![]() ![]() It was decided that the attack would commence at 5:00 am, but communication with the artillery battalions failed so it was decided that they would try again at 6:15 am. Six tanks were to support the Jaegers while two were to help the 1st secure the left flank. Seeing this as a major blow to their offensive capabilities, Captain Kunnas split his remaining tanks between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Jaeger Companies. Since the conditions of the weather and roads were equally bad, the tank company lost five of their 13 Vickers 6-Ton tanks, mostly due to engine failure. That journey, however, cost them more than they would have liked. The tank company arrived around 30 minutes later after a 50 km march. ![]() They then skied to the start point at 4:00 am. On the nights of 25 and 26 February, members of the Jaeger Battalion were carried by truck to Heponotko, which was about three km away from a depot in Honkaniemi (now Lebedevka). However, due to the haste to get the plan up and running, the planners missed important aspects of the battle, therefore reducing the overall number of units to four infantry battalions, two artillery battalions and the all important 4th Tank Company. The original plan had involved six infantry battalions, four artillery battalions and the 4th Armoured Company. Heinonen of the 4th Armoured Company received orders to attack. At 10:15 pm, the commander of the Jaeger Battalion 3, Captain I. Also, the 3rd Battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment that was on loan to the 5th division arrived as well, giving the reinforcement that the commander of the 23rd Division, Colonel Voldemar Oinonen, needed to launch an attack against the Soviets. The 23rd was responsible for the area around Lake Näykkijärvi, just to the southeast of Viipuri, the second largest town in Finland. The commander of the Finnish II Corps, General Harald Öhquist, had attached the Jaeger Battalion 3 and the 4th company of the Armoured Battalion to the 23rd Division. This battle was notable for being fought by tanks, the only time they were used en masse in combat by Finnish forces in the Winter War. The Battle of Honkaniemi was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces on 26 February 1940. ![]()
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