799
Yeah.

00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:30.480
So some Soviet officers reportedly believe that Helsinki, which is Finland's capital, would fall within a matter of weeks.

00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:37.120
So in the early days of the campaign, Soviet propaganda confidently predicted like a swift victory.

00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:38.000
That's crazy.

00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:45.919
The invasion was presented not as a brutal conquest, but more of a liberation of the Finnish Finnish people.

00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:46.720
Bullshit.

00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:47.840
Good lord.

00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:53.039
And many Soviet soldiers themselves expected a short campaign.

00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:54.159
Well, of course they did.

00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:54.559
Yeah.

00:14:54.879 --> 00:15:04.320
Some accounts uh suggested that troops were told to pack light, light winter gear because the war would be over before their winter set in.

00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.639
They will be home by Christmas.

00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.200
Everything will be done in just a matter of weeks, you know.

00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:10.879
Oh, they're okay.

00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:11.759
Yeah.

00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:14.960
But they encountered something a little differently.

00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.960
Was it the terrain?

00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.240
It was the terrain.

00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:18.720
Yeah.

00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:19.279
Yeah.

00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.399
Look at me go.

00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:20.960
Yeah.

00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:26.159
So Finland, um, not a great place to fight a war in winter.

00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:27.840
No, I can't imagine it would be.

00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:30.960
December temperatures would plunge well below zero.

00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:31.360
Right.

00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.159
Snowpiled deep across forests and frozen lakes.

00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:34.639
Yep.

00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:43.200
The landscape became more of a maze of dense woods, narrow roads, icy wilderness that would stretch on for miles.

00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:44.000
Yeah.

00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:53.279
And unlike the invading large ass army, the Finnish soldiers soldiers knew the terrain very, very well.

00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.759
Well, they definitely have the advantage from being there.

00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:56.240
So yes.

00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:59.360
Many of the Finnish troops were hunters and farmers.

00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:00.080
Right, yeah.

00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:05.759
Lumber workers, people who were accustomed to surviving outdoors in these brutal conditions.

00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:10.399
Oh, that makes sense because obviously, again, like you said, a lot of them were volunteers.

00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:12.799
So what do these volunteers do?

00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:14.080
They're normal jobs and shit.

00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:14.720
Yeah, yeah.

00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.120
Which is a lot of that stuff that you just listed off.

00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:22.799
So yeah, it makes sense that they would have that advantage over an invading army.

00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:30.960
And they would wear skis to glide silently through these forests where Soviet vehicles struggled to maneuver, obviously.

00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:33.200
Well, did they come with a plow on the front?

00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:33.919
Because fuck.

00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:34.559
No.

00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:40.399
They also had these white camouflage uh uniforms, so that blended like perfectly into the landscape.

00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:41.120
Oh, sure.

00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:41.919
Yeah.

00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:54.879
So the Soviet army, by contrast, often found itself itself stuck on these really narrow forest roads, and they had like long columns of tanks, like one by one.

00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:55.279
Right.

00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:56.799
Because it's like single file.

00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.679
Yeah, it's it's like the sand people in Star Wars.

00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:02.399
They travel in single file to hide their numbers.

00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:02.639
Yeah.

00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:03.360
Oh, okay.

00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:03.679
Yeah.

00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:04.079
Yeah.

00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:05.920
Just coming up with shit.

00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:06.799
You ahead.

00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:08.000
Thanks.

00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:17.680
So vehicles would be bogged down in deep snow, engines would freeze, um, soldiers unused to the extreme cold suffered soft uh frostbite and exhaustion.

00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:18.160
Right.

00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:24.319
And the Finnish army couldn't match the Soviet Union in numbers, but it had adaptability.

00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:25.119
Sure.

00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:30.319
Finnish troops developed tactics that relied on speed and mobility.

00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:36.720
Instead of confronting Soviet forces head on, they targeted isolated units and supply lines.

00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:37.920
Which makes sense.

00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:46.240
So Soviet columns moving along these narrow forest roads would suddenly find themselves cut apart into smaller pockets.

00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.119
Oh shit.

00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.720
So once separated, these pockets would be surrounded and destroyed.

00:17:50.960 --> 00:18:03.519
So the tactic became known as moti or mo moti, a Finnish word referring to a stack of firewood cut into manageable pieces.

00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:04.559
Oh, sure.

00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:13.440
Uh Soviet divisions that had entered Finland had massive formations and they were chopped into these smaller pieces for a much smaller army.

00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:14.000
Okay.

00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.200
So that makes sense.

00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:24.799
I had to look up like how they did this because if there's like a huge line of tanks and soldiers, how did the Finns like get in there to break up these people?

00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:25.279
Right?

00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:25.839
Right.

00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:43.759
So Finnish ski troops moved silently through the forest, and then on either side of the road columns, and because they were traveling on snee skis and wearing and wearing um white camouflage, they could move really quickly and pretty invisible.

00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:44.160
Yeah.

00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:51.440
So instead of attacking the entire Soviet column, um, they targeted specific specific points along the road.

00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:51.920
Sure.

00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:53.839
They would blow up bridges, right?

00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:54.480
Makes sense.

00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.119
They would fell trees to cut them off.

00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:57.680
Yep.

