WWII defense of the Arctic. The Great Patriotic War

Defense of the Arctic


	Murmansk region, North Karelia, Petsamo
	Victory of the USSR. Capture of Petsamo by Soviet troops

	Third Reich
	Finland
Commanders
Kirill Meretskov	Nicholas von Fankelhorst
Valerian Frolov
Arseniy Golovko
Strengths of the parties
Unknown	Unknown

Unknown	Unknown

Defense of the Arctic (Battle for the Arctic)- combat operations of the troops of the Northern and Karelian (since September 1, 1941) fronts, the Northern Fleet and the White Sea military flotilla against German and Finnish troops on the Kola Peninsula, in North Karelia, in the Barents, White and Kara seas in June 1941 - October 1944.

Plans of the parties

The German command planned to capture an important strategic point in the North - Murmansk and the Kirov railway. To do this, German and Finnish troops attacked in three directions: Murmansk, Kandalaksha and Loukhi.

Natural conditions

The combat area is a mountainous tundra, with many lakes, impassable swamps and vast spaces cluttered with boulders, with harsh climatic conditions. The polar night influences the nature and timing of hostilities.

Balance of power

Germany and Finland

Army "Norway" (on January 15, 1942 it was renamed the Army "Lapland", from June 1942 - "20th Mountain Army") (commander Nicholas von Falkenhorst, from June 1, 1942 - Eduard Dietl, from June 28, 1944 year - Lothar Randulich) was located in the Petsamo area and Northern Finland. It included 5 German and 2 Finnish divisions. The offensive was supported by the 5th Air Fleet (about 160 aircraft in the Murmansk direction) (General Hans-Jürgen Stumpf).
On June 22, 1941, the German Navy in Northern Norway had 5 destroyers, 3 destroyers, 6 submarines, 1 minelayer, 10 patrol ships, 15 minesweepers, 10 patrol boats (55 units in total). Due to the failure of the offensive, the following were transferred: 1 battleship, 3 heavy and 1 light cruiser, 2 destroyer flotillas, 20 submarines, and up to 500 aircraft.

USSR

The 14th Army of the Northern Front (from August 23, 1941 of the Karelian Front) (commander Valerian Frolov) was located in the Murmansk region and North Karelia. Composed of: 42nd Rifle Corps (104th Infantry Division, 122nd Infantry Division), 14th Infantry Division, 52nd Infantry Division, 1st Division.
7th Army consisting of: 54th Infantry Division, 71st Infantry Division, 168th Infantry Division, 237th Infantry Division.
23rd Army consisting of the 19th Rifle Corps (142nd Infantry Division, 115th Infantry Division), 50th Rifle Corps (43rd Infantry Division, 123rd Infantry Division), 10th Mechanized Corps (21st Infantry Division, 24th Infantry Division) etc., 198 md).
The Northern Fleet (NF) (commander Arseny Golovko) was located in the Barents and White Seas. It included: a two-division brigade of destroyers, which included seven destroyers (five of Project 7 and 2 Novik-class destroyers): one ship was undergoing major repairs. The brigade commander, captain 2nd rank M. N. Popov, 15 submarines, 2 torpedo boats, 7 patrol ships, 2 minesweepers, 14 small hunters and 116 aircraft.

German offensive (June - September 1941)

On June 29, 1941, German and Finnish troops launched an offensive, delivering the main blow in the Murmansk direction (see Murmansk operation (1941)) and secondary ones in the Kandalaksha and Loukh directions. By July 4, Soviet troops retreated to the defensive line on the Zapadnaya Litsa River, where the Germans were stopped by the 52nd Infantry Division and marine units. The landing in the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa Bay (1941) played a huge role in disrupting the German offensive on Murmansk. In the Kandalaksha and Loukh directions, Soviet troops stopped the advance of German-Finnish troops, who were unable to reach the railway and were forced to go on the defensive.

Military operations in the Arctic resumed on September 8, 1941. Having failed to achieve success in the Kandalaksha and Loukh directions, the command of the Army of Norway, in accordance with the order of the Wehrmacht headquarters, transferred the main blow to the Murmansk direction. But here, too, the offensive of the reinforced German mountain rifle corps failed. The northern group of Germans advancing on Polyarny was able to advance only 4 km in 9 days. The southern group, with the support of aviation, managed to cut the Titovka-Murmansk road by September 15 and create a threat of access to the Murmansk area. However, the 14th Army, with part of its forces, supported by aviation and artillery of the Northern Fleet, launched a counterattack on September 17 and defeated the 3rd Mountain Rifle Division, throwing its remnants across the Zapadnaya Litsa River. After this, the German command stopped the attack on Murmansk.

In the spring of 1942, both sides were preparing offensive actions: the Germans with the goal of capturing Murmansk, the Soviet troops with the goal of pushing the enemy beyond the border line. Soviet troops were the first to go on the offensive. During the Murmansk operation (1942) and the amphibious landing in the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa Bay, decisive success was not achieved. But the planned German offensive was also thwarted and the front in the Arctic stabilized until October 1944.

Naval battles (September 1941 - October 1944)

At the time of the outbreak of hostilities in the Arctic region, Germany and Finland did not have large warships.

According to the mobilization plan, the Navy of the Northern Fleet (USSR) in June - August 1941 included 29 patrol ships (TFR) and 35 minesweepers converted from fishing trawlers, 4 minelayers and 2 TFR - former icebreaking steamers, 26 patrol boats and 30 cutter minesweepers , converted from driftboats and motorboats, respectively.

Only on July 10, 1941, the 6th flotilla of Kriegsmarine destroyers arrived in Kirkenes: Z-4, Z-7, Z-10, Z-16, Z-20.

Their first operation was undertaken on July 12-13, destroyers in the area of Kharlov Island attacked a Soviet convoy consisting of trawlers (EPRON vessels) RT-67 and RT-32 (towing underwater fuel tanks from Murmansk to Yokanga), guarded by a patrol ship (former fishing trawler armed with 2x45-mm cannons and machine guns under the command of V. L. Okunev) “Passat” (killed) (RT-67 also died). The second operation was carried out on July 22 - 24 near Teriberka, the Germans sank the hydrographic vessel "Meridian". In the third campaign, on August 10, 3 destroyers attacked the patrol ship “Tuman”, which was on patrol in the Kilda reach (died). After a raid by Northern Fleet aviation, Z-4 was seriously damaged and the ships returned to base. The combat activity of the 6th flotilla ended here, and its ships headed to Germany for repairs.

At the end of 1941, the 8th flotilla appeared on the theater of operations, consisting of destroyers: Z-23, Z-24, Z-25, Z-27. Her ships launched an operation against the transports and ships of convoy PQ-6, but had no combat success. German destroyers tried to attack the Allied convoys. When the Germans attacked convoy PQ-13, the destroyers "Crushing" and "Thundering" discovered the German ships and opened fire. The destroyer Z-26 was hit by a shell from a Soviet destroyer and was forced to hide in a snow charge. However, the Germans soon returned and attacked the convoy. They managed to damage the English light cruiser "Trinidad", but at the same time the destroyer Z-26 was lost in battle with British and Soviet ships.

The first allied convoy arrived in Arkhangelsk on August 31, 1941. It was called “Dervish”, only then received the code PQ-0. It consisted of 6 transports guarded by 1 aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, 4 patrol ships and 3 minesweepers.

During the first year of the war, 7 convoys (PQ-0 ... PQ-6) were carried out from England and Iceland to the ports of the White Sea. 53 transports arrived, including Soviet ones. 4 convoys (QP-1 ... QP-4) were sent from our ports to England. A total of 47 transports left.

Since the spring of 1942, the German command launched active operations at sea. The Germans concentrated large naval forces in Northern Norway. Since March 1942, the Germans carried out a special naval and air operation against each allied convoy. However, the British Navy, with the support of the Northern Fleet of the USSR, as well as American ships, thwarted the plans of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe to isolate the USSR in the North from Great Britain and the USA.

