While the exact details of the Finno-German planning preceding the Continuation War remain unclear,[4] it is known that on 25 May 1941 Finnish officers participated in negotiations with the Germans in Salzburg regarding plans for a future war with the Soviet Union.[5] According to the plans proposed by the Germans, the Finns would be in charge of operations in the southeast of Finland and east of Lake Ladoga, with overall command of both Finnish and German troops in the area falling under the Finnish commander-in-chief, MarshalCarl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. In turn, the Finns would subordinate the peacetime V Corps to the headquarters of the German Army of Norway.[5] During follow-up negotiations in Berlin on 26 May, the Finnish general Erik Heinrichs stated that the Army of Norway could expect a Finnish contribution of two divisions, but emphasized that the Finnish forces concentrated in the Salla region would be needed in the south as soon as possible.[6] Forward elements of the German troops began arriving in Finland on 1 June, and further talks followed in Helsinki over the period 3 to 6 June.[7] The participants agreed that the southern border of the Army of Norway's area of operations would be on the line Oulu–Oulujärvi–Lentiira–Belomorsk.[8]
The Finnish mobilization began on 10 June 1941 under the pretext of "additional exercises" (Finnish: ylimääräiset harjoitukset). The Military Districts of Perä-Pohjola and Pohjois-Pohjanmaa called up the 3rd and 6th Divisions, which concentrated in the area between Kajaani and Savukoski under the command of the peacetime V Corps. As arranged in the previous month's discussions, the corps, led by Major GeneralHjalmar Siilasvuo, was formally subordinated to the headquarters of the German Army of Norway on 15 June.[9] On 18 June, the corps was re-designated as III Corps.[10]
Before the start of the hostilities, the 6th Division was transferred from the III Corps to the German XXXVI Corps.[11] The German plans called for the III Corps, now consisting only of the 3rd Division, to cover the right (southern) flank of the Army of Norway. It was to advance first to the Ukhta–Kestenga line and this movement was to be followed by a continued advance to the Murmansk railroad and Kem. III Corps would be to the south of the German XXXVI Corps, with the unit areas of responsibility defined by the line Kuusamo–Oulanka–Chupa. III Corps thus secured the southern flank of Operation Silver Fox, targeting the capture of Murmansk.[12] Siilasvuo divided the remaining forces of the III Corps into two formations. Group F, consisting of the main body of the 3rd Division, attacked east from Suomussalmi; its initial objective was Voknavolok, from where it was expected to continue towards Ukhta. Group J, formed around one regiment from the 3rd Division, attacked towards Sohjana[fi], with a follow-on objective of Kestenga.[13] III Corps was ordered to launch its attack on 1 July, at 02:30.[11]
It soon become apparent that III Corps was the only corps-level unit of the Army of Norway making significant progress, and the corps was reinforced with parts of SS Division Nord on 21 July. On 30 July, Adolf Hitler approved a modification to the Germans plans: operations of the two German corps of the Army of Norway were largely halted, and German reinforcements were allocated to support the attack of the III Corps. The main objective of the III Corps was to be the Murmansk railroad in the area of Loukhi.[14][15] By end of July, SS Division Nord had been subordinated to III Corps in totality. As Siilasvuo did not trust the German officers to lead Finnish forces following their failures in the Salla region, the bulk of the combat strength of SS Division Nord was subordinated to Group J, the Finnish force consisting of a single regiment while the staff of the Division was subordinated into the III Corps HQ. This resulted in tension between the various commanders, as the officers of SS Division Nord viewed the subordination as a humiliation.[16]
By 2 August, Group F had reached the Soviet defensive lines north of Ukhta,[17][18] but failed to take the town due to strong resistance by the Soviet 54th Division. Renewed attempts in September fared no better.[19] Group J had taken up positions 8 miles (13km) east of Kestenga after being pushed back by the Soviet 88th Division which had recently arrived in the area.[19] General Siilasvuo reported to GeneraloberstNikolaus von Falkenhorst that III Corps was unable to reach Loukhi, with both sides settling for stationary warfare in the sector.[20] On 14 August, Group J was renamed Division J and Group F as 3rd Division.[21] On the same date, Hitler ordered the attack on Ukhta to be halted, and for Division J, including SS-Division Nord, to go on the defensive.[19] Concurrently with these changes, SS Division Nord was de-subordinated from Division J and was given its own sector alongside Division J's as part of the III Corps's northern group.[21]
