Two plans, one vulnerable Finnish frontier

Sweden expected its coastal fortifications to hold while the field army withdrew north. The plan rested on neglected forts and faulty maps that omitted roads and bridge improvements funded by Sweden itself. A spring counterattack from north and south would use naval support against Russian forces spread along extended supply lines, while avoiding a major decisive battle. Russia had better intelligence, including defectors from Finland, and planned to attack in winter when frozen waters neutralized Sweden's Baltic naval advantage. Its first phase would isolate the southern forts, followed by cutting off and destroying the Swedish field army. Both plans therefore depended on whether the forts could hold, yet Gustav IV withheld provisions and readiness work for fear of giving Alexander I a pretext for war.