Unlike the Soviet 163rd Division, Vinogradov, the commander of the Soviet 44th Division, obviously did not think so. Vinogradov convened a staff meeting to study and decide that the Finnish army should take advantage of Christmas to relax its defenses. time to attack the Finnish army. Therefore, from the beginning, the two Soviet divisions did not cooperate at all. One wanted to take advantage of Christmas to rest, and the other wanted to take the opportunity to launch an attack.
Midnight came during the planning of both sides. The Soviet 163rd Division, which was divided into two groups, began to show signs of fatigue under the presence of the God of Sleep. Unexpectedly, in the small town of Suaomusalmi opposite, the Northern Combat Group had begun to show its fangs, preparing to give them a fatal blow.
"The 163rd Soviet Division on the opposite side is generally divided into two major camps. The camp in the northeast is the main camp, and the main command organs, including the headquarters, are here." Michel Gerber Colonel Meyer said in a persuasive way, "Their artillery and armor are in the southeast where the terrain is slightly flatter, so our plan this time is to attack the main camp in the northeast and try to kill their headquarters! For the first For the artillery and armor of the 63rd Division, we detached a grenadier regiment to feint to attack, trying to create as much momentum as possible so that they would not dare to act rashly. Do you understand?" After saying this, Colonel Michel Gabermeier He looked at everyone with burning eyes.
"Colonel, we have no problem!" The people present looked at each other and finally nodded together.
"Okay, let's go down and get ready. It's almost midnight!" Colonel Michel Gabermeier looked at his watch and said.
On December 26, 1939, after the baptism of Christmas during the day, the remaining residents of the town had already rested. In their opinion, even the most vicious invaders would not use force at this time. After all, there is no bigger holiday than Christmas in the year. But they don't know that the Germans and the Soviets don't think so. After the October Revolution, the Soviet Union did not dare to cancel Christmas, but Christmas is indeed no longer so important. As for Germany, the orders of the current German head of state are obviously above all else.
As midnight approached, the soldiers of the Northern Fighting Group in the small town marched quietly on the streets of the small town of Suao Musalmi. It was as if he was afraid that his excessive movements would wake up the residents of the town. After leaving the town, the soldiers immediately put on the sleds they had been carrying on their backs. In a few breaths, the soldiers gliding quickly disappeared into the vast night.
Colonel Michel Gebermeier looked at the soldiers who had disappeared and said to the staff, "The Second Grenadier Regiment has already gone to the Soviet armored camp, and now it's our turn."
Under the personal leadership of Colonel Michel Gebermeier, the remaining two grenadier regiments of the Northern Combat Group began to slide in the other direction. Only the last reserve team, about three thousand people, was left around the town.
An Orion who had just returned home from a friend's house after drinking clearly saw the whole process. Out of curiosity, he hid in the corner of the street and did not come out. When all the starting team members had disappeared into the wilderness, this Orion slowly walked out of the corner and said, "Although I don't know where you soldiers are from, friends from far away, God will definitely bless you."
At this time, the commander of the 44th Division of the Soviet Army, Vinogradov, began to order the troops to take action. The target was the Finnish 9th Infantry Division, which was currently blocking its route to support the Soviet 163rd Division. Although many soldiers were worried about the above The order expressed dissatisfaction, but was still appointed to carry out Vinogradov's orders.
In this way, the Ukrainian farmers who were shivering with cold in the camp had to crawl out of their beds, which were still warm compared to the outside. Following Vinogradov's order, they marched toward the defense line formed by the Finnish 9th Infantry Division. attack.
Unlike the Soviet 163rd Division that the Northern Combat Group faced, the Finnish 9th Infantry Division was going to work with the Northern Combat Group to annihilate the Soviet 163rd Division from the beginning, but Michel Geber Colonel Meier saw that the Finnish 9th Infantry Division had a covetous Soviet 44th Division next to it, so he did not let them act rashly.
In the end, the Finnish Ninth Infantry Division accepted Colonel Michel Gebermeier's suggestion, but the Finnish Ninth Infantry Division did not relax its vigilance and was always alert to the movements of the surrounding Soviet troops. Therefore, as soon as there was any movement in the 44th Division of the Soviet Army, the 9th Infantry Division immediately discovered it through sentries.