5th Air Fleet and the Finnish Air Force, which numbered a total of up to 900 aircraft. Over 150 vehicles operated against the ships.

On July 20, at the entrance to Catherine Harbor (where the main fleet base in Polyarny was located), 11 aircraft sank the destroyer Stremitelny.

Aviation carried out more than 125 sorties against PQ-18 transports and escort ships during September 18-21, 1942.

Since 1942, the activity of submarines began to increase, the number of which in the theater of operations reached 26.

On August 16, “Admiral Scheer” left Narvik with the aim of disrupting communications of the Northern Fleet. On August 26, the icebreaker “Alexander Sibiryakov” was destroyed near Belukha Island in the Kara Sea, and on August 27, it shelled the Soviet base Port Dikson, damaging 2 ships stationed there.

Operation "Tsarina" - the goal of laying mines in the Matochkin Shar Strait. “Admiral Heaper” took 96 mines and set out from Alta Fjord on September 24, 1942. On September 27 he returned having completed the assigned task.

In 1942, the Allies transferred seven AM-type minesweepers and five MMS-type minesweepers to the USSR, and the following year - ten AM-type ships. Also received were 43 large submarine hunters of the SC type, 52 torpedo boats of the Higgis, Vosper, and ELKO types.

The Northern Fleet received a large replenishment in 1944, when, to account for the USSR's share in the division of the Italian fleet, the allies temporarily transferred 9 destroyers (built by the USA in 1918-1920), the battleship Arkhangelsk (Royal Sovereign of the same years) and 4 B-class submarines "(one under the command of I.I. Fisanovich did not arrive), as well as the American light cruiser Milwaukee (Murmansk). From the ships that arrived and those available in September 1944, a squadron of the Northern Fleet of the USSR was formed.

During the Second World War, the Northern Fleet provided escort to the GDP of 1,471 convoys, which included 2,569 transport ships, while the merchant fleet lost 33 ships (19 of them from submarine attacks).

Policy

In February 1944, the Finnish government sent its representative Paasikivi to Stockholm to clarify, through the Soviet ambassador to Sweden Kollontai, the conditions for Finland's exit from the war. On February 19, Paasikivi received Soviet conditions - the severance of relations with Germany, the restoration of the Soviet-Finnish treaty (that is, the border) of 1940, the transfer of the Finnish army to a peaceful position, compensation for damage caused to the Soviet Union in the amount of $ 600 million, and the transfer of Petsamo to the USSR. On April 19, the Soviet terms were rejected.

On July 2, 1944, with a speech on the radio by Prime Minister Linkomies, Germany was given an obligation not to conclude a separate peace with the USSR, only after that, on June 30, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Finland. On June 10, the Vyborg offensive operation of the Soviet troops begins - on June 20, Vyborg is liberated.

On June 19, the Finnish government asked the German government to urgently send 6 divisions and a significant amount of aircraft to Finland. The German command was unable to fulfill this request.

On June 21, the Svir-Petrozavodsk offensive operation begins - on June 28, Petrozavodsk is liberated.

On August 1, President Ryti resigned. On August 5, the Sejm elects Mannerheim as president. On August 8, a new government was formed headed by A. Hackzell, which stated that it did not consider itself bound by the obligation given to Hitler by Rüti. On August 25, the Finnish government asked the Soviet government to receive a delegation in Moscow to negotiate an armistice or peace between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Soviet government agreed to negotiations subject to Finland's mandatory acceptance of the preliminary condition. The Finnish government must publicly declare that it is breaking off relations with Germany and will demand the withdrawal of German troops from the country no later than September 15. This precondition was accepted. Finland ceased hostilities on the morning of September 5, 1944. On September 19, an armistice agreement was signed. Finland pledged to transfer the army to a peaceful position, dissolve fascist-type organizations, lease the territory of Porkka-Udd (near Helsinki) to the USSR for a naval base, and compensate losses in the amount of $300 million.

Petsamo-Kirkenes operation (October - November 1944)

On October 7, 1944, Soviet troops went on the offensive, delivering the main attack from the area of Lake Chapr on the right flank of the 19th German Corps in the direction of Luostari - Petsamo. Pursuing the retreating German troops, the 14th Army, with the support of naval forces, drove the Germans out of Soviet territory, crossed the Finnish border and began to capture Petsamo. On October 22, Soviet troops crossed the Norwegian border and liberated the Norwegian city of Kirkenes on October 25. By November 1, the fighting in the Arctic ended, the Petsamo area was completely liberated by Soviet troops.

During the entire period of confrontation between the USSR and Nazi Germany in the North, Soviet sabotage units carried out reconnaissance activities behind German lines in the border regions of Northern Norway.

It is advisable to call the armed struggle in the rear of the German group in a given geographical area precisely reconnaissance and sabotage activities, and not the partisan movement of the Norwegian people, as was customary in Soviet historiography, since the struggle behind enemy lines was carried out mainly by regular units of the Red Army, only with the support of the Norwegian citizens.

The operations of Soviet reconnaissance and sabotage units in Northern Norway during the Second World War are the topic of research activities of the Murmansk historian Dmitry Alekseevich Kurakulov:

The basis of the reconnaissance detachments that worked in Eastern Finnmark were officers of the intelligence department of the Northern Fleet, the NKVD and immigrants from Norway. The scouts monitored German fortifications, troop movements and military warehouses. From their secret hideouts along the coast, they observed, with the help of binoculars, the moorings of German ships. Then they transmitted all the information about the deployment and movement of ships to bases in the Murmansk region. Thus, the USSR and allies received important information that helped them carry out air strikes and destroy important German targets in Finnmark.

From 80 to 120 German ships were sunk by the USSR and the Allies thanks to information received from Soviet-Norwegian sabotage groups. A training camp was founded in the Murmansk area to train intelligence officers, including Norwegians. Here they underwent a short but thorough training course.

After training, the groups landed in Finnmark from Soviet submarines and boats or were dropped from the air by parachute. The units were quite well equipped. They had food, clothing, weapons and communications with them. However, it often happened that supplies were damaged as a result of airdrops or unloading from sea vessels. Such cases put the lives of intelligence officers in serious danger and, of course, this prevented them from carrying out their tasks.

The human losses among military personnel operating behind enemy lines were quite serious. When the Germans uncovered this or that group, they spared no one. Scouts were shot during resistance or executed after short trials. Some committed suicide so as not to fall into the hands of enemies and not give them any important information. Many fighters against fascism were imprisoned or sent to concentration camps. Finally, many agreed to cooperate with the Germans.

Our Victory in the Great Patriotic War was and will be holy at all times!

A significant part of my family’s life is connected with the Kola Arctic. I have been living in central Russia for several years now, but... “if you fall in love with the North, you will never stop loving it”... Therefore, on such a burning topic as the anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, I want to be closer to my native North.

Speaking about the Great Patriotic War, people remember the defeats of 1941-1942, the battle of Moscow, the siege of Leningrad, the battle for Stalingrad, the North Caucasus, the Arc of Fire and a number of other famous operations. But they can say little about the war in the North, on the Kola Peninsula, if they have heard at all about this page of the Great War. This is how the desire arose to find material about how the Arctic fought during the Great Patriotic War, how Murmansk survived, and why it was awarded the honorary title “Hero City” (1985).

After processing all the material, the result was a rather long article, somewhat burdened with numbers, geographical names and historical details. But I deliberately did not remove them, because thanks to statistical data and other detailed information, you understand the depth, scale and tragedy of the events of those years, the price and greatness of the patriotic feat accomplished by our army, navy and residents of the city and region.

So, to everyone who is truly close to the Kola Arctic...

Panorama of Murmansk (mid-30s of the 20th century) - unfortunately, there was no other photograph of pre-war Murmansk...

