The Karelian Army was a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 army

Army

An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

 during the Continuation War

Continuation War

The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...

.

Army of Karelia was formed on 29 June 1941 soon after the start of the Continuation War

Continuation War

The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...

.

Organisation

The army was organised in two corps and one separate group.

• VII Corps (VII armeijakunta)
• VI Corps (VI armeijakunta)
• Group O
  Group O
  Group O , Headquartered in Milan, Illinois, is one of the largest Hispanic-owned companies in the U.S. and a provider of managed products and services, specializing in Marketing Services, Print Management, Decision Sciences, Business Process Outsourcing, Managed Services, Packaging, Supply Chain...
  
   (Ryhmä O)

The corps consisted of a total of 5 infantry divisions. The Cavalry Brigade and the 1st and 2nd Jäger Brigades were organised into Group O. Also, the German 163rd Infantry Division was later added to the army.

Offensive

On July 10 the Army started its offensive against East Karelia

East Karelia

East Karelia , also rendered as Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Christian Orthodox under Russian supremacy. It is separated from the western part of Karelia, called Finnish Karelia or historically Swedish...

, north of Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...

. The aim was to reclaim the areas lost to the Soviet Union in the Winter War

Winter War

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...

, but also to advance deeper into Soviet territory to gain a more easily defensible front.

On the north flank the army was supported by the independent 14th Division and to the south by forces on the Karelian Isthmus

Karelian Isthmus

The Karelian Isthmus is the approximately 45–110 km wide stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva . Its northwestern boundary is the relatively narrow area between the Bay of Vyborg and Lake Ladoga...

.

The army's advance was rapid due to the use of light jäger

Finnish Jäger troops

The Jäger Movement were volunteers from Finland trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable a Finnish sovereign state, it was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russia's loss of western provinces and...

 troops. The capital of Karelia

Karelia

Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...

 Petrozavodsk

Petrozavodsk

Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...

 was taken in October and promptly renamed to the poetic Äänislinna. During the autumn of 1941 the army took positions along the river Svir between lakes Ladoga and Onega

Lake Onega

Lake Onega is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga...

. Medvezhegorsk was taken in December.

After the offensive phase of the war ended, Army of Karelia was disbanded and its HQ became HQ of Aunus Group.

Commanders

• General of Infantry Erik Heinrichs
  Erik Heinrichs
  Axel Erik Heinrichs was a Finnish military general. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
  
   29 June 1941 - 29 January 1942
• Lieutenant General Karl Lennart Oesch
  Karl Lennart Oesch
  Karl Lennart Oesch was one of the leading Finnish generals during World War II. He held a string of high staff assignments and front commands, and at the end of the Continuation War fully two-thirds of the Finnish ground forces were under his command...
  
  (temporary) 29 January 1942 - 1 March 1942