31 December - DAY 32 of Winter War

Northern Finland: the enemy is pushed back across the border in the Kuhmo sector.

Fighting continues at Suomussalmi.

Finnish forces halt the Russian offensives in all sectors along the front.

Jyväskylä and Vaasa are subjected to fierce enemy bombing killing 21 civilians in Jyväskylä and four in Vaasa. Both towns suffer serious damage.

President Kyösti Kallio hosts a reception to celebrate the New Year. Those present include the Speaker of Parliament, Väinö Hakkila, Prime Minister Risto Ryti and Members of Parliament.

Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner gives an interview to the Swedish newspapers' telegraph office, TT, in which he welcomes Swedish volunteers to Finland.

The Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) publishes its New Year message to Finnish workers. The SAK emphasizes the trade union movement's determination to defend Finnish independence and democracy.

Abroad: in Amsterdam, persons unknown raise the Finnish flag on the mast of the Soviet steamship Joseph Stalin. (:haha:)

Daily losses: 114

1 January 1940 - DAY 33 of Winter War

Northern Finland: Colonel Siilasvuo determines to smash the Russian 44th Division which has been advancing along the Raate road.

Ladoga Karelia: two battalions of the Finnish 13th Division launch an assault to the north of Ruhtinaanmäki.

Soviet troops capture Viitavaara on the River Aittojoki for the first time.

The numbering of some of the Finnish divisions is changed in order to confuse Soviet intelligence.

The enemy bombs the cities of Oulu in the north and Turku in the southwest. In Oulu, four people are killed and 16 buildings destroyed. Altogether 30 enemy aircraft are used in the attack on Turku.

Abroad: the Swedish sports reporter Torsten Tegnér proposes a bandy match to raise funds for Finland.

10 well-known Russian émigré writers, including Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin, issue a communiqué in Paris condemning the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland.

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Soviet tanks at Loimola.

Daily losses: 176

***

2 January 1940 - DAY 34 of Winter War

Northern Finland: the Finnish 9th Division begins its offensive, winning a major victory at Suomussalmi.

Eastern Isthmus: a five-and-a-half-hour artillery barrage ends with the launch of a strong assault by enemy infantry at Kirvesmäki. The Finnish troops hold their ground.

Lake Ladoga: the 28-year-old speed skating world champion, reserve Second Lieutenant Birger Wasenius, is killed along with nine other Finnish soldiers in fighting on the islands of Lake Ladoga.

The 44th course of the Reserve Officer School begins under exceptional circumstances and with an exceptionally large intake.

Abroad: more than 10,000 Swedish homes have volunteered to receive Finnish mothers and children. To date, 50 mothers and 400 children have been evacuated to Sweden.

Daily losses: 137

***

3 January 1940 - DAY 35 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: the Finnish 13th Division breaks off its assault at Ruhtinaanmäki.

Northern Finland: Soviet troops supported by tanks and artillery launch an offensive in the Kuhmo sector.

Finnish forces surround the enemy base entrenched at Sanginlampi.

Salla sector: in temperatures approaching -40° Celsius, four Finnish battalions begin a counterattack at Joutsijärvi designed to break the defences of the enemy division.

Åland Sea: the Soviet submarine S2 is sunk by a Finnish mine in the Märket narrows.

The labour office of the Ministry of Supply announces that the most important work to be carried out in the countryside is the gathering of firewood.

Abroad: according to German radio, the Soviet Union is concentrating its call-up on reservists with a technical background.

In Norway, a special rucksack collection in aid of Finland has already gathered 25,000 rucksacks packed with food and clothing.

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Forward positions at Joutsijärvi.

Daily losses: 81

4 January 1940 - DAY 36 of Winter War

Northern Finland: Colonel Siilasvuo gives his troops the final order to attack.

Salla: Detachment Roininen breaks off its attack at Joutsijärvi.

Eastern Isthmus: Finnish troops repulse the enemy offensive at Kirvesmäki in the Taipale sector.

The Ministry of Education urges parish priests and officials to reserve areas for establishing heroes' cemeteries as a matter of urgency

The voluntary defence organization Maan Turva organizes a tour of the front by well-known entertainers which becomes popularly known as the 'anti-boredom battery'. The main attractions are the popular character actor Aku Korhonen and the conductor George de Godzinsky. Others taking part in the tour include Siiri Rantanen, Uuno Laakso, the accordionist Onni Laihanen, and the actress Tuire Orri.

