The 8th Army\u2019s strength<\/strong><\/p>\nThe strength of Habarov\u2019s army (8th Army) was a little under 75,000 men at the start of the war. The army was equipped with over 120 tanks and over 500 guns. The army\u2019s attack was supported by over 150 aircraft. The army\u2019s attack was also supported by the Ladoga Flotilla, whose operations, however, were significantly smaller in scale than planned.<\/p>\n
The army\u2019s two rifle corps (1st RC and 56th RC) and army reserve comprised a total of six rifle divisions (RD). The army also had a tank brigade at its disposal. In December, the army was further reinforced with two rifle divisions (RD).<\/p>\n
Two rifle divisions and a tank brigade in the 8th Army\u2019s focus area<\/strong><\/p>\nThe army\u2019s attack was focused near Lake Ladoga. This is where two rifle divisions (168th RD and 18th RD) and a tank brigade (34th TBde) of the 56th Rifle Corps launched an attack. One of the rifle corps\u2019 rifle divisions (56th RD) operated in the Suoj\u00e4rvi area.<\/p>\n
The rifle corps (1st RC) that attacked in the areas north of Suoj\u00e4rvi initially comprised two rifle divisions (139th RD and 155th RD). The army had one rifle division (75th RD) in reserve.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/wg1044_eng-01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Edited map from the work Raunio, Ari, Sotatoimet \u2013 Suomen sotien 1939\u221245 kulku kartoin (Military Operations \u2013 The Course of Finnish Wars in 1939\u201345 with Maps). 3rd edition, Karttakeskus 2013.<\/em><\/p>\nThe 8th Army\u2019s offensive on 30 November advanced several kilometres in some places<\/strong><\/p>\nIn the area defended by Heiskanen\u2019s corps (IV C), Soviet troops crossed the national border via all roads on the morning of 30 November. The Soviet rifle division (155th RD) that attacked in the Poraj\u00e4rvi (Porosozero) area launched its attack partially through roadless terrain. A separate battalion (11th SepBn) under the direct command of the IV Corps was forced by the enemy to withdraw to the area of Kuolismaa (Kolezhma) on 2 December.<\/p>\n
A rifle division (168th RD) that attacked along the road travelling along the shore of Lake Ladoga advanced approximately ten kilometres on the first day. Having delayed Soviet troops in the area around the road, the units in Hannuksela\u2019s division (13th D) withdrew to the area west of the Tulemajoki River as planned. At this location, they repelled the enemy\u2019s attempts to cross the river on 1 December. The following day, based on an incorrect picture of the situation, the division\u2019s commander gave the troops permission to continue withdrawing towards Uusikyl\u00e4.<\/p>\n
A rifle division (18th RD) reinforced with a tank brigade (34th TBde) advanced along the Kolatselk\u00e4 road to the Finns\u2019 defensive positions in the area west of K\u00e4sn\u00e4selk\u00e4 on 2 December.<\/p>\n
The Suoj\u00e4rvi area was lost on 2 December.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/1745.png\")
<\/p>\n
Men from the 2nd Battalion of the 34th Rifle Regiment in the Suoj\u00e4rvi area on 3 December 1939. SA-kuva.<\/em><\/p>\nTwo Soviet rifle divisions (56th RD and 139th RD) attacked in the Suoj\u00e4rvi area. On 1 December, the units in Tiainen\u2019s division (12th D) stopped an attack by an enemy division (56th RD). The attack came from the direction of Hyrsyl\u00e4 and was stopped in the area southeast of Suvilahti, the central village of Suoj\u00e4rvi.<\/p>\n
A Soviet division (139th RD) that attacked in the area north of Suvilahti reached the eastern shore of Lake Suoj\u00e4rvi and the road travelling along it, located in the area of responsibility of Detachment R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, on the morning of 1 December. Over the course of the day, the enemy also gained control of the northern end of the road travelling to the west of the lake. On 2 December, Tiainen decided to abandon Suvilahti and gave permission to the units that held delaying positions on the southeast side of Suvilahti to withdraw.<\/p>\n
The General Headquarters ordered a counteroffensive<\/strong><\/p>\nAfter the loss of the Suoj\u00e4rvi area, the commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Mannerheim, gave an order on 2 December for Heiskanen\u2019s corps (IV C) to retake Suoj\u00e4rvi with an offensive that would be launched the following day. In the detailed order signed by Mannerheim and the chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Lennart Oesch, the mission was assigned to the 12th Division. Detachment R\u00e4s\u00e4nen was also ordered to advance towards Suoj\u00e4rvi within its own area.<\/p>\n
According to the order from the General Headquarters, Hannuksela\u2019s division (13th D) was to advance towards the Salmi road, with the aim of reaching the Tulemajoki River. In the order issued<\/p>\n
by the corps to the 13th Division, the division was also ordered to advance east along the road from K\u00e4sn\u00e4selk\u00e4.<\/p>\n
The counteroffensive was unsuccessful \u2013 the corps commander was replaced<\/strong><\/p>\nThe counteroffensives were unsuccessful in all areas, leading to partial disorder among the troops of Heiskanen\u2019s corps (IV C).<\/p>\n
On 3 December, the commander-in-chief appointed Jaeger Officer, Major General Woldemar H\u00e4gglund<\/a> as the new commander of the IV Corps. The change in command took place the following day.<\/p>\nThe area between Ilomantsi and Suoj\u00e4rvi was detached from the area of responsibility of the IV Corps with an order from the General Headquarters on 5 December.<\/p>\n
Ari Raunio<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edited map from the work Raunio, Ari, Sotatoimet \u2013 Suomen sotien 1939\u221245 kulku kartoin (Military Operations \u2013 The Course of Finnish Wars in 1939\u201345 with Maps). 3rd edition, Karttakeskus 2013. Forces of the IV Corps The corps (IV C) commanded by Jaeger Officer, Major General Juho Heiskanen included two divisions, among other units. Jaeger Officer, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":883,"parent":1661,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"custom-templates\/child-level.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1665","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1665"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2922,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1665\/revisions\/2922"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talvisota.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/wg1043_eng-01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n