February 25, 1940 · Karelian Isthmus Theater
February 25, 1940
The Battle of Viipuri was fought for Finland's second-largest city and the gateway to the Karelian Isthmus. Soviet forces pushed toward Viipuri from multiple directions while also crossing the frozen Gulf of Finland to threaten the city from the west. Finnish forces conducted a desperate defense, with some of the war's most intense urban and suburban fighting. The city was still in Finnish hands when the armistice took effect on March 13, though Soviet forces had penetrated its outer defenses. Under the terms of the Moscow Peace Treaty, Viipuri was ceded to the Soviet Union regardless.
Commanders