The Battle for Quel Estela

Quel Estela Castle is marked simply as an "Elven Fortress" at the southern-most tip of the Southlands.  Yet, it is a significant location as it is the only place where the High Elves maintain a foothold on the continent; as the Fortress of Dawn is on an island across the Quel Estela Strait.

In the mid-19th Century the Lizardmen that long occupied the Southlands were gradually subdued and their lands conquered by the Beastmen of Chaos.  At the turn of the century, they sent an army south from the capital of Zlatlan to besiege the Elf defenders at Quel Estela Castle.  The problem was that the Beastmen had no naval vessels, so that the Elves were never without supply.

After 6 months of a fruitless siege, the Gods of Chaos ordered the Beastlord Rom to either launch a direct attack, or return to Zlatlan.  At dawn in May, 1900 the Beastmen attacked.

The Beastman forces would launch a 2-pronged attack.  One would come against the Northwest corner (shown here) and the other against the northern face (to the right) where the Gatehouse stood.

Quel Estela castle stands on a narrow peninsula.  Behind the keep is a large field enclosed by a curtain wall that leads to a fortified waterfront.  From here, the Elven ships could shuttle back and forth to the Fortress of Dawn. When viewed from this corner, the building on the left is an administrative building with a small (man-sized) reinforced door.  Although it is a weak point in the fortress, access into the building will be limited by the size of the doorway.  The only landward side of the peninsula is here in the north.  The strip of land to the left (west) is where the locals conducted trade and business on public (unsecure) docks.

The High Elves have repeater bolt throwers in the nearest (northwest) tower and the tower to the left of the Gatehouse.  A unit of spearmen are posted as sentries around the fortress during the night.

Viewed from the North.  The High Elves had successfully held off the Beastman advance, granting them time to raze the woodlands that encroached on the castle walls.  The Beast's strategy would be to batter the gate with a Minotaur unit and launch a unit of Gor with scaling ladders against this northern wall.

Viewed from the West.  The structures in the foreground mark the dock area for the local traders. The back of the keep can be seen from here, where the back field is separated from the keep by a wall and gate.

This view is taken from the South fortified waterfront.  The tents and buildings house the occupying garrison and key civilians who have not been evacuated to the Fortress of Dawn.  When the attack comes, the High Elves have about 1/3 of their force on leave at the Fortress of Dawn, including their General, Prince Aurelian. 

Under cover of darkness, the Beastmen advance on the citadel. In the foreground is a small unit of Gor carrying ladders toward the north wall.  Behind them a Cyclops (Cygor) who will be hurling boulders at the fortress in support.  Beyond them a unit of harpies, the Minotaurs and a unit of Bestigor in the distance.

Dawn is breaking.  From this view of the Northwest corner can be seen the larger unit of Gor carrying scaling ladders.  They are tasked with assaulting the West Wall between the corner tower and the fortified trader's building.  They are accompanied by their General, Beastlord Rom, 3 Shamen, a Giant and a Gorgon.

The High Elf garrison holds as many men as the attacking army; odds that would typically favor the defender.  However, by attacking at dawn the Beastmen hope to breach the fortress before the garrison can be alerted.

The surprise attack comes with the Harpy unit assaulting the repeater bolt thrower by the gatehouse.  The crew are asleep below and a lone sentry fights valiantly to hold them off.  The alarm was raised and the sentry eventually defeated.  The harpies destroyed the bolt thrower and descended into the tower where they fought the crew and the High Elf Army Battle Standard Bearer who'd come to their aid.  This was enough to see the harpies off for the duration of the battle.

The unit of 10 Gor, supported by a Beast Shaman (in "beast mode" with the Bear's Anger spell) made it to the Northern Wall before any aid could reach the sentry.  

Never the less, the sentry was able to hold the attackers for one crucial turn before a unit of 15 Swordmasters were able to mount the wall and thwart the attack.  This was a tenacious group of Gor and they would return twice to assault the wall again during the course of the battle.

Inside the keep, forces were beginning to gather.  The rest of the spear unit that provided the sentries were joined by another large unit of Swordmasters just inside the gate.  They would wait here in anticipation of the eventual breach while the unit of Minotaurs, aided by a magical Army Battle Standard, began battering at the gate.

By Turn 4, most of the garrison sleeping in the back field had awaken and were cued up to enter the keep (once the sentries could get the rear gate opened).  20 Archers, 10 spearmen and 2 units of 5 Elnaith Cavalry were led by a Tironoc Chariot.

