| Petsamo-Kirkenes Offensive | |||||||
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| Part of World War II | |||||||
Soviet landing party heading for Kirkenes, Norway. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Soviet Union | Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| K.A. Meretskov | Lothar Rendulic | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 14th Army 133,500 men[1] 110 tanks 2,100 guns[2] |
20th Mountain Army 45,000 men[2] 145 guns |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6,084 killed or missing 15,149 wounded 21,233 overall[1] |
8,263 overall (whole of October)[3] [Notes 1] | ||||||
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The Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht in 1944 in northern Finland and Norway. The offensive defeated the Wehrmacht's forces in the Arctic, driving them back into Norway, and was called the "Tenth Shock" by Stalin. It later liberated the northern part of Norway from German occupation and seized the nickel mines of Pechenga/Petsamo.
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Following the failure of the Wehrmacht's Operation Silver Fox in summer 1941, the frontline in the Arctic had seen little change. The environmental and supply conditions made it difficult, if not impossible, to undertake major military operations, and as far as land warfare was concerned, the Arctic had become a back-water. Sizable German forces were kept in the sector to protect the Finnish nickel mines of Petsamo, which produced a metal that was of high importance to German armour plate fabrication, and to protect the coast of northern Norway against an Allied landing operation.
After the armistice between the Soviet Union and Finland on 4 September 1944, the Finnish government agreed to remove the remaining German forces from its territory by 15 September (leading to Lapland War). During the retreat operations of the German 20th Mountain Army called Operation Birke, a decision was taken by the German Armed Forces Command to withdraw completely from northern Norway and Finland in Operation Nordlicht. During the preparations for this retreat operation, the Karelian Front went over to the offensive.[5]
The Stavka decided to move against the German forces in the Arctic in late 1944. The operation was to be undertaken jointly by the Karelian Front under the command of K.A. Meretskov and the Northern Fleet under Admiral Golovko. The main operations were to be conducted by 14th Army, which had been in the Arctic since the beginning of the war. Meretskov was provided with several special configured units to fit the requirements for such a operation in this region. The 126th and 127th Rifle Corps consisted of light infantry with a number of ski troops and naval infantry. The Soviets also had 30 engineer battalions, numerous horse and reindeer equipped transportation companies and two battalions of U.S.-supplied amphibious vehicles for river crossings at their disposal.[2] In addition, the Soviet forces massed thousands of mortars and artillery pieces, 750 aircraft and even 110 tanks (while the Germans lacked any armour), making the Soviet forces far superior to the Germans.[2]
German XIX Gebirgs-Armeekorps (19th Mountain Corps) was aware of the threat of Soviet offensive. Soviet preparations, which had lasted for two months, had not gone unnoticed by the Germans. Even prior to the start of the Soviet offensive the defending Germans had been ordered to abandon Petsamo already on 15 October and Kirkenes by the beginning of November.[6]
The offensive can be divided into three phases: the breakthrough of the German position, the pursuit to Kirkenes, and the battle for Kirkenes including by the southward pursuit following it. During the offensive several amphibious landings were conducted by the naval infantry and army units.[5] German initial withdrawal intent was hampered by Hitler's strict orders which instructed Rendulic to evacuate all supplies from Petsamo region before abandoning it.[6]
Despite intensive planning before the offensive, the initial attack on 7 October met with problems and was hampered by poor visibility, causing problems for artillery and fire support. Nevertheless after some fierce fighting the Soviets broke through the German lines over the Titovka River. The Germans decided to retreat and blew up the bridges behind them. The Soviets started to pursue the Germans and conducted several amphibious landings to cut off the German forces.[2] On 10 October Germans shifted 163rd Division, which was already withdrawing from Finland to Norway, to Petsamo region to bolster the defenses.[6] On 13 October, the Soviets were about to attack the German forces around Petsamo and units of the 126th light Rifle Corps were able to establish a roadblock on the only escape route. However, after the German commander Lothar Rendulic again decided to withdraw, the German 2nd Mountain Division was able to recapture the roadblock on 14 October and secure the retreat. The Soviets captured Petsamo on 15 October, but due to supply problems had to halt the offensive for three days.[7]
For the rest of the campaign the Soviets advanced after the withdrawing Germans along the coast of Norway, with the Soviets trying to block and cut off German units on their retreat. But because of constant supply shortcomings and German delaying efforts, which forced sizable forces to be detached to road reconstruction, the Soviets were not able to achieve success and the Germans escaped with the bulk of their forces intact. Germans abandoned Kirkenes on 25 October and finally on 29 October Meretskov halted all operations except reconnaissance.[7][6]
The Soviet offensive ended with a victory for the Red Army, however the Wehrmacht 20th Mountain Army successfully performed an orderly retreat with the bulk of its forces intact just like it did against Finnish forces in the Lapland War fought at the same time. Soviet failure to inflict clear defeat on the withdrawing Germans was largely due to the supply issues caused by efficient German destruction of road connections in the area. With often the only road available being out of service due damage and mines both supplies and heavy equipment, like artillery, could not be transported to front lines in sufficient quantities while lighter equipped forces were at disadvantage against heavily armed German forces.
The Soviet commander Meretskov was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and was given a prominent command during the Red Army's attack on Japanese-held Manchukuo, in August 1945. The Petsamo–Kirkenes Operation is notable in that it was the last major offensive in an Arctic environment. It had been studied intensively in the Soviet Army for this reason.