Battle of Tali-Ihantala
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Tali-Ihantala (June 25 to July 9, 1944) was part of the Continuation War
(1941–1944), which occurred during World War II
. The battle was fought between Finnish
forces—using war material provided by Germany
—and Soviet
forces. To date, it is the largest battle in the history of the Nordic countries
.
The battle was one of attrition - with the Finns suffering proportionally more casualties than the Soviet forces. It marked a point in the Soviet offensive when the Finnish forces first prevented the Soviets from making any significant gains however already earlier at Siiranmäki and Perkjärvi had Finns halted advancing Soviet forces. Finnish forces achieved a defensive victory, though Russian historian N. Baryshnikov criticizes this as an exaggeration.
After the Soviets had failed to create any breakthroughs in Tali-Ihantala, Viipuri Bay, or Vuosalmi
, the Soviet Leningrad Front
started the previously planned transfer
of troops from the Karelian Isthmus to support Operation Bagration, where they were encountering particularly fierce resistance. Though the Leningrad Front failed to advance into Finland as ordered by the Stavka
some historians state that the offensive did eventually force Finland from the war.
After the initial Finnish advance of 1941, the Continuation War was stabilized to trench warfare
with very little activity on either side. When the Siege of Leningrad
was lifted in January 1944, the Stavka received orders to plan an offensive against Finland
to push it out of the war.
The Soviet attack on the Finnish front commenced on the Karelian Isthmus
on June 9, 1944, (coordinated with the Allied Invasion of Normandy). Three armies were pitted there against the Finns, among them several experienced Guard formations
.
The attack soon breached the Finnish front line of defence in Valkeasaari on June 10 and the Finnish forces retreated to their secondary defence line, the VT-line
(which ran between Vammelsuu and Taipale). The Soviet attack was supported by a massive artillery barrage, air bombardments and armoured forces.
The VT-line was breached in Sahakylä and Kuuterselkä on June 14 and after a failed counterattack in Kuuterselkä by the Finnish armoured division the Finnish defence had to be pulled back to the VKT-line
(Viipuri (sw: Viborg, ru: Vyborg) – Kuparsaari – Taipale).
The abandonment of the VT-line was followed by a week of retreat and delaying battles. The Soviet offensive was crowned when the city of Viipuri was captured by the Soviets on June 20 after only a short battle. Despite the Red Army’s great success in smashing two Finnish defense lines and capturing a substantial piece of territory in just 10 days, it had failed to destroy the Finnish army which was able to concentrate the depleted forces on the VKT-line, as well as to have time to get reinforcements from the other main front north of Lake Ladoga.
Mannerheim
, the Finnish commander in chief, had asked for German help on June 12, and on June 16 the Flight detachment Kuhlmey (a composite ad hoc wing of about 70 dive bombers and ground attack fighters, with a fighter and an air transport component) arrived in Finland. A few days later the battalion-sized 303. Assault Gun Brigade and the 122nd Division
Greif had also arrived but after that the Germans offered only supplies, among which Panzerfaust
anti-tank weapons were the most important.
The German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop
arrived on June 22 and demanded a guarantee that Finland would fight to the end as a precondition of continued German military support. President Ryti gave this guarantee
as a personal undertaking.
On June 22, during Ribbentrop's visit in Helsinki, the Finnish government asked about the possibility for peace and accompanying Soviet conditions. The Soviet response, which arrived the next day, demanded a signed statement of capitulation before any conditions could be presented. This created confusion in the Finnish government. Ryti and Tanner were willing to repeat the inquiry about Soviet conditions, while others outright opposed this. During the meeting Marshal Mannerheim was called; and he stated that the Soviet demand constituted an unconditional surrender. When the Finnish government recalled Paasikivi's negotiation trip to Moscow in March 1944 (initiated by the Soviet ambassador in Stockholm, Mrs. Kollontai), which had merely turned out to be the Soviets' dictation of terms,the Finnish government decided to interpret the present Soviet response as it was written: a demand for unconditional surrender. It seemed that after Finnish unwillingness to accept the Soviet proposals in April 1944, owing to excessive reparation demands, Finland was to be offered only unconditional surrender. This was in line with Churchill's statement that as an Axis belligerent, Finland's surrender must be unconditional. The Soviet authorities denied this interpretation in an article published in Pravda on July 2, 1944. Furthermore, it is also known that Stalin even told American ambassador Harriman that US diplomats can try to clarify to the Finns that he had no intend to take over the country. In October 1993, a draft document was found in the Russian Foreign Ministry archives with a letter dated June 28, 1944, which contained detailed conditions of a Finnish surrender extremely close to unconditional surrender. However, this and similar drafts for the other countries the USSR was at war with existed since 1943, and they were replaced by new ones in the summer of 1944.
On June 21 Stavka ordered the Leningrad Front
to breach the defensive line and to advance to Lake Saimaa.
