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Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive

Coordinates:69°25′40″N31°13′41″E/ 69.42778°N 31.22806°E/69.42778; 31.22806
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Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive
Part ofEastern FrontofWorld War II

Soviet landing party heading forKirkenes,Norway.
Date7–29 October 1944
Location
Arctic Region,Petsamoand northern Norway
69°25′40″N31°13′41″E/ 69.42778°N 31.22806°E/69.42778; 31.22806
Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
Soviet Union

Germany

Commanders and leaders
Soviet UnionKirill Meretskov
Soviet UnionVladimir Shcherbakov		 Nazi GermanyLothar Rendulic
Strength
14th Army
133,500 men[1]
110 tanks
2,100 guns[2]		 20th Mountain Army
45,000 men[2]
145 guns
Casualties and losses
6,084 killed or missing
15,149 wounded
21,233 overall[1]		 8,263 overall
(whole of October)[3][Notes 1]
Soviet Planning for the Operation.

ThePetsamo–Kirkenes offensivewas a major military offensive duringWorld War II,mounted by theRed Armyagainst theWehrmachtin 1944 in thePetsamoregion, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with theMoscow Armistice,andNorway.The offensive defeated theWehrmacht's forces in theArctic,driving them back into Norway, and was called the"Tenth Shock"by Stalin. It laterexpelled German forcesfrom the northern part of Norway and seized thenickelmines of Petsamo.

Situation[edit]

See also:Lapland War

In the aftermath of the failed German–Finnish offensive,Operation Silver Fox,in 1941, the frontlines in theArctichad seen little change. Environmental and supply conditions in the remote, nearly roadless region made it difficult, if not impossible, to undertake major military operations, and as far as land warfare was concerned, the Arctic had become a backwater. Considerable German forces were deployed in the sector to protect the Finnishnickelmines ofPetsamo,which were of importance to German armour plate fabrication, and to guard the coast of northern Norway against anAlliedlanding operation.

After the armistice between the Soviet Union and Finland on 4 September 1944, the Petsamo region (though still largely occupied by the Germans) became part of theRussian SFSR,and the Finnish government agreed to remove the remaining German troops from its territory by 15 September (leading to theLapland War). During the retreat of theWehrmacht20th Mountain Army,calledOperation Birke,the decision was made by theOberkommando der Wehrmachtto withdraw completely from northern Norway and Finland inOperation Nordlicht.During the preparations for this operation, the Russians went over to the offensive on theKarelian Front.[5]

Preparations[edit]

TheStavkadecided to move against the German forces in the Arctic in late 1944. The operation was to be undertaken jointly by the Karelian Front under the command of GeneralKirill Meretskovand theNorthern Fleetunder AdmiralArseniy Golovko.The main operations were to be conducted by the14th Army,which had been in the Arctic since the beginning of the war. Meretskov was provided with several units specially configured to meet the requirements for operations in the far north. The 126th and 127th Rifle Corps consisted of light infantry with a number of ski troops and naval infantry. The Soviets also had 30 engineer battalions, numerous horse- and reindeer-equipped transportation companies, and two battalions equipped with US-supplied amphibious vehicles for river crossings.[2]In addition, the Soviets massed thousands of mortars and artillery pieces, 750 aircraft, and 110 tanks (while the Germans lacked any armour), making Soviet forces far superior to the Germans.[2]

Soviet preparations, which had lasted for two months, had not gone unnoticed by the Germans. The highly capable GeneralLothar Rendulic,who served as both head of the 20th Mountain Army and overall theater commander, was well aware of the threat posed by the upcoming offensive. Prior to the start of the Soviet drive, the defending Germans had been ordered to abandon Petsamo on 15 October, and Kirkenes by the beginning of November.[6]

Offensive[edit]

The offensive can be divided into threephases:thebreakthroughof the German position, the pursuit toKirkenes,and the battle for Kirkenes, including the southward pursuit that followed it. During the offensive several amphibious landings were conducted bynaval infantryand army units.[5]Initially, the Germans' intended withdrawal was hampered by Hitler's strict orders to Rendulic to evacuate all supplies from the Petsamo region before abandoning it.[6]

Despite intensive planning before the offensive, the initial attack on 7 October immediately met with problems. Poor visibility made it difficult to co-ordinate artillery and fire support, slowing the assault; nevertheless, after some fierce fighting the Soviets broke through the German lines on theTitovka River.Blowing up the bridges behind them, the Germans retreated. The Soviets pursued, and over the following days conducted several amphibious landings to cut off the German forces.[2]On 10 October the Germans shifted the 163rd Division, which was already withdrawing from Finland to Norway, to the Petsamo region to bolster their defenses.[6]On 13 October the Soviets were poised to attack German forces around the town of Petsamo, and units of the 126th light Rifle Corps were able to establish a roadblock on the only escape route; however, troops of the German2nd Mountain Divisionwere able to clear the roadblock on 14 October, securing the retreat of Rendulic's forces. The Soviets captured Petsamo on 15 October, but due to supply problems, then had to halt the offensive for three days.[4]

Main article:Liberation of Finnmark

For the rest of the campaign the Soviets advanced after the withdrawing Germans along the coast of Norway, with the Soviets trying to block and cut off German units on their retreat. But because of constant supply shortcomings and German delaying efforts, which forced sizable forces to be detached to road reconstruction, the Soviets were not able to achieve success and the Germans escaped with the bulk of their forces intact. The Germans abandoned Kirkenes on 25 October and finally on 29 October Meretskov halted all operations except reconnaissance.[6][4]

Outcome[edit]

The Soviet offensive ended with a victory for the Red Army, but the Wehrmacht 20th Mountain Army successfully performed an orderly retreat with the bulk of its forces intact as it did against Finnish forces during their retreat through Lapland carried out at the same time. Soviet failure to inflict clear defeat on the withdrawing Germans was largely due to the supply issues caused by efficient German destruction of road connections in the area. With often the only road available being out of service due to damage and mines, both supplies and heavy equipment, like artillery, could not be transported to front lines in sufficient quantities while lighter equipped forces were at a disadvantage against heavily armed German forces.

The Soviet commander Meretskov was promoted toMarshal of the Soviet Union,and was given a prominent command during theSoviet invasion of Manchuriain August 1945. The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was the last major offensive in an Arctic environment. It was studied intensively in the Soviet Army for this reason.

In Soviet propaganda, this offensive was listed as one ofStalin's ten blows.

Forces involved[edit]

Soviet[edit]

German[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Less than half of the 8,263 overall casualties were killed or missing in action.[3]The Germans "escaped with the bulk of their forces intact"[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^abGlantz (1995)p. 299
  2. ^abcdeGlantz (1995)pp. 230–231
  3. ^abAhto (1980)p. 263
  4. ^abcGlantz (1995)p. 231
  5. ^abGlantz (1995)pp. 229–230
  6. ^abcdAhto (1980)pp. 260–263
  7. ^abKrivosheyev, Grigoriy."Russia and the USSR in the Wars of the Twentieth Century: Losses of the Armed Forces. A Statistical Study".

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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