The Sausage War
The Finns manning a machine gun post. The Battle of Varolampi Pond, fought on the night of 10–11 December 1939, was a minor but symbolically significant engagement during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. Known colloquially as the “Sausage War” due to the peculiar circumstances of its unfolding, the battle exemplifies the Finnish capacity for improvisation and resilience in the face of overwhelming Soviet numerical superiority. Although small in scale, it foreshadowed the Finnish victory at the Battle of Tolvajärvi two days later, the first major Finnish success of the war. Strategic Context In late 1939, Soviet forces pressed north of Lake Ladoga in an effort to penetrate Finnish defenses along the Korpiselkä–Tolvajärvi road. The Finnish 10th Infantry Division, under the command of Major Aaro Pajari, was deployed to hold this sector (Upton, 1974). While front-line units braced for a Soviet offensive, the Finnish supply and artillery units were encam...