Battle of Suomussalmi
Part of the Winter War
Date December 7, 1939 to January 8, 1940 Location Suomussalmi, Finland Result Decisive Finnish victory
Combatants
Finland	Soviet Union
Commanders
Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo	General Dashitsev
Strength
Three regiments and separate battalions, 11,000 men	Two divisions, one tank brigade (cca 45,000-50,000 men)
Casualties
900 killed, 1770 wounded	27,500 killed and missing 85 tanks 537 trucks 1,620 horses 138 guns 6,000 rifles Combatants  Finland  USSR Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft 1,000,000 men 3,000 tanks 3,800 aircraft[1][2] Casualties 22,830 dead 43,557 wounded 1,000 captured (at least) 126,875 dead or missing... Image File history File links Summary Map of the Battle of Suomussalmi Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Suomussalmi is a municipality of Finland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union. ... Hjalmar Fridolf Siilasvuo (1892 - 1947) was a Finnish general who led troops in the Winter War, Continuation War and Lapland War. ...

The Battle of Suomussalmi ['suo.mus.sal(a).mi] was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces in the Winter War. The action took place from around December 7, 1939 to January 8, 1940. The outcome was a decisive Finnish victory against vastly superior forces. Combatants  Finland  USSR Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft 1,000,000 men 3,000 tanks 3,800 aircraft[1][2] Casualties 22,830 dead 43,557 wounded 1,000 captured (at least) 126,875 dead or missing... The Battle of Tolvajärvi [tolva,jærvi] was fought on December 12th in 1939 between Finnish and Soviet forces. ... Combatants Soviet Union Finland Commanders Strength Casualties The Battle of Summa was fought on December 23, 1939, between the Soviet Union and Finland. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Hjalmar Siilasvuo Kombrig Vinogradov Strength 6,000 25,000 Casualties 900 killed 17,500 killed, wounded and missing 1200 captured The battle of Raate-Road was fought between Soviet Union and Finland in January, 1940 as a part of the battle of Suomussalmi. ... The Battle of Honkaniemi was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces on 26 February 1940. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders general Hägglund colonel Svensson Strength 1 division and some small units 4 divisions, 1 tank brigade The Battle of Kollaa was fought on December 7, 1939 - March 13, 1940 in the Ladogas Karelia, Finland as a part of the Winter War. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Major General Kurt Martti Wallenius  ? Strength Several battalions Two divisions Casualties  ?  ? The Battle of Salla was fought between Finnish and Soviet troops near Salla in northern Finland during the Winter War. ... The Battle of Petsamo was fought between Finnish and Soviet troops in the area of Petsamo in the far north of Finland. ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Russian: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital Moscow Largest city Moscow Official language(s) None; Russian de facto Government Federation of Soviet Republics Establishment October Revolution  - Declared 30 December 1922   - Recognized 1... Combatants  Finland  USSR Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 250,000 men 30 tanks 130 aircraft 1,000,000 men 3,000 tanks 3,800 aircraft[1][2] Casualties 22,830 dead 43,557 wounded 1,000 captured (at least) 126,875 dead or missing... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

On November 30, the Soviet 163rd division crossed the border between Finland and the Soviet Union and advanced from the north-east towards the village of Suomussalmi. The Soviet objective was to advance to the city of Oulu, effectively cutting Finland into half. In the sector was only one Finnish battalion (Er.P 15), that was placed near Raate, outside Suomussalmi. Suomussalmi was taken with little resistance December 7 (only two incomplete companies of covering forces led a holding action between the border and Suomussalmi), but the Finns destroyed the village before this, to deny the Soviets shelter, and withdrew to the opposite shore of lakes Niskanselkä and Haukiperä. The first really hard and extensive fight started on December 8, when Soviet forces began to attack across the frozen lakes to the west. Their attempt totally failed. The second part of Soviet forces led the attack to the northwest on Puolanka, that was defended by the Er.P 16 (lit. 16th detached battalion), that had just arrived. This attempt failed too. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... City Oulu (1605) Administrative Province Oulu province Historical Province Ostrobothnia Area (2004-01-01)  â€“ Total (excl. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... Suomussalmi is a municipality of Finland. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On December 9 the defenders were reinforced with a newly founded regiment (JR 27). Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo was given the command of the Finnish forces and he began immediate counter-measures to regain Suomussalmi. The main forces advanced on Suomussalmi but met resistance that caused the Finns serious losses. December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... Hjalmar Fridolf Siilasvuo (1892 - 1947) was a Finnish general who led troops in the Winter War, Continuation War and Lapland War. ...

On December 24 the Finns counter-attacked, but failed to break through the surrounding Soviet forces. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ...

Reinforced with two new regiments (JR 64 and JR 65) the Finns again attacked on December 27. This time they took the village and the Soviets retreated in panic over the surrounding frozen lakes. December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ...

During this time the Soviet 44th Division had advanced from the east towards Suomussalmi. It was entrenched on the road between Suomussalmi and Raate. Between January 4 and January 8 the division was divided into isolated groups (known as motti) and destroyed by the Finnish troops. In Finland, this fight is still seen today as symbol of the entire Winter War itself. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Motti is a Finnish military slang for an encircled enemy unit. ...

Outcome

The battle resulted in a major victory for the Finns. If the Soviet Union had captured the city of Oulu, the Finns would have had to defend the country on two fronts and an important rail link to Sweden would have been severed. The battle also gave a decisive boost to the morale of the Finnish army. In addition, the Finns captured a large amount of military supplies, including tanks (43), field-guns (71), trucks (260), horses (1170), anti-tank guns (29) and other weapons which were greatly needed by the Finnish army.

Analysis

The Battle of Suomussalmi is often cited as an example how a small force, when properly led and fighting in familiar terrain, can defeat a numerically vastly superior enemy. Factors which contributed to the Finnish victory include:

• Much greater mobility of Finnish troops afforded by skis and sledges; and in contrast, Soviet heavy equipment being confined to roads.
• Flexible and often unorthodox strategy: Finns made Soviet field kitchens a prime target, greatly demoralising the enemy fighting in frigid sub-arctic winter.
• Failure of Soviet intelligence: The Soviets relied on telephone lines for communication, from which the Finns could easily eavesdrop, making almost every movement known to the Finns ^[1].
• Clothes and other equipment well suited for warfare in deep snow and freezing temperatures.
• The Soviet objective was to cut Finland in half across the Oulu region. While this idea looks good on a map, it was inherently unrealistic. The region was mostly forested marshland, with road network consisting of mainly logging trails. Mechanized divisions had to rely on roads, becoming sitting ducks for the Finnish ski troops.

Footnotes

1. ^ John Hughes-Wilson, "Snow and Slaughter at Suomussalmi," Military History, January/February 2006, 50.

External links

• Battle of Suomussalmi on www.winterwar.com
• White death - The Battle for Suomussalmi