The Lapland War is one of the little-known episodes of World War II. It is not worth talking, of course, about the serious impact of the events of this war on the overall victory of the USSR, but these hostilities led to a general decrease in the number of opponents of the Union.
What did Hitler promise Finland?
This war could not have happened only in the event of the victory of the Nazis over the USSR until the summer of 1943 at most. Why are we talking about a specific date? The fact is that the Finns were initially considered by the Germans as allies in the fight against the USSR. At the time of 1941, it was planned to strengthen the Finnish army with a large number of German units for the offensive of troops from Finland in the direction of Karelia and Leningrad.
In fact, the situation is quite different. The Finnish command received at its disposal the 303rd assault artillery brigade and several small units. Technical support was manifested in the transfer by the Germans to the Finns of 20-30 tanks and aircraft, which had been in service with the German army for more than one year.
The logic of the situation is that Finland had its own grudge against the USSR for the events of 1939-1940, so representatives of the Suomi people initially saw the Wehrmacht as an ally who promised to help return the lost territories.
Lapland war: preconditions for conflict
The German command understood that sooner or later Finland would withdraw from the war against the USSR. They could not fight against the Suomi Union on their own. They stopped active hostilities back in 1942 (in the summer). The Finnish-German army stopped at the protection of nickel deposits in the Petsamo region (now the Murmansk region). By the way, in addition to weapons, the Finnish side also received food from Germany. In the middle of 1943, these deliveries ceased. The sanctions did not affect the Finns, since they still understood all the risks of participating in hostilities against the USSR. The Germans, in turn, understood the strategic importance of controlling nickel deposits, and therefore planned to transfer additional units to these areas if necessary. This is how German-Finnish relations developed as of the summer of 1943.
Formal causes of war
In 1944, hostilities between the USSR and Finland escalated. We are talking about the offensive of the Soviet army as part of the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation. As a result, after this operation, a peace treaty was signed between Finland and the USSR on the following terms:
- the border between states is established as of 1940;
- USSR gains control of the Petsamo sector (nickel deposits);
- lease of the territory near Helsinki for a period of 50 years.
The terms of the ratification of the peace treaty byUnion steel requirements:
- expulsion of German soldiers from Finnish lands;
- demobilization of the Finnish army.
The Lapland War is, in fact, the actions of the Finns aimed at implementing the requirements of the Moscow Peace Treaty.
General starting conditions for war
The number of groups at the time of September 1944, when the Lapland war began, spoke of the complete advantage of the German troops. Another thing is what morale these troops were in, how much they were provided with equipment, fuel, etc. The Finnish army under the command of Hjalmar Siilasvuo numbered 60 thousand people. The group of German troops led by Lothar Rendulich numbered up to 200 thousand people.
Finnish troops looked more combat-ready. Firstly, most of the units had experience of participating in the battles of the Finnish War. Secondly, Soviet-made T-34 and KV tanks entered service with the Suomi army. The superiority of the Nazis in the number of people by 140 thousand was completely offset by the advantage in technology.
Start of war
The Lapland War in Finland began on September 15, 1944. The plan of the Germans was that their troops would capture the island of Hogland and be able to hold back the Soviet B altic Fleet. For the Nazis, Finland was never a base front. It was used as a diversion and deterrent to keep the Soviets there a certain amount of forces and could not transfer them to more important areas. So the events happened as followsmanner. On this island, a detachment of coastal defense was based. The Germans counted on the effect of surprise, but this trap did not work for them. In addition, the Nazis mined all approaches to the island. There might not have been a fight if the Finns had obeyed the order of the landing command to surrender, but they understood that they were standing on their own land, which they had to protect.
Gogland Island was not captured by German troops. If we talk about the losses of German forces in this battle, then different sources provide quite conflicting information. There is evidence that the troops of the invaders lost 2153 people killed on the ground and in sunken ships in this clash. Other sources claim that the entire Lapland War claimed the lives of approximately 950 German soldiers.
Fighting in October-November 1944
At the end of September 1944, a major ground battle took place near the town of Pudoyärvi. The Finns won this battle. According to many historians, the main result of the battle was the issuance of an order for the retreat of the Nazi forces from Estonia. The Germans were no longer as strong as in the early years of World War II.
On September 30, a major amphibious operation of the Finnish troops began, in which forces were transferred by sea from the Oulo point to the Tornio point. On October 2, additional forces of the Finnish army approached Tornio to strengthen their positions. Stubborn fighting in this area went on for a week.
The offensive of the Finnish troops continued. On October 7, the Suomi army took the city of Kemijoki. Note that every daythe advance became more difficult because the Nazis gained combat experience and strengthened their positions. After the capture of the city of Rovaniemi on October 16, the offensive from a more active phase passes into a positional one. The fighting is taking place along the German defensive line between the cities of Ivalo and Caaressuvanto.
Unknown Lapland War: Soviet involvement
Union troops performed a very interesting function during the clashes between Finland and Germany. Soviet aviation took part in the hostilities, which, in theory, was supposed to help the Finns clear the territory of their state from the Nazis. Military historians indicate that there were different situations:
- Soviet planes really destroyed German equipment and personnel;
- USSR aviation damaged the Finnish infrastructure, bombed military facilities of the Suomi army.
There can be several explanations for such actions of the USSR. The Lapland War of 1944 was the first combat experience for many Soviet pilots, because the personnel were constantly updated due to huge losses. Lack of experience led to pilot errors. In addition, a version of a certain revenge for the unsuccessful war of 1939 is also allowed.
Soviet military strategists did not come into conflict between Finland and Germany for a long time, which lasted, in general, from July 1943. The military faced a strategic choice: to have Finland as a friend and ally, or to occupy. The Red Army generals chose the first option in the end.
Second stage of the war
In October 1944The Lapland war (photo attached) has received a new round of development. The fact is that units of the Red Army entered the fighting on this sector of the front. On October 7-10, the troops of the Soviet army attacked the Nazi positions in the direction of Petsamo (a nickel ore deposit). The mines located in the area produced up to 80% of the nickel used in the production of weapons.
After successful attacks by the Soviet army and constant pressure from the Finns, the Germans began to retreat to the territory of Norway they occupied. Until the end of January, the main forces of the Wehrmacht left Finland. April 25, 1945 is considered the end date of the war. It was on this day that the last German soldier left the land of Suomi.
Results of the war
Here we should talk not so much about the results of the Lapland War, but about the consequences of the entire Second World War for Finland. The level of economic development has fallen sharply. More than 100 thousand people were forced to become refugees due to the loss of a roof over their heads. All damage was estimated at the equivalent of 300 million US dollars at the rate of 1945.
