The Sausage War [View all]

On Dec. 10th, 1939, a Soviet battalion made a surprise attack on Finnish positions near the town of Illomantsi. The ill fed and clothed Soviets troops, near victory, could smell sausage stew being cooked in the Finnish camps they had overrun and stopped attacking to chow down. This gave time for the Finnish troops to regroup, surround the Soviets and launch a bayonet counter attack. Only a few Soviet soldiers survived the brutal hand to hand combat.

This particular battle is often referred to as "The Sausage War".