By the following morning, the Finnish troops held strong blocking positions reinforced with mines at several points in the midst of the Soviet column.

At the same time, the fresh 3rd NKVD Border Guard Regiment was just arriving to assist the Soviet 44th Division. Squadron 'Mäkiniemi' had started moving towards Haukila a few days before the official attack. The battles focused on Haukila, where most of the Soviet troops were located and where squadrons 'Mandelin' and 'Mäkiniemi' attacked. 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. Furthermore, some battles were fought on the east side, near the border, on the road during the rest of the Winter War.Īt the start of the battle of Raate road, Siilasvuo's 9th Division had already destroyed the Soviet 163rd Division.Īfter that, it received orders to destroy the Soviet 44th Division, which was stopped on the road near Haukila, 12 kilometers from Suomussalmi. Before the main battle against the 44th Division, the Finns fought defensive battles against a part of 163rd Division on the Raate road. The Raate road was a battlefield during the entire Winter War. Most military historians date the battle of the Raate road from 1 January to 7 January 1940. Zelentsov's concerns were not understood at Red Army headquarters, as the entire 44th Division was about to move along the Raate road. In response, part of the 44th Division, the 1st Battalion of the 305th Rifle Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion of the 662nd Rifle Regiment, were sent to reinforce the 163rd Division troops near Suomussalmi. The situation was getting worse, and on 20 December the commander of the 163rd Division, Andrei Zelentsov, asked permission to retreat from Suomussalmi. at least 7,000–9,000 killed according to Finnish estimates The 163rd Division was nearly surrounded and suffered major casualties in Suomussalmi.įragment of the destroyed Soviet column on the roadĤ02 killed according to Finnish estimatesĮst. The Finns also cut the first, northern supply route on 13 December, and the Soviets were forced to open a new supply route through Lake Kiantajärvi. The action blocked the second, southern supply route to the Soviet 163rd Rifle Division in the town of Suomussalmi. During the battle of Suomussalmi, the Finns cut the Raate road on December 11, 1939.

Battle of raate road