German aerial photography of airfields along the Kola Bay

The first Luftwaffe aircraft appeared over the Polyarnoye naval base on the afternoon of June 18, 1941. It was a reconnaissance plane. On the afternoon of June 19, the plane was met with barrage fire and considered it best to turn towards its airfield.

The Great Patriotic War in the Arctic began on the night of June 22, 1941 with massive air raids on cities, towns, industrial facilities, border posts and naval bases.

The Kola Peninsula occupied a large place in the aggressive plans of the German military-political command:

1 - Murmansk was of interest to the Nazis as an ice-free port and a large base for the USSR Northern Fleet. In the future, it was planned to capture the neighboring port of Arkhangelsk, where our ships delivered vital cargo from the Far East, from Siberia - along the Yenisei and Ob rivers.

2 - The Kirov Railway was also of strategic importance for the delivery of military cargo, as it connected Murmansk with the center of the country. It was supposed to reach the railway line in the Kandalaksha area and cut off the Kola Peninsula from the rest of the country.

3 - Hitler was attracted by the rich natural resources of the Kola Land, especially nickel deposits, the goal was to capture the nickel mining area in the historical region of Petsamo (now the Pechenga district of the Murmansk region) and defend it together with the Finns - this operation was local in nature, but was important for fate the German military-industrial complex and the economies of Germany's allies.

4 - The Kola lands were of interest to the Finnish elite; according to their plans, the Kola Peninsula was to become part of “Greater Finland”.

Therefore, the 150,000-strong German army stationed in the Arctic had Hitler’s directive to capture the city and the railway as soon as possible.

The Murmansk operation of 1941 (Blaufuchs plan or Silberfuchs plan, German Unternehmen Silberfuchs - “Polar Fox”) - the offensive of German-Finnish troops in the Murmansk sector stretching up to 120 km of the Northern Front - began on June 28 and lasted until November 1941.

The enemy offensive on land began on June 28, 1941. The delay in the offensive by 7 days (from June 22) was caused by the fact that the German command miscalculated the use of tanks in the tundra.

To seize the lands of the Kola Peninsula from Norway and Finland, the German Army “Norway” was created (it was formed in December 1940) consisting of 3 corps - two mountain German corps and one Finnish corps:
the army had 97 thousand people, 1037 guns and mortars, 106 tanks. This army was supported by part of the forces of the 5th Air Fleet and the Navy of the Third Reich.

According to the calculations of the German command, Murmansk should have been taken in a few days, since the invaders had a double superiority in manpower and almost 4-fold superiority in aviation.

German motorcyclists in the village of Alakurtti

For three days, the German army attempted to capture Murmansk and destroy the warships of the Northern Fleet. The Nazis subjected border outposts, naval bases and settlements located on the Kola Peninsula to massive bomb attacks.

The offensive of Hitler's troops in the North went in several directions at once: Murmansk, Kandalaksha (access to the White Sea in order to cut the Kirov Railway) and Loukhi (railway station on the Leningrad-Murmansk line in northern Karelia).

In the direction of the main attack of the Nazis (the village of Titovka - Murmansk) there were 3 outposts of the Polar Border District of the NKVD of the USSR, a rifle regiment.

The number of Soviet troops did not exceed 7 thousand people. Given their mountain training, special equipment and experience, the German mountain rangers had an undeniable advantage. Two of the three outposts, fighting heroically, retreated under superior enemy forces. The first attempts to stop the enemy were unsuccessful. By July 4, Soviet troops retreated to the defensive line on the Zapadnaya Litsa River, where the Germans were stopped by the 52nd Infantry Division and marine units.

From July 1941 to October 1944, the main sector of the front in the battles for Murmansk passed along the Zapadnaya Litsa River, from its source to its mouth. This was the longest and most dangerous section of the front, because from here lay the shortest road to Murmansk - only 50 - 60 kilometers.
Many fascist forces were sent to this section of the front. With powerful artillery and mortar support, the mountain rangers stormed the positions of the Soviet troops. The battle went on for every height, for every fortified point. Despite the significant superiority in manpower, the Nazis only expanded the bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Western Litsa by 4 kilometers and, having lost hundreds of soldiers, were forced to go on the defensive. The result of the battles in the Valley of Glory was the failure of the German offensive against Murmansk.
The fierceness of the fighting and resistance of our troops is evidenced by the fact that throughout the valley you can find traces of war: trenches, dugouts, cartridges, etc. The further into the hills from the road, the more finds you can find.

The shells and logistical support of the German troops are still scattered across the surrounding hills for several tens of kilometers.

A huge role in disrupting the German offensive on Murmansk was played by the landing of marine units in the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa Bay (1941).
As elsewhere on the Soviet-German front, the fighting in the North immediately became fierce. Soviet soldiers and marines responded with fierce resistance and iron stamina. The war in the Arctic is called “positional”. And also “lieutenant”. There were no striking victories of the generals, and decisions often had to be made by junior officers in order to ensure local victories over the enemy. A fierce struggle was waged for each hill, and there was no time to bury the dead.

The Nazis also failed to capture the Rybachy Peninsula, a strategic point from which they controlled the entrance to the Kola, Motovsky and Pechenga bays.

The sailors nicknamed this legendary piece of land the “granite battleship.” Defender of the Rybachy Peninsula Nikolai Bukin wrote the poem “I Can’t Live Without the Sea,” which was published in the Northern Fleet newspaper “Krasnoflotets.” Later, the song “Farewell Rocky Mountains” was composed based on these verses. It became the anthem of the fighting Arctic.

In the summer of 1941, Soviet troops, with the support of ships of the Northern Fleet, stopped the enemy on the Musta-Tunturi ridge. It stretches in a latitudinal direction along the coast of the mainland and breaks off with cliffs into the sea on the northern side. In the extreme eastern part of the ridge there is a single pass through which the road goes to the Sredniy and Rybachy peninsulas. The defensive line has not changed for almost 3.5 years. This is the only section of the front where the Germans were unable to advance even a centimeter deeper into our country... At one of the heights of Musta-Tunturi, the events described by K. Simonov in the famous poem “The Artilleryman’s Son” took place.

Sailors and pilots of the Northern Fleet, border guards, and infantrymen showed miracles of heroism and fortitude. The soldiers of the regular army were also helped by local rangers, who, fighting fiercely, left up to one and a half thousand German corpses on the battlefield after one attack.

Nazi troops again launched a general offensive against Murmansk in the fall of 1941. Military operations in the Arctic resumed on September 8. The German command threw all its strength into achieving the goal. The fighting lasted more than 10 days...

However, the 14th Army of the Karelian Front, with part of its forces, supported by aviation and artillery of the Northern Fleet, launched a counterattack on September 17 and defeated the German 3rd Mountain Rifle Division, throwing its remnants beyond the Zapadnaya Litsa River and lakes Upper and Lower Verman (Kandalaksha direction). Thus, the enemy’s advance was stopped 70 km west of Murmansk near the Zapadnaya Litsa River.

Western Litsa River

The Germans called the river valley “the valley of death.” For our soldiers it became the Valley of Glory.

In just a few days of fighting, the invaders suffered thousands of losses here. The German rangers were especially afraid of battles with the sailors of the 1st and 2nd volunteer detachments of the Northern Fleet, who fought with unparalleled courage and bravery on land.

The first planes shot down these days were chalked up by pilot B.F. Safonov, the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union (he died in May 1942 at the age of 26)

The last photograph of Lieutenant Colonel Boris Feoktistovich Safonov

The result of the battles in the Valley of Glory was the failure of the German offensive against Murmansk. The enemy lost more than 1,500 soldiers and officers killed and even more wounded; many machine guns, mortars, a weapons depot and prisoners were captured.
On September 22, 1941, Hitler signed OKW Directive No. 36, which stated a temporary cessation of the mountain rifle corps' offensive on Murmansk. In the Kandalaksha and Loukh directions, Soviet troops also stopped the advance of German-Finnish troops.

