Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Tolvajärvi

Battle of Tolvajärvi was a battle fought on 12 December 1939 at Tolvajärvi, in what is now Finland. It was part of the Winter War, which ran from 1939 to 1940. The recorded result: Finnish victory. Recorded strength: 4,000 men against 20,000 men.

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Soviet T-26 light tanks in action at Tolvajärvi.
Soviet T-26 light tanks in action at Tolvajärvi.. Anden verdenskrig: Finlands krig by Eddy Bauer, Lademann, ISBN: 87-15-08591-0, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought12 December 1939
WhereTolvajärvi, Finland62.288N, 31.488E
OutcomeFinnish victory
BelligerentsFinlandagainstSoviet Union
Part ofWinter War1939 to 1940

Where it sits in the Winter War

Battle of Petsamo, 1939Battle of Salla, 1939Battle of Taipale, 1939Battle of Suomussalmi, 1939Battle of Kollaa, 1939Battle of Varolampi Pond, 1939Battle of Tolvajärvi, 1939Battle of Summa, 1939Battle of Kelja, 1939Battle of Raate Road, 1940Battle of Vyborg Bay, 1940Second Battle of Summa, 1940Battle of Kuhmo, 1940Battle of Honkaniemi, 194019391940Battle of Tolvajärvi, 1939
16 placed engagements of the Winter War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date12 December 1939
PlaceTolvajärvi, Finland
62.288N, 31.488E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength4,000 men20,000 men
Casualties and losses630 killed; 1,320 wounded4,000–5,000 killed; 5,000+ wounded; 20 tanks destroyed; 39 armoured vehicles destroyed; 30 guns destroyed
Commanders
  • Paavo Talvela
  • Aaro Pajari
Battle of TolvajärviBattle of TolvajärviBattle of Varolampi PondBattle of VärtsiläBattle of IlomantsiBattle of KollaaBattle of NietjärviBattle of Varolampi PondBattle of VärtsiläBattle of IlomantsiBattle of KollaaBattle of NietjärviPetrozavodskJoensuuSvetogorskSavonlinna100 km62.288N, 31.488E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Tolvajärvi
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Tolvajärvi today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-14. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 191 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 165 to 234 m, 69 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 62% tree cover, 30% water, 7% grassland.

tree cover: 62%water: 30%grassland: 7%tree cover 62%water 30%grassland 7%
west to east, 10.0 km168 to 230 mnorth to south, 10.0 km174 to 203 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1939

Battle of Tolvajärvi is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 108 in present-day Finland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q639989, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tolvajärvi, revision 1379959828, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.