By 6 October the situation at the front had improved to a point where von Falkenhorst and Siilasvuo discussed continuing the III Corps's advance towards Loukhi. Due to Hitler's August order, the plan was phrased as III Corp improving its positions.[22][23] To this end, on 16 October, von Falkenhorst approved a plan to capture "a crossing of a railway and a highway 30 kilometres (19mi) east of Kestenga",[23] indicating the real purpose of the operation was to cut the Murmansk railroad. The Finnish high command was informed about the operation on 25 October, but nobody informed the German high command, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW).[23] The operation began on 30 October, with III Corps encircling a Soviet regiment in the first two days. On 9 October, the Army of Norway reported to OKW that two regiments of the Soviet 88th Rifle Division had been virtually destroyed,[24] but Finnish intelligence indicated that Soviets were reinforcing the area with the 186th Rifle Division from Murmansk.[25]
Finnish soldiers east of Kestenga in the arctic forest.
On 5 November, Siilasvuo was informed by the Finnish high command that the attack should be halted for political reasons, and that no additional Finnish reinforcements would be forthcoming despite Siilasvuo's wishes. The United States of America had given the Finnish government a note demanding the attack be stopped. This had caused Finnish PresidentRisto Ryti to express his concern over the operation to Mannerheim. By 11 November, Siilasvuo was actively slowing down the attack by ordering construction of further field fortifications. On the same date, the headquarters of the German Army of Norway received a message from OKW, demanding an explanation for the III Corps's attack. The message also reiterated a previous order for the whole Army of Norway sector to go to a defensive posture. On 17 November, Siilasvuo gave a written order to halt the attack. By December, the fighting in the area had calmed down.[26]
In early 1942, the German forces in northern Finland and Norway were reorganized with the creation of the German Lapland Army (soon renamed the 20th Mountain Army) which took over Army of Norway's responsibilities in northern Finland. As part of this reorganization, III Corps was transferred to the Lapland Army. On 4 July, III Corps was formally transferred back to Finnish command, where it was directly subordinated to the Finnish commander-in-chief Mannerheim, with the German XVIII Corps taking responsibility for the Kestenga area the previous day.[27] The area of Ukhta remained a Finnish responsibility until 22 March 1944, when it was handed to the 20th Mountain Army.[28]
In March 1942, Finnish defenses had been reorganized under three large formations named Kannas Group, Maaselkä Group and Aunus Group.[29] After the end of the siege of Leningrad in January 1944, the Finnish high command prepared for a Soviet offensive. As part of these preparations, the Kannas Group, responsible for the Karelian Isthmus (Finnish: Karjalankannas), was split into two corps-level formations on 4 March. The western side of the isthmus became the responsibility of the IV Corps, with the eastern side of the isthmus being handed to the III Corps, the headquarters of which was moved to the area from northern Finland.[30] Following this reorganization, on 6 July, III Corps consisted of the 15th Division, the 19th Brigade and some assets from the 18th Division that mostly acted as part of the commander-in-chief's reserve.[31] The 3rd Division, previously part of the III Corps and recently freed from its frontal duties in the Ukhta area, was subordinated directly to the commander-in-chief as reserve.[30]
On 9 June 1944, the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive started with a preparatory attack against the sector of the IV Corps. The main thrust of the offensive, on the Karelian Isthmus, hit the IV Corps sector on 10 June and quickly breached the Finnish main defensive line.[32] By 11 June, IV Corps had been pushed sufficiently far back that the flank of III Corps was endangered.[33] Even after IV Corps had reached the secondary VT-line on 12 June, III Corps was still holding to its part of the original main defensive line. On 13 June, to protect the flank of the corps, the 18th Division was released from the reserve and subordinated to III Corps. Concurrently, preparations were started for a future retreat to the VT-line.[34] By 14 June, the situation of the 15th Division was becoming increasingly untenable, and III Corps was given permission to retreat to the VT-line. The retreat began on the night of 14–15 June, and the bulk of III Corps had reached the secondary defensive line by the end of June 15, with the exception of some forces on the left-most flank on the shore of Lake Ladoga.[35]