This view from the Northwest shows the Gor making a second assault on the North wall with the Cyclops close behind.  In the foreground, the other Gor herd with supporting units bypasses the corner tower.  The Giant has smashed the roof protecting the tower, which collapsed upon the other bolt thrower and rendered it useless for the battle.  

Unbeknownst to the Beastmen, a unit of 6 Elnaith heavy cavalry had boarded a vessel when the attack began and navigated around to attack the flank on the Beastman right (from the East).  To prevent them from interrupting the Minotaurs in their hammering of the gate, the unit of Bestigor charged in despite being in loose order.  They didn't need the rank bonus however, as their great weapons cut through the heavy armored cavalry with ease and sent them fleeing back to their ship.

"Whatever comes through that gate, you are Elves of Ulthuan!  You will show no fear!"

The gate collapses and the Minotaurs charge into the court yard.  They charge the Swordmasters, leaving their flank exposed to a charge from the Elven Spears.  This was enough to send them fleeing back out of the castle.

As the Minotaurs fled, the Gor Bull (Minotaur Hero) held his ground and attacked the Elven Spears. This would prevent them from securing the gate while the Minotaurs rallied.

Elsewhere, Prince Aurelian arrived on his Great Eagle by Turn 6.  He was able to assist the Swordmasters on the North Wall to repel the persistent Gor Herd there and ensured that they didn't return for a fourth assault.  

The Swordmasters on the Northwest wall repelled the Gor herd there, but the Gorgon kicked in the door of the Trader's Building allowing the Gor, lead by Beastlord Rom, to file in.  The encountered another unit of Elven Spears inside the building and in an unlikely turn of events, the Beastlord and his unit fled back out of the castle.

The Beastmen had suffered too many casualties and, while Beastlord Rom was regaining his composure in the woods, he decided to call off the attack and retreat back to Zlatlan.  It was an Elven victory despite the suspense of getting their forces deployed on time.

Tolvajarvi

TOLVAJARVI

Situation Report

TOLVAJARI, FINLAND, December 12, 1939:  Finland’s Commander in Chief, Marshal Mannerheim, expected the Russians to focus their full attack against the Mannerheim line in the south. When the Soviets sent several divisions around the flank to the north, Mannerheim was not expecting 3 Divisions consisting of 20,000 men to be threatening his flank.  At this time of the year movement was difficult unless limited to roads.  Blocking the way was Task Force Rasanen consisting of only 4,000 men.  In the town of Tolvajari, Colonel Paavo Talvela was assigned the task of stopping the Russian onslaught until reinforcements could arrive.

The Soviet 139^th Division was headquartered in the Hirvasharju Hotel preparing for an offensive when Talvela launched a 3-prong attack against the unsuspecting Russians.  2^nd Battalion of the JR-16 would make a frontal attack across the Hevosalmi Strait while 1^st Battalion came down Lake Hirvasjarvi to the the north and ERP-112 would cross at Kottisaari Island in the south in attempts to flank the Soviet force.

Poor coordination hindered the Finnish attack, with the Northern flankers jumping off ahead of the rest at 0800 hours.

Objective:  The Fins have to capture the Hirvaasharju Hotel before the 13 turn time limit is up (darkness)

Notes:  This is a Flames of War scenario with added House rules for ammunition checks, Orders, line of sight and Finland's 2nd battalion has a medic.  We had to declare a north/south boundary line between the battle on Kottisaari Island and the rest of the battle.  They could not interact with the forces in the north and visa versa.  Once the Finns eliminated the Soviet defenders in the south, they would be Reserves and could advance up the Eastern road.

Converted from scenario by Alain Padfield, published in Miniature Wargames magazine, November, 2003

The Battlefield:

There are 3 fronts on the battlefield.  In the northeast (upper right), 1^st Battalion of JR-16 will attack a Strelkovy Company from the Soviet 718^th Regiment defending the shoreline.  In the Center, the rest of JR-16 will make a frontal attack from the west (left) across the gravel pits with Task Force T as reinforcements.  In the south (over a mile from the rest of the battle, so they cannot participate in the action on the hill directly), ERP-112 will attack across the lake to take Kottisaari Island.  If they can carry the flank, they can head north on the East Road (right) to assist the attack on the hotel.

View from the hotel looking West.  The main attack will come from this direction.

View of the hotel from the Southeast.  Finnish ERP-112 may advance up this road after they have secured Kottisaari Island.

