| 7th Division | |
|---|---|
| 7. Divisioona | |
| Founded | 1940 |
| Country |  Finland |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Division |
| Engagements | |
The 7th Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Winter War. It was formed in January 1940 by renumbering the 10th Division in the hope of convincing the Soviets that it had been replaced by fresh troops. The unit was commanded throughout the rest of the Winter War by Major-General Einar Vihma.
The 7th Division was formed in January 1940 at Taipale, during the Winter War, the defence against the Soviet invasion. The division was formed by renumbering the 10th Division. The latter had been long in action and worn out but there were not enough Finnish reserves to allow it to be rotated out of the line. It was decided to renumber the division in the hope of convincing the opposing Soviet forces that it had been replaced by a fresh formation. [1] The unit was commanded by Major-General Einar Vihma from 9 January 1940 to the end of the Winter War with the March 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty. [2] Many of the division's men had been engaged in combat since the start of the war in late 1939. As well as its own field artillery regiment, the division was reinforced with a heavy artillery battery and two other batteries sent from the eastern Karelian Isthmus. [3]
By the end of January 1940 the 7th Division was supported by the newly raised and poorly equipped 21st Division. [1] The men of the 7th Division, in their dirty and torn snow camouflage, dubbed the newcomers the "porcelain boys" or "porcelain division" for their clean clothing. [4]
The 7th Division faced the Soviet 3rd Rifle Corps. The Soviet offensive resumed on 18 February with the corps' 49th and 150th Rifle Divisions tasked with breaking through the 7th Division to capture strategic roads. The two Soviet divisions were reinforced by corps commander Vladimir Grendahl who assigned the 101st Rifle Regiment, the 97th Ski Battalion and a tank battalion, as well as six additional artillery batteries. The Soviet advance enjoyed initial success in this sector. [4] [3]
A separate formation, also called the 7th Division fought for Finland in the Continuation War of 1941–1944. [5]
The Finnish invasion of Ladoga Karelia was a military campaign carried out by Finland in 1941.
The Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus refers to a military campaign carried out by Finland in 1941. It was part of what is commonly referred to as the Continuation War. Early in the war Finnish forces liberated the Karelian Isthmus. It had been ceded to the Soviet Union on 13 March 1940, in the Moscow Peace Treaty, which marked the end of the Winter War. Later, in the summer of 1944, the Soviet Union reconquered the southern part of the isthmus in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.
Operation Kilpapurjehdus ("Regatta") was the covername for the militarization of the Åland islands. The operation took place on June 22, 1941, and in this way, Finland strived to prevent Soviet landings in the area.
Johan Woldemar Hägglund was a Finnish lieutenant general in the Finnish Army in the Second World War, and an early volunteer of the Jäger Movement. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Winter War and the Continuation War, commanding army corps in the latter two. Between 1944 and 1945, he was in charge of a committee investigating Finnish war crimes, especially those committed against prisoners-of-war.
The Battle of Taipale was a series of battles fought during the Winter War between Finland and Soviet Union from 6 to 27 December 1939. The battles were part of a Soviet campaign to penetrate the Finnish Mannerheim Line in the Karelian Isthmus region to open a route into southern Finland. Despite their numerical superiority, the Soviet forces were unable to break through the Finnish defences.
Roman Ivanovich Panin was a Soviet major general from during World War II. An Imperial Russian Army junior officer in World War I, he joined the Red Army in 1919. Panin fought in the Russian Civil War and continued to serve after the end of the Russian Civil War. He was an advisor to the National Revolutionary Army between 1938 and 1939. Later he participated in the Soviet-Finnish war as a corps commander, and during World War II as the commander of the 14th Army, commanding the defense of Murmansk during Operation Silver Fox. Panin became commander of the 2nd Reserve Army in May 1942 and two months later became a lecturer at the Frunze Military Academy. In February 1943 he became Volkhov Front chief of combat training and in September led the 7th Rifle Corps. After participating in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, Panin briefly led the 99th Rifle Corps. In July 1944, Panin became deputy commander of the 5th Army. Hospitalized in February 1945 during the East Prussian Offensive, Panin did not see further action. After recovering he became an instructor at the Frunze Military Academy and retired in 1949. He died shortly afterwards.