After receiving the news, Colonel Silas Wuao immediately said to the staff, "Abandon the central position, lure the Soviets into the forest, and wait for opportunities to annihilate them."
"Yes, Colonel." The staff officer next to him immediately told the signal soldier. After a while, the Finnish soldiers, who were already in full position, received the order from Colonel Silas and Vuau. Although they didn't know why, they immediately obeyed the order. , after a token resistance, began to abandon the central position and retreat into the forest.
The fragile resistance of the Finnish 9th Infantry Division was considered by Vinogradov to mean that his surprise attack had achieved the intended effect. Therefore, without the slightest suspicion, he ordered the troops to pursue him immediately.
On this side, Colonel Michel Gebermeier had led the Northern Combat Group to the camp of the Soviet 163rd Division quietly, and all the sentries posted were secretly killed. Thousands of soldiers looked down upon the Soviets and silently watched the camp of the 163rd Division.
Hundreds of trained snipers have set up ambush in trees, rock crevices, hollow tree trunks and tree roots in various places where they can snipe. After a long period of observation, Colonel Michel Gabermeier finally determined that the Soviet army was The 163rd Division had no defense at all. In front of the camp, a small group of sentries was inside the sentry post.
The hundreds of snipers carefully selected by Colonel Michel Gebermeier are all the most promising and talented shooters in the entire Northern Combat Group. They have undergone long-term training before coming to Finland. .
"Lonely and long", these five words can be said to be a simple and vivid summary of the sniper career. To survive in the wild for a long time, you need a convenient and safe hiding place. The sniper's position itself can be regarded as a small position. It is often designed as an observation point suitable for camouflage and concealment, about 3 meters wide and 1 meter high. Usually there are two exits, one larger for personnel to enter and exit, and the other smaller for observation and shooting. There is often a smooth slope inside the shooting port, so that when the sniper lies down and observes for a long time, the elbow can be supported and the upper body will not be overworked.
The selection of the observation point must fully consider the need for long-term concealment. It should not only be close to the water source, but also ensure that it is dry and does not accumulate water in rainy days, and is cool and ventilated in hot days. The first principle of camouflage is not to damage the surrounding environment and to blend in with the environment as much as possible. Therefore, when establishing the observation point, we should try not to use artificial objects, but directly use natural branches, grass blades, vegetation and rocks. If we can use natural culverts, rock cracks, hollow tree trunks and roots, it will be better. Ideal.
The sniper's long waiting process is not as peaceful and leisurely as it seems on the surface. He needs to independently complete preparation work such as field observation and tracking, map interpretation, intelligence collection and analysis, entry and retreat route arrangements, and combat plan formulation. More importantly, he could not know for sure when the enemy would appear. He only knew that at a certain moment, he must win a decisive victory as quickly as a rabbit rises and a falcon falls. Therefore, for the sniper, every minute and second of silent waiting is full of thrilling atmosphere. This sharp contrast between long and short, lonely and intense is no longer something that mere physical and technical preparations can handle. This requires the sniper's psychological quality to be extraordinary.
Hundreds of snipers were hiding in their respective positions, as if they were turning a blind eye to the coming war. Watching the movements in the camp intently. They kept filling the sniper rifles with DUM bullets that Lin Wei had just shipped from Germany.
After a long period of observation, Colonel Michel Gebermeier gave the order to attack...
The quiet forest suddenly turned into the roar of cannons...
In an instant, a nest exploded in the middle of the Soviet military camp, and noises and yells continued to be heard. The soldiers and officers who rushed out of the tents and rooms began to launch a fragile counterattack, but within the first moment, they were knocked down by bullets that could not be fired from nowhere.
At the moment they fell, they stared blankly ahead with their eyes wide open, as if they wanted to know who shot them. Those who had not been shot in the head clutched their wounds, screaming in despair as the tearing pain caused them to cry out. I kept thinking of someone trying in vain to stop my bleeding area. But that was destined to be in vain. Their wounds were more severe than ordinary gunshot wounds, and they couldn't stop bleeding at all.
