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Post by Dowly on Dec 21, 2015 18:32:51 GMT
21 December - DAY 22 of Winter War
Terijoki: in honour of Stalin's birthday, Otto Wille Kuusinen's 'Finnish People's Government' holds a meeting and a parade of the 'Finnish People's Army'. The meeting sends a telegram congratulating Stalin on his birthday. At the same time, enemy aircraft bomb two passenger trains in southern Finland.
Southern Finland: enemy fighters strafe a stationary train on the edge of the forest between Helsinki and Turku for 15 minutes, killing three civilians.
Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops in the Tolvajärvi sector launch an assault in the evening to retake the village of Ägläjärvi. The determined assaults by the Finnish strike force of five battalions overcome the main force of the Russian division.
Civil defence officials point out that lighting restrictions also apply to Christmas lights. This means, for example, that candles must not be placed beside graves this year, and outdoor Christmas trees must not be illuminated. People should also remember to stay off the streets during air-raid warnings.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 22, 2015 10:04:00 GMT
22 December - DAY 23 of Winter War
General Headquarters approve Lieutenant-General Öhquist's proposal for a counteroffensive in the western Isthmus.
Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops advance at Ägläjärvi. By 15.30 the village is under Finnish control.
"After days of fighting, Ägläjärvi has finally been captured today. The area had to be fought bunker by bunker, and the town itself ruin by ruin. Own losses significant, enemy's much higher. Estimated 2,000 enemy KIA, 600 prisoners taken. Captured equipment includes 6 artillery guns, 8 tanks, 8 AT guns, 4 machineguns, 1 mortar and 240 rifles." - Excerpt from General HQ's wardiary, page 152. (SPK 2777)
Two Finnish battalions pursue the Soviet troops retreating towards River Aittojoki.
The enemy loses over 2,000 men in the fighting at Tolvajärvi-Ägläjärvi.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs wires the Finnish envoys in London and Paris to tell them that Finland desperately needs military assistance.
The first 150-bed field ambulance from the Swedish Red Cross arrives in Finland. The staff of the ambulance comprise 5 surgeons, 2 consultants and 10 nurses under the leadership of Professor G. Nyström.
Abroad: the Norwegian National Theatre in Oslo presents a Finnish programme including Heimo Haitto, the 14-year-old violin prodigy.
Argentina is the first country to respond positively to the League of Nations' appeal for aid to be sent to Finland.
The Hungarian Pen Club awards its medal for 1939 to the Finnish poet Otto Manninen.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 23, 2015 8:20:49 GMT
23 December - DAY 24 of Winter War
Karelian Isthmus: the Finnish II Army Corps launches a fragmented counteroffensive at 6.30. The commander of II Army Corps suspends the offensive at 14.30. Overall losses in the unsuccessful offensive total 1,328 men: 361 dead, 777 wounded and 190 lost in action.
Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops counterattack at Kollaanjoki, but the attack is broken off during the course of the evening.
In the Tolvajärvi sector, battalions from Detachment Pennanen win control of the Aittojoki parallel. The fighting at Tolvajärvi-Ägläjärvi comes to an end.
Northern Finland: the vanguard of the Soviet 44th Division comes into contact with the Finnish troops on the Raate road.
Karelian Isthmus: the Soviet long-range 'ghost gun' in the Perkjärvi sector wreaks havoc and confusion in Viipuri, damaging numerous buildings in the city.
Turku archipelago: the armoured coastal vessels Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen move out of the archipelago into the open sea at Kihti to protect vital shipping routes threatened by Soviet aircraft operating out of Estonia.
Unemployment statistics show that Finnish unemployment has fallen well below the level of one thousand.
Abroad: Argentina's positive response to the League of Nations' appeal for aid to be sent to Finland has been joined by a similar response from Ecuador, Haiti, Peru, the Union of South American States, Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico.