The period for completing tax return forms and paying both income and property tax is extended to April 1st.

Members of the public are forbidden to take photographs of the damage caused by enemy bombers or of equipment used for military or civil defence.

Abroad: Sweden rejects the Allied offer of assistance in respect of both armaments and troops.

An anonymous Danish businessman announces he is to donate 50 lorries to Finland.

Daily losses: 139


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Musical instruments left behind by Soviet forces. (Pelkosenniemi)

5 January 1940 - DAY 37 of Winter War

Northern Finland: troops of the 9th Division set out to destroy the enemy's 44th 'Blue' Division on the Raate road. H-hour is set for 8.30. The enemy is hard pressed but cannot be broken.

Mikkeli: the headquarters town of Mikkeli suffers heavy bombing. Due to severe cold the phone lines are down and the anti-aircraft guns are frozen. 40 enemy aircraft take part in the raid which kills 29 people and injures 36.

Gulf of Bothnia: at 13.00 hours the Soviet submarine Sts 311 sinks the Swedish steamer Fenris off the Swedish coast near Umeå.

Central Isthmus: the troop replenishment at the main defensive position at Summa is successfully completed.

Enemy infantry assaults are successfully repulsed at Summa, Suokanta, Työppölänjoki and Lake Hatjalahti.

Northern Finland: it's a bitterly cold night on the Raate road, with a temperature of -40° Celsius. The Finnish force has only one or two tents and the troops have to spend the night in the open air.

President Kyösti Kallio is donating 100,000 markkaa as basic capital for a fund to assist impoverished relatives of the dead and wounded.

Sweden: the Soviet Ambassador in Stockholm, Alexandra Kollontai, protests to the Swedish Government over voluntary recruitment activities and other aid work on behalf of Finland, and also over articles in the Swedish press critical of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union also sends a similar note to the Norwegian Government.

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Sauna being made ready. Suistamo, January 5.

Daily losses: 126

6 January - DAY 38 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: the counteroffensive by the Finnish IV Army Corps north of Lake Ladoga begins in temperatures of -29° Celsius.

Southern Finland: Lieutenant Jorma Sarvanto in his Fokker fighter shoots down six Soviet aircraft from a formation of nine on their way home from a bombing raid over Kuopio. The action in the skies between Utti and Kotka lasts around five minutes.

Viipuri: enemy aircraft cause serious damage in the city.

Northern Finland: the Russian commander of the Soviet 44th Division on the Raate road orders his troops to break out to the east, taking all their equipment with them. Just before midnight they make their final unsuccessful attempt to break out and Finnish troops record a crushing victory.

Daily losses: 140


http://i.imgur.com/BaFMUjPm.jpg

Staged photo of surrendering Soviet soldiers. (Karvia POW camp)



***

7 January - DAY 39 of Winter War

Northern Finland: the fighting on the Raate road peters out during the course of the morning. The great battle is over.

The booty taken on the Raate road includes 43 tanks, 71 field and anti-aircraft guns, 29 anti-tank guns, a number of armoured cars and tractors, 260 lorries, 1,170 horses, and an assortment of infantry weaponry, ammunition, and medical and communications material.

Almost 17,500 men of the enemy 44th Division perish at Raate, a loss of approximately 70% of the Division's strength. 1,200 enemy soldiers are taken prisoner.

Finnish losses are also severe: 900 dead and 1,200 wounded, which is approximately 15% of the 9th Division's combat strength.

Immediately after the battle Finland takes foreign journalists to view the combat zone.

Commander of the Army, 1st Class Semyon Timoshenko, is appointed overall commander of the Soviet northwest front on the Karelian Isthmus.

The Supreme Military Soviet decides to focus the main strike on the Viipuri sector.

Daily losses: 89


http://i.imgur.com/M7AO4hZm.jpg

Shot down Russian Polikarpov R-5 at Suistamo.



