Battle of Nietjärvi
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The Battle of Nietjärvi (July 15 to July 17, 1944) was part of the Continuation War (1941–1944) — between Finland and the Soviet Union -, which occurred during the World War II. The battle ended in a decisive Finnish victory, which ultimately helped to ensure Finland's continuous independence.
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[edit] Background: U-line prepares to meet a Soviet attack
Nietjärvi is a name of a village by the Lake Nietjärvi ("järvi" meaning lake). The place is located in the Ladoga Karelia district, north of the huge Lake Ladoga (in the southwestern corner of the larger Olonets Karelia frontier), in an area which belonged to Finland up to the end of the Continuation War (1944). Here, Finland's so called Olonets Group (Aunuksen Ryhmä, in Finnish) - and detachments under its command - were on July 11-12, 1944, ready in positions at the U- defense line, expecting an enemy offense.
The construction of the U- defense line had been launched seven months earlier (in return of 1943-1944) on the level of Nietjärvi - Lemetti - Loimola, as the next resource behind the PSS-line (Pisi - Saarimäki - Sammatus), which was the most heavily fortified defense line in the Olonets Karelia (north and northeast of the Lake Ladoga).
The frontline of the Finnish army - up till July, 1944 - had been slightly on the eastern and southern sides of the River Svir (Syväri, in Finnish), which flows from the Lake Onega (Ääninen, in Finnish) to the Lake Ladoga (Laatokka, in Finnish). After abandoning this eastern stronghold - the frontline -, there was a secondary defensive line before the strong PSS-line, for the Finnish Army to slow down the Soviet advance.
During the previous three weeks, the Finnish defenders had managed to delay and disturb the advancement of the enemy offence, wearing down and eating away the sharpest edge of the massive Soviet attack. The approaching Soviet 7th Army had lost in battles over 200 tanks and nearly 200 planes, among other things.
Nevertheless, the Finnish defense lines before the U-line in the Olonets Isthmus (Aunuksen Kannas, in Finnish) had not been a match against the overwhelming fire power and the sheer size of the Red Army. Now the Soviets were making local attacks near the U-line, to find the weakest spots on the Finnish defense and the most suitable area for a breakthrough attempt.
Attacks were made for instance in the direction of Loimola, Katitsanlampi and Lemetti, but with these attempts the Soviets were not able to break through to the U-line. By now, the Red Army officers had made a decision; They were going to crush the Finnish fences - the U-line - in Nietjärvi, which provided a road to Kittilä. Kittilä - in return - provided several roads to the areas of Sortavala, Värtsilä and Matkaselkä.
In the dawn of July 15, the formation of the Finnish 5th Division was as follows: The chapter between Lake Ladoga and Nietjärvi was defended by the Infantry Regiment 44, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ilmari Rytkönen. The Infantry Regiment 2 defended on the northeastern side of Nietjärvi. It was commanded by Colonel Heikki Saure.
[edit] The Battle of Nietjärvi begins on July 15, 1944
In the morning of July 15, 1944, the Heaven broke down in Nietjärvi, which the Soviet Red Army had chosen for its breakthrough attempt, a passage way through the U-line.
The Soviet artillery and mortars opened fierce fire preparations, which - a bit later - turned into a one hour solid and staggering bombardment. On the west and northeast sides of Nietjärvi the fire storm was massive. The air filled up of sand and smoke clouds. The visibility was only a couple of meters (about ten feet). The sand penetrated everywhere. Only guns covered by paper sacks were operational.
A crucial life and death battle began on the west side of Nietjärvi, when a Red Army regiment attacked, supported by dozens of tanks.
By mid-day, the Finnish defense had been able to stop the Soviet attacks everywhere else, but on the west side of Nietjärvi. There, on a poorly equipped outpost, as well as on the Maksimoff-line, the 1st and the 3rd Battalions of the Infantry Regiment 44 were not able to stand up against the enemy rush.
The strength of the defense was put to an extreme test. In the afternoon the Soviets were able to make another, even more dangerous brake-through a bit further, on the northwestern shore of Lake Nietjärvi, in Yrjölä. The Red Army was now very close to being able to access the road leading from Yrjölä to Kittilä.
As all the reserves were already in use, the Finns needed fresh troops. Major General Martola ordered the 4th Battalion of the 15th Brigade - led by Major Erik Väänänen - under the command of the 5th Division. By the evening of July 15, the Finns had succeeded in stopping the Red Army break-trough attempt, and even in pushing the enemy back in the very worst spots, except for one worrisome 400 meters (1300 ft) wide spearhead, in which the Soviets held tide.