United States: Gunnar Bärlund, the Finnish heavyweight boxer resident in the USA, beats Italo Golonello, with the referee stopping the bout in the seventh round. Bärlund donates part of his proceeds from the fight to the Finnish Relief Fund.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 24, 2015 6:45:57 GMT
Christmas Eve 1939 - DAY 25 of Winter WarGulf of Finland: the Russian battleship Marat shells Koivisto Fortress. Ladoga Karelia: at Tolvajärvi the enemy is pushed back across the River Aittojoki, where the front becomes stabilized for the remainder of the war. The enemy launches another offensive at Kollaa. Northern Karelia: in the Inari-Lieksa sector the enemy is pushed back across the border. The war at sea: Finland mines the Soviet naval bases in the Baltic States. Northern Finland: Group Ilomäki advances from Jyrkänkoski to strike at the Rasti crossroads in Kuhmo, but has to withdraw to its original positions after 16 are killed and 37 wounded. In Suomussalmi the enemy launches fierce counterattacks in the parish village, at Hulkonniemi and also along the Raate road. President Kyösti Kallio tours the military hospitals to greet soldiers wounded at the front. Swedish border: the first group of Finnish American volunteers arrives in Tornio. Abroad: in a speech at the Vatican, Pope Pius XII condemns the Soviet attack on Finland. Lieutenant Aarne Juutilainen (left) and his men stopping for a Christmas mass. Kollaa, December 24.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 25, 2015 18:38:03 GMT
Christmas Day 1939 - DAY 26 of Winter War
Eastern Isthmus: in the morning, a fresh Soviet division launches the third wave of the offensive at Taipale, crossing Lake Suvanto in three places: at Sakkola, Kelja and Volosula. The enemy assaults are repulsed everywhere apart from Kelja.
Soviet aircraft bomb 11 localities across Finland, including Hanko, Turku, Tampere, Porvoo, Viipuri and Ilomantsi. Three civilians are killed.
Northern Isthmus: Käkisalmi comes under fire from as many as 50 enemy aircraft.
The author Hella Wuolijoki offers to help the Finnish Government make contact with the Soviet Union with a view to opening negotiations.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 26, 2015 13:20:47 GMT
26 December - DAY 27 of Winter War
Eastern Isthmus: at Taipale, the Russian troops which have overrun Kelja successfully repulse Finnish attempts at counterattack.
Northern Karelia: the North Karelian Group completes its offensive in the Pielisjärvi sector after two days, having forced the opposing Russian regiment back across the border.
South coast: the enemy bombs Kotka - four people are killed.
Ladoga Karelia: the railway junction at Elisenvaara in the municipality of Kurkijoki is subjected to intensive bombing. One of the bombs kills 29 civilians who had taken refuge in a sewage ditch.
Abroad: Uruguay announces it is to send material aid to Finland.
Mexico also promises to send Finland whatever assistance it can afford.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 26, 2015 16:07:57 GMT
Here's an aerial photo of part of Taipale sector taken in March 1, 1940. Finnish positions didn't much change throughout the war, so this applies to December as well. The village of Taipale is to the right of Linnakangas 2, out of picture.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 27, 2015 17:39:39 GMT
27 December - DAY 28 of Winter War
Eastern Isthmus: the Finnish counteroffensive at Taipale pushes the Russians back from Kelja around midday.
The Russians lose 2,000 men in the fighting at Lake Suvanto while 516 Finnish soldiers are killed.
Northern Finland: at Hulkonniemi in Suomussalmi, troops of the Finnish 9th Division launch their decisive assault to destroy the enemy's 163rd Division. The Russians are forced to withdraw from Suomussalmi.
Colonel Siilasvuo receives word that the entire Russian 44th Division is concentrated along the Raate road.
Ladoga Karelia: combat detachments of IV Army Corps commanded by Major-General Hägglund launch a broad counteroffensive which lays the basis for January's 'motti' battles. In Lieksa, the Finnish troops attacking in the region of Kivivaara reach the Russian border and take up defensive positions.
Finland's civil defence chief urges the public to make greater use of camouflage and other forms of protection: cars should be painted white and people should also carry with them white camouflage clothing.
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin expresses his appreciation to Otto Wille Kuusinen and his 'Finnish People's Government' for their 60th birthday greetings, and wishes them victory in their struggle.
In a radio lecture, Professor V.A. Koskenniemi likens Finland's fight to the struggle of the ancient Greeks against the great powers of the ancient world.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 28, 2015 13:58:56 GMT
28 December - DAY 29 of Winter War
Northern Finland: Finnish troops take the parish village of Suomussalmi. In the early hours of the morning, the Russian divisions which had overrun the village begin to withdraw across Lake Kianta towards the border at Juntusranta.
In Kuhmo, after three days of fighting, Detachment Kekkonen forces a Soviet detachment of around company strength back across the border at Kiekinkoski.
Central Isthmus: enemy tanks penetrate Finnish positions at the northern end of Lake Hatjalahti. The tanks have no infantry support and two are destroyed and two captured.