00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:04.160
Um, and then they would also destroy the first vehicle in the convoy and the last vehicle.

00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:06.079
They couldn't move then, yeah.

00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:10.400
So once the ends were blocked off, the Soviet column suddenly found itself trapped.

00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:16.319
So within the road blocked with within the road, it was blocked in multiple positions.

00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:17.680
Yeah, multiple points, yeah.

00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:23.920
And Finnish troops would then strike again at these points along the column, dividing it in even into even smaller groups.

00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:24.640
Sure.

00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.519
So some of these possibilities.

00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:28.640
I mean that's that's brilliant.

00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:29.200
I know.

00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:34.960
I mean, again, using your terrain if to your advantage, that's that's quite brilliant to do.

00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:40.720
And like they clearly, you know, being the smaller army, like the Russians said, ah, we got this.

00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:41.759
Yeah, exactly.

00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:52.880
But they they used everything they had to their advantage to uh make it rather difficult for them to uh to just be so cocky and like, yeah, we we got you.

00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:53.759
Yeah, exactly.

00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:59.920
Anyways, so yeah, um, some of these pockets contain only a handful of vehicles.

00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:05.839
Um, others might hold like hundreds of soldiers, but once separated, they could no longer support each other.

00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:06.400
Right.

00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:10.400
So Finnish troops rarely rushed in for a direct attack.

00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:10.880
Sure.

00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:11.440
Attack.

00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:17.599
So instead they surrounded the trapped pockets and began a slow process of process of attrition.

00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:23.039
They would cut supply lines, they would harass the um trapped troops with sniper fire.

00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:23.599
Oh shit.

00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:29.119
They would attack supply trucks and destroy vehicles when opportunities arose.

00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:29.839
Sure.

00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:37.839
So in the brutal winter conditions, Soviet soldiers trapped in these pockets quickly began to run out of food, ammunition, and warm clothing.

00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:38.640
Oh boy.

00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:39.359
Yes.

00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:52.640
Meanwhile, Soviet tanks expected to dominate the battlefield and they began encountering an unexpected problem.

00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:57.440
The machines were powerful, right, but they were designed for open terrain.

00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:58.079
Correct.

00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:03.200
Not is it pretty mountainous in in uh more forests.

00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:04.720
Just forest, okay.

00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:09.599
I was I'm I I don't know the topography of Finland.

00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:13.920
So tanks that strayed off roads would become instantly stuck.

00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:14.319
Right.

00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:19.759
And when a tank stopped moving in the middle of the Finnish forest, it bec became a target.

00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:20.240
Right.

00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:31.440
So within weeks, the Soviet leadership had expected to be a quick and tidy campaign, was starting to become a little bit more humiliating for them as the Soviet casualties mounted uh rapidly.

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:32.000
Right.

00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:44.079
Um, entire units disappeared into the forest, columns of tanks were ambushed and destroyed, and it dragged on for many, many cold months as opposed to we're gonna be home by Christmas.

00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:47.759
So, how do you have how long this total war was?

00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:48.880
How long it was?

00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.400
Like it lasted, yeah, because it started at the end of November.

00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.759
Um, it was only like March of the next year.

00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.920
Okay, so not terribly long.

00:21:58.160 --> 00:21:59.519
Okay, so four months roughly.

00:21:59.680 --> 00:21:59.759
Yeah.

00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.319
Okay.

00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:09.119
So as Soviet army struggled to adapt, the Finns began finding creative ways to fight machines.

00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:14.720
Um and they had no conventional weapons to stop them.

00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.519
Right.

00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:20.319
So remember the very beginning when I said something ridiculous is about to happen?

00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:20.799
Yes.

00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:22.240
Keep that in mind.

00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:22.960
Alright.

00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:23.599
Okay.

00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:25.599
So in my mind.

00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:36.480
When Soviet forces crossed into Finland at the start of the Winter War, um, they brought these huge columns of tanks.

00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:37.119
Yep.

00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:43.119
Um the Soviet tanks unit rolled forward along these narrow roads.

00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:48.240
Um, and engines like were rumbling through the the bitter air.

00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:54.240
And to Soviet commanders, these machines represented overwhelming force.

00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:55.519
Sure, of course, yeah.

00:22:55.839 --> 00:23:04.480
Um, steel armor, mounted uh machine guns, heavy cannons, and it was supposed to attack the Finnish resistance really quickly.

00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:06.640
Yeah, like l literally obliterate them.

00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:07.039
Yes.

00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:07.759
Kind of thing.

00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:13.920
So once the tanks started moving, the assumption was that the Finnish defenses would collapse under their weight.

00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.119
Like instantly, yeah.

00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:17.839
And of course the Finns were like, oh, this looks this sucks.

00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:18.720
This really sucks.

00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:20.240
This sucks.

00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:24.000
Uh Finland possessed very few anti-tank guns.

00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:24.480
Right.

00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:28.400
And those they did have were scattered thinly across the front.

00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:29.039
Sure.

00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:43.839
Ammunition was limited, and replacement equipment was scarce, and many Finnish soldiers suddenly found themselves facing facing machines that weighed more than 20 tons and armor thick enough to shrug off any simple rifle fire.

00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:44.880
Of course, yeah.