***

8 January - DAY 40 of Winter War

At 7 o'clock in the morning Moscow radio transmits a propaganda broadcast in Finnish in which it claims that "unspeakable terror" has broken out in Finland. According to Moscow "people are being shot in droves and supporters of the Kuusinen Government are being hunted all over the country".

Ladoga Karelia: Detachment Pajari defeats a Soviet battalion at Viitavaara.

Foreign Minister Tanner entrusts Hella Wuolijoki with the task of sounding out the possibility of peace with the Soviet Ambassador in Stockholm, Madam Alexandra Kollontai.

Northern Finland: Finnish troops carry out guerrilla strikes in northern Finland.

Ostrobothnia: Detachment Sisu is formed in Lapua, composed of foreign volunteers.

Prime Minister Ryti reviews Finland's economic situation for the foreign press.

Foreign Minister Tanner reminds US envoy Arthur Schoenfeld that Finland has captured more materiel as booty from the enemy than she has received in the form of aid from any friendly power.

http://i.imgur.com/Ntg6tFk.jpg
Map of the Suomussalmi and Raate Road battles.

Daily losses: 74


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Captured Soviet T-26 at Raate Road.

9 January - DAY 41 of Winter War

Helsinki: President Kyösti Kallio holds a press conference for foreign journalists in the Presidential Palace. Among other matters raised, the President says that during the first month of the war the enemy has dropped approximately 4,000 bombs on about one hundred localities across Finland. These air raids have claimed the lives of 239 civilians.

Northern Finland: another crushing Finnish victory is recorded in the north, this time at Suomussalmi. A second enemy division is destroyed as Finnish troops push onwards to the border.

Ladoga Karelia: Soviet forces mount an unsuccessful assault to the north of Ruhtinaanmäki.

Abroad: expressions of sympathy and support for Finland's struggle are pouring in from all over the world.

In Paris, the French National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union responds to the appeal by the Finnish Parliament and expresses its support for Finland.

The Canadian Red Cross sends 50,000 dollars in aid to Finland.

Herbert Hoover, the former US President, sends his fifth 100,000 dollar check to Finland.

In response to the appeal by the League of Nations, Argentina sends 50,000 tonnes of grain to Finland with no fixed date for payment.

The Nicaraguan Government launches a national appeal for aid for Finland.

Moscow objects to Swedish protests over the sinking of the steamer Fenris.

Daily losses: 85

***

10 January - DAY 42 of Winter War

Northern Finland: the Russian 122nd division at Salla begins to retreat towards Märkäjärvi.

Ladoga Karelia: the vanguard of the Finnish IV Army Corps cuts the road connections of the Russian 56th Army in the area of Pitkäranta.

Soviet troops are trapped at Kitelä: the bulk of the enemy's 56th Army are trapped inside the Kitelä-Syskyjärvi-Koirinoja triangle, giving rise to the great Kitelä 'motti'.

The author Hella Wuolijoki travels to Stockholm for unofficial negotiations with Alexandra Kollontai, the Soviet Ambassador in Stockholm.

The German war correspondent Otto von Zwehl enlists as a volunteer in the Finnish Army. Hitler hears of this and strips him of his German citizenship and military rank.

Mabel Bonney, correspondent and photographer for the American Life magazine, arrives in Finland.

Daily losses: 101


http://i.imgur.com/Qz73KWAm.jpg

Reinforcements on their way to the front. (Leppäsyrjä)

11 January - DAY 42 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: the Finnish IV Army Corps launches the second phase of its counteroffensive.

Northern Finland: Group Susi launches its offensive towards Juntusranta.

Abroad: Germany forbids the passage of volunteers to Finland through German territory.

At the Brenner Pass, Germany has also halted a shipment of war materiel en route from Italy to Finland. The Italian Ambassador has lodged a protest with the German Foreign Ministry. It would seem that Germany must now choose its friend: either Stalin or Mussolini.

Home news: the public are urged to donate all articles which could possibly be useful to the military to a collection being organized by the Civil Guard on behalf of the Defence Forces.

Helsinki: the first refugee train organized by the Finnish Centre for Nordic Aid leaves Helsinki for the Swedish border town of Haparanda carrying almost 400 refugees, 300 of them children.

