Finnish 6th Division (Winter War)
Encyclopedia
The 6th Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Winter War
; its name was later changed to the 3rd Division (3.Divisioona).
prior to the Winter War, the 6th Division was placed in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
. The division consisted of reservists mainly from Satakunta. On 19 December it was attached to the II Corps
. The 6th and 1st Divisions were to attack the advancing Soviet
forces near Summa
. The attack began on 23 December but was a failure.
In the beginning of January 1940 the division's name was changed to the 3rd Division. This was done in order to confuse the enemy, but it is uncertain if this had any effect.
In January 1940 the division replaced the 5th Division at the Summa front.
In February the Soviet forces began bombarding the front lines at Summa with artillery fire. On the morning of 11 February the attack began along the whole front of the exhausted 3rd Division. The Soviets had concentrated nine divisions and five armoured brigades of the 7th Army
at Summa. The Finnish lines broke on 13 January and the forces retreated to the Intermediate Line (Väliasema).
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...
; its name was later changed to the 3rd Division (3.Divisioona).
History
During the mobilizationMobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
prior to the Winter War, the 6th Division was placed in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
. The division consisted of reservists mainly from Satakunta. On 19 December it was attached to the II Corps
Finnish II Corps (Winter War)
The II Corps was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Winter War.The II Corps with the III Corps formed the Army of the Isthmus...
. The 6th and 1st Divisions were to attack the advancing Soviet
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....
forces near Summa
Summa
Summa and its diminutive summula are mainly used, in English and other modern languages, for texts that 'sum up' knowledge in a field, such as the compendiums of theology, philosophy and canon law which were used both as textbooks in the schools and as books of reference during the Middle...
. The attack began on 23 December but was a failure.
In the beginning of January 1940 the division's name was changed to the 3rd Division. This was done in order to confuse the enemy, but it is uncertain if this had any effect.
In January 1940 the division replaced the 5th Division at the Summa front.
In February the Soviet forces began bombarding the front lines at Summa with artillery fire. On the morning of 11 February the attack began along the whole front of the exhausted 3rd Division. The Soviets had concentrated nine divisions and five armoured brigades of the 7th Army
7th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Red Army's 7th Army first saw action in the 1939-40 Winter War against Finland. In November 1939, just before the initial Soviet attack, it consisted of the 19th Rifle Corps , 50th Rifle Corps , 10th Tank Corps, 138th Rifle Division, and an independent tank brigade...
at Summa. The Finnish lines broke on 13 January and the forces retreated to the Intermediate Line (Väliasema).
Organisation in 1939
- Infantry Regiment 16 (JR 16), replaced by JR 22, from January 1940 JR 6
- Infantry Regiment 17 (JR 17), from January 1940 JR 7
- Infantry Regiment 18 (JR 18), from January 1940 JR 8
- Artillery Regiment 6 (KTR 6), from January 1940 KTR 3
- Light Detachment 6 (Kev.Os 6), from January 1940 Kev.Os 3