00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:51.440
Standing in the snow with a little more than a rifle and a few grenades, the tanks were like unstoppable monsters.

00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:52.160
Right.

00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:56.480
Rifles and machine guns could harass a tank, but they could not stop one.

00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:57.119
Yep.

00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:05.920
If Finland was going to survive the invasion, its soldiers needed a way to fight machines that seemed nearly in uh invincible.

00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:08.319
So they began to inter improvise.

00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:08.960
Cool.

00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:16.000
One of the solutions came in the form of a simple glass bottle filled with gasoline.

00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:17.599
A Molotov cocktail?

00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.720
A Molotov cocktail.

00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.759
Is that where this was invented?

00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:26.880
They were using Molotov cocktails a little bit before the war, this winter war.

00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:27.440
Okay.

00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:29.519
The name came from this story.

00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.240
Did it really?

00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:30.720
Yes.

00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:31.440
Oh, okay.

00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:32.480
I didn't know that.

00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:34.160
Well, that's fucking awesome.

00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:41.440
I wanted to surprise you by what we were talking about, so that's why I just said it was the Soviet Union invading Finland.

00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.079
But my story is about the Molotov talk cocktail.

00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:44.799
That's awesome.

00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:45.440
And yeah.

00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:49.680
On that note, I'm gonna open my my normal podcast beer.

00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.200
This is a new Sierra Nevada uh little thing.

00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.680
They have a series, it's called Little Things or whatever.

00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:55.920
Yeah.

00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:00.160
But this is a Citra little thing IPA, and it's a hazy IPA.

00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:05.839
And um, yeah, I'm gonna open this and wash out that bourbon barrel eight.

00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:07.279
Did you end up liking it?

00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.279
I like it, but man, I cannot have a lot of those in one sitting.

00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:11.680
Yeah.

00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:17.839
You would be on the floor if you did, and it's it's so it's got so much flavor.

00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:20.559
It's like overpowering.

00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:22.480
Sorry, overpowering kind of.

00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:24.640
So cheers to this one.

00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:27.119
Yeah, I want to hear what you have to say.

00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:29.599
Yep.

00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:30.640
That's good.

00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:39.920
It's uh got a little more for being a hazy, I don't want to say it's got the more traditional pine notes of a IPA, but I've got a hint of it.

00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.839
I also don't know if it's conflicting with that.

00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:42.640
Yeah, yeah.

00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.240
So, anyways, all right.

00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:46.880
So the m the how do you how do you properly say it?

00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:47.920
Molotov.

00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:48.720
Molotov.

00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:51.359
Okay, because I know I always said it wrong, but okay.

00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:59.839
So at the very same time that tanks were grinding their way across the Finnish border, another battle was being fought on the airwaves.

00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:00.799
Oh, okay.

00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:07.759
The Soviet government um was dis determined to control the story of the war, of course, just as much as the battlefield.

00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:08.319
Yeah.

00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:16.720
Soviet leaders insisted that their invasion was not an act of aggression, but a kind of humanitarian mission.

00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:19.759
Yeah, because you said they were trying to liberate the Finnish people.

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:21.039
Is that what you said earlier?

00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:21.359
Right.

00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:31.680
And and I mean, they're tr clearly trying to um control the narrative on this because they said no, they attacked us, they they killed some of our shoulders.

00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:35.279
And um, it's like, no, you did that to your own people, yeah.

00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:36.960
To boost this.

00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:44.079
So the man that was delivering these messages over the airwaves was Vayeschevet.

00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:45.119
Nope.

00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.880
Vayacheslav.

00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:49.519
That's a that's a tough name to say.

00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:49.920
Yeah.

00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:50.720
Yeah, I get that.

00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.440
Vayacheslov Molotov.

00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.519
Oh, so it came from his name?

00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:56.240
Came from his name.

00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:57.680
So it's someone's last name.

00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:05.440
Um he was the Soviet Union's foreign minister and one of the most recognizable voices in the regime.

00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:06.000
Okay.

00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:16.720
So Molotov went on Soviet radio broadcast to explain that Soviet aircraft flying over Finland were not dropping bombs on Finnish cities.

00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:20.319
According to him, the planes were delivering humanitarian supplies.

00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:20.880
Oh, geez.

00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:27.359
Food parcels and food parcels intended to help the Finnish population.

00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:28.000
Okay.

00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:34.640
So it was a claim so disconnected from reality that many Finns could only respond with humor.

00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:42.799
The explosions shaking their homes and streets did not look or sound like relief packages.

00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:44.480
Humanitarian packages.

00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:50.079
So Finnish uh civilians came up with their own interpretation of Molotov's explanation.

00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:50.480
Okay.

00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:56.079
If the bombs were supposed to be food deliveries, then clearly they must be baskets of bread.

00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:04.880
So before long, people began referring to the Soviet cluster bombs falling from the sky as Molotov bread baskets.

00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.039
Jesus Christ, that's funny.

00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:12.319
The nickname spread quickly, and it was just another layer of sarcasm that they had to deal with.

00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:12.720
Yeah.

00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:22.559
If Molotov was delivering these bread baskets, the Finns uh reasoned that it seemed only polite to offer something to drink alongside the meal.

00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:24.960
So they had Molotov cocktails.

