Winter War 1939–1940

Timeline

Background

The German annexation of Austria in 1938 was followed by the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939.

On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact, also referred to as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The pact included a secret protocol that defined the borders of certain European countries, leaving Finland and the Baltic countries, i.e., Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, within the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union.

German forces crossed the border into Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Soviet Union, which had agreed with Germany on the partition of Poland, invaded the eastern part of the country on September 17.

Talks Come to Dead End

In early October, the Soviet Union invited a Finnish delegation to Moscow to discuss current political issues. Upon the receipt of the invitation, Finland immediately mobilized 300,000 reservists under the guise of “additional refresher training.”

The delegation returned from Moscow on October 16 bearing the news that the Soviet Union wanted Finland to cede terrain on the Karelian Isthmus and around Petsamo on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. The Soviets also demanded control over several islands in the Gulf of Finland and wanted to sign a 30-year lease for Hanko Peninsula on the southern coast of mainland Finland.

The chairman of the Defense Council, Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim, opined that Finland was not ready for a war. It was therefore decided to continue negotiations, but an agreement proved elusive.

Concerns of Local Military Commanders

Throughout the summer and early fall of 1939, Finnish border guard units in Ilomantsi had notified higher command echelons of worrisome developments across the border. Men had heard explosions, sounds of logging, rumble of trucks and tracked vehicles, and gun firing they concluded came from sight alignment shooting. Smokes from hundreds of campfires were also visible on the Finnish side.

However, the staff of the IV Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of North Karelia, did not expect the Russians to unleash a massive, motorized force in the direction of Ilomantsi, due to the poor condition of the roads on the Soviet side of the border.

On November 26, the Russians reported seven explosions near the Soviet village of Mainila on the Karelian Isthmus, claiming they were caused by Finnish artillery shells. However, this was a false flag operation staged by the Soviet Union, and the Russians used it to unilaterally renounce the non-aggression pact then in force with Finland.

Major Viljo Nikoskelainen and Captain Viljo Kivikko, both serving in Ilomantsi Border Guard Company of Joensuu Frontier Guard District, realized that a war was imminent, and on November 27, they ordered the evacuation of the civilian population of the settlements situated close to the border. This decision, which was contrary to the policy and orders of higher headquarters, proved to be right. Thanks to Nikoskelainen and Kivikko’s action, after the war broke out three days later, civilian losses in Ilomantsi were below those sustained by the inhabitants of the border settlements in the neighboring municipalities.

A post-war view of the demolished bridge at Oinassalmi. (Photo: Ilomantsi Museum Association)

Red Army Attacks

Brigade Commander P. A. Aleksandrov's 155th Division of 18,000 men crossed the border into Ilomantsi in the morning of November 30, 1939, and initially advanced along three axes practically unopposed.

The attacker’s overwhelming numerical superiority and quality of equipment were a complete surprise to the defenders. The enemy force was supported by a large number of armored cars, tanks and other motorized equipment, of which the defenders had none, and powerful artillery. The division also had thousands of horses.

Against this onslaught the Finns had only Nikoskelainen’s 11th Independent Battalion composed predominantly of men from Ilomantsi Border Guard Company, members of Ilomantsi Civil Guard, and local reservists. The battalion was augmented by Lieutenant Julkunen’s detachment of young volunteers who had not yet completed their military service. The defending force consisted of 900 combat-ready men all told.

During the early days of the war, evacuees from borderland settlements trudged toward the west with the retreating military units. After the defense of Ilomantsi was reinforced during the second week of fighting, the relative numerical strength of the opposing forces was evened out to about one to four, but the Finns remained as underdogs.

Swedish houses at Korentovaara. (Photo: Finnish Defense Forces Photo Archive)