He ran smack into a Russian officer armed with his own pistol at the doorway leading to the hotel kitchen. We gained many spoils of war.

War of the White Death: Finland Against the Soviet Union, 1939-40. He spent some time studying terrain and fresh intelligence reports and then headed back, meeting with Talvela at 3 am.

Finnish mobility eventually told the story, as one Finnish detachment cut off the village with a roadblock to the east, trapping the defenders.

When Finnish politicians sent a delegation to Moscow to talk peace, he resigned his position as commander in chief. to send strong reinforcements to the south.

Talvela was impressed. The Finns who fought in this battle later said they were the toughest troops they faced. But nobody thought about this at nightfall on December 23, when the Finns reached the Aittojoki River. Soviet detachment, on the western side of Lake Hirvasjärvi (probably The raiders were drawn from 2nd/JR-16, which had not been engaged yet. At least 1,000 died in the snow without being seen or counted. Stalin had gutted his army during bloody 1930s purges, turning the once formidable machine that had defeated the White Russian Army and Western invaders in the 1920s into a corps of obedient and incompetent lackeys.

Task Force E already had five antique light field guns. The third and last regiment of the 9th Division, JR-26, was left on the Karelian Isthmus, facing the biggest Soviet offensive.

and across the Lake Hirvasjärvi On the left flank, we fought an engagement battle. Their regimental headquarters never gave the company commander a jump-off time, so by the time he was told to advance it was long past the designated hour.

         Political / Social. to strengthen it by two companies from the III/JR 16, deployed for

The Battle of Varolampi Pond also known as the 'Sausage War' occurred during the Winter War and was a precursor to the Battle of Tolvajärvi.. Battle. Pajari gave the word, and Lieutenant Isotalo led his 2nd Company of JR-16 across the straits on the lake’s southern side with machine guns providing cover fire. Corporal Mutka, still in the battle, closed with the tank as it crunched over the Bofors gun and blew it up with a satchel charge, blocking the road for the rest of the Soviet armor. The situation was desperate for Mannerheim. Detachment P, under Talvela’s pre-war friend, Lieutenant Colonel Aaro Pajari, consisted of Infantry Regiment 16 (JR 16), the 5th and 9th batteries of Field Artillery Regiment 12 and 13 respectively combined with units already holding the line at Tolvajärvi, separate battalions 9, 10 and 112 and the Bicycle Battalion 7. K.Turkka, reached the eastern shore of Lake Hirvasjärvi, The importance as a morale booster can't be underestimated.

But while the two officers planned their strategy, the fighting went on. The Soviet regiments, supported by tanks, fought their way through

and Talvela decided to boost the dwindling moral and gain the initiative, Article Id: Either way, Siukosaari led the attack by example, brandishing his Lahti pistol.

18) 3rd battalion of the 16th Regiment (Finnish) The men of the 3rd Battalion of Infantry Regiment 16 chased the retreating Soviets only to stumble into a hurricane of fire. The attack resumed at 1:30 pm. One Finnish company commander was killed, another gravely wounded. On Christmas Day, the Soviets bombed Pajari’s headquarters at Aittojoki, killing the regimental chaplain while he held Christmas services.
The thank goes to the support of
| Tactics | Weapons

Pajari sent in his reserves to help the reduced 3rd Battalion and at 1330 a renewed assault with elements of the 3rd Battalion and Separate Battalion 10 began. (Os.

Many men, including officers, were close to mutiny. They were immediately sent to relieve friendly forces at Kivisalmi. Ironically, he would be shot in a last-minute purge in June 1941, just before the German invasion of Russia. 112, made up of rear-echelon paperchasers with very little training and outdated equipment.

mistake, and could start it's advance at 0845 hrs. engaged near Hirvasvaara, fought on. The fallen was recorded as 103, with another 6 lost presumed dead.

after the attack by Os. The victory was the first "big" Finnish victory in Winter On December 8, the Ilomantsi defenders were reinforced by a battery of mortars, and a day and a half later by two old French 75mm field pieces, one of which proved inoperable. But on December 1, the weight of Soviet numbers began forcing the Finns back. In the dark, the Finns crossed the ice and closed on the village without losses against heavy but wild Soviet fire. When Pajari crawled the last few meters to the top, he whipped out his binoculars to peer through the evergreens. Attack failed at Ilomantsi. Contact was also made with the Soviet 75th Division, which had been sent as reinforcements.

Required fields are marked *. Pajari’s force was badly equipped by Finnish standards, lacking uniforms and snow boots and as unprepared to face the sub-zero temperatures as it was Soviet artillery fire. in the Ladoga-Karelia (north of Lake Ladoga), came as an unpleasant which had arrived to assist the 139th division. At Ilomantsi, the uneven struggle went on all day.

11) Soviet maneuvers this gap into the Soviet defenses, and started their advance to company launched a counterattack, which routed the Soviet attackers,

A pivotal engagement during the bitter Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland had far reaching consequences. The 364th Rifle Regiment reacted strongly and fierce fighting broke out.

As long as they held the hotel, the Finns could not advance. Pajari would launch their attacks and the walls loopholed, it truly was an impressive defensive position).