00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:27.119
So they improvised firebombs.

00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.000
That's funny.

00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:36.319
They called them Molotov cocktails, a drink prepared sp uh specially for Molotov to accompany his generous supply of bread.

00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:42.319
In the middle of a brutal invasion, the Finns had managed to turn Soviet propaganda into their punchline.

00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:45.519
I had no idea that's how this came about for that name.

00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:46.559
That's fucking funny.

00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:47.599
I like that.

00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:50.960
So at first, Molotov cocktails were exactly what you would expect.

00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:56.559
The bottles filled with gasoline, stuffed with clock cloth rags, and it would be lit before throwing.

00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:57.200
Of course.

00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:02.480
Um, the Finnish military quickly realized um they actually worked really well.

00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:03.119
Sure.

00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:11.680
When thrown correctly, the bottle would shatter on impact, spreading flaming fuel across the tank's engine's vents or vision slits.

00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:12.720
Oh, sure, yeah, yeah.

00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:16.160
Tanks dependent on airflow to cool their engines.

00:29:16.319 --> 00:29:17.119
Yep, yep, yep.

00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:23.680
Flames entering the engine compartment could dis disable the vehicle or force the crew to abandon it.

00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:24.079
Yep.

00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:30.720
And once the usefulness of the weather of the weapon became clear, Finland did other things.

00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:34.720
They actually began producing Molotov cocktails in factories.

00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:35.680
That's crazy.

00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.000
So how did they how did they produce those?

00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:45.519
Like, did they just have like a screw cap, you take that off and stuff in the the cloth or whatever?

00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:52.480
I mean, how do you So they actually went to a state-runned alcohol company called Alco.

00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:53.119
Alco.

00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:58.880
And instead of bottling liquor, Alco factories began mass producing these incendiary weapons.

00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:00.319
That's fucking awesome.

00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:07.200
Workers filled bottles with a mixture of gasoline, ethanol, and tar designed to stick and burn longer.

00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.640
Yep, yep, that makes sense.

00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:13.920
Some bottles were fitted with storm matches so they would ignite automatically when thrown.

00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:20.480
And by the end of the war, Finland had manufactured roughly 450,000 Molotov cocktails.

00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:21.440
That's fucking wild.

00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:22.400
Isn't that awesome?

00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:24.160
Did they have a label on it?

00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:26.240
Wouldn't that be funny?

00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:29.200
Oh, that's crazy.

00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:31.279
I didn't I had no idea they did that.

00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.640
That is so funny.

00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:36.720
So using these Molotov cocktails was incredibly dangerous.

00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:37.519
Of course.

00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:45.359
The weapon only functioned if the body, nope, bottle shattered and the burning fuel spread across the right part of the vehicle.

00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:45.839
Yeah.

00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:51.359
Which meant that soldiers had to get very close, sometimes within just a few feet of a moving tank.

00:30:51.680 --> 00:30:52.240
Too close.

00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:03.359
So today to make these attacks possible, Finnish troops developed careful tactics designed to neutralize the tank's biggest advantages, mobility and visibility.

00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:03.839
Right.

00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:09.680
So Soviet tanks moving through these forts were usually confined to these narrow roads I mentioned.

00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.079
Yep.

00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:12.480
And um the trees, the forests.

00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:12.799
Yeah.

00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:18.000
So Finnish soldiers would quietly prepare ambush sites ahead of time.

00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:18.880
That makes sense.

00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:24.559
Falling large trees across the road or destroying bridges so that the column was slow or stop.

00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.039
Yep.

00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:33.920
Once the lead or rear vehicles were disabled, the tanks in between were effectively trapped, unable to maneuver in deep snow or dense forest.

00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:44.000
Well, like I said, they couldn't, it's not like they could just drive off the road and go around because then they would get stuck because they're off the road because they're meant to be in open territory or land or whatever you want to call it.

00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:48.960
And so, yeah, I mean, it's not like pull up, just go around them.

00:31:49.119 --> 00:31:49.839
Just go around, right?

00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:50.720
Can't do that.

00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:51.039
Yep.

00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:51.839
We're stuck.

00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:56.319
So at this point, the small Finnish teams would move in.

00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:56.880
Sure.

00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:58.319
The attacks were coordinated.

00:31:58.480 --> 00:31:58.720
Yep.

00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:06.480
One group might distract the tank crew by firing rifles at viewing port or tossing grenades towards the tracks.

00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:11.440
Their goal wasn't necessarily to damage the tank, but to force the crew to focus in one direction.

00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:12.960
Yeah, it was a diversion.

00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:13.839
Thank you.

00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:18.640
There's the word diversion because yeah, well, it's not like, hey, we're gonna take this tank out.

00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:19.920
They knew what they were doing.

00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:23.839
We're we're getting your focus over here, so someone over here can go.

00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:24.799
Yep.

00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:33.279
So meanwhile, another soldier would slip in from the side or or the rear, or the tank's armor was thinner and its visibility was poor.

00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:34.000
Sure.

00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:38.880
The most vulnerable point on many Soviet tanks was the engine department.

00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:43.279
So tanks relied on ventilation grills to cool their engines, right?

00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:47.519
And those openings could allow burning fuel to seep inside.