With the 718^th Regiment defending the northeast, the Soviet 609^th had to be broken into several detachments to cover all avenues of attack (per scenario rules):

Half of the Strelkovy Company was deployed in the gravel pits and dug in on the hillside between the hotel and the gravel pits. Their 2 Maksim heavy-machinguns were in the forward pit.  In the rear, the Division HQ was placed in the hotel and an attachment of 2 82mm mortars dug in just outside the hotel (no observer team).

Down the hill behind the hotel a company of 5 T-26 obr 1939 tanks were parked with AAMG's.  The crews spent the night in the hotel, but scrambled down the hill to their machines when Russian pickets spotted the Finnish advance.

The other half of the 609^th (Strelkovy Company) was in the south to defend Kottisaari Island.  5 teams on the island, and the other 5 with command in reserve on the eastern shoreline.

All of the 718^th (Strelkovy Company) formed a defensive line on the shore of Lake Hirvasjarvi in the northeast.  They were responding to pickets alerting them of the Finns coming across the frozen lake and didn’t have time to dig in.  They also had 2 HMG’s. (Frozen/Snow does not allow units to dig in during the course of the game and movement is Difficult Going).

For their part, the Finnish attack began with the 1^st Battalion of JR-16 coming across the lake.  It consisted of 2 Jalkavaki platoons supported by a pair of 81mm mortars and two Lahti Anti-tank rifle teams.  Note that, due to limited table space, the Finns were placed on the table and dice were used to mark the 18” distance they were from the Russian shoreline.

The battle commenced with the Finns advancing to within 12” of the shoreline, peppering the Soviets with rifle fire.  The Soviets replied in kind, but had the weight of the 2 HMG’s.  This resulted in them killing 6 of the Finnish teams and already one of the platoons was having to pass platoon morale checks to stay in the battle.  The tanks behind the hotel mobilized and headed to the top of the hill to insert themselves between the hotel and the Finns.  However, the slippery slopes and snow gave them trouble and two of the tanks immediately bogged down as they tried to move.

To the west, the first platoon from the 2^nd battalion entered the battlefield in a line, headed for the Hevosalmi Straits.  This frozen waterway would make an effective trench line when the engaged the Soviets in the gravel pits.  But for now, they advanced through the forest to remain undetected while the gunfire from Lake Hirvasjarvi echoed in the distance. (This was a Jalkavaki Platoon with a pair of HMG's and 2 Forward Observers attached.  The FO's were for a pair of off-board 76mm guns and a pair of 81mm mortars that would enter behind the rifle platoon).

In the south, the Jalkavaki platoon for ERP-112 also entered the battlefield and trudged through the woods towards the frozen lake bed.  It included an attached HMG and FO for a pair of off-board 76mm guns.  A pair of 81mm mortars with FO would enter in the following turn.

Soviet tanks move into position behind the 718th to defend the hotel.

By Turn 2, the firefight is really heating up between the 718^th and the Finns on Lake Hirvasjarvi.  The Finns dropped off their mortar and ATR sections 12” from the shoreline to lend fire support while the infantry advanced to within 6”.  The increased fire from the Finns would take out 9 of the 23 Russian defenders, but they would pay the price.  The Soviet tanks added their machineguns to the fray and they sliced up all of 2^nd platoon; killing off the second-in-command for JR-16 in the process.  The hapless 1^st platoon also took casualties and was pinned down on the lakebed.  In addition, the Soviet Forward Observer for a battery of 4 76mm guns off-board exited the hotel and took up a position where he could call in strikes against the Finnish attackers to the northeast.  No firing had yet taken place elsewhere, so the Soviets were reacting to the only known threat so far.

One Finnish platoon remains pinned down 6” from the shoreline while the support weapons remain 12” out.

In the West the HMG and FO for 2^nd battalion’s 81mm mortars took up positions on the edge of the forest while the infantry clamored down into the frozen straits.  It was still dawn and line of sight was limited so that neither side had yet spotted the other.

2^nd battalion is in position as the sun rises.

To the South, the platoon for ERP-112 advanced out onto the frozen surface of Lake Tolvajari with the island still in the dim, distance.  Their mortar support entered the board and set up on the shoreline while the FO accompanied the forward unit.

With support in place, ERP-112 begins crossing the frozen lake.

