Finnish losses during battle Suomussalmi - Raate

[mirekw]

What were the losses of the Finnish units fighting during Suomussalmi - Raat battles in December 1939 and early January 1940 years.

I know the following numbers: 900 killed, 1,770 wounded, and 30 prisoners?

Regards,
mirekw

[Mangrove]

What were the losses of the Finnish units fighting during Suomussalmi - Raat battles in December 1939 and early January 1940 years.

According to Teemu Keskisarja's "Raaka tie Raatteeseen" (2012), the losses suffered by the Finnish troops in and around Suomussalmi between 30 November 1939 and 3 January 1940 were as follows:

297 KIA (19+40+238)
914 WIA (50+137+727)
104 MIA (0+6+98)
2 POW (0+1+1)

[Slon-76]

Hi!

And between 3 and 10 January? There is no data?

[Mangrove]

And between 3 and 10 January? There is no data?

I have no exact data outside the KIA losses listed by National Archive's database. I have here assumed the number of wounded in action is three times greater than the number of soldiers killed in action.

Finnish losses in and around Suomussalmi between 4 and 10 January 1940.

JR 64 = 71 KIA
JR 27 = 46 KIA
JR 65 = 35 KIA
IV/KT-Pr = 17 KIA

Er.P 15 = 8 KIA
SissiP 1 = 7 KIA
Kev.Os.22 = 2 KIA
PPP 6 = 1 KIA
9.D = 1 KIA
---------------------
188 KIA, c. 560 WIA

[Slon-76]

Thanks!

It seems that Finnish historians still do not understand the loss of the Finnish army in this battle. At least I can't find the full data about the losses of the Finnish troops.

For example:
Peterson A.J., Suomalainen V.. The Battle of Suomussalmi//Military Review №29, December 1949

The total Russian losses for the entire battle were about 27,500 men killed and about 1,500 prisoners of war. Finnish losses for the same period were about 2,700 killed and wounded.

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=m ... 991;num=61

Chew A.F. Beating the Russian in snow: The Finns and the Russians, 1940//Military review. 1980. №6

A conservative Finnish estimate puts the combined Russian losses (the 163d and 44th Divisions, plus the 3d NKVD Regiment) at 22,500 men.
Their own losses against those enemies were about 2,700—counting killed, wounded and missing.

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=u ... 0;orient=0

BUT!
Chew A.F. The White dead: The epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War. – Michigan State University Press, 1971

Finnish losses in the entire Suomussalmi-Raate campaign totalled some 1,900 men—including approximately 600 killed, 133 missing, and nearly 1,200 permanently disabled;

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=u ... 39;num=123

Are there any official data at all?

[mirekw]

Hi, thanks for this info,

It is much more clear, Suomussalmi in fact is one battle and along Raate's road is a second, both are "almost" parrarel but with a few days delay and in a distance areas.

regards,
mw

[Karelia]

Are there any official data at all?

Of course there is, since the faith of practically every single fallen Finnish soldier is known and listed. There were indeed in fact two separate battles separated by couple of days and some distance. The differences in casualty numbers most likely depend on whether one counts the hole series of battles or either the one or the other.

One gets pretty accurate figures by adding the already presented numbers together:

"According to Teemu Keskisarja's "Raaka tie Raatteeseen" (2012), the losses suffered by the Finnish troops in and around Suomussalmi between 30 November 1939 and 3 January 1940 were as follows:

297 KIA (19+40+238)
914 WIA (50+137+727)
104 MIA (0+6+98)
2 POW (0+1+1)"

"Finnish losses in and around Suomussalmi between 4 and 10 January 1940.

JR 64 = 71 KIA
JR 27 = 46 KIA
JR 65 = 35 KIA
IV/KT-Pr = 17 KIA

Er.P 15 = 8 KIA
SissiP 1 = 7 KIA
Kev.Os.22 = 2 KIA
PPP 6 = 1 KIA
9.D = 1 KIA
---------------------
188 KIA, c. 560 WIA"

Am not sure how the soldiers who died later of their wounds were counted.

[Slon-76]

There were indeed in fact two separate battles separated by couple of days and some distance.

There has been no break. To 30-31 December Finnish troops fought surrounded to the North of Suomussalmi parts (662 regiment and others), and January 1, began an offensive against the 44 division.
I know that Finnish historians often divide the battle of Suomussalmi two, but this is not correct. In fact, it's the same battle with the same purpose.

Am not sure how the soldiers who died later of their wounds were counted.

I don't doubt that. But I would like to see the results of these calculations.

[Karelia]

There were indeed in fact two separate battles separated by couple of days and some distance.

There has been no break. To 30-31 December Finnish troops fought surrounded to the North of Suomussalmi parts (662 regiment and others), and January 1, began an offensive against the 44 division.
I know that Finnish historians often divide the battle of Suomussalmi two, but this is not correct. In fact, it's the same battle with the same purpose.

There was a "break" in the Finnish side - albeit very short - for moving the troops against the new soviet division.

Actually the battle(s) of Suomussalmi is a one battle in Finland too, but with two sub-battles for clarification.

Am not sure how the soldiers who died later of their wounds were counted.

I don't doubt that. But I would like to see the results of these calculations.

Am not sure if somebody has done the calculating business already. The data is however somewhere there in the archive(s).

[Mangrove]

Below are some unit strength figures for different units of the 9th Division. All information is from folder Perus-3529/3.

9th Division:
- 9 January 1940 = 464+1974+10752 = 13190 men
- 15 January 1940 = 334+1468+7413 = 9215 men

Ryhmä Siilasvuo:
- 25 December 1939 = 234+1005+5406 = 6645 men

JR 27:
- 15 January 1940 = 93+438+2276 = 2807 men. 7+8+54 = 69 slightly WIA (being treated?). 1+6+25 = 32 severely WIA (being treated?).
- 21 March 1940 = 73+382+2018 = 2473 men

JR 65:
- 15 January 1940 = 76+316+1507 = 1899 men. 5+29+174 = 208 slightly WIA (being treated?). 2594 rifles, 72 SMG, 72 LMG, 88 MG, 0 pistols, 12 mortars and 3½ "fire ration" per rifle.
- 21 March 1940 = 61+259+1592 = 1912 men

[Gamle Lode]

It seems that Finnish historians still do not understand the loss of the Finnish army in this battle.

That is true, they do not understand it.

As for the Suomussalmi being just one battle, you could speak of a campaign consisting of several battles. There's no really problem about some semantics.