00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:49.759
And that would fuck them up real bad.

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:58.480
A well-thrown Molotov cocktail shattering across the engine deck could send uh flames licking into those vents.

00:32:58.640 --> 00:32:58.880
Yeah.

00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:05.440
The sticky fuel mixture would cling to the metal surface, continuing to burn even in the cold.

00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:06.079
Oh, yeah.

00:33:06.319 --> 00:33:11.599
If the fire took hold, thick smoke could begin pouring into the tank's interior.

00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:16.799
And inside those cramped metal boxes, crews would have to make a choice.

00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:22.880
Remain inside and risk suffocation or burning, or climb out into the open where Finnish soldiers were waiting.

00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:23.279
Yeah.

00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.920
And of course, many chose to abandon the vehicle.

00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:28.720
Well, you kind of have to because you you're fucked if you stay.

00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:29.039
Yeah.

00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:31.599
I mean, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, kind of thing.

00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:32.079
Yeah.

00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:41.680
And you clearly you stay in the tank, you're gonna suffocate because that smoke, obviously, what carbon and carbon dioxide dioxide, thank you, or whatever.

00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:47.119
You know, your oxygen supply is dwindling fast, being taken over by all this smoke.

00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:48.960
And so, like, yeah, like, oh, we gotta go.

00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:49.920
Yeah, yeah.

00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:51.119
Oh, crap.

00:33:51.440 --> 00:34:03.279
So a handful of soldiers carrying um little more than these glass bottles full of gasoline could disable armored vehicles that re represented some of the Soviet Union's most expensive military equipment.

00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:03.920
Right.

00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:20.079
And the force of Finland, a small team armed with Molotov cocktails, sometimes managed to destroy these machines worth hundreds of thousands of rubles, turning improvised weapons into effective tools against this modern armor.

00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:20.559
Yeah.

00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:29.280
Now, hundreds of thousands of rubles back then um is equ equaling close to like a million dollars.

00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:29.920
Oh wow.

00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:30.719
Yeah.

00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:37.519
So the Molotov cocktail in one form or another did exist before the Winter War.

00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:38.000
Sure.

00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:38.800
Um yeah.

00:34:39.119 --> 00:34:45.920
Improvised incendiary bombs had appeared in earlier conflicts, including the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:46.320
Really?

00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:50.559
Where fighters used similar fuel-filled bottles against vehicles.

00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:51.119
Okay.

00:34:51.360 --> 00:35:02.000
During the fighting in Finland, the weapon became closely tied to the uh Soviet prime minister, excuse me, the foreign minister um Molotov.

00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:09.039
Yeah, um, the combination of wartime improvisation and humor gave the Molotov cocktail a symbolic identity.

00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:10.079
That's funny.

00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.280
I mean, now you would think about it in like mob movies, you know?

00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:15.760
Yeah, like any getting rid of a car.

00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.760
Old timey ones, like, yeah, throw it.

00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:18.079
Yeah.

00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:18.880
Blows up.

00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:19.920
Yeah, no, for sure.

00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:24.480
So it wasn't just a bottle of fuel anymore, it was a small act of resistance.

00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:30.719
Didn't they do that at the end of the whole nine yards when they burn up uh the guys after getting them and everything?

00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.119
Because doesn't uh Bruce Willis's character throws one in there, I think, right?

00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:35.840
Something like that.

00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:36.559
Something like that.

00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:37.039
That's funny.

00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:37.440
Okay.

00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:41.119
So after the war, both the name and the weapon spread around the world.

00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:46.400
One of the most dramatic examples came during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:46.960
Oh, okay.

00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:52.880
When civilian in Budapest used Molotov cocktails against Soviet tanks rolling through city streets.

00:35:53.039 --> 00:35:53.360
Right.

00:35:53.599 --> 00:36:01.440
Similar improvised weapons appeared during the Vietnam War and later during the uprisings of the Arab Spring in the early 2010 uh 2010s.

00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:01.920
Okay.

00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:04.239
Again and again the pattern repeated itself.

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:14.000
Whether ordinary, whenever ordinary people found themselves confronting these armored armored vehicles with little more than what they could carry in their hands, the maltolf cocktail always resurfaced.

00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:14.559
Sure.

00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:18.559
It required no factory, no complex machinery, and almost no training.

00:36:18.639 --> 00:36:19.920
It was just a bottle.

00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:23.760
Here's a bottle, shove a cloth in it, light it, throw it.

00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:24.320
Exactly.

00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:26.400
It's pretty self-explanatory after that.

00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:28.400
So that's crazy.

00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:29.199
Isn't that awesome?

00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:29.920
I had no idea.

00:36:30.239 --> 00:36:31.360
Like the little guy.

00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:32.400
Yeah, no.

00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:39.199
So did they did they ward off the Russians then?

00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:45.440
Did they so um the war actually ended with a peace treaty?

00:36:45.599 --> 00:36:46.159
Oh, it did.

00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:46.639
Yes.

00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:51.679
Um, Finland had to give about give up um a certain percentage of territory.

00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:52.559
Oh, they did?

00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:53.039
Mm-hmm.

00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:56.159
And some of the Finns were forced to relocate.

00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:01.360
Um, and then the Soviet Union gained parts of these territories near Leningrad.

