Kapitel 348: Chapter 425 The Winter War (28)
After dealing with the 163rd Division, the Finnish forces immediately turned their attention and pounced on the Soviet 44th Motorized Division.
At this time, the Soviet 44th Division had already occupied the Eskola area near another road about two kilometers south of the Raate Road. This road connected to the Raate Road, extending southeastward to the border. To prevent the Soviet forces from using this road, the Finnish troops cut off the road, completely surrounding the Soviet 44th Division.
Initially, the morale of the Soviet 44th Division was high. They fought desperately within their constructed circular defensive positions, with infantry and artillery working together to repel multiple Finnish attacks.
Later, the Finnish forces simply surrounded them and bombarded them with artillery day and night. The 44th Division, without supplies, soon faced a food crisis. The Finnish forces also sent out patrols specifically to attack the Soviet field kitchens, destroying and capturing all 55 of them. The combat effectiveness of the Soviet troops weakened, and their morale plummeted.
The Soviet forces attempted to break through to the east to retreat near Rikoyuov; they successfully drove away a Finnish infantry company with tank support. They forced them to leave the Pras River, but the Finnish forces immediately launched a counterattack, defeating the enemy there. Subsequently, the Finnish forces continued to advance westward, capturing Rikoyuov and taking a large number of prisoners and five tanks.
The Soviet forces in the rear attempted to rescue the 44th Motorized Division. An infantry unit, supported by artillery positioned behind the border line, launched an attack on the Finnish infantry at Raate. After repelling the Soviet rescue, the Finnish forces sent out a reconnaissance patrol that ventured two kilometers into Soviet territory, encountering only some scattered Soviet soldiers. Several small-scale battles also took place near Lake Koko and Teynila, but the Soviet officers and soldiers knew they had suffered a decisive defeat.
Chuikov, learning of the 44th Division's lack of food, urgently air-dropped a large amount of bread, biscuits, and other food; but due to the dense Finnish anti-aircraft fire, Soviet planes dared not fly low, and most of the food fell into Finnish positions.
After two days without food, the Soviet soldiers were dizzy with hunger, weak and powerless. Some officers and soldiers prepared to slaughter their warhorses for food, but this was strictly forbidden by Division Commander Vinogradov. The chief of staff suggested concentrating firepower to break through, but the division commander said they could not retreat without orders from above.
Only on the fifth day, when the troops were completely trapped, did the division commander receive Chuikov's personal instruction: "Slaughter all the warhorses and retreat quickly." But the officers and soldiers were already at their last gasp, lacking even the strength to pull the trigger, watching helplessly as the Finnish bayonets stabbed them one by one.
"On a road about four miles long," wrote Virginia Cowles, an American journalist who visited the battlefield, "the bodies of Soviet soldiers and horses could be seen everywhere on the road and in the forest; there were also destroyed tanks, field kitchen utensils, trucks, artillery carriages, maps, books, and clothing. These bodies were frozen as hard as petrified wood, their skin turned reddish-brown. Some bodies were piled up like small garbage hills, covered only by thick white snow; others leaned against trees, in strange and grotesque shapes. All the bodies were frozen, merged with the icy ground. I saw one body clutching its stomach with its hands; another was trying to unbutton its coat."
In this campaign, the Finns achieved astonishing results: they captured 43 tanks, 70 field guns, 278 trucks, cars, and tractors, nearly 300 machine guns, 6000 rifles, 1170 live horses, and very precious modern communication equipment. The number of Soviet deaths was incalculable, as many who fell or froze to death were buried in the snow. According to conservative estimates by the Finnish side, the Soviet losses exceeded 10,000 men, and the division commander of the 44th Division, Vinogradov, who escaped back to his country in a tank, was executed. The total Finnish casualties, dead, wounded, and missing, were about 2700, of which only 12% were caused by frostbite.
Hearing the news that two divisions had been completely wiped out, Stalin crushed the large pipe in his hand, his face darkening as if he was about to devour someone.
Initially, he thought that taking Finland would be a piece of cake, even assuring Britain that it would be done in as fast as three days or at most two weeks.
But what was the result?!
The Mannerheim Line in Finland had not been breached to this day, and now there were two whole divisions that had been annihilated.
This was like slapping the face of the Soviet Union, loud and clear!
Everyone in the meeting room dared not breathe until Stalin's secretary brought a new pipe and Stalin relit it. Then Beria cautiously began to speak. "Comrade Stalin, after careful analysis, we are certain that Finland absolutely does not have the capability to wage such a guerrilla war; that is already their limit. The Finns definitely have support from behind."
Stalin nodded grimly, signaling him to continue.
"Take the Finnish fighter planes, for example. Initially, they were supported by Spain, and later, under British coordination (of course, Britain wouldn't admit that it was their 270 tons of gold that made Spain withdraw), Spain withdrew its volunteers. And then Sweden also began to support Finland, but our investigation found that Sweden had fewer than 30 Bf 109 fighter planes before the war broke out. Now, there are already more than 40 within Finland, and Sweden has not recently produced a large number of fighter planes, which is very suspicious."
Where did those Swedish-marked fighter planes come from?
Looking at the whole of Europe, although many countries are producing Bf 109 fighter planes, these countries are either German-occupied areas or German allies.
"The most important point is that the incendiary bombs that destroyed our 'super tanks' are also unique to Germany." The "super tank" he referred to was the Soviet-made Maus tank, the poor thing still stuck more than 800 meters from the Mannerheim Line, immobile.
Various signs indicated that it was definitely the Germans causing trouble.
Molotov spoke up. "Could it be that the Germans have learned of our agreement with Britain?"
Stalin shook his head. "It shouldn't be, if they knew that after we took Finland, they would be next, they wouldn't be causing trouble so sneakily." They would brazenly send troops to support Finland.
"We must make the Germans pay!" someone shouted indignantly. Beria looked at the shouting general with an expression as if looking at a fool, thinking to himself how this guy managed to climb to the rank of general. They hadn't even settled Finland yet, what could they use to make the Germans pay? If this were to reach the Germans, they would surely laugh their heads off.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein