Battle of Varolampi Pond

The Battle of Varolampi Pond also known as the 'Sausage War'[1][2] occurred during the Winter War and was a precursor to the Battle of Tolvajärvi.

Battle of Varolampi Pond
Part of Winter War and Battle of Tolvajärvi
Date10-11 December 1939
Location
Northwest of Tolvajärvi, north of Lake Ladoga
Result Finnish victory, Soviet attack repulsed
Belligerents
 Finland  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Aaro Pajari Kombrig Nikolai Belyaev
Strength
10th Infantry Division 718th Rifle Regiment
Casualties and losses
20 killed
55 wounded		 100+ killed

Battle

On the night of the 10 December, the 718th Rifle Regiment of the Soviet army swung around the Finnish rear of the Tolvajärvi front and attacked the lightly defended Finnish supply and artillery troops at Varolampi Pond situated along the Korpiselkä-Tolvajärvi road.

The surprise attack saw initial success by the Soviet troops in advancing through the Finnish supply lines but failed to continue the assault towards Tolvajärvi village and the Finnish main-lines. The Soviet soldiers were exhausted and hungry after 5 days of forced marching and stopped to eat the sausage soup that the retreating Finns had left behind in their field kitchens.

This gave enough time for Major Pajari, who happened to be along the Koriselkä road at the time, to muster enough soldiers from the 16th Infantry Regiment along with dispersed field cooks and medics to launch a counter-attack.

Fighting lasted well into the night and involved close quarters combat and one of the only cases of bayonet fighting during the Winter War. By dawn of the 11 December, the counter-attack succeeded in driving back the Soviet force and inflicted heavy casualties with over 100 dead Soviet troops left on the field according to Finnish estimates along with 20 dead on the Finnish side.[3]

References
  1. Nenye, Vesa; Munter, Peter; Wirtanen, Toni; Birks, Chris (2015-09-20). Finland at War: The Winter War 1939–40. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472813589.
  2. Blakemore, Erin. "The Bizarre 'Sausage War' That Inspired Hitler". HISTORY. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  3. Irincheev, Bair (2012). War of the White Death: Finland Against the Soviet Union, 1939-40. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811710886.

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