Foreign Minister Tanner's congratulatory telegram on the 20th anniversary of the League of Nations attracts positive attention around the world. Tanner also expresses his gratitude for the aid sent to Finland.

William Tuck, a representative of the Finnish Relief Fund established by former United States President Herbert Hoover, arrives in Finland.

Prince Ferdinand of Liechtenstein arrives in Finland and declares his wish to serve as a volunteer on the front.

Daily losses: 107


http://i.imgur.com/ZfTOQPTm.jpg

Destroyed Soviet tanks at Lavajärvi.

Anything heard about these men since then?

Corporal Salkio and privates Simonen and Korhonen were sent to a POW camp in Murmansk. They were released after the war.

Kiitän ja kuittaan.

...In english: Thanks a lot.:salute:

Salkio has also written a book titled "Pummanki - Jäämeren suomalainen kalastajakylä ja sen tuho". Haven't read it myself, though.

Interesting, there's not too many writings about the "lost arm" of Finland.

You might be able to find something on the Kansa Taisteli magazines: http://kansataisteli.sshs.fi/index.php?year=1950

***

12 January - DAY 44 of Winter War

Northern Finland: after intense combat with a force of Soviet troops who had made a surprise advance in the Juntusranta sector, Group Susi takes up defensive positions on the Tormua parallel.

Over 400 enemy aircraft bomb several localities across Finland; the main focus of the bombing is in the southwest.

Ladoga Karelia: the commander of the Soviet 56th Army requests an aircraft to lift him out of the Kitelä-Syskyjärvi-Koirinoja triangle. Finnish troops manage to damage the aircraft, which has to make an emergency landing on the frozen Lake Ladoga.

Northern Finland: the F19 airforce regiment of Swedish volunteers goes into combat for the first time at Märkäjärvi.

The Ministry of Supply urges evacuees to adapt to their new circumstances and attempt to support themselves, if possible, and to work for their hosts who are providing them with shelter.

London: the Daily Express reports a Dutch source as saying that Hitler is keen to act as broker in the conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union.

Sweden: an art shop is opened to raise funds for Finland.

The International Federation of Trade Unions issues a resolution calling on governments around the world to fulfil their obligation of solidarity with Finland.

Daily losses: 89

***

13 January - DAY 45 of Winter War

Åland Sea: the Soviet submarine Sts 324 attacks Finnish convoys in the Märket narrows.

The Finnish escort vessel Aura II sinks after one of its own depth charges explodes on deck.

Central Isthmus: enemy attempts at mini-offensives at Lähde and Summa are successfully repulsed.

Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops establish the great Kitelä 'motti'.

Soviet bombers carry out air-raids on a number of localities.

The air-raid on Hämeenlinna kills 12 people and injures 21 more.

In Helsinki, the air-raid kills 6 and injures another 21; it also sets the Hietalahti shipyard on fire.

In Lahti, the radio transmitter is damaged in the bombing.

The Finnish Broadcasting Company warns its listeners to be on their guard against enemy radio propaganda and indicates that due to enemy interference it will use only well-known announcers in its own broadcasts.

Abroad: Heimo Haitto, the 14-year-old violin prodigy, is the main attraction at a gala concert in Stockholm organized by the Fund for Finnish Relief.

At a fight held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Finnish heavyweight boxer Gunnar Bärlund scores a points victory over his American opponent, Jim Thompson. Some of the proceeds from the fight go to help Finland.

Coffee growers in Rio de Janeiro donate 60,000 sacks of coffee to Finland.

Daily losses: 119

***

14 January - DAY 46 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: Soviet Division is ordered to take Uomaa village and push the Finnish detachments out of the terrain between Uomaa and Lavajärvi.

Northern Finland: the Soviet 122nd Division disengages from Vuosamonselkä and withdraws to Märkäjärvi.

Detachment Roininen and the 40th Infantry Regiment are ordered to prepare themselves to pursue the enemy.

At the same time word comes through that the Soviet 88th Division is concentrating troops at Salla.

The submarine Iku-Turso returns from patrol without having sighted the enemy.

Viipuri: Soviet aircraft begin to bomb the city.

Vaasa: 10 people die in air-raids, among them women and children.

