In early December, the regiment crossed the Finnish border at Juntusranta and moved on Suomussalmi from the north.

On 9 December, two companies of the regiment attacked Finnish positions on the southern bank of Niskaselka but were repulsed with heavy losses.

On 27 December, attacks from four Finnish battalions broke through regimental defenses, forcing it to retreat to division headquarters.

To prevent a repeat of Suomussalmi, 9th Army commander Vasily Chuikov sent reinforcements to relieve the division.

The 54th was separated into several isolated pockets, but the threat from Soviet reinforcements forced the Finnish to divert troops.

[5][6] On 22 June 1941, the division held the line of Kem, Kalevala and Repola, which was 100 to 250 kilometers from what was then the Finnish border.

Finnish troops did not succeed in a frontal assault, and instead outflanked the regiment after 15 July.

Finnish troops advanced to Korpijärvi on 23 July where they attacked along the northern shore of Lake Keski-Kuittijärvi.

Some Finnish troops were sent to the lake's southern shore, where they moved into the village of Enonsu and sent patrols out, which were stopped near Luusalmi.

In September 1944, Finland was knocked out of the war and the division fought in the pursuit towards Kandalaksha and Kestenga and advanced to the pre-1941 Soviet border.

The division advanced in the army's second echelon towards Giżycko and entered combat in the Masurian Lakes region.

On 2 April, the 31st Army was transferred to the 1st Ukrainian Front and the division took positions southwest of Bunzlau.