Sweden: Fritjof Lager, editor of the Stockholm-published Communist paper Ny Dag, is sentenced to two months in prison for abuse of press freedom. The article concerned bore the headline 'A free, independent People's Republic of Finland'.
London: the London dailies, The Times and the Daily Telegraph praise the stalwart Finnish resistance against overwhelming odds
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Post by Dowly on Dec 29, 2015 9:50:51 GMT
29 December - DAY 30 of Winter WarKarelian Isthmus: Russian reconnaissance probes are successfully repulsed both at Summa and at Kelja in the Taipale sector. In the Suomussalmi sector in northern Finland, the fighting at Hulkonniemi ends in the destruction of the Soviet 163rd Division. Still in the north, there is an increasing enemy presence in the Raate sector. Ladoga Karelia: troops from Detachment Pajari take Viitavaara on the River Aittojoki and enemy troops launch a counterattack. Soviet aircraft bomb Käkisalmi, Jyväskylä and Vaasa killing six people. Abroad: in Sweden, a nationwide collection in aid of Finland has attracted major donations totalling 800,000 krona. Altogether, almost 6 million krona was collected. Stockholm's footplate men donate a day's pay from December as a New Year present for Finland. The Danish paper Berlingske Tidende publishes an article in praise of Finnish women. Loot from the north side of Lake Kianta. Soviet 163rd Division's attack and subsequent retreat
163rd Division attacks Suomussalmi from east and north, capturing the town on the 8th of December. Group Siilasvuo starts its attack on Suomussalmi on the 11th of December. This attack fails, but the Raate road is cut. Finnish 9th Division is formed under Colonel Siilasvuo. Group Kari began its attack towards Hulkonniemi on the 27th, causing the Soviet 163rd Division to start retreating from Suomussalmi across Lake Kianta on the 29th of December.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 30, 2015 8:46:40 GMT
30 December - DAY 31 of Winter War
Northern Finland: Colonel Siilasvuo is ordered to destroy the Russian 44th Division grouped along the Raate road. Finnish troops continue to pursue the retreating enemy across the frozen Lake Kianta.
The enemy's 163rd Division loses around 6,500 men, approximately 35% of its strength.
The Finnish force at Hulkonniemi captures large amounts of enemy material, including 25 artillery pieces, 11 tanks, 150 lorries and 250 horses.
Finnish losses are 350 dead and 600 wounded.
Lake Ladoga: Finnish troops repel an exploratory offensive by the enemy across the newly-frozen Lake Ladoga.
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Post by Dowly on Dec 31, 2015 12:55:00 GMT
31 December - DAY 32 of Winter WarNorthern Finland: the enemy is pushed back across the border in the Kuhmo sector. Fighting continues at Suomussalmi. Finnish forces halt the Russian offensives in all sectors along the front. Jyväskylä and Vaasa are subjected to fierce enemy bombing killing 21 civilians in Jyväskylä and four in Vaasa. Both towns suffer serious damage. President Kyösti Kallio hosts a reception to celebrate the New Year. Those present include the Speaker of Parliament, Väinö Hakkila, Prime Minister Risto Ryti and Members of Parliament. Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner gives an interview to the Swedish newspapers' telegraph office, TT, in which he welcomes Swedish volunteers to Finland. The Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) publishes its New Year message to Finnish workers. The SAK emphasizes the trade union movement's determination to defend Finnish independence and democracy. Abroad: in Amsterdam, persons unknown raise the Finnish flag on the mast of the Soviet steamship Joseph Stalin. ( )
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Post by Dowly on Jan 3, 2016 16:20:02 GMT
1 January 1940 - DAY 33 of Winter WarNorthern Finland: Colonel Siilasvuo determines to smash the Russian 44th Division which has been advancing along the Raate road. Ladoga Karelia: two battalions of the Finnish 13th Division launch an assault to the north of Ruhtinaanmäki. Soviet troops capture Viitavaara on the River Aittojoki for the first time. The numbering of some of the Finnish divisions is changed in order to confuse Soviet intelligence. The enemy bombs the cities of Oulu in the north and Turku in the southwest. In Oulu, four people are killed and 16 buildings destroyed. Altogether 30 enemy aircraft are used in the attack on Turku. Abroad: the Swedish sports reporter Torsten Tegnér proposes a bandy match to raise funds for Finland. 