00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:02.000
Gotcha.

00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:02.320
Yeah.

00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:04.000
For their for their buffer zone.

00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:09.039
So technically the Soviet Union won, but the Finlands like warded them off for a great while.

00:37:09.280 --> 00:37:12.719
Well, they well, like you said, the Russians It was like a bad victory.

00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:16.079
Yeah, but the well, the Russians were going in thinking, like, yeah, we got this.

00:37:16.159 --> 00:37:18.000
We'll yeah, we'll be home before Christmas.

00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:22.960
You guys can all open your what I don't know if Russians do Christmas presents, but whatever.

00:37:23.199 --> 00:37:24.960
Um, blah blah blah.

00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:34.000
And uh so for the Finnish people to make it such a well, we'll call it an ordeal for them, not as easy as they thought.

00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:40.159
Yeah, but so I'd say it's a it's a win for the Finnish in a way, even though they lost some territory.

00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:41.760
Yeah, so I have numbers.

00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:42.400
Oh, okay.

00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:43.679
Estimated losses.

00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:44.639
Oh dear.

00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:49.119
The Soviet casualties, 300,000 plus, either killed, wounded, or missing.

00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:49.679
Sure.

00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:51.840
Finnish, 70,000.

00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:52.559
Wow.

00:37:52.800 --> 00:37:53.119
Yeah.

00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:54.639
That's really not bad.

00:37:54.719 --> 00:38:02.480
I mean, you lose 30% of your your army and you only lose what 25%, not even, right?

00:38:03.519 --> 00:38:05.280
So wow.

00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:05.760
Yeah.

00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:07.360
It's probably more like 20%.

00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:11.519
So and Finland remained um independent.

00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:12.159
Independent.

00:38:12.480 --> 00:38:12.880
Yeah.

00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:15.760
So really they didn't lose either.

00:38:15.840 --> 00:38:18.000
Like they lost a little bit of land, yeah.

00:38:18.159 --> 00:38:31.599
Which sucked because obviously the Finnish Finland shrunk a little bit, but overall, I mean, they stayed independent from Russia, which would have changed if Russia did what they wanted to do.

00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:32.159
Yeah.

00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:35.760
And then of course, you know, you didn't lose that many people.

00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:40.960
I mean, still a decent amount, obviously, but not as much as what you took out.

00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:44.719
So you said killed, wounded, or missing.

00:38:45.360 --> 00:38:53.440
Do you think like I don't know how much it thaws there, but like like the next time it thawed out, you're like, oh hey, there's some there's a dead Russian guy right there.

00:38:53.679 --> 00:38:54.239
Yeah, probably.

00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:55.280
I would imagine.

00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:56.320
That'd be fucking wild.

00:38:56.480 --> 00:39:05.360
Because you had to know that some of them probably like ran off and then like fuck, I don't know where I am, got stuck or whatever, and probably perished in the snow and harsh weathers.

00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:08.559
Because you said a lot of times it got under zero, right?

00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:09.119
Yep.

00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:16.000
So if you didn't pack properly, like they told them, don't worry, this will be in and out.

00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:19.440
Oh, you're probably gonna die in the cold, too.

00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:28.639
So I wonder how I w you'll never know, but I wonder how many Russians die due to weather conditions, if you will.

00:39:28.960 --> 00:39:29.440
That's fair.

00:39:29.599 --> 00:39:32.000
Yeah, I'm guessing there's quite a few, but yeah.

00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:35.840
Anyway, so we haven't done one in a while.

00:39:36.639 --> 00:39:37.039
Yeah.

00:39:37.360 --> 00:39:38.320
Should we do an idiom?

00:39:38.639 --> 00:39:39.440
Let's do an idiom.

00:39:39.840 --> 00:39:40.480
Okay, sorry.

00:39:42.320 --> 00:39:43.760
Could you never do that again?

00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:44.239
Uh uh.

00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:46.159
Uh-uh.

00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:49.039
All right.

00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:56.079
Yeah, it's been uh the way I try and track these, so I don't use the same one.

00:39:56.400 --> 00:39:59.039
It's been about 24 episodes since we've done one.

00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:00.000
Whoa.

00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:03.199
So I mean, if you think about it, that's 24 weeks.

00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:05.199
I mean, that's almost half a year.

00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:06.000
So shit.

00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:06.800
It's been a second.

00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:09.760
It's been a minute, so all right.

00:40:11.039 --> 00:40:13.119
And I'm pretty sure I've never done this one.

00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:16.000
If I have, it's a refresher.

00:40:16.159 --> 00:40:17.280
It's a refresher.

00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:22.320
Have you ever heard of the idiom shooting from the hip?

00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:23.199
I have.

00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:23.840
Okay.

00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:26.239
What would you guess?

00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:30.079
Well, in massage, I actually use my hip.

00:40:30.320 --> 00:40:37.119
I lock my elbow into my pelvis and use my body weight as a way to increase my pressure.

00:40:37.360 --> 00:40:40.559
Instead of just my arm, I lock it into the hip.

00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:43.280
And that's how I shoot in from the hip.

00:40:44.239 --> 00:40:44.960
Nope.

00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:48.960
I am gonna call you terrible things later.