The inhabitants of Germany in those days were accustomed to victorious messages from the Eastern Front. But no such reports were received from its polar region. As in the battle of Moscow, the enemy was stopped and defeated not by frost, not snow, not the tundra, not the hills near Murmansk - it was the heroism and dedication of the defenders of the Arctic that stopped the fascists.
The Murmansk operation ended with the disruption of the plans of the German-Finnish command and the stabilization of the front.

In the spring of 1942, both sides were preparing offensive actions: the Germans with the goal of capturing Murmansk, the Soviet troops with the goal of pushing the enemy beyond the border line. Soviet troops were the first to go on the offensive. On April 28, 1942, the Murmansk offensive operation began. Its goal is to defeat the enemy and throw him back to the west, to ensure the safety of Murmansk, the Kirov and Obozersk railways. But the Nazis did not waste time.

Over the winter, they managed to build powerful strongholds-fortresses made of stone and reinforced concrete at all heights. Even cable cars were built in the German rear. The Germans were very well armed. Our fortifications were significantly inferior: there were no materials and tools for their construction. The army received only half of the necessary ammunition. For the success of the offensive operation, our troops needed a triple superiority in troop numbers over the enemy. It was in such unequal conditions that this operation began. It was not possible to achieve decisive success. Nevertheless, one of the main objectives of the operation was completed - the enemy, having brought almost all of his reserves into battle, was bled dry and was unable to launch the attack on Murmansk planned for 1942.

At the cost of fierce battles and the boundless courage of Soviet soldiers and sailors, the front line in the Arctic remained unchanged until the fall of 1944. The offensive of the German-Finnish troops in the Far North did not achieve most of its goals.
Despite some initial successes, neither the Germans nor the Finns reached the Kirov Railway in any section - the main route for military cargo entering the USSR was preserved and continued to operate throughout the war, and Hitler’s troops did not capture the base of the Soviet naval fleet in the Far North and were forced to go on the defensive.

On October 7, 1944, the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation of the Soviet troops began. The main attack was carried out from the area of Lake Chapr on the right flank of the 19th German Corps in the direction of Luostari - Petsamo. Pursuing the retreating German troops, the 14th Army, with the support of naval forces, drove the Germans out of Soviet territory, crossed the Finnish border and began to capture Petsamo. On October 22, Soviet troops crossed the Norwegian border and liberated the Norwegian city of Kirkenes on October 25. By November 1, the fighting in the Arctic ended, the Petsamo area was completely liberated by Soviet troops.

In 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic.”

As a result of the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation by troops of the Karelian Front and the Northern Fleet, the threat to Murmansk was removed.
Soviet troops advanced 3-150 km, liberated the Petsamo region (now Pechenga, Murmansk region) and the northern regions of Norway, thereby marking the beginning of the liberation of this country from Nazi occupation. The enemy lost only about 30 thousand people killed.

The Northern Fleet sank 156 enemy ships and vessels. Aviation destroyed 125 enemy aircraft. For their distinction in battle, 51 formations and units received the honorary names “Pechenga” and “Kirkenes”, 70 formations and units were awarded orders, 30 soldiers of the Karelian Front and 26 sailors of the Northern Fleet were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Memorial to the defenders of the Soviet Arctic in the Valley of Glory

Valley of Glory is a valley on the right bank of the Western Litsa River in its lower reaches. 74-76 km of the Murmansk - Pechenga highway. Fierce fighting took place here in July 1941. Previously called Death Valley.

Until now, search engines are finding the remains of our soldiers and their dying messages - short, hastily written down... This is the last cry of the soul... The lines of these notes are reproduced on the monument in the Valley of Glory, with the handwriting and spelling preserved. Perhaps this is the best monument to our soldiers. Many people cry out loud when reading these messages...

***
Silence on the nameless hill.
Only the cries of a bird
Above the boundary, cursed
Polar Lyceum.
Sank between the stones
Helmets and cartridges.
Here we fell asleep like a grave
Russian barriers.
White bones argue
With shaggy moss.
And the waters flow to the sea
Over the bones of a soldier.
Edelweiss rusty
The stone sprouts.
There was a body, but it decayed,
"Got mit uns" leaving.
Through black eye sockets
Blood of lingonberries.
Western Litsa River –
The huntsmen are an obstacle.

Vsevolod Barzhitsky

In Russia, when talking about the Great Patriotic War, they remember the defeats of 1941-1942, the battle of Moscow, the siege of Leningrad, the battle for Stalingrad, the North Caucasus, the Arc of Fire and a number of other famous operations. But they can say little about the war in the North, on the Kola Peninsula, if they have heard at all about this page of the Great War.

The Kola Peninsula occupied a large place in the aggressive plans of the German military-political command. Firstly, Berlin was interested in the city of Murmansk, an ice-free port and the base of the USSR Northern Fleet. In addition, the Murmansk port was connected to the main part of the country by the Kirov Railway, which made it possible to receive military cargo and quickly deliver it to Central Russia. Therefore, the Germans planned to capture the port and cut the railway as soon as possible. Secondly, Hitler was attracted by the rich natural resources of the Kola Land, and especially by the deposits of nickel, a metal very necessary for the German military-industrial complex and the economies of Germany's allies. Thirdly, these lands were of interest to the Finnish elite; according to their plans, the Kola Peninsula was to become part of “Greater Finland”.

To capture the Kola Peninsula, the Army “Norway” was concentrated in the Arctic theater of operations (it was formed in December 1940) consisting of 3 corps - two German mountain corps and one Finnish corps. It was led by Colonel General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. The army had 97 thousand people, 1037 guns and mortars, 106 tanks. This army was supported by part of the forces of the 5th Air Fleet and the Navy of the Third Reich.

They were opposed by the Soviet 14th Army, which occupied the defense in the Murmansk and Kandalaksha directions, under the command of Valerian Frolov. At the start of hostilities, the army included: 4th Rifle Corps (10th and 122nd Rifle Divisions), 14th, 52nd Rifle Divisions, 1st Tank Division, 1st Mixed Air Division, 23 th fortified area and a number of other connections. The 23rd fortified area (UR) was located on the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas and occupied a defensive line along the front of 85 kilometers, 5 kilometers deep, having 7 defense units, consisting of 12 built and combat-ready long-term defensive structures, and 30 located on construction stage. The UR was defended by two machine-gun battalions (two more were planned to be deployed), in addition, one of the regiments of the 14th Infantry Division operated in its zone. The army had 52.6 thousand personnel, 1,150 guns and mortars, 392 tanks. From the sea, the 14th Army was covered by ships and aircraft of the Northern Fleet (8 destroyers, 7 patrol ships, 15 submarines, 116 aircraft).

It must be said that in the future the composition of the forces of the two armies constantly changed, since the sides constantly increased them.

Colonel General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst.

Failure of the Arctic Blitzkrieg

The Great War in the Arctic began on the night of June 22, 1941 with massive air raids on cities, towns, industrial facilities, border posts and naval bases.

After the occupation of Norway, the Germans began to develop a plan for waging war in the Arctic. Planning for the operation began on August 13, 1940 and was completed in October of the same year. The Murmansk operation (Blaufuchs plan or Silberfuchs plan, German: Unternehmen Silberfuchs - “Polar Fox”) was an integral part of the Barbarossa plan. It was divided into several stages. During the first - Operation Renntir ("Reindeer") - the German 2nd Mountain Division and the 3rd Mountain Division from the Norway Mountain Corps invaded the Petsamo area (where the nickel mines were located) and captured it.

