 In southern Lapland , near the tiny rural village of Salla , the Soviet force advanced with two divisions , the 88th and 112th , totalling 35 @,@ 000 men . In the battle of Salla the Soviets advanced easily to Salla , where the road forked . The northern branch moved toward Pelkosenniemi while the rest pushed on toward Kemijärvi . On 17 December , the Soviet northern group , comprising an infantry regiment , a battalion , and a company of tanks , was outflanked by a Finnish battalion . The 112th retreated , leaving much of its heavy equipment and vehicles behind . Following this success , the Finns shuttled reinforcements down to the defensive line in front of Kemijärvi . The Soviets hammered the defensive line without success . The Finns counterattacked , and the Soviets were pushed back to a new defensive line where they stayed for the rest of the war . 
