| I Corps | |
|---|---|
| I Armeijakunta | |
| Active | 1941–1942 |
| Country |  Finland |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Einar Mäkinen |
The I Corps (Finnish : I Armeijakunta) 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.
The wartime I Corps headquarters was first formed during the early June 1941 mobilization of the Finnish army from the peacetime headquarters of the Finnish Border Guard. [1] [2] [3] Located in Riihimäki, the headquarters-only corps had no operational units assigned to it. On 29 June 1941, it was ordered to form the Army of Karelia under the command of General Erik Heinrichs. [1] [4] [5]
The corps was re-formed on 8 August 1941 under the command of Lieutenant General Einar Mäkinen during the Finnish invasion of Ladoga Karelia to clarify the command structure in the area northwest of Lake Ladoga. [6] [7] The creation of this new formation allowed the Army of Karelia to focus on the capture of areas east of Ladoga. Consisting of the 7th, 19th and 2nd divisions, [6] the corps was tasked with the containment and destruction of the reinforced Soviet 168th Rifle Division surrounded in the area of Sortavala. Following this, the corps was to organize coastal defenses on the shore of Ladoga and release one division for action to its east. The rest of the corps was to continue to the Karelian Isthmus. [8] [9] A significant concern for the Finnish command was to prevent the encircled Soviet forces from escaping over Lake Ladoga, as the area held by the 168th Division provided good opportunities for the loading of troops and materiel. [9]
I Corps took operational control on 13 August and by the end of 15 August parts of the 7th Division had taken control of Sortavala, capturing approximately 540 prisoners of war in the process. This left the bulk of the Soviet 168th Division trapped along the shore of Ladoga between Lahdenpohja and Sortavala. [10] From 15 to 20 August, forces of I Corps continued to assault the Soviet forces, who however managed to ship out significant amounts of both forces and materiel. The area of operations was in Finnish hands by 20 August, with the forces of the Soviet 168th having escaped over the lake, and those parts that had failed to do so destroyed. On 21 August, the 7th Division was released from the corps to act as a strategic reserve in the Sortavala region, while the 2nd Division was transferred to the Karelian Isthmus. The 19th Division followed the 2nd Division on 23 August. [11] [12]
Following the operations in the Sortavala region, the corps's organization underwent significant change as its divisions were transferred to other units. [13] In turn, the 10th and 15th divisions were transferred from II Corps to I Corps. [14] [15] The corps headquarters was thus moved to the Karelian Isthmus, where it participated in the Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus. [16] The 10th Division was engaged in the area between the river Vuoksi and Lake Krasnoye, while the 15th Division was in the area of river Vuoksi and Lake Sukhodolskoye on the northern side of the river. [15] On 27 August, the corps continued the attack towards Leningrad, eventually reaching an area between Lembolovo and Lake Ladoga, where it halted and prepared a defensive posture beginning from 9 September. [17] [18] [19]
On 20 January 1942, the Finnish commander-in-chief, Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, ordered that all the forces on the Karelian Isthmus were to be subordinated to the IV Corps headquarters, which was re-designated Isthmus Group (Finnish: Kannaksen ryhmä) on 1 March. This transfer of forces was completed on 1 February, and a few days later the I Corps headquarters – together with commander Mäkinen – were moved to the Svir sector, where they formed the headquarters for the V Corps. [16] [20]
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.
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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 III Corps was a corps of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War, where Finland fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union. Formed from the peacetime V Corps and subordinated to the German Army High Command Norway, III Corps fought initially in northern Finland on the flank of the German XXXVI Corps, participating in the Finno-German Operation Arctic Fox. In February 1944, it was moved to the Karelian Isthmus just prior to the launch of the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive. Following the Moscow Armistice, III Corps took overall command of the Finnish forces participating in the Lapland War, the removal of German forces from northern Finland.
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.
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 during 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. In 1944 and 1945, he was in charge of a committee investigating Finnish war crimes, especially those committed against prisoners of war.
5th Division was a Finnish Army division in the Continuation War. The division was formed by Etelä-Häme military province from the men in Kanta-Häme and Lounais-Häme civil guard districts.
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.
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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.
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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.