It should be noted that the Soviet troops were not taken by surprise, as is often shown at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Already on June 14-15, the 122nd Rifle Division from the 14th Army, by order of the commander of the Leningrad Military District M.M. Popov, was advanced to the state border. The division was supposed to cover the Kandalaksha direction. It was of strategic importance - if successful, enemy troops reached the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea and cut off the Kola Peninsula from the central regions of the country. On the 19th, the 1st Tank Division began to advance to the border; on the 21st, the 52nd Infantry Division was alerted; it was stationed in Murmansk, Monchegorsk and Kirovsk. On the night of June 22, two regiments and a reconnaissance battalion of the 14th Infantry Division were transferred to the border. In addition, the success of the defense was accompanied by the factor of difficult terrain.

On June 28-29, 1941, active hostilities began in the Murmansk direction (the main attack). This was the second stage - Operation Platinfuchs (German Platinfuchs - “Platinum Fox”), German forces advanced through Titovka, Ura-Guba to Polyarny (the main base of the Northern Fleet) and Murmansk. The Nazis planned to capture the Northern Fleet bases, blockade and capture Murmansk, and then go to the White Sea coast and occupy Arkhangelsk. During the second phase of the operation, they were going to carry out the third - to carry out Operation Arctic Fox (German: Polarfuchs). The 2nd German Mountain Division was advancing towards Polyarnoye, and one Finnish division and one German division were to move from Kemijärvi to the east.

On April 28, the 2nd and 3rd mountain rifle divisions, 40th and 112th separate tank battalions went on the attack in the Murmansk direction. They had a 4-fold advantage in the decisive direction - the 95th Infantry Regiment of the 14th Infantry Division could not withstand the blow and retreated, breaking the ranks of the 325th Infantry Regiment of the same division that came to the rescue. But the Nazis failed to defeat the garrison of the 23rd URA on the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas. The garrison, relying on powerful fortifications and coastal batteries (3 130 mm and 4 100 mm guns), repelled all attacks.

By June 30, the 52nd Rifle Division secured a foothold on the Zapadnaya Litsa River (“Valley of Glory”) and throughout July repulsed all German attempts to force the water barrier. On the right flank, regrouped units of the 14th Infantry Division held the defense. In September, the defense was reinforced by the 186th Infantry Division (Polar Division), after which the front in this sector stabilized until 1944. In 104 days of fighting, the Germans advanced 30-60 km and did not solve the assigned tasks. The landings of the Marine Corps of the Northern Fleet also played a positive role - attacks on the enemy’s flank were carried out on July 7 and 14. And also the “unsinkable battleship of the Arctic” - the Rybachy Peninsula, on the site of the 23rd UR and the 135th Infantry Regiment of the 14th Infantry Division, the Nazis never managed to cross border marker No. 1.

In the Kandalaksha direction the first attack was repelled on June 24. On July 1, 1941, the Germans, with the help of the 36th Army Corps, which included the 169th Infantry Division, the SS Nord mountain brigade, as well as the Finnish 6th Infantry Division and two Finnish Jaeger battalions, launched a general offensive on Kandalaksha. The enemy was opposed by the 122nd Infantry Division, the 1st Tank Division (until mid-July 1941, then it was withdrawn to another section of the front) and the 104th Infantry Division, which was later transferred to the Kairaly area (without the 242nd Infantry Regiment, which was located in the Kesteng direction ). Until the beginning of August there were fierce battles with little advance of enemy units. At the beginning of August 1941, a reinforced Finnish battalion penetrated the rear of the Soviet forces. The Finns saddled the road in the area of the Nyamozero station, as a result of which the Soviet group had to fight for two weeks in a strange environment. Just one enemy battalion blocked five rifle regiments, three artillery regiments and other formations. This case speaks of the complexity of the theater of operations, the lack of a developed road network, and the difficult terrain among forests and swamps. When the road was unblocked two weeks later, the enemy struck a strong blow from the front and forced the Red Army units to retreat. Soviet troops gained a foothold four kilometers east of Alakurtti, and there the front line stabilized until 1944. The enemy's maximum advance was about 95 kilometers.

In the Kestenga direction, the 242nd Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division held the defense. Active hostilities began in early July 1941. By July 10, the Germans managed to reach the Sofyanga River, and in November they captured Kestenga and advanced eastward from it by about another 30 km. By November 11, 1941, the front line had stabilized 40 km west of Loukha. By that time, the grouping of Soviet troops in this sector of the front had been reinforced by the 5th Infantry Brigade and the 88th Infantry Division.

German ski division in the Arctic.

Results of the 1941 campaign. By the fall of 1941, it became clear that the plan for a lightning war in the Arctic had been thwarted. In fierce defensive battles, showing courage and perseverance, Soviet border guards, soldiers of the 14th Army, and sailors of the Northern Fleet bled the advancing enemy units and forced the Germans to take a break and go on the defensive. The German command failed to achieve any of its goals in the Arctic. Despite some initial successes, German troops failed to reach the Murmansk railway in any sector, and also to capture the bases of the Northern Fleet, reach Murmansk and capture it. As a result, here was the only section of the Soviet-German front where enemy troops were stopped already several tens of kilometers from the line of the Soviet State border, and in some places the Germans were not even able to cross the border.

Marines of the Northern Fleet on the deck of a boat of the MO-4 project.

The role of the rear in the defense of the Arctic

Residents of the Murmansk region provided enormous assistance to the formations of the Red Army and the USSR Navy. Already on the first day of the Great War, martial law was introduced in the Murmansk region, the military commissariats began mobilizing those liable for military service, and the military registration and enlistment offices received up to 3.5 thousand applications from volunteers. In total, every sixth resident of the region went to the front - more than 50 thousand people.

Party, Soviet and military bodies organized universal military training of the population. In regions and settlements, units of the people's militia, fighter squads, sanitary squads, and local air defense units were formed. Thus, in just the first few weeks of the war, the Murmansk fighter regiment went out on missions 13 times that were associated with the destruction of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups. Soldiers of the Kandalaksha fighter battalion directly participated in the fighting in Karelia in the area of the Loukhi station. Fighters from fighter formations in the Kola and Kirov regions served as guards for the Kirov Railway.

In the summer of 1942, on the initiative of the regional party committee in the region, the partisan detachments “Bolshevik of the Arctic” and “Soviet Murman” were formed. Considering the fact that the Murmansk region was practically not occupied, partisan formations were based on their own territory and went on deep raids behind enemy lines. The main target of the partisan detachments was the Rovaniemi-Petsamo highway, which supplied German troops located in the regions of Northern Finland. During raids, Murmansk partisans attacked enemy garrisons, disrupted communication lines, carried out reconnaissance and sabotage activities, and captured prisoners. Several partisan detachments also operated in the Kandalaksha direction.

Approximately 30 thousand people were mobilized for military construction work. These people created several defensive lines on the approaches to Murmansk and Kandalaksha. With the participation of the civilian population, massive construction of trenches, crevices, and bomb shelters was carried out. From the end of June 1941, a mass evacuation of civilians and industrial equipment began from the region. Initially, it was carried out using railway transport, then using ships and vessels - they were transported to Arkhangelsk. They took out children, women, old people, supplies of strategic raw materials, equipment from Severnickel, Tuloma and Niva hydroelectric stations. In total, 8 thousand wagons and more than 100 ships were taken out of the Murmansk region - this evacuation became part of a larger operation that was carried out throughout the western regions of the Soviet Union. Those enterprises that were left in the region were transferred to a military footing and focused on fulfilling military orders.

All fishing trawlers were transferred to the Northern Fleet. Ship repair enterprises carried out work to convert them into warships, and installed weapons on them. Shipyards also repaired warships and submarines. As of June 23, all enterprises in the region switched to round-the-clock (emergency) operation.

Enterprises in Murmansk, Kandalaksha, Kirovsk, and Monchegorsk quickly mastered the production of automatic weapons, grenades, and mortars. The Apatit plant began producing a mixture for incendiary bombs, ship repair shops made boats, drags, and mountain sleds, and a furniture factory produced skis for soldiers. Artels of fishing cooperation produced reindeer sleds, soap, portable stoves (potbelly stoves), various camping utensils, sewed uniforms, and repaired shoes. Reindeer collective farms handed over reindeer and sledges to the army, and supplied them with meat and fish.

