Battle of Kelja
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Kelja, fought from December 25 to December 27, 1939 in and around the village of Kelja (now Kelya), Finland
, was a part of the Winter War
between Finland and the Soviet Union
.
attacks. These attacks were all repulsed, mainly by Finnish artillery
. The infantry attacks had reached their climax on December 17, and abruptly ceased the next day. However, the shelling increased in intensity, and lasted throughout the invasion. In the final days before the main attack, Finnish reconnaissance planes reported the arrival of the Soviet 4th Rifle Division
, and ground patrols reported unusually high amounts of Soviet soldiers in the area.
reporting the attack as “nothing unusual”.
Eventually, three beachheads were established at Patoniemi, Volossula, and Kelja. Finnish artillery was able to repel the second and third waves of reinforcements, however a battalion
had already landed at each of the three beachheads.
At the Patoniemi sector, the Soviets had deployed their heavy machine guns on the flanks of the Finns before they realised what was happening. The defenders were able to stall the attack long enough to alert their battalion headquarters. Finnish command reacted swiftly, committing a reserve battalion to the defence, and within a few hours the majority of the attackers had been pushed back across the ice or destroyed. However, sporadic resistance lasted until evening, when the area was finally cleared.
The Volossula sector was put on alert after the regimental headquarters was informed of the Patoniemi landings. After reporting that there were no Soviet forces in sight, they were ordered to advance towards Patoniemi. However, the Soviet troops began landing on the shores and they were forced to deal with them before advancing. The Finnish battalion sent to reinforce the company defending the beach was hit by an artillery barrage, but nevertheless reached the objective within an hour. When they got there, the Soviets were already starting to dig in. Intense fighting ensued, and the Soviets were pushed back across the ice with heavy casualties.
At the Kelja sector, the battalion commander received reports of Soviet forces crossing the ice. Finnish artillery opened up immediately and prevented the left wing of the attack from reaching the shores. By the time the battalion reserves could be mobilised, the rest of the attacking forces were already at the edge of the field near Kelja. A Finnish counter-attack managed to push them back to the edge of the forest with the help of an artillery barrage. The Soviet troops dug in and managed to repel another counter-attack, with fighting lasting throughout the day.
Throughout the day, the Soviets tried to send reinforcements across the ice, most of which were repulsed by Finnish artillery. Two more counter-attacks against the dug-in Soviet positions failed, as the situation became more serious. The Finnish command decided an immediate and decisive attack was needed to defuse the situation. Early in the morning on December 26, the attack began as a company of Finns advanced towards the Soviets. Without artillery, the mortars they were promised and under heavy fire, they were forced to retreat.
Another attack, this time with two companies, began later that day. The attack made some gains early on, but after using most of their ammunition and coming under a heavy artillery bombardment, they were forced to withdraw. The rest of the battalion was ordered to hold their positions and stop reinforcements from crossing the ice.
Throughout the night, the Soviet 4th division made repeated attempts to reinforce their positions on the shore, but because of the clear moonlight, all were repulsed by Finnish artillery. Nearly a regiment
took part in these attacks, which were disastrous. Finnish observers reported “...the ice is littered with piles of bodies...”.
Then, later that day, another counter-attack with more artillery support was launched. This was a success, as the battered Finnish company managed to infiltrate Soviet positions. After over seven hours of continuous fighting, the majority of Soviet resistance collapsed, though with a high cost. By the morning of December 28, the area was entirely cleared, and the Battle of Kelja was over.
, 140 machine gun
s, 200 light machine gun
s and 1500 rifle
s.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, was a part of the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
between Finland and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Prelude
In the weeks before the Soviet attack, the whole Taipale sector had been under heavy shelling and daily infantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
attacks. These attacks were all repulsed, mainly by Finnish artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. The infantry attacks had reached their climax on December 17, and abruptly ceased the next day. However, the shelling increased in intensity, and lasted throughout the invasion. In the final days before the main attack, Finnish reconnaissance planes reported the arrival of the Soviet 4th Rifle Division
4th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 4th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army active from 1921 to 1946.The Division was activated 1919 near Petrograd during the Russian Civil War, and fought on the western front of that war and in the Soviet-Polish War. Until 1923 its headquarters was at Minsk...
