Arctic Front: Higher Ground (H2H TESTING IN PROGRESS)

[Crossroads]

Order of Battle research is on:

Vuosalmi 1.-5. March 1940



Sources:
- Sodan taisteluja I - Talvisota (Battles of Our Wars 1 - Winter War) by Ari Raunio and Yuri Kilin.
- Miten Suomi valloitetaan (How-To Conquer Finland; The Operative Plans of Red Army 1939-44), by prof. Ohto Manninen
- Wiki/11.division (renamed 1 Feb 1940 as 2.division): http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/11._divisioona_(talvisota)
- Axis History Forum http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.p...9&t=198754
With Special Thanks to 'Olia' on Red Army OoB
http://kannas.nm.ru/rkka.htm
http://www.winterwar.com/forces/SuArmy/S...tm#isthmus
RKKA tanks at Winter War: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.p...r#p1239909



Finnish forces

III Army Corps - Maj.Gen Paavo Talvela

TykR K (Artillery Group "K")

- II/KTR 2 (II/Field Artillery Regt 2) - Capt Jorma Leimu - One battery per sector . Organic to 2.D
- Three batteries on loan from 8.Division - Capt Alpi Uusisaari

2.Division - Colonel Eino Koskimies

Sintola Sector OUT OF SCOPE
JR 4 Lt.Col Lauri "Lasse" Leander
I/JR 4 Capt Hirvikoski (Salopaakkola)
III/JR 4 Major Yrjö Hanste (Sintolanniemi)
II/JR 4 Capt Hovi (Sintola R)

I/JR 63 Capt Yrjö Pitkänen (retreating towards Sintola)

Kaskiselkä Sector
JR 6 Lt.Col Karl-Wilhelm Grünn
II/JR 6 Major Arvo Leppänen (Kylä-Paakkola)
I/JR 6 Capt Veikko Korttila (Ojapelto)
III/JR 6 Capt Kaarlo Nisula (Kaskiselkä R)

Vuosalmi Sector
JR 23 (of 8.Division, Col Claes Winell) Lt.Col Matti Laurila (Deployed 28. February 1940)
II/JR 23 Sihvo (Äyräpää)
III/JR 23 Capt Olavi Valtonen (Äyräpää)
I/ JR23 Capt Vallas (Vuosalmi R)

Reinforcements / Vuosalmi 4 March 1940:

- Light Detachment 8 (Kev.Os.8) - Squadron Master (Capt) Leo Hälvä

- III/JR 24 (8.Div) Capt Onni Lampinen
- one 'Separate Light Battery' ?
- an 'Interim Battery' ? (jäykkälavettinen patteri)
- 3rd battery from R.Psto 5 (Heavy Artillery Bn 5)
- II / KTR 21 (three batteries)

=> In total: four artillery bns (patteristo) / 48 guns with a decent supply of ammo - quite impressive given the state of the army towards the last days of winter war.

Reinforcements 6 March 1940 - 21. Division takes over Vuosalmi sector, the now worn out 2. Division to cover Sintola and Kaskiselkä sectors only. OUT OF SCOPE

21.Division, Colonel Niilo Hirsalo

JR 63 Lt Col Konrad Laaksonen
III/JR 24 Capt Lampinen
III/JR 63 Capt Karl Ruda (reserve, soon deployed)
I/JR 62 rank? Larko
II/JR 61 Capt Holopainen x3/8 Ltn Herman Nykänen x3/9 (reserve, soon deployed)



RKKA Forces

13th Army - Army Commander II class Vladimir Grendahl
(-> March 2 -> Army Commander II class Filipp A. Barusinov)
- Army Comissar A.I.Zaporozhets

- 3rd, 15th and 23rd Infantry Army Corps
- total of 9 inf divs, 6 arty regts, 2 hvy arty regts, 3 army corps arty regts, 1 tank bde (39th), 2 separate tank bns (14th, 204th), and one cavalry regt (28th).
- total in Greater Vuosalmi sector: 60 batteries (ca 760 guns) and 479 tanks.


15th Army Corps - Brigadier Commander M.F. Korolyov
- Bde Commissar A.I.Mikhailov

Initial attacks without much of artiilery support, as artillery trains were late. Strong air support.

17th Motorised Division (Kylä-Paakkola - Ojapelto) [Moscow - Gorki]
- Brigadier Commander Terenti K. Batsanov,
- Bde Comissar P. Antipin

- 55th Mot IR
- 271th Mot IR
- 278th Mot IR
- 20th Recon.Bn
- 350th Tank Bn
--- on 20.1.40 had 19 BT-7, 4 BT-5 and 9 T-26

4.Division [Belorussia - Slutsk]
- Brigadier Commander Ivan N. Muzydzenko
- Regt.Commissar Maklashin

- 39th IR
- 101th IR
- 220th IR
- 40th Recon.Bn
- 320th Tank Bn
--- 16 T-26 and 17 T-37/38 on 8.02.40

- 95th Howitzer Regt

Reinforcements 4 March 1940:

50.Division - Brigadier Commander Sergei Goryadzev (15th AC / 13th Army) [Belorussia - Polotsk]
- Bde Commander possibly also Borichvev?
- Bde Commissar S.I. Eremin?

- 2nd IR
- 49th IR
- 359th IR
- 202th Recon Bn.
- 202th light artillery regiment (from AHF ???)
- 257th Howitzer Regt
- 393th Tank Battalion
--- Strength unknown


6 March 1940 OUT OF SCOPE
8.Division - Brigadier Commander P.N.Rubzov (23rd AC / 13th Army)
[Belorussia- Zlobin and Bobruisk]
62 light artillery regiment and 117 howitzer artillery regiment were in 8 RD

By 'Olia'
- Аccording to the states of the Red Army 09/13/1939 light artillery regiment had 20 х 76- mm guns and 18х 122-mm howitzers
- Howitzer artillery regiment had 12 х122-mm howitzers and 12х 152-mm howitzers

From Raunio / Kilin book:

Winter War Red Army infantry division, according to book, consisted of
- three infantry divisions,
- one artillery regt and
- one howitzer regt
=> What were the organic artillery units of 17. Mot.D. and 4.D? 15 Dec 2013: mystery solved, finally!

Also, "typically" an infantry division also had
- a tank battalion of ca. 40 AFVs. Also, I believe,
- an Anti-tank Bn and
- Anti-Aircraft coy were included, plus
- a engineer bn and
- a signals bn, possibly also
- a recon bn
=> Which of the 13th Army tank units were involved?
- 39th Tank Bde deployed into Taipaleenjoki. Vuosalmi? 15 Dec 2013: organic tank units now known, use them instead