The Road to Gora

The Finnish 7th Division had gained a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Svir River at the Tetoimaki village group. The four villages of Tetoimaki lay along a solitary road in the otherwise desolate wilderness, with Gora being the westernmost village. The 1st Battalion of the 9th …

1941-12-15

A091

The Finnish 7th Division had gained a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Svir River at the Tetoimaki village group. The four villages of Tetoimaki lay along a solitary road in the otherwise desolate wilderness, with Gora being the westernmost village. The 1st Battalion of the 9th Jager Regiment (I/JR 9) took up a position along the road several miles west of Gora, and on the morning of the 14th its reconnaissance detachment overtook a Russian strongpoint located to the south. The Soviets quickly counterattacked to retake their lost strongpoint. The strength and the speed of their assault gave the Soviets enough momentum to reach the road at a point east of I/JR 9. By the 15th, the Battalion's commander realized that his position was surrounded and that the vital supply road between it and Gora had been severed.

Gora, Russia

The Continuation War, also known as Second Soviet-Finnish war, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany, against the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1941 to 1944, as a part of World War II. In Soviet historiography, the war was called the Finnish Front of the Great Patriotic War. Germany regarded its operations in the region as part of its overall war efforts on the Eastern Front and provided Finland with critical material support and military assistance, including economic aid. The Continuation War began 15 months after the end of the Winter War, also fought between Finland and the USSR. There have been numerous reasons proposed for the Finnish decision to invade, with regaining territory lost during the Winter War being regarded as the most common. Other justifications for the conflict included President Ryti's vision of a Greater Finland and Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim's desire to annex East Karelia. Plans for the attack were developed jointly between the Wehrmacht and a faction of Finnish political and military leaders with the rest of the government remaining ignorant. Despite the co-operation in this conflict, Finland never formally signed the Tripartite Pact, though they did sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. Finland's leadership justified their alliance with Germany as self-defence.

Finnish

Russian

Scenario Type = Standard