Some officers have discovered that something is wrong with the wounds on their bodies. Not only are they more painful, but they are also bleeding. The knowledgeable officers immediately thought of something, that is, the famous dum bomb. Thinking of this, they not only became more desperate, because they had planted dum bombs. The high death rate made everyone feel like they were in an ice cave.
The German snipers here began their actions ruthlessly, loading and shooting. At this time, they had no other thoughts in their minds, except to shoot their own bullets into the enemy's body. Soldiers who rushed out of the military camp were shot dead one after another. Panic gradually began to spread in the military camp. No one knew how many enemies were hiding in the darkness. Everyone is hiding carefully so as not to stand out.
Colonel Michel Gebermeier, when the sniper launched the sniper attack, he had already ordered the soldiers of the Northern Combat Group to charge. Just when the snipers stopped chasing, the Northern Combat Group had already rushed into the Soviet military camp.
"There must be someone in the Soviet army who understands German. Don't let anyone live." Colonel Michel Gebermeier coldly ordered.
The headquarters in the military camp immediately started to contact the armored soldiers in another military camp, hoping that they would come to support, but the news they received was that an ambush had also appeared in the armored camp.
After learning that they could not count on armored troops, the men of the Soviet 163rd Division could only hope that they were facing a small group of Finnish troops. At the same time, they ordered: "All soldiers, start counterattack."
But they don't know that although the Northern Combat Group currently has fewer people than them, it is definitely not much less. Moreover, at night, with the advantage of surprise attacks, the Soviets can make a comeback, so don't live and commit suicide.
It's not that the armored soldiers from another military camp didn't want to come to support them, but they are indeed being sniped by a grenadier regiment. In the dark, they don't know who they are facing, and how many people there are? So I can only look after myself first.
It's not that the armored soldiers from another military camp didn't want to come to support them, but they are indeed being sniped by a grenadier regiment. In the dark, they don't know who they are facing, and how many people there are? So I can only look after myself first.
The huge sound could be faintly heard. The 44th Division of the Soviet Army a few kilometers away. The commander of the 44th Division, Vinogradov, immediately started a meeting. After analysis by him and his staff, he believed that he was facing The reason why the enemy's resistance is so fragile is because the main force of the Finns is attacking the 163rd Division, and the defenders he faces are negligible, so Vinogradov ordered, "Each regiment will immediately Cross the defense line you are facing and rescue the 163rd Division."
That night, tens of thousands of people gathered around this tiny place and began a desperate duel.
Two days later, the supply line of the 163rd Division had been cut off and supplies had been cut off. The soldiers of the 163rd Division had to fight the Northern Combat Group on an hungry stomach. The severe cold of minus 40 degrees also left the Soviet army helpless. The Northern Combat Group could take turns returning to the town to rest, but they could not. On December 28, 1939, the besieged 163rd Division was about to collapse.
The ubiquitous snipers kept the spirits of ordinary soldiers tense, and the cutoff of supply lines lowered morale to an extreme.
As early as December 27, the Northern Combat Group began a general attack. The first to attack were the 84th Regiment and the 759th Regiment that were defending the Northeast Military Camp. Under the attack of the Northern Combat Group, these two regiments had to escape from the frozen lake. Retreat. Colonel Michel Gebermeier ordered the troops to pursue. Under the pursuit of the Northern Combat Group, the two Soviet regiments completely lost order and command, split into small groups and fled in all directions. On the 28th, the 84th and 759th regiments of the 163rd Division were basically wiped out by the Northern Combat Group.
Similarly, in the north of Suaomusalmi village, the annihilation battle against the last infantry regiment of the Soviet 163rd Division, the 662nd Regiment, also started. The two northernmost battalions, the 2nd Battalion of the 662nd Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 662nd Regiment, were the first to be annihilated. From the 25th to the 28th, the Second Grenadier Regiment of the Northern Combat Group used various methods to destroy these two battalions. The headquarters of the 47th Army of the Soviet 9th Army fled back to the Soviet Union in embarrassment.
