*This is a thread about the Soviet Summer offensive of 1944 against Finland and the last major Soviet attack against Finland during the Continuation War.
The effective use of the new anti-tank weapons provided by Germany played in crucial role while deciding how Finland reached a stalemate with the Soviet Union and countered the Soviet Summer offensive of 1944 - the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive. SA-kuva.
Stalin's ten blows were the ten successful strategic offensives conducted by the Red Army in 1944 in the Eastern Front against Germany and its Allies. In chronological order the 4th of the 10 offensives was the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive (9 June - 13 August 1944) against Finnish forces north of Leningrad on the Karelian Isthmus and on the isthmus between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. The Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive was the only Soviet offensive without a definite Soviet breakthrough and it was repelled by the Finns, however the offensive forced Finland to exit the WWII.
In the Spring of 1944 Finland was seeking for an exit of the WWII and wished for signing a separate peace with the Soviet Union by any means, but remaining as an independent nation. However, the negotiations with the Soviets and the terms set by the USSR didn't please the Finns. During the Tehran Conference of 1943 Stalin pledged a simultaneous Soviet offensive in the East in order to support the Allied Normandy Invasion, still the Finns believed for a Soviet "race" for Berlin and were not expecting an offensive against Finland.
(Left picture) The Soviets broke quickly the Finnish lines on the Karelian Isthmus in the Summer of 1944 - in 10 days they had advanced from the Main line to the VKT-line and captured Vyborg on 20 June. However, the Soviet offensive was repelled and halted at the VKT-line. At least three major Finnish victories were achieved here, Tali-Ihantala, Äyräpää-Vuosalmi and the Battle of Vyborg Bay. (Right picture) After repelled on the Karelian Isthmus, the Soviets attempted to reach a breakthrough north of Lake Ladoga - at Ilomantsi (red area on the map).
Perhaps the least known major Soviet attack against Finland during 1944 is the battle in the wilderness - at Ilomantsi region. The Soviet objective here was to reach the small town of Ilomantsi and the important road crossing there - then continue to south, reaching the north shores of Lake Ladoga, seal off and destroy the Finnish VI Corps in the area. The Battle of Ilomantsi raged for nearly three weeks - 26 July-13 August 1944.
The Finnish forces at Ilomantsi firstly consisted of 7 000 of troops and were later reinforced consisting in total of 14 500 of troops. The Soviet forces firstly consisted of 16 000 of troops and were later reinforced consisting in total of 20 000 of troops. At first it seemed like the Soviets would be successful while reaching the border of 1940 - the only time during the Continuation War. However, it proved to be that the battle would be won by the side which could master the terrain and be more quickly in the initiative.
The Finns suited the famous "motti"-tactics here. First cutting the few roads in the region they prevented the Soviet supply, then they attacked at the seam of the two Soviet divisions and separated and encircled them further countering the Soviet reinforcements at the eastern side of the encirclement. Also, the Finns used guerrilla warfare, launching long-range patrols behind the lines in order to destroy the Soviet supply columns.
Later, in the 1960's the Finnish commanding officer, Erkki Raappana revealed that his idea of encircling the Soviet divisions was not planned, but was purely based on the intuition due to the lack of time and to the urgent need to act more quickly than the Soviets. Raappana didn't believe that this intuition, inspired by the moment could work, but was highly surprised himself while this adventurous plan worked in the wilderness.
The Finns didn't have enough strength to clear the "mottis", and the two Soviet divisions managed to escape, but only completely routed leaving thousands of casualties behind. Ilomantsi was a ninth Finnish decisive victory following the main Soviet assault launched earlier in June.
The Soviet equipment left behind at Ilomantsi. Both pictures: SA-kuva.
The Battle of Ilomantsi had an important significance considering the Finnish spirits and the Finnish exit of the WWII. Ilomantsi proved to be the last Soviet attack against Finland in the Continuation War and Finland was able to counter the attacking forces inside her own borders. When the peace once came, there was no Soviet forces inside the 1940-border. Although already earlier the Finns had countered the Soviet offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, it was only after the Finnish victory at Ilomantsi when Stalin renewed his views about the peace-terms and didn't demand Finnish unconditional surrender anymore. Also, the earlier demand of 600 million gold dollars for war reparations was halved to 300 million gold dollars. Perhaps the most significant importance of the outcome at Ilomantsi was for the Finnish mental and moral spirits, figuratively: The Finnish Lion could still slap the Russian Bear. The Battle of Ilomantsi delivered a healthy image for the Finns of their capabilities. If it had not been a victorious battle for the Finnish side the faith for the decades to come would had been a less confident.
