Fight for the Bunker - Winter War

10 FEBRUARY 1940, TERENTTILA, TAIPALE FRONT World knows the Russo-Finnish War dominated by "hit and run" and guerrilla tactics. However most of the heavy fighting was happened in trenches where, in some places combatants fought for a trench line for months. This is true especially in the struggle for the Mannerheim line, Karelian Isthmus. This scenario pictures a typical situation Finnish and Russian soldiers found themselves hundreds of times in the struggle for strong points. Taipale was the northern extremity of the Mannerheim Line. Resting the Lake Ladoga on its left and the large River Suvanto on the right, Taipale provided an excellent defensive position for the left flank of the Finnish forces in the Isthmus. Although it was not the weight center of the Russian attacks, Taipale has seen a very bloody trench warfare from December 1939 to March 1940. Russian forces made several attempts to capture the positions and outflank the Finnish II Corps in the South. All those attempts were repulsed by the stubborn defense of the 10th Infantry Division. Both sides organized raids and "recons in force" during the "calm" periods between the major offensives in Taipale. The "Strong point 3" was part of the Finnish trench system covering the Taipale River. It was defended by a platoon from the 28th Infantry Regiment. On 10 February, a Red Army company from the 222nd Rifle Regiment (49th Rifle Division) has attempted to capture the Finnish strong point guarding the approaches of the town of Terenttila. Trying to grab the element of surprise, Red Army riflemen, assaulted to capture the trench without initial bombardment.