Silent Death

As Soviet troops pressed into the wilderness areas north of Lake Ladoga, the Finns instituted a full scale scorched earth policy. Even those Russians lucky enough to find Finnish dwellings still intact often met with disaster. With the onset of …

1939-12-09

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As Soviet troops pressed into the wilderness areas north of Lake Ladoga, the Finns instituted a full scale scorched earth policy. Even those Russians lucky enough to find Finnish dwellings still intact often met with disaster. With the onset of the severe winter, the Sissi began raids deep behind Red Army lines with standing orders to destroy all shelter. One such raid by the 27th Sissi Company, led by Lieutenant Perala, struck several battalion headquarters of the 18th Russian Division stationed at the village of Aittojoki at dawn.

Aittojoki, Finland

The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the organisation.

Wikipedia: Winter War

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Russian