00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:49.760
A buffoon?

00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:51.199
Yeah, but worse.

00:40:51.440 --> 00:40:52.800
An unpolished buffoon.

00:40:53.119 --> 00:40:55.039
You're an unpolished buffoon.

00:40:56.079 --> 00:40:57.519
Okay, thank you for that.

00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:01.039
Whatever that was.

00:41:01.280 --> 00:41:03.679
Um what do you think it is?

00:41:04.079 --> 00:41:04.880
Shooting from the hip.

00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:07.760
Um where do you think it comes from, at least general time frame?

00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:11.599
Well, shooting, I think of guns.

00:41:11.920 --> 00:41:12.400
Of course.

00:41:12.639 --> 00:41:13.599
I think of Wild West.

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:14.719
Yep, correct.

00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:16.079
Um, am I on the right track?

00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:20.320
Yeah, so um it like like a really fast draw.

00:41:21.119 --> 00:41:22.960
Yeah, yeah, that's that's exactly what it is.

00:41:23.119 --> 00:41:23.360
Okay.

00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:30.880
Um, so literally it says it comes from the way guns were sometimes fired in the American frontier or old west.

00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:35.760
So cowboys and gunfighters carried revolvers, as you always see in the the movies.

00:41:35.920 --> 00:41:36.880
Yeah, whatever.

00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:37.119
Yeah.

00:41:37.360 --> 00:41:41.199
Um and they were in holsters on their hips, of course.

00:41:41.519 --> 00:41:56.159
In fast confrontation, they sometimes fired the gun immediately from when they pull it out, sorry, um, from the hip without raising it to your eye level uh to aim, which normally, you know, you're gonna do this because it's got the sight down the middle and whatever.

00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:59.920
Um the this method was much faster.

00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:03.199
Yeah, obviously, because you can people don't see it coming, yeah.

00:42:03.519 --> 00:42:03.920
Correct.

00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:07.199
Uh, but it was far less accurate, yeah.

00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:11.199
Because you're not, you know, aiming down the sights, of course.

00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:19.760
So um, because shooting from the hip was quick, instinctive, and not carefully aimed, the phrase started being used metaphorically.

00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:22.000
Um, so uh kind of winging it.

00:42:22.159 --> 00:42:25.119
Yep, that's how I yeah, that's how I kind of mid-20th century.

00:42:25.199 --> 00:42:32.719
People use it to describe someone who speaks without thinking first, acts impulsively, responds quickly without careful planning.

00:42:32.880 --> 00:42:34.239
Yep, exactly.

00:42:34.480 --> 00:42:39.920
So he just shot from the hip during the meeting and gave an answer without checking the facts, kind of shit.

00:42:40.239 --> 00:42:41.280
I got that one right.

00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:42.000
You did.

00:42:42.159 --> 00:42:49.679
So basically, um, the basic idea of the idiom is fast is greater than um being careful.

00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:50.400
Accurate, yeah.

00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:53.199
Oh accurate, yeah, accurate, careful, whatever.

00:42:53.440 --> 00:43:03.760
Um, because obviously, like just like the gunshot was gonna most likely be an inaccurate, although I'm sure plenty of people got better at it the more they did it, kind of thing.

00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:10.880
Um, but it basically is immediate but not well thought out, yeah, is what it is really kind of referring to.

00:43:11.119 --> 00:43:11.360
Yeah.

00:43:11.599 --> 00:43:13.760
So that is shooting from the hip.

00:43:14.239 --> 00:43:14.639
Awesome.

00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:17.199
Um do you want to do one more?

00:43:17.840 --> 00:43:18.159
Sure.

00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:19.360
Yeah, all right.

00:43:19.920 --> 00:43:23.679
This one came from you a while ago.

00:43:24.159 --> 00:43:25.440
I stopped writing them down.

00:43:25.519 --> 00:43:27.280
I gotta we haven't done these in so long.

00:43:27.440 --> 00:43:29.760
I just I haven't really said it.

00:43:29.840 --> 00:43:31.840
So stir the pot.

00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:33.440
You told me that one.

00:43:33.679 --> 00:43:34.480
Stir the pot.

00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:35.119
Yeah.

00:43:35.440 --> 00:43:38.719
It literally comes from the act of stirring a pot of food while cooking.

00:43:38.880 --> 00:43:39.199
Yeah.

00:43:39.440 --> 00:43:42.719
I mean, like, you know, double double toil and trouble kind of thing.

00:43:43.039 --> 00:43:48.079
Nowadays I think of it as like you're adding uh here's another idiom, adding fuel to the fire.

00:43:48.320 --> 00:43:50.639
You're making a situation worse.

00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:52.400
Yeah, correct.

00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:56.400
Um so when you stir a pot, everything inside gets mixed up and agitated.

00:43:56.639 --> 00:43:59.119
You know, you're literally putting it all together, right?

00:43:59.280 --> 00:43:59.440
Yeah.

00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:02.880
Uh, because ingredients that had settled started moving again.

00:44:03.039 --> 00:44:12.719
Um, basically with that image, the phrase became a metaphor for causing trouble, drama, conflict, by uh bringing things up that people re you know, that get people reacting again.

00:44:12.880 --> 00:44:13.039
Yeah.