The heated exchange in the Northeast continued into Turn 3. The Soviet fire continued to pin down the infantry platoon; killing one team and initiating their platoon morale checks.  The Finnish support weapons took out another 5 Soviet teams- including one of the HMG’s, and pinning the Soviet defenders. It was evident that they wouldn’t make the hotel with the tanks in the way, but all they needed to do was keep the Soviets engaged so that the direct attack by the 2^nd battalion & Task Force T could be successful.  The Soviet artillery, however, ranged in on the support units, killing one mortar and one ATR team.  They wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

With daylight breaking, the Soviet defenders in the forward gravel pit began firing on the Finns who were crossing the frozen Hevosalmi Strait with no effect.  A sortie of Soviet I-152 Chaika aircraft had been scrambled when the fighting commenced and they swooped in over the Strait looking for targets in the low light.  The poor training of the Soviet military became evident when they mistook the men in the gravel pits for the enemy and bombed them on the first pass.  Luckily the Soviets only lost 1 team to this Friendly Fire incident.

The bloodbath in the Northeast continued on Turn 4 while the fighting was just beginning on the other fronts.  The Finnish support teams were able to kill off the remaining Soviet HMG and 5 other rifle teams.  With only 3 teams remaining, the tanks behind them must have bolstered the men of the 718^th as they held the line under withering fire.  In exchange, the machineguns from the Soviet tanks continued to riddle the pinned down 1^st platoon; eliminating the remaining teams except for the lone command stand.  Another artillery barrage fell on the support sections wiping out the mortar platoon.  Only a single ATR and a pair of platoon commanders remained of the original assault.

In the west, the combined fire from the rifle teams of 2^nd battalion, their mortars and HMGs were able to eliminate the pair of HMG’s in the forward gravel pit.  They also called in a barrage from a pair of 76mm guns they had in off-board support, but the remaining Soviet rifle team held on tenaciously; even shooting down one of the Finnish HMGs in the treeline.

Soviets in the forward gravel pit defending against 2^nd Battalion.  On the bridge, the leading elements of Task Force T (reinforcements) begins their advance.

In the south, the men of ERP-112 reached the island where the Soviets opened fire on them, killing one team.

Turn 5 hailed the first round of Ammunition Checks.  Regretfully, the Finnish 2^nd Battalion already found themselves low on ammo and called back for more to be brought forward.

 Although they wouldn’t advance until replenished, they were able to eliminate the last Soviet team in the forward gravel pit with more precise shooting.  Task Force T was calling for smoke to cover their crossing the bridge, but the mortars were attached to the 2^nd battalion and didn’t have any smoke rounds available.

The battle wound down in the northeast with the Fins killing off the remaining Soviets of the 718^th Regiment, except for the Komissar, who deserted rather than face the wrath of the Division commander for losing his entire company.  A last barrage from the Soviet artillery finished off what was left of the Finnish 1^st battalion.  The Soviet tanks had expended all of their machinegun ammunition, but could still fight using their main guns.  Therefore, they were ordered to the front side of the hotel to defend against the Finnish attack coming from the West.

In the South, ERP-112 made quick work of the Soviet riflemen defending the island.  Their reinforcements had been call up, but they were still across the lake on the Eastern shore.

2 rifle platoons with 1 attached HMG and a 37mm anti-tank gun battery of Task Force T advance up the road and cross the Hevolsalmi Straits at the bridge.

With the 2^nd battalion low on ammo, the Soviet defenders in the 2^nd gravel pit and the air support turned their attention to Task Force T crossing the bridge, but it was largely ineffective.

Turn 6:  Soviet second line of defenders.  The tanks & FO are still on the backside of the hill coming up for support.

Task Force T crosses the bridge while the 2^nd battalion in the gully awaits resupply.

Sporadic Air Support for the Soviets was largely ineffective as the aircraft could not keep the Fearless Finns pinned down.

On Turn 7 the Finnish 2^nd battalion got the ammunition they’d been waiting for and the whole front began their advance on the Soviet positions.

The entire Western front on the move.

Not knowing that their comrades on the island had been eliminated, the Soviet reinforcements for Kottisaari Island advanced out onto the frozen lake.  The Finns opened fire on them, but they were out of range.  This alerted the Soviets to the gravity of the situation and they all went to ground.  They didn’t need to advance, all they needed to do was block the Finns from crossing the lake.

On Turn 8, the concentrated fire of the Finnish force was enough to eliminate any opposition in the 2^nd gravel pit.  This was enough losses to cause the remainder of the 609^th to break and abandon their defenses on the hill.  The only thing that remained between the Fins and the hotel was a Soviet mortar battery, the artillery FO and the tanks, which were struggling through the snow to get into position.