7th Division was a Finnish Army division in the Continuation War. The division was formed Savo-Karjala military province from the men in Pohjois-Savo and Pohjois-Karjala civil guard districts.
Hans Feige was a German General of the Infantry in the Wehrmacht during World War II.
The 49th Rifle Division was a Soviet Army infantry division, formed three times. First formed as a territorial division in 1931, the 49th Rifle Division's first formation became a regular division by 1939 and fought in the Winter War. For its actions during the war, it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. However, the 49th Rifle Division was wiped out during the first ten days of Operation Barbarossa. Its second formation occurred in December 1941 and fought at Stalingrad, Kursk, the Vistula-Oder Offensive and the Battle of Berlin. The second formation was disbanded in 1946. The division was reformed in 1955 by renaming the 295th Rifle Division and became the 49th Motor Rifle Division in 1957.
The 54th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army and Soviet Army, formed twice. The division was formed in 1936 and fought in the Winter War. The division spent most of World War II in Karelia fighting with Finnish troops in the Continuation War. After Finland left the war the division was relocated southward and fought in the East Prussian Offensive and the Prague Offensive in 1945. The division was disbanded in the summer of that year. The 54th Rifle Division was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov 2nd class. It was also awarded the honorific "Masuria" for its actions in the East Prussian Offensive. The division was reformed in 1955 from the 341st Rifle Division and became a motor rifle division in 1957.
Antero Johannes Svensson was a Finnish major general, a member of the Jäger Movement and a recipient of the Mannerheim Cross. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I as a volunteer of the 27th Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion, in the Finnish Civil War as a platoon and squadron commander, the Winter War as a brigade and division commander, and the Continuation War as a division and corps commander.
The Battle of Tuulos was a battle between Finland and the Soviet Union during the Continuation War of 1941 and the Finnish reconquering of Ladoga Karelia. The Finnish commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment successfully breached Soviet perimeters and destroyed Soviet artillery pieces and supply lines with little Soviet resistance. The attack was assisted by the Finnish Air Force, which bombed Soviet positions and assisted the 23rd Infantry Regiment.
The Battle of Porlampi, also known as the Battle of Porlammi, was a military engagement fought between the Finnish Army and Red Army from 30 August to 1 September 1941 on the Karelian Isthmus. The battle was fought near the town of Porlampi during the second month of the Continuation War. The battle was a Finnish victory and effectively ended the reconquest of Karelia.
The Battle of Varolampi Pond also known as the 'Sausage War' occurred during the Winter War and was a precursor to the Battle of Tolvajärvi.
Filipp Nikiforovich Starikov was a Soviet military commander.
The V Corps was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War of 1941–1944. It was first active for a brief time in 1941, and was reactivated in 1942 in the Svir sector during the trench warfare phase of the war. Following the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive, the corps was moved to the Karelian Isthmus, where it fought in the Battle of Vyborg Bay, stopping a Soviet amphibious operation to cross the Vyborg Bay.
Aarne Leopold Blick was a Finnish lieutenant general, Knight of the Mannerheim Cross and a member of the Jäger movement. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Winter War and the Continuation War.
The VII Corps was a corps of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War of 1941 to 1944, where the Finnish Army fought alongside Germans against the Soviet Union. Under command of Major General Woldemar Hägglund, it took part in the Finnish invasions of Ladoga Karelia and East Karelia, including the capture of Petrozavodsk. During its existence, its composition varied significantly. It was disbanded in May 1943.
The 2nd Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War. It participated in the Finnish invasion of Ladoga Karelia at the start of the war and defended against the 1944 Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive on the Karelian Isthmus where it suffered heavy casualties.
The Dolin Ski Brigade was a Red Army fighting unit led by Colonel Vjatšeslav Dmitrievitš Dolin during the Winter War. Well-equipped and composed primarily of Siberians with skiing expertise, the brigade was an elite unit. It was formed from three ski battalions of the 9th Soviet Army and was tasked with relieving the encircled 54th Rifle Division during the Battle of Kuhmo. The brigade was destroyed by Finnish forces during the battle, with the vast majority killed in action.