, and ground patrols reported unusually high amounts of Soviet soldiers in the area.
December 25
The attack began early in the morning, with Soviet soldiers crossing the iced-over Lake Suvanto under the cover of darkness. With the help of dense snowfall, the attack achieved nearly total surprise. The Soviets unleashed a massive artillery barrage on Patoniemi Fort, away from the main attack at Kelja. When the first Soviet soldiers reached the beachhead, artillery finally opened up on rear Finnish positions. This caused confusion as to the size of the attack, including the company defending the beachheadBeachhead
Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
reporting the attack as “nothing unusual”.
Eventually, three beachheads were established at Patoniemi, Volossula, and Kelja. Finnish artillery was able to repel the second and third waves of reinforcements, however a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
had already landed at each of the three beachheads.
At the Patoniemi sector, the Soviets had deployed their heavy machine guns on the flanks of the Finns before they realised what was happening. The defenders were able to stall the attack long enough to alert their battalion headquarters. Finnish command reacted swiftly, committing a reserve battalion to the defence, and within a few hours the majority of the attackers had been pushed back across the ice or destroyed. However, sporadic resistance lasted until evening, when the area was finally cleared.
The Volossula sector was put on alert after the regimental headquarters was informed of the Patoniemi landings. After reporting that there were no Soviet forces in sight, they were ordered to advance towards Patoniemi. However, the Soviet troops began landing on the shores and they were forced to deal with them before advancing. The Finnish battalion sent to reinforce the company defending the beach was hit by an artillery barrage, but nevertheless reached the objective within an hour. When they got there, the Soviets were already starting to dig in. Intense fighting ensued, and the Soviets were pushed back across the ice with heavy casualties.
At the Kelja sector, the battalion commander received reports of Soviet forces crossing the ice. Finnish artillery opened up immediately and prevented the left wing of the attack from reaching the shores. By the time the battalion reserves could be mobilised, the rest of the attacking forces were already at the edge of the field near Kelja. A Finnish counter-attack managed to push them back to the edge of the forest with the help of an artillery barrage. The Soviet troops dug in and managed to repel another counter-attack, with fighting lasting throughout the day.
December 26
Another attack, this time with two companies, began later that day. The attack made some gains early on, but after using most of their ammunition and coming under a heavy artillery bombardment, they were forced to withdraw. The rest of the battalion was ordered to hold their positions and stop reinforcements from crossing the ice.
Throughout the night, the Soviet 4th division made repeated attempts to reinforce their positions on the shore, but because of the clear moonlight, all were repulsed by Finnish artillery. Nearly a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
took part in these attacks, which were disastrous. Finnish observers reported “...the ice is littered with piles of bodies...”.
December 27
The Finns launched yet another counter-attack after the Soviets were bombarded by artillery. This attack failed due to heavy machine gun fire, and they were forced to withdraw again.Then, later that day, another counter-attack with more artillery support was launched. This was a success, as the battered Finnish company managed to infiltrate Soviet positions. After over seven hours of continuous fighting, the majority of Soviet resistance collapsed, though with a high cost. By the morning of December 28, the area was entirely cleared, and the Battle of Kelja was over.
Conclusion
Although the attack eventually failed, it did succeed in draining the Taipale sector of its reserves. They were so short on manpower that reserves from the Western Isthmus had to be relocated to Taipale, further weakening the area. However, the Finns did capture much desperately needed equipment from the Soviets, including 12 anti-tank gunsAnti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and their supporting infantry during the First World War...
, 140 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, 200 light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
s and 1500 rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s.