Never the less, the FO was able to call in a barrage on the 2^nd battalion advancing through the gravel pits and pin them down.

In the south, the Finnish HMG was in range and starting firing on the thin line of Soviet defenders while the rest of the platoon closed to get into range with their rifles.

The next round of Ammo checks was made on Turn 9 and it appeared to be the end for the Soviets:  The mortar battery ran low while the artillery was out.  Only the tanks with their main guns would be at all effective unless more ammo was brought forward.

Preparing for the final stand.

The Finnish anti-tank guns and the tanks began exchanging fire: one burning tank for one destroyed gun.  The second gun was pinned down, so the tanks could turn their attention to the advancing Task Force T infantry who were now ascending the hill.

In the south, the Finnish forces also ran low on ammunition.  They had to remain stationary, but were within range of the Soviet defenders who were grounded out in the open on the lakebed.  They fired a volley that killed off 4 of the teams, causing the rest to flee.  Since they were low on ammo and dusk was approaching, the commander of ERP-112 ordered his men to bivouac on the island. 

They’d done their job and pinned down the Soviet left flank, now it was up to the others to capture the hotel.

Dusk fell on Turn 10 and visibility was starting to decrease, although it didn’t matter much since both forces were relatively close to each other and firing madly.

The 2^nd battalion and anti-tank gun remained pinned down and the Soviet tanks fired on the 1^st platoon of Task Force T that was coming up the hill.  Two teams were killed, but it wasn’t enough.

Storming the hill.

On Turn 11, the entire Finnish front rallied from being pinned down and no ammunition had yet been brought up for the Russians.  The lone anti-tank gun destroyed a second Russian tank, and suppressed the third.  This was all it took as the tank commander ordered his two remaining tanks to retreat.  With that, the remaining Soviet units withdrew and the Finns were able to occupy the hotel unopposed before nighttime fell.

AFTERMATH:  The Northern and Southern pincers were repelled by the Soviet Defenders, but the pressure that they put on the Soviets prevented them from bringing any of the units up to assist in the defense of the hotel.  By nightfall, the Central spearhead for the Finns had captured the hotel and the Soviets fell back.

Tolvajari was the first big Finnish victory of the war and the boost to the morale of the Finnish army can’t be overestimated.  The threat of the Soviet IV Corps turning the flank had been neutralized and the Soviet 139^th Division had taken a beating.  After a one day pause, the Finns went on the offensive again, this time running into the newly deployed Soviet 75^th Division that had been brought up to assist the 139^th.

Historians would later rate Tolvajari as one of the greatest 25 military victories in all of history.

The Borders Are Burning

THE BORDERS ARE BURNING

Converted from Squad Leader Scenario 22.

KUHMO, FINLAND, November 30, 1939:  Along the Karelian Front, as the Soviets crossed the borders, Finnish forces executed a planned withdrawal to the Mannerheim Line.  In the north, however, the Finns were ordered to oppose the Russian advance at every opportunity.  At Kuhmo, the 54^th Russian Division led by Major General Gusevski advanced along the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road.  The 13^th Finnish Reinforced Battalion, numbering 1,200 reservists led by Lieutenant Kaariala sought to block their advance.  At 1030, a mere 9 hours after the Soviets renounced the non-aggression pact that they'd held with Finland for years, the lead Russian elements encountered the Finns in their prepared positions.

Objective:  The Soviets have 15 turns to exit 30 teams off the Finnish table edge.  The T-26 tanks count as 2 each.  The Finnish forces begin dug in with a pair of roadblocks, 3 minefields and 6 sections of wire.  There is Deep Snow which cuts infantry movement in half and is Difficult Going for the tanks.  The woodlands are classified as Forest (Very Difficult Going).

The battlefield:  The Finns will deploy in the woods on the left up to 20” in from the table edge.  The Soviets deploy in the center of the table (36” from the table edge.

With a roadblock and minefield set in the center of the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road, the Finns established a defense in depth in the adjacent woods.  The first line consisted of a pair of HMG’s dug in behind barbed wire.  The second line mirrored the first, with the HQ dug in next to the road to monitor the Soviet advance.  The rear line was made up of a Jaakari SMG platoon and a Jaakari Rifle platoon.  The Rifle platoon were armed with Molotov Cocktails.  To block any advance along the South Road, the Finns also placed a hidden minefield in the deep snow.

Defense in depth by the Finnish force.

