Kilpelänkangas kuvattuna talvisodan jälkeen. Kuva Kuhmon talvisotamuseo.

Kilpelänkangas defence positions

Kilpelänkangas was the site of the fiercest battles in the Kuhmo area during the Winter War. The area was taken by the Finns as part of a counteroffensive started in late January 1940. A defence positions was quickly established in the area, and enemy counterattacks were repelled there until 3 March 1940. On that day, after heavy artillery fire, the enemy managed to break through the defensive position and the Finnish troops retreated to Löytövaara.

Fighting in the first days of the Winter War

Fighting commenced at Kilpelänkangas as early as in the first days of the Winter War. Second Lieutenant Veikko Karhu’s platoon made contact with the attacker’s spearhead at Kilpelänkangas during the night of 30 November – 1 December.

The Finns broke away, but Karhu was wounded and captured. Veikko Karhu returned to Finland from captivity in the spring of 1940.

Kilpelänkankaan muistomerkki. Kuva Lassi Piirainen.

New battle for Kilpelänkangas

The Finns made several attacks to take Kilpelänkangas starting on 6 February 1940, and the area was finally seized on 9 February. After this, the responsibility for the defence of the area was given to Detachment Hyvärinen, which was formed on the morning of 13 February. This unit included the reinforced 2nd and 3rd Battalions of Infantry Regiment 65, among other troops. The detachment managed to repel all counterattacks despite heavy artillery fire.

The Soviet 9th Army moved the 163rd Division, which had fought at Suomussalmi, towards Repola at the end of February. After this, the pressure from the enemy increased significantly at Kilpelänkangas. The situation varied between the enemy’s attacks supported by artillery and the Finnish counterattacks. On 1 March, the enemy’s artillery fire intensified, and heavy pressure on the weakest part of the defensive lines led to a breakthrough by the enemy on 3 March. There were no reserves immediately available, so the Finnish troops had to retreat to Löytövaara

Kilpelänkankaan muistomerkki. Kuva Lassi Piirainen.

Kilpelänkangas memorial

The Kilpelänkangas memorial was designed by architect Birger Stenbäck, who fought in the battle as a platoon leader. The memorial committee consisted of the company commanders of Infantry Regiment 65, which fought in the Kuhmo sector. The memorial was unveiled on 10 August 1958, with around 10,000 people attending the ceremony.

The memorial was built from local natural stones and reflects the strong will of the men to whom it was erected for by their brothers-in-arms. The helmet on top of the memorial symbolises the destination faced by the hundreds of defenders of the surrounding terrain during the battles of Kuhmo.

The monument bears the text:

‘In memory of the heroes who died in the Winter War in Kuhmo in 1939–1940. On these knolls the men of Finland steadfastly defended their fatherland. May their actions be an obligation to future generations.’

Since 1958, the soldiers of the Kuhmo sector have gathered together at irregular yearly intervals on the first weekend in August. Now the celebrations have become a tradition, held at irregular yearly intervals, for example every full decade or whenever an occasion arises.