 Soviet generals were impressed by the success of the German Blitzkrieg tactics . However , the Blitzkrieg had been tailored to central European conditions with a dense , well @-@ mapped network of paved roads . Armies fighting in central Europe had recognised supply and communications centres , which could be easily targeted by armoured vehicle regiments . Finnish army centres , by contrast , were deep inside the country . There were no paved roads , and even gravel or dirt roads were scarce ; most of the terrain consisted of trackless forests and swamps . Waging a Blitzkrieg in Finland was a highly difficult proposition , and the Red Army failed to meet the level of tactical coordination and local initiative required to execute Blitzkrieg tactics in the Finnish theatre . 