The women, teenagers and old people who remained in the region replaced the men who had gone to the front in production. They mastered new professions at various courses, fulfilled the norms of not only healthy men, but also set records. The working day at enterprises increased to 10, 12 hours, and sometimes 14 hours.

Fishermen resumed fishing in the fall of 1941, catching the fish necessary for the front and rear in combat conditions (they could be attacked by enemy planes and submarines). Although the region itself experienced a food shortage, several trains with fish were still able to be sent to besieged Leningrad. In order to improve the food supply to the population of the Murmansk region at industrial enterprises, subsidiary farms were created, and people cultivated vegetable gardens. A collection of berries and mushrooms, medicinal herbs, and pine needles was organized. Brigades of hunters were engaged in catching game - elk, wild deer, birds. Fishing for lake and river fish was organized in the inland waters of the Kola Peninsula.

In addition, residents of the region took an active part in raising funds for the Defense Fund: people donated 15 kg of gold and 23.5 kg of silver. In total, during the years of the Great War, more than 65 million rubles were received from residents of the Murmansk region. In 1941, 2.8 million rubles were transferred to create the Komsomolets Zapolyarya squadron, and the railway workers built the Sovetsky Murman squadron at their own expense. More than 60 thousand gifts were collected and sent to the Red Army soldiers at the front. School buildings in populated areas were converted into hospitals.

And all this was done in the most difficult conditions of the front-line zone, populated areas were subjected to constant air strikes. Thus, since the summer of 1942, Murmansk was subjected to severe bombing; on June 18 alone, German planes dropped 12 thousand bombs, and fire destroyed more than 600 wooden buildings in the city. In total, from 1941 to 1944, 792 German Air Force raids were carried out on the main city of the region; the Luftwaffe dropped about 7 thousand high-explosive and 200 thousand incendiary bombs. In Murmansk, more than 1,500 houses (three quarters of the total housing stock), 437 industrial and service buildings were destroyed and burned. German aviation regularly attacked the Kirov Railway. During the military operations in the Arctic, the German Air Force dropped an average of 120 bombs on every kilometer of the railway line. But, despite the constant danger of being bombed or shelled, Murmansk railway workers and port workers did their job, and communication with the mainland was not interrupted; trains were moving along the Kirov Railway. It should be noted that air defense forces shot down 185 enemy aircraft over Murmansk and the Kirov Railway in 1941-1943.

Murmansk after the bombing. Among Soviet cities, Murmansk is second only to Stalingrad in terms of the number and density of bomb attacks on the city. As a result of German bombing, three-quarters of the city was destroyed.

Arctic and allies

A big battle in 1942 took place in the sea zone. The USSR's allies in the Anti-Hitler Coalition began supplying military equipment, equipment, and food. The Soviet Union supplied the Allies with strategic raw materials. In total, during the Great War, 42 allied convoys (722 transports) arrived in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, 36 convoys were sent from the Soviet Union (682 transports reached their destination ports). The first allied convoy arrived at the port of Murmansk on January 11, 1942, and during the Great Patriotic War, up to 300 ships were unloaded and more than 1.2 million tons of foreign cargo were processed.

The German command tried to disrupt cargo deliveries and cut off this strategic communication. To combat the Allied convoys, large forces of the Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and surface forces, which were located in Norwegian bases, were brought in. The main burden of protecting the convoys was placed on the forces of the British fleet and the Soviet Northern Fleet. Northern Fleet ships made 838 trips to guard convoys alone. In addition, naval aviation conducted reconnaissance from the air and covered the convoys. The Air Force also attacked German bases and airfields and enemy ships on the high seas. Soviet submarine forces went to sea and kept combat watch at German naval bases and along possible transit routes for large surface ships of the Reich naval forces. The combined efforts of the British and Soviet covering forces destroyed 27 enemy submarines, 2 battleships and 3 destroyers. In general, the protection of the convoys was successful: under the cover of sailors and pilots of the Northern Fleet and the British Navy, the sea convoys lost 85 transports, and more than 1,400 reached their goal.

In addition, the Northern Fleet conducted active combat activities off the enemy’s coast, trying to disrupt German maritime transport along the coast of Northern Norway. If in 1941-1942 the submarine fleet was mainly involved in these operations, then from the second half of 1943 naval aviation forces began to play the first fiddle. In total, in 1941-1945, the Northern Fleet, mainly through the efforts of the Northern Fleet Air Force, destroyed more than 200 enemy ships and auxiliary vessels, over 400 transports with a total tonnage of 1 million tons and about 1.3 thousand aircraft.

Project 7 Soviet Northern Fleet destroyer "Grozny" at sea.

Front line in 1942-1944

In the 14th Army's zone of action, the front line was very stable from the autumn of 1941 to the autumn of 1944. Both sides experienced the same difficulties. Firstly, a quick, maneuverable war was hampered by natural and climatic conditions. There was no continuous front; the battle formations were replaced by rock ridges, swamps, rivers, lakes, and forests that were insurmountable by large formations. Secondly, the defensive formations of the German and Soviet troops were constantly being improved. Thirdly, neither the Soviet command nor the Germans had a decisive superiority in forces.

Basically, the armies opposing each other carried out reconnaissance, sabotage (including with the help of partisans), and improved defense. Of the most significant actions, one can note the counter-offensive of the Red Army at the end of April 1942 in the Kesteng direction. Soviet troops actually thwarted the German offensive; reconnaissance revealed the concentration of enemy forces in this direction. But after a 10-day battle the situation stabilized in its previous positions. At the same time, the Red Army tried to go on the offensive in the Murmansk direction - at the turn of the Zapadnaya Litsa River. Soviet troops were able to push forward several kilometers, but the Germans soon restored the front.

After this, there were no more or less large-scale military operations in the 14th Army zone until October 1944.

Soviet submarines of the C series in the port of Polyarny.

Defeat of the Germans in the Arctic

By the autumn of 1944, Soviet troops firmly held the strategic initiative along the entire length of the Soviet-German front. The time has come to defeat the enemy on the northern sector of the front.

The 14th Army became the main fighting force in the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation (took place from October 7 to November 1, 1944). The army was given the task of destroying the main forces of the 19th German Mountain Corps (Norway Corps), which had fortified themselves in the Petsamo region, and then continue the offensive in the direction of Kirkenes in Northern Norway.

The 14th Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Vladimir Shcherbakov, consisted of: 8 rifle divisions, 5 rifle, 1 tank and 2 engineering brigades, 1 brigade of rocket launchers, 21 artillery and mortar regiments, 2 self-propelled gun regiments. It had 97 thousand soldiers and officers, 2212 guns and mortars, 107 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts. The army was supported from the air by the 7th Air Army - 689 aircraft. And from the sea, the Northern Fleet under the command of Admiral Arseny Golovko. The fleet participated in the operation with detachments of ships, 2 marine brigades and 276 naval aviation aircraft.

The German 19th Mountain Corps had: 3 mountain divisions and 4 brigades (53 thousand soldiers and officers), 753 guns and mortars. It was commanded by General of the Mountain Troops Ferdinand Jodl. The forces of the 5th Air Fleet were covered from the air - up to 160 aircraft. The German Navy operated at sea.

The situation was complicated by the fact that in three years the Germans built the so-called. Lapland defensive rampart. And after Finland left the war (September 19, 1944), military construction work took on a very active character. On the 90 km front there were minefields, wire fences, anti-tank ditches and gaps, reinforced concrete and armored firing points, shelters, trenches, and communication passages were erected. The fortifications intercepted all passes, hollows, roads, and commanding heights. On the sea side, the positions were reinforced by coastal batteries and anti-aircraft positions located in caponiers. And this despite the fact that the terrain was already difficult to pass - rivers, lakes, swamps, rocks.

