Battle of Raate Road

The Battle of Raate Road (Finnish: Raatteen tien taistelu) was fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in January 1940, as a part of the Battle of Suomussalmi.

Battle of Raate Road
Part of the Winter War

Fragment of the destroyed Soviet column on the road
Date1–7 January 1940
Location
Eastern Finland
64°50′53″N 29°19′35″E
Result Finnish victory
Belligerents
 Finland  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Hjalmar Siilasvuo Alexei Vinogradov
Strength
6,000 13,962–25,000
(Officially)
Casualties and losses
310 killed
618 wounded
92 missing

4,674 casualties (according to the Soviets)

7,000–9,000 killed
1,300 captured
(according to Finnish estimates)
Location within Finland
Battle of Raate Road (Karelia)

On December 7, 1939, the Soviet 163rd Rifle Division captured Suomussalmi, but found itself trapped deep inside Finnish territory, and the Soviet 44th Rifle Division was sent to aid the 163rd. Over the next week, Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo's outnumbered 9th Division stopped and decisively defeated the Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.