Throughout the evening the Soviet offensive continued relentlessly, backed by a 200 plane air support. On the Finnish side, the Air Regiment 4 helped to increase the morale of the troops, by bombing the Red Army formations on the southeastern edge of Lake Nietjärvi. The same evening, July 15, Major General Tapola gave an order to Lieutenant Colonel Ilmari Rytkönen: The Finnish Infantry Regiment 44 must crush the enemy which had broken through to a Finnish outpost behind the lake.
The counter-attack was launched in the morning, led by Majors E. Pokkinen and Erik Väänänen. The Soviets fought back fiercely, supported by tanks. The entire day saw continuous heavy fighting. The Soviets held on to a part of the Nietjärvi village, and a long trench (or a line of connected trenches) on a low hill in that area. Because a direct infantry attack towards this area would have produced unbearable amount of casualties for the Finns, they decided to approach the trench (system) from each end, while the artillery and the mortars were to prevent further enemy troops from entering the area.
At 22:30, the same evening (July 16), the Finnish artillery and mortars fired a round of 1 000 munitions towards this Soviet break-trough area, where the trench was located. Immediately following, the Finnish infantry began rolling the trenches from the both ends, using automatic rifles, hand grenades and flame throwers (operated by pioneer units).
In the early morning hours of July 17, 1944, the Finnish units - approaching the trench from both ends - were narrowing up the distance, meter by meter (three feet by three feet), and the circle around the Soviets was closing up. The Finnish 1st Battalion of the 15th Brigade was in charge of the advancement from the southwesterly direction, and the 4th Battalion did the same from the northeasterly direction. The Red Army fought back, nearly to the last man.
The Soviet tanks tried supporting the remnants of the Red Army troops in the trench area, in any way they could, while the Finnish artillery's and mortars' well coordinated fire prevented additional Soviet troops from entering the scene.
In the early morning hours there were signs of surrender in the air. Only a small portion of the Red Army soldiers had escaped. The bottoms of the trenches were full of dead bodies of soldiers. In the morning, the Finns closed up the cap. They had over-taken the trenches of the defense line. The flame throwing units - operated by the pioneers - had been of notable assistance.
[edit] Losses, and conclusion
The Red Army had not been able to penetrate trough the defense of the Finnish 5th Division in the U-line. The heaviest losses were suffered by the Soviet 114th Division. The Soviet 762nd Infantry regiment was destroyed totally. The Finns captured the Red Army message to its headquarters: "The Regiment destroyed, the flag saved".
The main bulk of the two other regiments of the Soviet 114th Division were destroyed as well. Also, the Soviet 272nd Division suffered heavy losses. The Red Army's tanks, 40-50, which had attacked in the direction of Nietjärvi, were also lost. The break-trough attempt had cost the Soviets over 6 000 casualties, of which over 2 000 as dead.
In little over three weeks' time, from June 21 to July 17 - "on a road to Nietjärvi" - the Red Army had lost over 45 000 men in casualties, dead and wounded, in the Olonets Isthmus (in Olonets Karelia) front of the Continuation War.
The Finnish casualties were also heavy, for the same area and time period altogether 11 250 dead, missing or wounded in the Olonets Isthmus - divided as follows: 5th Division, 4 450 men; 8th Division, 1 550 men; 7th Division, 3 550 men; 15th Brigade, 1 600 men. In the Nietjärvi area Finns lost 700 men.
The air defense of the Olonets Group shot down 119 enemy planes in the late June, and 95 more from July 1 to July 18, which is a remarkable accomplishment.
Leading to Nietjärvi, from July 11 to July 15, the Finnish artillery of the 6th Army had fired approximately 54 300 shells, and the Finnish mortars had fired approximately 24 400 mortar shells, aimed at the enemy. On July 15, the artillery of the Finnish 5th Division had fired 10 170 shells, and the mortars approximately 4 900 shells, aimed at the enemy. On July 16 the Finnish artillery fired 3340 shells to the west side of Lake Nietjärvi, to an area about 2 km wide, and also to the west side of Lake Nietjärvi on the early morning hours of July 17 3 490 shells more. The Finnish artillery and the mortars were used in a very strong and a well coordinated manner.
Due to the resilient cooperation of all elements of the Finnish armed forces, the Olonets Group ("Aunuksen Ryhmä'") was able to ensure the Finnish victory - and the stopping of the Soviet offense - at the U-line, in the Battle of Nietjärvi, where the Finnish defensive victory climaxed, as the 5th Division - commanded by Major General Kustaa Tapola - set a final plug for the rushing of the overwhelming enemy.
The Finnish defense had prevented the Red Army from advancing from the north side of the Lake Ladoga into the battle stages of the Karelian Isthmus, down south. If the Red Army would not have been stopped here, the Finnish forces fighting on the Karelian Isthmus would have been left between two Soviet armies on the narrow Isthmus, in the area limited by the Gulf of Finland in south, and Lake Ladoga in north.
[edit] References
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