 The cold , snow , forest , and long hours of darkness were factors that the Finns could use to their advantage . The Finns dressed in layers , and the ski troopers wore a lightweight white snow cape . This snow @-@ camouflage made the ski troopers almost invisible as the Finns executed guerrilla attacks against Soviet columns . At the beginning of the war , Soviet tanks were painted in standard olive drab and men dressed in regular khaki uniforms . Not until late January 1940 did the Soviets paint their equipment white and issue <unk> to their infantry . 
