 Finnish forces panicked and retreated in front of the overwhelming Red Army . The commander of the Finnish IV Army Corps was replaced by Woldemar <unk> on 4 December . On 7 December , in the middle of the Ladoga Karelian front , Finnish units retreated near the small stream of Kollaa . The waterway itself did not offer protection , but alongside there were ridges up to 10 m ( 33 ft ) high . The battle of Kollaa lasted until the end of the war . A memorable quote , " Kollaa holds " ( Finnish : Kollaa <unk> ) became a legendary motto among the Finns . Further contributing to the legend of Kollaa was the sniper Simo <unk> , dubbed " the White Death " by Soviets , who served in the Kollaa front . To the north , the Finns retreated from <unk> to Tolvajärvi on 5 December and then repelled a Soviet offensive in the battle of Tolvajärvi on 11 December . 