Enemy bombers hit Rauma, Pori, Uusikaupunki, Sottunga in the Åland archipelago, Hanko, Karjaa, Salo, Tammisaari, Helsinki and Kauniainen.

In the Gulf of Bothnia, Soviet aircraft also bomb the Swedish coastline.

At Haparanda the air-raid warning lasts 1½ hours.

Helsinki: an ambulance donated by the French Red Cross arrives from Stockholm with four nurses.

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MG and ATG at Ruhtinaanmäki.

Daily losses: 95

15 January - DAY 47 of Winter War

Undeterred by his jammed machine gun, Staff Sergeant Siltavuori, a squadron test pilot, downs an enemy DB bomber by cutting its rudder with the propeller on his Fokker.

Northern Finland: Finnish troops begin to pursue the retreating enemy in Salla by advancing from Joutsijärvi in the direction of Märkäjärvi.

Ladoga Karelia: Viitavaara on the River Aittojoki is finally lost to the Russians.

Eastern Isthmus: in Taipale, Finnish troops repulse an assault by a fairly small enemy detachment.

Finnish patrols on the eastern border are still vigorous and effective.

Viipuri: the city is subjected to surprise attacks from the air. The sirens start up at 23 minutes past noon as the first bombs explode. The late warning means there are still many people on the streets and in shops and offices. Three people are killed and several injured. The attack devastates the area around Punaisenlähteentori square.

Abroad: the Swedish Government responds to the Soviet note accusing Sweden of abandoning its neutrality and the Swedish press of publishing anti-Soviet material. The Swedes reject the accusation and affirm their commitment to freedom of the press.

The German Foreign Ministry denies rumours of German attempts to play a mediating role in the Finno-Soviet conflict and claims that the visits of the German Ambassador in Moscow to Foreign Minister Molotov have merely concerned economic relations between the two countries.

The Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf donates her gold medal from the Swedish Academy and her Nobel Gold Medal to the collection in aid of Finland.

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http://i.imgur.com/Vdp8wNN.jpg
"Our supply route Katitsanlampi-Repomäki after a fight with a Russian patrol."

Daily losses: 67

***

16 January - DAY 48 of Winter War

Central Isthmus: heavy enemy shelling pounds the defences on the Mannerheim Line in Summa.

Ladoga Karelia: in temperatures of -41° Celsius, a small Finnish detachment attacks and halts the enemy advance at the edge of Mursula village in Kitilä.

The Finnish aid agency Suomen Huolto grants 800,000 marks in aid to victims of the bombing in the towns of western Finland.

Abroad: a special Finnish day is to be held at the Holmenkollen skiing games in Oslo to raise money for Finland.

A Danish association of factory-owners is sending a railway wagonload of food aid to Finland.

United States President, Franklin D. Roosevelt says the USA can extend a non-military loan to Finland as this would in his opinion not compromise US neutrality.

The Swiss Medical Association announces it is to send a group of volunteers to Finland.

Daily losses: 65

***

17 January - DAY 49 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: the Finnish 12th Division launches its offensive in the Uomaa sector.

IV Army Corps halts its offensive in the Pitkäranta area. The Finnish force does not have sufficient strength in the area to push on to the border. Fokker fighters from 24 Squadron shoot down 8 enemy SB bombers over the Isthmus.

Central Isthmus: in the Lähde road sector, heavy enemy shelling inflicts serious damage on 'Fort Poppius'. This concrete fortress named after Second Lieutenant Poppius can house up to 26 men.

Enemy bombers hit Turku, Hanko, Lappeenranta and Koivisto.

Viipuri: bombers concentrate on the south harbour.

Finland's civil defence chief reminds members of the public to keep their identity papers with them at all times.

The Ministry of the Interior is to set up a supply centre for evacuees.

In Summa, temperatures have fallen to -42° Celsius.

Abroad: Norwegian fruiterers have today donated six trainloads (50,000 kilos) of apples to Finland.

The United States has decided to send two military attachés to Finland.

In Uppsala, the author Frans Emil Sillanpää addresses a Swedish audience on the situation in Finland.

Daily losses: 75

18 January - DAY 50 of Winter War

Ladoga Karelia: Finnish troops take the barracks area in Pitkäranta, forming a 'motti' with one flank open onto the frozen Lake Ladoga.