The effective use of the new anti-tank weapons provided by Germany played in crucial role while deciding how Finland reached a stalemate with the Soviet Union and countered the Soviet Summer offensive of 1944 - the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive. SA-kuva.
Stalin's ten blows were the ten successful strategic offensives conducted by the Red Army in 1944 in the Eastern Front against Germany and its Allies. In chronological order the 4th of the 10 offensives was the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive (9 June - 13 August 1944) against Finnish forces north of Leningrad on the Karelian Isthmus and on the isthmus between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. The Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive was the only Soviet offensive without a definite Soviet breakthrough and it was repelled by the Finns, however the offensive forced Finland to exit the WWII.
In the Spring of 1944 Finland was seeking for an exit of the WWII and wished for signing a separate peace with the Soviet Union by any means, but remaining as an independent nation. However, the negotiations with the Soviets and the terms set by the USSR didn't please the Finns. During the Tehran Conference of 1943 Stalin pledged a simultaneous Soviet offensive in the East in order to support the Allied Normandy Invasion, still the Finns believed for a Soviet "race" for Berlin and were not expecting an offensive against Finland.
(Left picture) The Soviets broke quickly the Finnish lines on the Karelian Isthmus in the Summer of 1944 - in 10 days they had advanced from the Main line to the VKT-line and captured Vyborg on 20 June. However, the Soviet offensive was repelled and halted at the VKT-line. At least three major Finnish victories were achieved here, Tali-Ihantala, Äyräpää-Vuosalmi and the Battle of Vyborg Bay. (Right picture) After repelled on the Karelian Isthmus, the Soviets attempted to reach a breakthrough north of Lake Ladoga - at Ilomantsi (red area on the map).
Perhaps the least known major Soviet attack against Finland during 1944 is the battle in the wilderness - at Ilomantsi region. The Soviet objective here was to reach the small town of Ilomantsi and the important road crossing there - then continue to south, reaching the north shores of Lake Ladoga, seal off and destroy the Finnish VI Corps in the area. The Battle of Ilomantsi raged for nearly three weeks - 26 July-13 August 1944.
The Finnish forces at Ilomantsi firstly consisted of 7 000 of troops and were later reinforced consisting in total of 14 500 of troops. The Soviet forces firstly consisted of 16 000 of troops and were later reinforced consisting in total of 20 000 of troops. At first it seemed like the Soviets would be successful while reaching the border of 1940 - the only time during the Continuation War. However, it proved to be that the battle would be won by the side which could master the terrain and be more quickly in the initiative.
The Finns suited the famous "motti"-tactics here. First cutting the few roads in the region they prevented the Soviet supply, then they attacked at the seam of the two Soviet divisions and separated and encircled them further countering the Soviet reinforcements at the eastern side of the encirclement. Also, the Finns used guerrilla warfare, launching long-range patrols behind the lines in order to destroy the Soviet supply columns.
Later, in the 1960's the Finnish commanding officer, Erkki Raappana revealed that his idea of encircling the Soviet divisions was not planned, but was purely based on the intuition due to the lack of time and to the urgent need to act more quickly than the Soviets. Raappana didn't believe that this intuition, inspired by the moment could work, but was highly surprised himself while this adventurous plan worked in the wilderness.
The Finns didn't have enough strength to clear the "mottis", and the two Soviet divisions managed to escape, but only completely routed leaving thousands of casualties behind. Ilomantsi was a ninth Finnish decisive victory following the main Soviet assault launched earlier in June.
The Soviet equipment left behind at Ilomantsi. Both pictures: SA-kuva.
The Battle of Ilomantsi had an important significance considering the Finnish spirits and the Finnish exit of the WWII. Ilomantsi proved to be the last Soviet attack against Finland in the Continuation War and Finland was able to counter the attacking forces inside her own borders. When the peace once came, there was no Soviet forces inside the 1940-border. Although already earlier the Finns had countered the Soviet offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, it was only after the Finnish victory at Ilomantsi when Stalin renewed his views about the peace-terms and didn't demand Finnish unconditional surrender anymore. Also, the earlier demand of 600 million gold dollars for war reparations was halved to 300 million gold dollars. Perhaps the most significant importance of the outcome at Ilomantsi was for the Finnish mental and moral spirits, figuratively: The Finnish Lion could still slap the Russian Bear. The Battle of Ilomantsi delivered a healthy image for the Finns of their capabilities. If it had not been a victorious battle for the Finnish side the faith for the decades to come would had been a less confident.
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