On October 7, 1944, after artillery preparation, the offensive began. Even before it began, engineering units were sent behind enemy lines in order to destroy enemy fortifications. On the right flank of the strike force, the 131st Rifle Corps was advancing, its goal was Petsamo, it was supported by a distracting task force and two brigades of marines. On the left flank, the 99th Rifle Corps went on the attack; it had the task of advancing in the direction of Luostari. On the left flank, a deep outflanking maneuver was carried out by the 126th Light Rifle Corps (its target was also Luostari).

By 15.00, the 131st Corps broke through the first line of German defense and reached the Titovka River. On October 8, the bridgehead was expanded, and movement began in the direction of Petsamo. The 99th Corps was unable to break through the German defenses on the first day, but did so in a night attack (on the night of October 7–8). In the zone of his offensive, a reserve was brought into battle - the 127th Light Rifle Corps; on October 12 they captured Luostari and began moving towards Petsamo from the south.

The 126th Light Rifle Corps, performing a difficult outflanking maneuver, reached west of Luostari by October 11 and cut the Petsamo-Salmijärvi road. By this, the Soviet command prevented the approach of German reinforcements. The corps received the following task - to seize the Petsamo-Tarnet road from the west with a new roundabout maneuver. The task was completed on October 13.

On October 14, the 131st, 99th and 127th corps approached Petsamo, and the assault began. On October 15, Petsamo fell. After this, the army corps regrouped and on October 18 the second stage of the operation began. Units of the 4 corps already participating in the battle and the new reserve 31st Rifle Corps were thrown into battle. The enemy was mainly pursued during this phase. The 127th Light Rifle Corps and the 31st Rifle Corps were advancing on Nikel, the 99th Rifle Corps and the 126th Light Rifle Corps were advancing on Akhmalakhti, and the 131st Rifle Corps was advancing on Tarnet. Already on October 20, Nikel began to be captured, and on the 22nd it fell. The remaining corps also reached their target lines by October 22.

Amphibious landing, 1944.

On October 18, the 131st Rifle Corps entered Norwegian soil. The liberation of Northern Norway has begun. On October 24-25, the Jarfjord was crossed, the forces of the 14th Army fanned out on Norwegian territory. The 31st Rifle Corps did not cross the bay and began moving deep to the south - by October 27 it reached Nausti, reaching the border of Norway and Finland. The 127th Light Rifle Corps also moved south along the western shore of the fjord. The 126th Light Rifle Corps moved westward, and on October 27 reached Neiden. The 99th and 131st Rifle Corps rushed to Kirkenes and occupied it on October 25. After this, the operation was completed. A large role in the operation was played by amphibious assaults and the actions of the Northern Fleet. It was a complete victory.

Results of the operation

By expelling German troops from Kirkenes and reaching the Neiden-Nausti line, the Soviet 14th Army and Northern Fleet completed their tasks in the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation. On November 9, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered the 14th Army to stop its movement and go on the defensive. During the 19-day battles, army troops advanced westward up to 150 km, liberating the Petsamo-Pechenga region and Northern Norway. The loss of these territories greatly limited the actions of the German Navy on Soviet northern communications and deprived the Third Reich of the opportunity to obtain nickel ore (a strategic resource).

German troops suffered significant losses in manpower, weapons and military equipment. Thus, Jodl’s 19th Mountain Rifle Corps lost only about 30 thousand people killed. The Northern Fleet destroyed 156 enemy ships and vessels, and Soviet aviation forces eliminated 125 Luftwaffe aircraft. The Soviet army lost more than 15 thousand people killed and wounded, including more than 2 thousand soldiers and officers in Norway.

During the offensive of the Soviet troops in the Far North, the high military art of the Soviet military command was demonstrated. Operational and tactical interaction between the ground forces and the forces of the Northern Fleet was organized at a high level. The Soviet corps carried out the offensive in difficult terrain, often without direct communication with neighboring units. The forces of the 14th Army maneuvered skillfully and flexibly, using specially trained and prepared light rifle corps in battle. The engineering units of the Soviet army, naval units, and marines showed a high level.

During the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, Soviet troops liberated the occupied areas of the Soviet Arctic and provided enormous assistance in the liberation of Norway.

Norway was finally liberated with the help of the USSR. On May 7-8, 1945, the German military-political leadership agreed to complete surrender and the German group in Norway (it numbered about 351 thousand soldiers and officers) received an order to surrender and laid down their arms.

General Vladimir Ivanovich Shcherbakov.

Ctrl Enter

Noticed osh Y bku Select text and click Ctrl+Enter

Stalin's tenth blow

Military operation

We will not give up Murmansk

According to Directive No. 21 of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, better known as Plan Barbarossa, the capture of Murmansk and the entire Kola Peninsula was one of the top priorities of the German command. To carry it out, the Army “Norway” was created, staffed by German and Finnish soldiers who had undergone special training for operations in the Far North.

From Directive No. 21:

“a) at the beginning of the operation, and if necessary earlier, invade the Petsamo area and reliably defend it together with Finnish troops against attack from land, sea and air. Of particular importance is the retention of nickel mines, which are extremely important for the German war economy (Operation Renntir);

b) with the available troops, encircle Murmansk, which is a support base for the offensive actions of the enemy’s ground, sea and air forces. Subsequently, if available forces allow, to capture Murmansk (Operation Silberfuchs)."

Thus, the main strategic task of the enemy in this sector was to capture the city of Murmansk with its ice-free port as soon as possible, which would threaten the existence of the entire Soviet Northern Fleet. The Reich was also attracted by the peninsula's vast natural resources, mainly nickel deposits, so necessary for the war industry.

Even before the start of the offensive, the occupation administration of Murmansk was appointed, and on July 20, 1941, a parade of German troops was planned at the central stadium of the city. From the first days of the War, German planes began massive air raids on Murmansk and other key bases of the Northern Fleet. On June 29, 1941, German-Finnish troops crossed the northern border of the USSR. This date is considered to be the beginning of the Battle of the Arctic.

The German offensive on the Kola Peninsula began in three directions. The main forces were concentrated to attack Murmansk, while at the same time 2 more groups launched an offensive in the Kandalaksha and Loukh directions, with the goal of disrupting communications between the peninsula and the rest of the country.

On the way to MurmanskArmy "Norway" was opposed by the 14th separate army under the command of Colonel General Valerian Aleksandrovich Frolov, with the support of ships and aviation of the Northern Fleet, under the leadership of Vice Admiral A.G. Golovko.

From the very first days the fighting became extremely fierce. The Germans achieved the greatest success in the Murmansk direction. Part of the forces of Frolov’s army was blocked by the enemy on the Sredny Peninsula, but the enemy was unable to advance further than the Musta-Tunturi ridge, connecting the peninsula with the mainland. On the third day after the start of the offensive, having covered 30 kilometers, Wehrmacht troops managed to seize a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Zapadnaya Litsa River, in the area of the Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa Bay, creating a real threat to Murmansk.

The Germans failed to expand and transfer significant forces to the bridgehead, but the possibility of striking from the bridgehead at any moment greatly worried the Soviet military leaders. The headquarters of the 14th Army, together with the command of the Northern Fleet, developed a plan to pin down enemy forces on the bridgehead, and, if circumstances were favorable, completely eliminate enemy units. The essence of the plan was to land operational troops on the coast occupied by German troops in order to disrupt the supply of the bridgehead.

On July 6 and 7, 1941, the first two landings were landed on the southern and western banks of Zapadnaya Litsa Bay. The tactical landings seriously worried the German command, as key German supply routes were under threat. The leadership of the Army “Norway” was forced to suspend the offensive on Murmansk and transfer part of its forces to eliminate the threat in its rear.

