Rauhan tultua, kuva Löytövaarasta itään 16.3.1940. Kuva SA-kuva

Löytövaara defence positions

The fierce attacks by the Red Army to rescue its troops that were encircled in mottis were repulsed in Löytövaara during the last weeks of the war. The enemy’s heavy artillery fire and air force supported repeated attacks, which the diminished Finnish forces were barely able to repel with active defensive fighting.

Tykistötulen jäljet kuvattuna Kilpelänkankaalta Löytövaaraan. Kuva SA-kuva.

Battles of Löytövaara and Kilpelänkangas

The Finns took Löytövaara as part of the 9th Division’s attack on 30 January 1940. Battalion Mankonen, named after the commander, was formed from Finnish units at Löytövaara on 31 January.

After the Red Army’s 54th Mountain Division was trapped in a motti, the Soviets formed the Repola Operations Group on 2 February to rescue their troops. Group Kutuzov was formed under its command from detached units. Group Kutuzov attempted a counterattack at Löytövaara on the morning of the same day, but the attack failed. The commander of the group, Major Kutuzov, was the assistant to the commander of the 54th Mountain Division, but he was killed while he was still on the way to his troops. Next it was the turn of Battlegroup Kozheurov to attempt a counterattack. The unit was composed of detached units, supply troops and auxiliary reserves. The attack started on 5 February but failed to reach its objective. The commander of the battlegroup was Major Kozheurov, who commanded the 51st Field Artillery Regiment.

Next, the Finns continued their attack and took Kilpelänkangas after several attempts on 9 February. After this, the Soviet troops tried to break the Finnish defences at Kilpelänkangas. The Finnish troops took turns on front-line duty at Kilpelänkangas and rest duty at Löytövaara.

The Soviet forces made a breakthrough at Kilpelänkangas on 3 March, and the Finnish troops retreated to Löytövaara, where average defence positions had been built while the fighting was further away. Intense artillery fire and active air force operation pounded the Finnish positions and Soviet attacks followed one after another. Despite all, the Finnish defences held out until the end of the war. The attacks were repulsed by active counterattacks, but some forward strongpoints were lost. When peace arrived, the troops of the attacker and defender were close to each other at the slope of Löytövaara.

Löytövaaran muistokivi. Kuva Lassi Piirainen.

Löytövaara memorial

Around ten men from the Mänttä parish fought on the Kuhmo front in the Winter War. Their relatives have erected a memorial stone to the three of them who fell on the Kuhmo front.

The memorial stone is located by the Saunajärvi Road, at the edge of the field of the Löytövaara farm. The memorial stone was unveiled on 16 August 1970.