 In the south , two Soviet divisions were united on the northern side of the Lake Ladoga coastal road . As before , these divisions were trapped as the more mobile Finnish units were able to counterattack from the north to flank the Soviet columns . On 19 December , the Finns temporarily ceased their assaults , as the soldiers were exhausted . It was not until the period 6 – 16 January 1940 that the Finns went on the offensive again , cutting Soviet division into smaller groups of different @-@ sized mottis . 
