Battle of Raate Road

Battle of Raate road
Part of Winter War
Destroyed Soviet column on the road
Date January 4 – January 7 1940 Location Eastern Finland Result Decisive Finnish victory
Belligerents
Finland	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Hjalmar Siilasvuo	Alexey Vinogradov
Strength
3,600	25,000
Casualties and losses
250 killed	17,500 killed or missing 1,300 captured

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The Battle of Raate road was a battle fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in January, 1940, as a part of the Battle of Suomussalmi. This battle proved the effectiveness of Finnish motti tactics.

On December 7, 1939, the Soviet 163rd division had conquered Suomussalmi but found itself trapped deep inside Finnish territory, and the Soviet 44th (Ukrainian) Rifle Division was sent to aid the 163rd. In the following battle colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo's 9th Division destroyed the Soviet 44th Division on the Raate-Suomussalmi road completely.

The Battle

At the start of the battle of Raate road, Siilasvuo's 9th division had already destroyed the Russian 163rd division. After that, the division received orders to destroy the 44th Rifle Division which was stopped on the road near Haukila, 12 kilometers from Suomussalmi. The decisive battle was ordered to begin on January 5 1940, 08:30.

The Finnish 9th division was split in four squadrons, each named after their commanders. The battles focused to Haukila, where most of the Soviet troops were located and where squadron Mandelin and Mäkiniemi attacked. Squadron Mäkiniemi had started moving towards Haukila a few days before the official attack. At the same time, the fresh 3rd NKVD Regiment was just arriving to assist the Soviet 44th.

The morning of the next day found the Finnish troops holding strong blocking positions reinforced with mines at several points in the midst of the Soviet column. During January 6 heavy fighting occurred all along the Raate road as the Finns continued to break up the 44th into smaller pieces. The Soviets tried and failed to overrun Finnish roadblocks with armor, losing numerous tanks in futile frontal attacks. Finally, at 21:30, Vinogradov belatedly ordered his division to retreat back into the Soviet Union.

The despairing Soviet troops began to erupt towards north. They had already tried to escape to the east but were blocked by squadron Kari. Further in the east squadron Fagernäs couldn't keep the bridge in Finnish control. On January 7 squadron Fagernäs captured the bridge back and in forenoon all the Soviet resistance had ended. The mopping-up went on for two days, during which the Finns rounded up hundreds of starving, frozen Ukrainians.

The other remnants of the motored infantry division succeeded in fleeing from the blockade to the other side of the border, escaping in several small groups.

Aftermath

Finnish soldiers

Badly-equipped Finland captured 43 tanks, 71 field and anti-air guns, 29 anti-tank guns, 100 machineguns, armored cars, armored tractors, 260 trucks, 1,170 horses, infantry weapons including 6,000 rifles, one airplane, ammunition and medical equipment as war booty from the Soviets.

The Soviet commander, Vinogradov, and two of his chief officers survived the battle. When they reached the Soviet lines four days later they were court martialed, found guilty and sentenced to death; the executions were carried out immediately. They were charged with losing 55 field kitchens to the enemy.

Thereafter the area saw only a few minor skirmishes. Today, the former battlefield is the site of The Monument of the Winter War dedicated to all who died in the war on both sides. The memorial includes a field of thousands of stones as symbolic gravestones of the Soviet soldiers who fell in the battle.

References

• Ari Rautala, Sotiemme taistelupaikoilla, Gummerus (2004). ISBN 951-20-5995-9.
• Mika Kulju, Raatteen tie - talvisodan pohjoinen sankaritarina, Ajatus Kirjat (2007). ISBN 978-951-20-7218-7.

External links

• Gallery of the Soviet and Finnish photographs The Monument of the Winter War website