The situation on the western Karelian Isthmus continued to deteriorate, and on 16 June Mannerheim ordered the 18th Division to be moved to the Vyborg region to act as his reserve as soon as possible. Given the rapid Soviet advance to the west, the III Corps continued to be in danger of being cut off.[36] In the following days, the corps conducted a series of delaying actions, eventually taking defensive positions along Vuoksi, on the VKT-line.[36][37] By 20 June, III Corps had created a defensive line consisting of two divisions and a brigade.[38] The front stabilized along the Vuoksi for the rest of the war, and Soviet forces failed to break the VKT-line on the III Corps sector despite several attempts.[39]
A ceasefire was agreed in September 1944 between the Soviet Union and Finland, which led to the Moscow Armistice. One of the terms of the armistice required Finland to ensure the removal of any German forces remaining in Finland. In practice, this meant that unless the German 20th Mountain Army Corps voluntarily retreated from Finland by mid-September, Finnish forces would have to evict them by force.[40] Initially, Germans fell back towards Norway in unofficial cooperation with the Finnish forces. However, following the failure of Operation Tanne Ost, where the German's attempted capture Gogland from Finnish defenders on 14–15 September, as well as a general cessation of any voluntary movement towards Norway, Finno-German cooperation completely broke down.[41][42]
During the resulting Lapland War, III Corps was moved to northern Finland where it took overall command of all the Finnish forces participating in the fighting against the Germans. The resulting formation consisted of the 3rd, 6th, 11th, 15th divisions, the Armored Division and two brigades. Over the next months, the III Corps slowly pushed the Germans out of Lapland.[43][3]
As the Finnish Army completed its demobilization by early December, as mandated by the Moscow Armistice, the forces under III Corps were reduced from a peak strength of 75,000 to approximately 12,000 men. On 5 December the corps was re-designated 1st Division, which remained under Siilasvuo's command. As the veterans of the Continuation War were demobilized and replaced by fresh conscripts, this latter part of the Lapland War became known in Finland as the "Children's Crusade". The final stages of the war saw the Germans only occupy a minor area of land in the Karesuvanto region, and the Finnish forces in the area were eventually reduced to a task force consisting of 700 men.[44][45][46] The final German forces left Finland on 27 April 1945, signaling the end to the Lapland War.[47]
↑ Trotter 2013, stating "Despite exhaustive efforts by Finnish historians, it has so far proven impossible to pinpoint the exact date on which Finland was taken into confidence about Operation Barbarossa".
Hjalmar Fridolf Siilasvuo was a Finnish lieutenant general, a 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, Continuation War and the Lapland War.
Paavo Juho Talvela was a Finnish general of the infantry, 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 Finnish Kinship Wars, the Winter War and the Continuation War.
Karl Lennart Oesch was one of Finland's leading generals during World War II. He held a string of high staff assignments and front commands, and at the end of the Continuation War commanded three Finnish army corps on the Karelian Isthmus. He received numerous awards, including the Finnish Mannerheim Cross during his service. Following the end of the Continuation War, he was tried and convicted for war crimes relating to the treatment of Soviet prisoners-of-war.
The 6th Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War. Subordinated to the German XXXVI Corps, the division took part in the German-led Operation Arctic Fox in 1941. In 1943, the division was moved to Eastern Karelia, from where it was moved to the Karelian Isthmus following the start of the 1944 Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive. Following the Moscow armistice, the division also took part in the Lapland War against the German forces remaining in Finnish Lapland.
The 3rd Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War. It initially fought in the northern Finland, participating in the Finno-German Operation Arctic Fox. In 1944, it was transferred to the Karelian Isthmus to defend against the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive. Following the Moscow Armistice in 1944, the division was moved to Oulu and participated in the Lapland War.