To the North of the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road Lt. Kaariala placed his Tank-Hunter Platoon armed with a pair of deadly Lahti Anti-tank Rifles.  These were rare, newly developed weapons when the war broke out as standard ATR issue was the British Boys Anti-tank rifle.  A couple teams from the Rifle platoon backed them up.

The Soviets deployed a Motorstrelkovy Company in column formation on each road, each supported by a pair of Maxim HMG’s.  The company on the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road was led by a company of 5 T-26 tanks.  A Forward Observer spotting for a battery of 4 122mm Field Guns took up a position between the two roads so that he could call in fire where it was needed.

Soviet colum on the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road.

As the Soviets advanced, their artillery saturated the area with a preliminary bombardment.  The front HMG dug in closest to the road was taken out by the barrage.  Rather than leave this critical foxhole open, Kaariala sent an HMG from the second line forward to take its place.  Just as the men were setting up, they spotted the lead Soviet tanks circumventing the roadblock and grinding through the deep snow on the side of the road to avoid the landmines.

At around the same time, the Soviet column on the south road passed over the roadblock and the lead squad stumbled into the minefield, setting one off but escaping with negligible casualties.  This alerted the rest of the column of the minefield and they diverted into the deep snow on the north side of the road.

Just as they were reaching the edge of the forest, the Finnish HMG inside opened up; dropping a pair of the Soviet squads.  On the main road, a pair of tanks bogged down in the snow as the others engaged the HMG position.

The Soviet riflemen returned fire on the HMG guarding the south road and were able to neutralize it before they even reached the barbed wire obstacle.

Engaging the forward HMG position off South Road.

The Soviet infantry pushed forward into the forest only to come under fire from the HMG in the second line as they tried to navigate their way across the barbed wire.  Three more squads fell.

As the infantry on the South Road struggled, concentrated fire from the tanks took out the remaining HMG guarding the main road and the two lead tanks resumed their advance to quell any resistance before the infantry got there.  General Gusevski had issued explicit orders for the troops to stay out of the minefields and trudge around them.  As a consequence, the main column was pushing through deep snow past the stuck tanks in their bid to get around the mines in the road.

Suddenly fire erupted from the wood line on the north side of Repola-Hukkajarvi Road as the Tank Hunter teams opened up on the oncoming Soviet tanks.  The ATR’s ripped through the lead tank like it was made out of paper.

Tank Hunters celebrate their first kill.

The Commander of the tank company panicked and put his tank into reverse to back out of the beaten zone of the deadly ATR’s.  From a distance he began firing on the position while he waited for the rest of the company to dig their machines out of the snow.

The battle suddenly seemed to slow down as the Russians in the south continued to get picked off by the HMG once they cleared the barbed wire obstacle.

At the Wire

And the main column along the Repola-Hukkajarvi Road wallowed through the Deep Snow to each side of the road.

By-passing the roadblock and minefield on the main road.

During the lull, each side made some adjustments.  Lt. Kaariala realized he was a little too close to the action when the tanks came up the road and withdrew from the second line, sending the Rifle platoon with the Molotov’s up to hold the position.  They would be the next best line of defense against tanks.

On the Russian side, General Gusevski realized that daylight was fading and he was running out of time.  He sent runners to each company telling them to ignore the minefield, get in the road and make haste for their objective.

The Company near the South Road had run low on ammunition as they fired blindly into the woods at the lurking HMG.  They continued to lose men as they crossed the wire into the killing zone and the white snow turned blood red.  The Forward Observer had to move up close so that he could actually see the HMG position in the woods before he could order in artillery support, but no sooner had he made visual contact with the HMG that he was gunned down by it.

Dwindling numbers confronting the HMG near the South Road.

By the time word came from the General to avoid the minefield they had already by-passed it.  More men were gunned down and morale began to break.  The Company Komissar executed some of the deserters and, brandishing his pistol, ordered the rest forward into the killing field.

On the main road, despite the orders given, the infantry were reluctant to cross the minefield and remained trudging through the snow.  2 of the 4 operational tanks remained hung up on tree stumps buried beneath the thick blanket of snow as their tracks spun helplessly.

As the early sun set, General Gusevski realized his opportunity had passed and ordered his troops to withdraw.  They’d let a single Finnish HMG and Mother Nature keep them from the day’s objective.  

AFTERMATH

The following day General Gusevski returned with 35 tanks.  With no heavy anti-tank weapons, Lt. Kaariala withdrew his troops back into the deep forest and the 54th Division continued its drive along the road.