10 well-known Russian émigré writers, including Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin, issue a communiqué in Paris condemning the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland. Soviet tanks at Loimola. *** 2 January 1940 - DAY 34 of Winter WarNorthern Finland: the Finnish 9th Division begins its offensive, winning a major victory at Suomussalmi. Eastern Isthmus: a five-and-a-half-hour artillery barrage ends with the launch of a strong assault by enemy infantry at Kirvesmäki. The Finnish troops hold their ground. Lake Ladoga: the 28-year-old speed skating world champion, reserve Second Lieutenant Birger Wasenius, is killed along with nine other Finnish soldiers in fighting on the islands of Lake Ladoga. The 44th course of the Reserve Officer School begins under exceptional circumstances and with an exceptionally large intake. Abroad: more than 10,000 Swedish homes have volunteered to receive Finnish mothers and children. To date, 50 mothers and 400 children have been evacuated to Sweden. *** 3 January 1940 - DAY 35 of Winter WarLadoga Karelia: the Finnish 13th Division breaks off its assault at Ruhtinaanmäki. Northern Finland: Soviet troops supported by tanks and artillery launch an offensive in the Kuhmo sector. Finnish forces surround the enemy base entrenched at Sanginlampi. Salla sector: in temperatures approaching -40° Celsius, four Finnish battalions begin a counterattack at Joutsijärvi designed to break the defences of the enemy division. Åland Sea: the Soviet submarine S2 is sunk by a Finnish mine in the Märket narrows. The labour office of the Ministry of Supply announces that the most important work to be carried out in the countryside is the gathering of firewood. Abroad: according to German radio, the Soviet Union is concentrating its call-up on reservists with a technical background. In Norway, a special rucksack collection in aid of Finland has already gathered 25,000 rucksacks packed with food and clothing. Forward positions at Joutsijärvi.
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Post by Dowly on Jan 4, 2016 11:04:43 GMT
4 January 1940 - DAY 36 of Winter War
Northern Finland: Colonel Siilasvuo gives his troops the final order to attack.
Salla: Detachment Roininen breaks off its attack at Joutsijärvi.
Eastern Isthmus: Finnish troops repulse the enemy offensive at Kirvesmäki in the Taipale sector.
The Ministry of Education urges parish priests and officials to reserve areas for establishing heroes' cemeteries as a matter of urgency
The voluntary defence organization Maan Turva organizes a tour of the front by well-known entertainers which becomes popularly known as the 'anti-boredom battery'. The main attractions are the popular character actor Aku Korhonen and the conductor George de Godzinsky. Others taking part in the tour include Siiri Rantanen, Uuno Laakso, the accordionist Onni Laihanen, and the actress Tuire Orri.
The period for completing tax return forms and paying both income and property tax is extended to April 1st.
Members of the public are forbidden to take photographs of the damage caused by enemy bombers or of equipment used for military or civil defence.
Abroad: Sweden rejects the Allied offer of assistance in respect of both armaments and troops.
An anonymous Danish businessman announces he is to donate 50 lorries to Finland.
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Post by Dowly on Jan 5, 2016 9:56:55 GMT
5 January 1940 - DAY 37 of Winter WarNorthern Finland: troops of the 9th Division set out to destroy the enemy's 44th 'Blue' Division on the Raate road. H-hour is set for 8.30. The enemy is hard pressed but cannot be broken. Mikkeli: the headquarters town of Mikkeli suffers heavy bombing. Due to severe cold the phone lines are down and the anti-aircraft guns are frozen. 40 enemy aircraft take part in the raid which kills 29 people and injures 36. Gulf of Bothnia: at 13.00 hours the Soviet submarine Sts 311 sinks the Swedish steamer Fenris off the Swedish coast near Umeå. Central Isthmus: the troop replenishment at the main defensive position at Summa is successfully completed. Enemy infantry assaults are successfully repulsed at Summa, Suokanta, Työppölänjoki and Lake Hatjalahti. Northern Finland: it's a bitterly cold night on the Raate road, with a temperature of -40° Celsius. The Finnish force has only one or two tents and the troops have to spend the night in the open air. President Kyösti Kallio is donating 100,000 markkaa as basic capital for a fund to assist impoverished relatives of the dead and wounded. Sweden: the Soviet Ambassador in Stockholm, Alexandra Kollontai, protests to the Swedish Government over voluntary recruitment activities and other aid work on behalf of Finland, and also over articles in the Swedish press critical of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also sends a similar note to the Norwegian Government. Sauna being made ready. Suistamo, January 5.
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