The Battle of Tolvajärvi ( tol.va.jær.vi , ) was fought on 12 December 1939 between

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. It was the first large offensive victory for the Finns in the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

.How did the USSR lose a battle to Finland because of a sausage? – Politics and Weapons (Как СССР проиграл битву Финляндии из-за колбасы? - Политика и Оружие)
/ref> The battle took place on the territory of so-called Ladoga Karelia () which today is part of the

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia, or simply Karelia or Karjala (; ) is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the Northwest Russia, northwest of the country. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Background

On 2 December, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

captured Suojärvi, threatening the railroad to the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (; ; ) is the approximately stretch of land situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva. Its northwestern boundary is a line from the Bay of Vyborg to the we ...

and the rear of the Mannerheim Line. On 6 December, the IV Army Corps was reorganized by Mannerheim into a Group commanded by

Paavo Talvela Paavo Juho Talvela (born Paavo Juho Thorén; 19 February 1897 – 30 September 1973) was a Finnish general of the infantry, Knight of the Mannerheim Cross and a member of the Jäger movement. He participated in the Eastern Front of World Wa ...

Aaro Pajari Aaro Olavi Pajari (17 July 1897 – 14 October 1949) was a Major General in the Finnish Army. During World War II, he became one of the four double recipients of the Mannerheim Cross 2nd Class. His greatest achievement was the Finnish victory ...

was immediately ordered by Talvela to defend the western shore of Lake Tolvajärvi, while Per Ole Ekholm was ordered to continue the defense of

Ilomantsi Ilomantsi (, ) is municipality and a village of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The easternmost point of Finland ...

. On 10 December, Talvela issued counteroffensive orders to both Pajari and Ekholm for the next day. On 11 December, Talvela reorganized the planned attack over frozen lakes Hirvasjärvi and Tolvajärvi, following the Battle of Varolampi Pond on the night of 10–11 December. On 12 December, a reinforced battalion under J.A. Malkamäki, would attack of northern Lake Hirvasjärvi and the rear of northeast Kotisaari Island. Pajari would then advance from the western shore of Lake Tolvajäri across Hevossalmi Strait.

Composition

* Finnish side (4,000): ** Talvela Group of the 4th Corps (16th Infantry Regiment) ** Räsänen detachment (4 separate battalions and one artillery battalion of the 6th Artillery Regiment) The Finnish side consisted of 7 infantry battalions and 30 pieces of artillery. The Finnish 16th Infantry Regiment was composed of workers out of

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

city and headed by the chief of police of Tampere. * Soviet side (20,000): ** 139th Rifle Division of the 8th Army (718th, 609th, 364th Rifle regiments) The Soviet side consisted of 9 infantry battalions, 60 artillery pieces, one scout battalion, one signal battalion, one sapper battalion, 30 tanks, and 376 planes.

Battle

Malkamäki's attack was delayed until daylight when it encountered two battalions of the Soviet 718th Regiment preparing to make their own attack on the Finnish flank. The opposing attacks cancelled each other. The Finnish Third Company retreated back to the Tolvajärvi-Kokkari road, while the Second Company crossed the lake and turned south before stalling near the Hirvasvaara ridge. By noon, Malkamäki ordered a retreat around the northern end of the lake. However, parts of the Second Company remained in the Hirvasaara area in support of Pajari's flank. Simultaneously, the Finnish First and Second Companies of ErP 112 attacked the southern end of Kotisaari Island, but were forced to retreat to the south by early afternoon. Pajari's attack across the Tolvajärvi peninsula was also delayed until 9:15, meeting resistance 200 yards west of the tourist hotel. Three Soviet tanks were disabled, and Pajari committed his reserves in an attack on the hill containing the hotel, and Hirvasharju. Becoming demoralized by the renewed attacks, the Soviets began to retreat. ErP 112 renewed its attack on Kotisaari Island and threatened the Soviet supply road at Kivisalmi. The Soviet commander Belyaev then ordered the withdrawal of his 139th Division as far as Ristisalmi. On 14 December, the Finns renewed their counteroffensive, now encountering the Soviet 75th Division, reserves sent in to replace the 139th. Yet, by the end of the day the Finnish troops had secured the Ristisalmi Strait and the Soviets continued their retreat towards Metsänvaara. On 17 Talvela committed all of his reserves to Pajari. On 18 December, the battle had reached Ägläjärvi, which fell on 22 December. On 23 December, the Finnish troops reached the Aittojoki River.

Aftermath

Mannerheim called a halt to the advance along the Aittojoki River, and ordered defensive positions prepared. The Red Army's losses along the Tolvajärvi-Aittojoki road included 4000 dead, 580 prisoners, 59 tanks, and 220 machine guns. Yet, by this time the Finnish losses were also accumulating, especially after the frontal attacks at Tolvajärvi and Ägläjärvi. According to Allen Chew, for the Finns, "Proportionally, these were the heaviest losses of the entire war," with 630 killed and 1320 wounded. Yet despite the Finnish losses associated with their first offensive victory, according to Chew, "It would be difficult to exaggerate the significance of the Finnish victory," eliminating the threat to Ladoga-Karelia, and ensuring national survival with a sense of optimism. The arrival of Talvela and Pajari, according to

Erik Heinrichs Axel Erik Heinrichs (21 July 1890 – 16 November 1965) was a Finnish military general. He was Finland's Chief of the General Staff during the Interim Peace and Continuation War (1940–1941 and 1942–1944) and Chief of Defence for a short ...

, "...overturned the depressed mood and fatigue...a fascinating example of what, in a war, can be accomplished by strong will power and strong mind." During the battle, Talvela was promoted to Major General and Pajari to full Colonel. General Belyaev was dismissed from commanding on 16 December 1939, but preserved his rank. In June 1940 after re-attestation he was granted the rank of major general.

Gallery

File:Pajari tolvajarven esikunnan edessa.jpg, Aaro Pajari in Tolvajärvi File:Talvisota Tolvajarvi 1.PNG, Two burning Soviet T-26s File:Tolvajärven taistelijoita.jpg, Finnish skiers of the Talvela Group File:Neuvostopanssariauto.jpg, Destroyed Soviet armoured car is inspected by Finnish officers.

Notes

References

Sources

English

External links

*
How did the USSR lose a battle to Finland because of a sausage? – Politics and Weapons (Как СССР проиграл битву Финляндии из-за колбасы? - Политика и Оружие)
Ukrlife (YouTube video). 12 December 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolvajarvi, Battle Of Battles and operations of the Winter War 1939 in Finland December 1939 in Europe Tolvajärvi History of Karelia Suoyarvsky District