On July 9, 1941, Soviet landing forces were removed from the bridgeheads. On July 14, using the experience of the first two landings, the Red Army launched a third, larger landing operation.

With the help of the 325th Infantry Regiment and a Marine Battalion under the overall command of A.A. Shakito, Soviet troops managed to gain a foothold on the western bank of the Zapadnaya Litsa River. Thus, a unique situation was created - on the same river, literally a few kilometers from each other, two bridgeheads, Soviet and German, were formed.

For two weeks, having pulled together significant forces, the Soviet bridgehead continued to hold. On August 2, 1941, the still unbroken paratroopers were transferred to the mainland to strengthen the ground group.

By this time, the German offensive had foundered on both the Kandalaksha and Loukha directions. The Kirov Railway, the main route of communication on the Kola Peninsula, remained under our control, which means the Germans failed to block the supply of both the city of Murmansk and the Northern Fleet. After this, the front stabilized for some time.

Realizing that it would not be possible to break through the Soviet defense by scattering forces, the German command headquarters decided to focus on the Murmansk direction.

Having completed the regrouping, on September 8, 1941, the Germans launched a new offensive. But it also ended in complete failure. In 9 days of fighting, the Army of Norway advanced only 4 kilometers, and on September 17, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, during which the 3rd Mountain Division was completely destroyed, and the Wehrmacht troops were thrown back beyond Western Litsa. This circumstance forced the Wehrmacht leadership to completely abandon offensive actions in this sector of the front.

In the spring of 1942, as part of the Murmansk operation, the Red Army attempted to push German troops back from their positions and at the same time forestall the attack being prepared by the enemy. If the first task could not be solved, then the second was completed - the spring offensive on Murmansk never happened. From that time on, the front finally stabilized along the Zapadnaya Litsa River until the fall of 1944.

If we briefly summarize the results of the defensive battles in the Arctic, they can be considered the most successful on the entire Soviet-German front. The German troops failed to solve a single task assigned to them. The strategically important Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, although they were blocked from land, remained under the control of Soviet troops. In the direction of Murmansk, the enemy managed to cover only 30 kilometers from the border. The greatest advance of German troops from the Soviet-Finnish border did not exceed 80 kilometers, and in some areas the enemy did not manage to enter Soviet territory at all.

The fact that the defenders of the Soviet North managed to thwart the ambitious plans of the Wehrmacht in the Arctic was of great importance and had an impact on the entire course of the Great Patriotic War, since it was through the ports of the Arctic that allied aid supplies were subsequently delivered, and the Northern Fleet was preserved.

While there has been relative calm in the land theater of military operations, in the area of the Kola Peninsula, the same cannot be said for the northern seas. On the contrary, naval battles began to become more and more fierce. Initially, the German command attached little importance to sea communications along the Northern Sea Route and across the North Atlantic, so the concentration of the German fleet in this region was insignificant. The reason for this neglect lies in the fact that, in the hope of a lightning victory, the German leadership believed that the USSR simply would not be able to use the capabilities of the northern ice-free harbors, since they would be in the hands of the Reich. The situation began to change rapidly by 1942, when the first convoys of ships (the so-called polar convoys) from England, the USA and Canada arrived at the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. The Allies supplied our country with tanks and planes, fuel and shells, food and medicine. The USSR, in turn, sent various raw materials (fuel, metal, timber, etc.) in the opposite direction.

When the first deliveries of foreign equipment arrived in Murmansk, in particular, British Hurricane aircraft, British pilots also arrived there to instruct and train our pilots. This is how the 151st Squadron of the British Air Force appeared on our front, commanded by Henry Neville Guinness Ramsbottom-Isherwood. It brought together people from all over the world. The commander himself was from New Zealand; Australians, Canadians, Scots, Welsh and Irish, natives of Rhodesia, the Union of South Africa and the West Indies also served in the air wing. Their activities were by no means limited to teaching. British pilots, together with our pilots, fought bravely and skillfully shot down enemy planes, calling the Germans “Jerry” behind their backs.

So, Anthony Hartwell Rooke, in the midst of an air battle, flew into the thick of the Messerschmitts and single-handedly took on nine enemy aircraft. In another battle he fought by descending from 3,000 meters to the water, shooting down one German plane and damaging another. Anthony Garfors Miller, having risen into the air with his six, saw 14 Junkers overhead, heading towards the Vaenga-1 airfield, where our forces were based, and instantly dispersed them. Two other pilots, Bosch and Homens, during a surprise raid on the airfield, when shells were exploding all around, reached their planes and, taxiing between the craters, took to the air and took over the battle. In November 1941, four pilots of the 151st squadron were awarded the Order of Lenin.

The forces of the German and Finnish navies were significantly strengthened by the end of 1941, and from the spring of 1942, regular special operations began to be carried out against each convoy of ships by the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. The naval group was also strengthened by the Soviet command: some of the ships were transferred by the allies, some were transferred from the Pacific Fleet.

Thanks to the North Sea sailors, as well as the help of the British Navy, despite the real hunt organized by the German fleet for caravans, most of the cargo was delivered to the destination ports. In total, the Northern Fleet conducted over 1,400 convoys during the war years, in which more than 2,500 ships participated. But in addition to successful operations, there were also serious failures. Thus, the infamous convoy PQ-17, sent to the USSR on June 27, 1942, was almost completely destroyed by German aircraft and submarines. Of the 35 ships, only 13 were able to reach the destination port.

However, the northern route became an important transport corridor between the USSR, England and the USA. In total, about 20% of all cargo delivered by the Allies to the USSR under Lend-Lease was delivered through it.

Colonel General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst

The army had 97 thousand people, 1037 guns and mortars, 106 tanks. This army was supported by part of the forces of the 5th Air Fleet and the Navy of the Third Reich.

It must be said that in the future the composition of the forces of the two armies constantly changed, since the sides constantly increased them.

The failure of the Arctic Blitzkrieg.

The Great War in the Arctic began on the night of June 22, 1941 with massive air raids on cities, towns, industrial facilities, border posts and naval bases.

German ski division in the Arctic

By the fall of 1941, it became clear that the plan for a lightning war in the Arctic had been thwarted. In fierce defensive battles, showing courage and perseverance, Soviet border guards, soldiers of the 14th Army, and sailors of the Northern Fleet bled the advancing enemy units and forced the Germans to take a break and go on the defensive. The German command failed to achieve any of its goals in the Arctic. Despite some initial successes, German troops failed to reach the Murmansk railway in any sector, and also to capture the bases of the Northern Fleet, reach Murmansk and capture it. As a result, here was the only section of the Soviet-German front where enemy troops were stopped already several tens of kilometers from the line of the Soviet State border, and in some places the Germans were not even able to cross the border.

Marines of the Northern Fleet on the deck of a boat of the MO-4 project

Partisans of the Arctic

Murmansk after the bombing.

Among Soviet cities, Murmansk is second only to Stalingrad in terms of the number and density of bomb attacks on the city. As a result of German bombing, three-quarters of the city was destroyed.

Project 7 Soviet Northern Fleet destroyer "Grozny" at sea

Basically, the armies opposing each other carried out reconnaissance, sabotage (including with the help of partisans), and improved defense. Of the most significant actions, one can note the counter-offensive of the Red Army at the end of April 1942 in the Kesteng direction. Soviet troops actually thwarted the German offensive; reconnaissance revealed the concentration of enemy forces in this direction. But after a 10-day battle the situation stabilized in its previous positions. At the same time, the Red Army tried to go on the offensive in the Murmansk direction - at the turn of the Zapadnaya Litsa River. Soviet troops were able to get a few kilometers ahead, but the Germans soon restored the front. After this, there were no more or less large-scale military operations in the 14th Army zone until October 1944.

Soviet submarines of the C series in the port of Polyarny

Amphibious landing, 1944

During the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, Soviet troops liberated the occupied areas of the Soviet Arctic and provided enormous assistance in the liberation of Norway.