00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:14.320
So agitate, yeah.

00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:15.440
Yeah, you agitate them.

00:44:15.519 --> 00:44:15.679
Yeah.

00:44:15.840 --> 00:44:16.960
So um I get that.

00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:17.519
I like that.

00:44:17.760 --> 00:44:18.400
Yeah.

00:44:18.719 --> 00:44:30.239
So um by the 19th century, English speakers were using stir the pot to describe someone who deliberately provokes discussion, gossip, or arguments, especially when things had been calm before.

00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:30.719
Yeah.

00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:36.559
So you get, you know, like say we had came, we're just sitting here having a normal conversation, and Xavier's like, You guys suck.

00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:40.719
It's like he's stirring the pot, like trying to get you to react.

00:44:41.119 --> 00:44:41.679
React, yeah.

00:44:41.920 --> 00:44:44.159
Basically, also Xavier would never say that.

00:44:44.320 --> 00:44:44.880
He would never say that.

00:44:44.960 --> 00:44:46.559
He's he's a sweet, sweet boy.

00:44:47.199 --> 00:44:55.760
Um, but yeah, yeah, you're intentionally mixing things up, just trying to uh get a reaction, get get get a rise, get a rise, all that.

00:44:55.920 --> 00:45:04.719
So but basically there's another one too, so it's intentionally to cause drama, conflict, or renewed discussion.

00:45:04.800 --> 00:45:07.360
It says I think it's more just for conflict and drama.

00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:12.159
Yeah, that's how I have used it as and heard it as.

00:45:12.400 --> 00:45:18.480
So there's obviously stir the pot, but there also is stirring the pot, which is pretty much the same thing.

00:45:18.639 --> 00:45:24.239
Oh, but it often implies someone is doing it just for entertainment or mischief when you're stirring the pot.

00:45:24.400 --> 00:45:27.519
Like that they get a kick out of it, they get a rise out of it, whatever.

00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:40.800
Um, and so they it actually said that's why it shows up a lot in reality TV and and online arguments, is because someone just wants a rise out of somebody, yeah, especially on online arguments.

00:45:40.880 --> 00:45:50.639
I found that very funny because basically it's um you know, someone will comment something, whether they mean it or not, they do it on purpose.

00:45:50.880 --> 00:45:55.039
It's like the rage bait videos, they do it simply to get a rise out of people.

00:45:55.199 --> 00:45:55.519
Correct.

00:45:55.760 --> 00:46:00.079
They do it to an engagement, yeah, and to get clicks and views and all that shit.

00:46:00.239 --> 00:46:00.880
Yeah, yeah.

00:46:01.039 --> 00:46:03.360
And it's people need to knock that shit off.

00:46:03.599 --> 00:46:04.639
Yeah, just say it.

00:46:04.800 --> 00:46:06.000
Yeah, but so yeah.

00:46:06.320 --> 00:46:06.800
That's awesome.

00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:07.360
I like those.

00:46:07.599 --> 00:46:11.119
A couple idioms that we haven't done in uh in a hot second.

00:46:11.199 --> 00:46:13.199
So you know what another one I thought of?

00:46:13.679 --> 00:46:15.840
It's because we were talking about kind of liquids with the pot.

00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:16.320
Yeah.

00:46:16.480 --> 00:46:18.079
Uh spill the tea.

00:46:18.159 --> 00:46:20.719
That's a modern idiom.

00:46:21.039 --> 00:46:22.480
Didn't we do that one?

00:46:23.360 --> 00:46:24.480
Didn't we do that one?

00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:25.679
I don't know.

00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:31.360
So yeah, I thought we did because I remember talking about spill spill the beans and spill the tea.

00:46:31.599 --> 00:46:32.559
Um do you remember that?

00:46:32.800 --> 00:46:33.840
I'll have to double check.

00:46:33.920 --> 00:46:39.440
I guess I don't re well no, and I I when I said those words, I instantly regret it though.

00:46:39.679 --> 00:46:40.880
You're like Nikate doesn't remember.

00:46:41.119 --> 00:46:44.719
Nikate clearly doesn't remember, but um, because spill the tea.

00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:49.280
I think that's your new name.

00:46:49.519 --> 00:46:50.880
Unpolished buffoon.

00:46:51.039 --> 00:46:52.239
And I'm Bradley.

00:46:52.480 --> 00:46:53.199
Anyways.

00:46:53.519 --> 00:46:54.320
Welp.

00:46:54.639 --> 00:46:55.599
I suppose.

00:46:55.840 --> 00:46:56.880
All right, buffoons.

00:46:57.039 --> 00:46:58.320
That's it for today's episode.

00:46:58.639 --> 00:47:02.639
Buckle up because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you next time.

00:47:02.880 --> 00:47:05.039
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00:47:05.280 --> 00:47:10.000
Or maybe you have a burning question or a wild historical theory for us to explore?

00:47:10.239 --> 00:47:11.679
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00:47:11.760 --> 00:47:16.480
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00:47:16.639 --> 00:47:21.039
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00:47:21.119 --> 00:47:24.159
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00:47:24.320 --> 00:47:29.039
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00:47:29.199 --> 00:47:32.559
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00:47:32.800 --> 00:47:35.360
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