In the end, only the remaining 3rd Battalion of the 662nd Regiment and the 246th Independent Pioneer Battalion of the 163rd Division were left. The annihilation of this Soviet army began on December 29th and ended on the 30th. Since then, the 163rd Division has been completely destroyed. annihilate,
Selendsov, the commander of the 163rd Division, disappeared when he fled with his troops. No one saw him again. The most likely ending was that he was swallowed up by the forest near Suomusalmi. The then 7th Army Commander Meretskov was in The fate of the commander of the 163rd Division was mentioned in his memoirs. He said: "Another division that was transferred from the Ukrainian grasslands to the front line (the 163rd Division) was killed because the soldiers did not pass through forests, swamps, mountains and deep mines in advance. training, the results were somewhat worse. Although the division did not fight in the area under my command at that time, others introduced to me the experiences of the division. The division was completely unable to adapt to the environment in which it was located, suffered heavy casualties, and the division commander also sacrificed”.
After the collapse of the 163rd Division, Colonel Michel Gebermeier immediately ordered to wipe out the Soviet troops as much as possible, so the soldiers of the Northern Combat Group began paddling sleds to chase the defeated troops. There was a group of people who specifically examined the bodies of Soviets to determine whether they were really dead. This was also done under the instruction of Colonel Michel Gebermeier.
Because the empire still doesn't want the Soviets to know that there is a German army in Finland to help Finland fight, so Colonel Michel Gebermeier is trying his best to prevent the Soviet Union from spreading the news about the encounter with the German army.
The Soviet 44th Division tried to take a shortcut to rescue the 163rd Division. Vinogradov's idea was wrong again. The troops that annihilated the 163rd Division were not Finnish troops at all, so the Finnish army did not What is the problem of insufficient troops
The advance of the Soviet 44th Division was immediately stubbornly blocked by the Finnish 9th Infantry Division. It would not be too late for Vinogradov to wake up at this time, but he was too stubborn and wasted precious time.
At this time, the Northern Combat Group had already recovered. Seeing that the 9th Finnish Infantry Division was still fighting fiercely with the 44th Soviet Division, it immediately rushed over in the name of the 10th Finnish Infantry Division. The Northern Combat Group, the Finnish 9th Infantry Division and the Soviet 44th Division were divided into several sections.
The Battle of Suaumusalmi introduced in the "Encyclopedia of World Military History" after the war:
"In eastern Finland, soldiers of the 163rd Division of the Soviet Army passed through narrow forest trails in two groups and attacked the town of Suaumusalmi. Thick snow hindered the Soviet army's advance, and the freezing temperature was 40 degrees below zero. Attacking the new recruits from Ukraine who lacked polar clothing. On the flank of the Soviet army, the Finnish Civil Defense team wore skis in the white snow and attacked supply vehicles and field kitchens mysteriously. After the Soviet column met in the town, they made no further progress. assault, but stopped to reconnoiter the enemy's situation. At this time, the troops of the Finnish 10th Division arrived and launched a counterattack against the Soviet army without waiting for follow-up artillery. The supply lines of both sides were blocked and attacked, cutting off all supplies. The 44th Soviet Division tried to take a shortcut to rescue the 163rd Division. However, it was unable to maneuver due to being harassed by the Civil Defense Team and was trapped on the road about 8 kilometers east of Suao Musalmi. , on Christmas Eve, the two Soviet divisions made a last futile attempt to rendezvous. At this time, the artillery unit of the 10th Finnish Division had arrived, and then launched a coordinated attack on the 163rd Division, and Annihilate it (December 27-30). After that, the Finnish 10th Division, in collaboration with the already-sentimental 9th Finnish Infantry Division, attacked the Soviet 44th Division, first dividing it and then annihilating it one by one (January 1-8 Japan). In this battle, about 27,500 Soviet troops died in battle or froze to death, and 1,300 were captured. In addition, the Finnish army also captured 50 tanks and all artillery and weapons and equipment of 2 divisions. The Finnish army suffered 900 deaths and 1,770 injuries. people."