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  #61  
Old 28-12-04, 13:38
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Default The battle for Suomussalmi

1. On 9th December the first units of 27th Inf Regt began arriving in Suomussalmi. Col Siilasvuo lost no time. The following day he began attacking the now burnt down village.

2. On 16th December the Finns received their first artillery. A 75 mm M/1902 Bty from Sweden.

3. The critical day was 24th December. Soviet 163rd Inf Div attacked the village and the defence south of there.

4. On 25th December the Finns received reinforcements. The first parts of 64th Inf Regt, 1st Partisan Bn, 6th Bicycle Bn and 1st Light Detachment began arriving.

5. But there were bad news. A second Soviet Div was coming from Raate. This was the elite 44th Mechanized Div.

6. On the morning of 27th December Col Siilasvuo ordered the main attack on the village. The battle lasted three days. On 30th December the Soviet defence had brooken down. The Finns captured 27 field guns, 4 AA MGs, 11 tanks, 2 ACs, 150 trucks, 250 horses and took some 500 POWs.

Picture: The Finnish attack. 163rd Soviet Inf Div in and north of Suomussalmi. 44th Mech Div advancing from the east.

Red: Soviet units. Black: Finnish attacks.
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Last edited by Stellan Bojerud (RIP); 28-12-04 at 14:19.
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  #62  
Old 28-12-04, 14:00
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Default The battle for Raate

1. Racing against time Col Siilasvuo´s troops had to finish off 163rd Inf Div before it was reinforced by 44th Mech Div. The Finnish forces now received another two Arty Btys.

3. Using roads on frozen lakes Col Siilasvuo 1st - 2nd January 1940 moved east parallell to the Soviet forces and then attacked north cutting the Soviet columns into portions. He now had 6 Bns and had destroyed a Soviet Division with more than 9 Bns.

4. In the night to 5th January the Finns attacked from the south in four columns. Siilasvuo was reinforced by 65th Inf Regt (less one Bn). The battle lasted to 7th January and ended in the total destruction of the Soviet forces.

5. Col Siilasvuo started the battle with just one Bn and three Border-Guard Platoons against two Soviet Division. By the time his own units approached Div size he had already destroyed those two Soviet Divisions.

Picture: The battle for Raate 5th - 7th January 1940.
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Last edited by Stellan Bojerud (RIP); 28-12-04 at 14:22.
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  #63  
Old 28-12-04, 14:15
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Default Suomussalmi - Raate - the end

1. Only 27th Inf Regt was on the peacetime mobilization plans. This regiment was badly equipped (see photo). The new 64th and 65th Inf Regts were hastly improvised and had an even lesser degree of equipment.

2. The equipment captured in just one of the many defence-pockets at Raate were 40 field arty guns, 29 AT-guns, 27 tanks, 6 ACs, 20 tractors, 160 trucks, 32 field kitchens and some 600 horses.

3. Two Soviet Divisions were totally destroyed by the tactical genius of Col Siilasvuo (who was promoted MjGen and his units reorganised as 9th Inf Div) and his COS Cpt Marttinen and the fighting spirit of his troops.

Photo: 27th Inf Regt departing for the front. Note civilian clothing and different types of rifles. Badly equipped but determined to defend their country. Those were the men that won one of the greatest victories during WW 2.
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Last edited by Stellan Bojerud (RIP); 29-12-04 at 15:35.
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  #64  
Old 29-12-04, 13:19
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Default The Mannerheim Cross

The Mannerheim Cross was issued in two classes.

191 persons received 2nd class. Four of them twice. General Adolf Ehrnrooth became the most welknown Knight of the Mannerheim Cross. He was born 2nd Feb 1905 and died 26th Feb 2004 aged 99.

Last week Captain Lauri Kokko died aged 90. Now there are only 11 surviving Mannerheim Knights. The oldest is ex-Överfältväbel (Chief Warrant Officer) Onni Määtänen, aged 96.

Only two persons received the Mannerheim Cross 1st class. One was General Erik Heinrichs who received medal number two.

Who received the Mannerheim Cross 1st class number one?

Picture: Mannerheim Cross 2nd class (number 18 - awarded to Field Marshal Mannerheim).
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  #65  
Old 03-01-05, 15:36
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Default Mannerheim Cross

Four persons were awarded the Mannerheim Cross twice:

1) MjGen Aaro Pajari
2) Col Matti Aho
3) Master Pilot (WO) Eino Juutilainen
4) Cpt (Airforce) Hans Wind
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