Battle of Taipale

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Battle of Taipale
Part of the Winter War
Date 6 December 1939 (1939-12-06) – 27 December 1939 (1939-12-27) Location Metsäpirtti, Karelian Isthmus Result Finnish victory
Belligerents
Finland	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Viljo Kauppila	Vladimir Grendal[a]
Units involved
10th Division	4th Rifle Division 49th Rifle Division 142nd Rifle Division 150th Rifle Division 39th Armored Brigade[2]
Casualties and losses
2,250 killed & wounded	10,000+ killed

Position of Taipale at eastern end of Mannerheim Line

The Battle of Taipale was a series of battles fought during the Winter War between Finland and Soviet Union from 6 to 27 December 1939. The battles were part of a Soviet campaign to overtake the Finnish Mannerheim Line of defence in the Karelian Isthmus region to open a route to Southern Finland. Despite their superiority in numbers the Soviet forces were unable to break through the Finnish defences.

Memorial near Solovyovo (Taipale)

Coordinates: 60°30′26″N 29°00′45″E / 60.507342°N 29.012389°E / 60.507342; 29.012389

The Battle[edit]

30 November – 6 December (Prelude)[edit]

On 30 November, Soviet forces cross the Finnish border and in the following hours conduct aerial bombardment on civilian targets. The front of the Karelian Isthmus was split into two sectors by both belligerents: one sector on the side of Lake Ladoga and the other on the side of the Gulf Of Finland. On the Soviet Ladoga sector the commanding officer is Vladimir Grendahl and on the Finnish side, Erik Heinrichs. On 3 December, Grendahl receives the order to make a much desired breakthrough on the Ladoga sector, as the soldiers on the opposite sector were more numerous and offered fiercer resistance. The former objective of reaching Viipuri trough by a breakthrough on the gulf side of the Karelian Isthmus became of secondary priority. The attack began on 6 December, when the Finns had retreated to the Mannerheim line.

6-12 December[edit]

Battle of Taipale began on 6 December, started by the 49th and 150th rifle divisions of the 7th army, who tried to cross the river Taipale at three locations. The attempt was met with Finnish 10th division’s accurate artillery shelling dealing heavy losses to the invading troops. The battle terrain was a flat farmland, so the approaching Soviet divisions could not conceal themselves. However, due to the sheer size of the Soviet forces, the attackers managed to establish a bridgehead over the river. The Finns however, had inflicted severe casualties, and because so many officers and soldiers had perished in the attacks, some military units (even in the size of a regiment) had to be withdrawn from the front. In the following days, the Finns would repel more assaults and inflict even larger amounts of casualties causing the collapse of many units (see above). However the efforts of the Finnish defensive force were not enough to stop the Soviet advance and soon the bridgehead was gradually enlarged, securing ground for continued invasions and for reinforcements that were on the way to the battle (39th armoured brigade).

12-24 December[edit]

By 12 December, the bridgehead was large enough to support an invasion into Taipale sector.

See also[edit]

• Winter War

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Tuuri, Antti (2003) [1984]. The Winter War. Aspasia Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0973105339.

External links[edit]

• Военный альбом (photographs of the Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940)
• JR28 War diaries (The digitized contemporary war diaries of the Finnish regiment that fought in the Taipale front 1939–1940. In Finnish.)