Fresh concentrations of enemy divisions are observed at Pitkäranta and at Käsnäselkä in the Uomaa sector.

Northern Finland: four Finnish battalions mount an assault on Märkäjärvi, but the enemy's 122nd Division holds firm.

Gulf of Finland: Finnish troops begin to attack a Soviet naval detachment trapped in the ice near the island of Someri.

Enemy bombers hit the icebreaker Tarmo while it is undergoing repairs in Kotka harbour. Thirty-nine crew members are killed and 11 wounded.

Sweden: the Swedish Parliament debates the question of aid for Finland. Public opinion in Sweden sees the country's future as closely bound up with the outcome of Finland's struggle.

"Finlands sak är vår" (Finland's cause is our own) is adopted as the slogan of the popular movement campaigning on behalf of aid for Finland.

Home news: Doctor of Law Urho Kekkonen is appointed to head the supply centre for evacuees.

Abroad: Hungarian professor Albert Szent-Györgyi, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine, gifts his Nobel Medal to Finland.

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Russian dugouts, 1km south of Mitro.

Daily losses: 130

19 January - DAY 51 of Winter War

Northern Finland: Finnish troops take up defensive positions at Märkäjärvi.

The Finnish 9th Division fighting in the Suomussalmi-Raate sector is ordered to move south to Kuhmo.

Russian submarines withdraw from the Gulf of Bothnia. The naval blockade of the Gulf comes to an end.

Karelian Isthmus: two Finnish fighters engage three enemy bombers over the Isthmus. One of the bombers is shot down.

Three more enemy aircraft are shot down over other parts of the Isthmus.

Helsinki: the use of blowlamps to thaw out frozen water pipes causes several fires in the city.

A special newspaper called Den Frivillege (The Volunteer) is introduced for Swedish volunteers in Finland. The author Olof Lagercrantz is appointed editor-in-chief.

Abroad: Sweden gifts Finland two FK 52 reconnaissance aircraft.

The well-known author and explorer Sven Hedin suggests the funds intended for paying the 1939 and 1940 Nobel Peace Prizes be given instead to the Finnish Red Cross.

Swedish business has so far collected 62 million krona in aid for Finland.

Daily losses: 82

20 January - DAY 52 of Winter War

Eastern Isthmus: fierce battles are being fought in Taipale.

Enemy troops attack the Finnish strongholds at Terenttilä and Kirvesmäki.

Central Isthmus: heavy enemy shelling pounds the Finnish defences in Summa village.

Southwest Finland: the armoured coastal vessels Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen are redeployed to Turku to reinforce the city's air defences.

The war in the air: Flight Luukkanen shoots down four enemy aircraft to the north of Lake Ladoga.

37 enemy aircraft bomb Lahti and put the radio transmitter off the air. Five die and 19 are injured in the raid. The enemy is now broadcasting its own propaganda on the Lahti transmitter's frequency.

Turku, Tampere and Kouvola are also bombed.

A Finnish Centre for Nordic Aid aircraft begins transport flights from Vaasa to Sundsvall.

Turku: a group of foreign correspondents visit the city to inspect the damage caused by the bombing.

Oulu: 58 American Finnish volunteers arrive in the city.

Abroad: Winston Churchill, Great Britain's First Lord of the Admiralty, addresses the British nation in a broadcast speech: "All Scandinavia dwells brooding under Nazi and Bolshevik threats. Only Finland superb, nay, sublime in the jaws of peril shows what free men can do. ... They have exposed, for all the world to see, the military incapacity of the Red Army and of the Red Air Force."

The Red Army paper Krasnaya Zvezda acknowledges the slow progress of the Soviet troops and demands that the Red Army be taught how to ski.

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http://i.imgur.com/zYPpk7N.jpg
Replacements at Kollaa.

Daily losses: 73

Minus a gazillion degrees and some of these guys don't even wear their caps.:o

Through my amazing research (google): On the 20th of January it was -19C in Kollaa.

I'm assuming the three on the left are "veterans" who have come to greet the newcomers from their dugout (entrance of which can be seen on the left). Finnish dugouts or korsu's were relatively comfortable and warm.

Not enough military uniforms for everyone.