January 1, 1940 · Central Finland Theater
January 1, 1940
The destruction of the Soviet 44th Division on the Raate Road was the climactic conclusion to the Suomussalmi campaign. The 44th Division, a motorized unit from Ukraine, had been sent to relieve the encircled 163rd Division but was itself cut into isolated motti pockets along a narrow forest road. In temperatures of -40°C, Finnish ski troops systematically eliminated each pocket. Soviet General Vinogradov fled the battlefield on skis, abandoning his men; he was subsequently court-martialed and shot in front of his surviving troops. The road was left strewn with frozen Soviet corpses, horses, artillery, and vehicles for miles.
Commanders