Operation Arctic Fox was the codename given to a World War II campaign by German and Finnish forces against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The operation was part of the larger Operation Silver Fox which aimed to capture the vital port of Murmansk. Arctic Fox was conducted in parallel to Operation Platinum Fox in the far north of Lappland. The principal goal of Operation Arctic Fox was to capture the town of Salla and then to advance in the direction of Kandalaksha to block the railway route to Murmansk.
The Ryti–Ribbentrop letter of agreement was a personal letter from President of Finland Risto Ryti to German Führer Adolf Hitler signed on 26 June 1944. It was sent during the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, which had started on 9 June and threatened to knock Finland out of the Continuation War.
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.
During World War II, the Lapland War saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though the Finns and the Germans had been fighting together against the Soviet Union since 1941 during the Continuation War (1941–1944), peace negotiations between the Finnish government and the Allies of World War II had been conducted intermittently during 1943–1944, but no agreement had been reached. The Moscow Armistice, signed on 19 September 1944, demanded that Finland break diplomatic ties with Germany and expel or disarm any German soldiers remaining in Finland.
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.
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.
Taavetti Laatikainen was a Finnish General of Infantry and a member of the Jäger movement. He fought in the Eastern Front of World War I, the Finnish Civil War, the Winter War and the Continuation War. During the last of these, he was awarded the Mannerheim Cross of Liberty 2nd Class. Before the Winter War, he commanded both the Reserve Officer School and the Officer Cadet School. He retired in 1948 from the position of Inspector of Infantry.
The I Corps refers to several short-lived units of the Finnish Army before and during the Continuation War. The longest-lived I Corps participated in both the Finnish invasion of Ladoga Karelia and the Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus in 1941 before being disbanded in early 1942, before being re-designated V Corps.
Einar Nikolai Mäkinen was a Finnish lieutenant general 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. Before the Continuation War, he participated in negotiations with the Germans regarding plans for the war.
The II Corps was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War. During the war the corps participated in combat first northwest of Lake Ladoga and on the Karelian Isthmus before moving to the Povenets–Lake Segozero region by late 1941. During the Soviet offensive of 1944, the corps conducted a fighting retreat to the region of Ilomantsi, with parts of its forces participating in the subsequent Battle of Ilomantsi.
The IV Corps was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War. During the 1941 Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus, it encircled three Soviet divisions in the area south of Vyborg before being renamed as Isthmus Group.
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.
The VI 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. The unit was formed during a reorganization of other Finnish army corps on 29 June 1941, prior to the start of Finnish offensive operations on the night of 9–10 July.
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.
References
Hietanen, Silvo (1992). "Aseista mottimetsään – armeijan kotiuttaminen syksyllä 1944" [From Arms to Forestry Work – Demobilization of the Army in the Fall of 1944]. In Hietanen, Silvo (ed.). Kansakunta sodassa: 3. Kuilun yli[Nation at War: 3. Over the Chasm] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Valtion painatuskeskus and Opetusministeriö. ISBN951-861-384-2.
Leskinen, Jari; Juutilainen, Antti, eds. (2005). Jatkosodan pikkujättiläinen[The Small Giant of the Continuation War] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. ISBN951-0-28690-7.
Nenye, Vesa; Munter, Peter; Wirtanen, Toni; Birks, Chris (2016). Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941–45. Oxford, UK: New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN978-1-47-281528-6.
Sotatieteen laitos, ed. (1988). Jatkosodan historia 1[History of the Continuation War, part 1]. Sotatieteen laitoksen julkaisuja XXV (in Finnish). Vol.1. Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. ISBN951-0-15327-3.
Sotatieteen laitos, ed. (1993). Jatkosodan historia 4[History of the Continuation War, part 4]. Sotatieteen laitoksen julkaisuja XXV (in Finnish). Vol.4. Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. ISBN951-0-15330-3.
Uola, Mikko (2006). "Siilasvuo, Hjalmar (1892–1947)". Kansallisbiografia. Studia Biographica (in Finnish). Vol.4. The Finnish Literature Society. ISSN1799-4349. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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