)
under Marshall Leonid Govorov
's command. In Tali-Ihantala region, the Soviet 21st Army (Gusev) attacked; the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, 97th, 108th, 109th, and 110th Rifle Corps took part in the battle. These five corps had together the 45th, 63rd and 64th Guards Rifle Divisions and 46th, 72nd, 90th, 109th, 168th, 178th, 265th, 268th, 286th, 314th, 358th and 372nd Rifle Divisions. The 21st Army did not commit all of its forces simultaneously but instead kept some of the forces in reserve and committed them only after the initially committed formations had spent their offensive capability and required rest and refit. Also at the beginning of the battle some of the Soviet forces that later took part to the battle were deployed on nearby sections of the front like the 108th Rifle Corps with its three divisions being deployed to Viipuri and Viipuri Bay area. Soviet 23rd Army (Tserepanov) attacked on the front immediately east of the 21st Army towards Noskua. It deployed the Soviet 6th Corps which consisted of 13th, 177th and 382nd Rifle Divisions.
The Soviet forces were concentrated on the area east of the city of Viipuri, from where the attack started, through the southern village of Tali, northwards to Ihantala (Petrovka). This was the only suitable exit terrain for armoured forces out of the Karelian Isthmus
, 10 km wide, broken by small lakes and limited by Saimaa Canal
on the west and the River Vuoksi on the east.
The fighting in the area began on June 20.
The Soviet army tried a breakthrough along both sides of Lake Leitimojärvi. The attack on the eastern side of the lake was stopped after 3 kilometers by the Finnish 4th Division. On the west side the Soviet infantry of the 45th Guards Division and the 109th Corps got stuck in defensive positions around the hills of Konkkalanvuoret defended by the Finnish regiment JR48.
However, Soviet tanks from the 27th Tank Regiment were able to force their way to the Portinhoikka crossroads.
The Soviets also attacked with the 178th Division over the Saarela strait which was defended by Finnish regiment JR6's 1st battalion, but the attack was thrown back here as well. Meanwhile, the Soviet 97th Corps attacked the Finnish 3rd Brigade’s positions but gained little ground. At this stage the situation was very critical for the Finns whose units were at risk of being cut off and surrounded. This would inevitably have led to defeat of the Finnish IV Corps and the loss of the VKT line.
The Finns were able to organize a counterattack with the reserves of the 18th Division, parts of the 17th Division and some battle groups from the 4th Division. Later that afternoon the Finnish armored division joined the battle and managed to push the Soviet attackers on the west side of the Lake Leitimojärvi back to their starting point. The Soviet 27th Tank Regiment was annihilated except for six tanks that were captured by the Finns.
The Finns tried to regain the initiative by attacking the four Soviet divisions (46th Guard, 63rd Guard, 64th Guard, 268th Division and the 30th Guards Tank Brigade) – who had broken through east of Leitimojärvi – from three directions in order to make a "motti" of the Soviet divisions. The two battle groups, Björkman and Puroma, did manage to advance to within one kilometer of each other but failed to surround the Soviet divisions who had set themselves up into a hedgehog defense around Talinmylly.
The Finnish attack failed because of heavy Soviet resistance especially with massed tanks and artillery and because communication between several of the battalions broke down during the attack. Colonel Puroma said after the war that the one thing he regretted was the failure to make a motti out of Talinmylly. The attack gave the Finnish defenders 72 hours of respite at the same time as the fresh Finnish 6th and 11th Divisions reached the battlefield. Several tank battles took place during this fighting.
On June 28, air activity was high on both side as Finnish bombers and German Stukas pounded Soviet formations. The Soviet Air Force also attacked from the air and hit the staff of the Finnish Armored Division hard with bombers from the Soviet 276th Bomber Division. On June 28 the Finnish commander Oesch gave the order that the Finnish units should withdraw back to the line of Vakkila-Ihantalajärvi-Kokkoselkä-Noskuanselkä (still within the VKT line), but they became caught up in a new Soviet offensive.
June 29 was the hardest and worst day for the Finns during the whole battle, and defeat was not far off. The Finnish forces finally managed to restore the line on June 29 after very bloody fighting. On June 30 the Finnish forces retreated from Tali. The heaviest fighting took place between July 1 and July 2 when the Finns lost some 800 men per day.
, which enabled easy fire correction and quick changes of targets. At the critical Ihantala sector of the battle, the Finnish defenders managed to concentrate their fire to the extent of smashing the advancing Soviet spearhead. The clever fire control system enabled as many as 21 batteries, totaling some 250 guns, to fire at the same target simultaneously in the battle; the fire controller did not need to be aware of the location of individual batteries to guide their fire, which made quick fire concentration and target switching possible. This concentration was considered a world record at the time.
According to Bitva za Leningrad 1941–1944 ("The Battle of Leningrad
") edited by Lieutenant General S.P. Platonov:
"The repeated offensive attempts by the Soviet Forces failed ... to gain results. The enemy succeeded in significantly tightening its ranks in this area and repuls[ing] all attacks of our troops ... During the offensive operations lasting over three weeks, from June 21 to mid-July, the forces of the right flank of the Leningrad front failed to carry out the tasks assigned to them on the orders of the Supreme Command issued on June 21."
By this time the Finnish army had concentrated half its artillery in the area, along with the army's only armoured division, with StuG III assault guns as its primary weapon and German 303. Sturmgeschütz Brigade. The defenders now finally had the new German anti-tank weapons that were previously kept in storage.
On July 2 the Finns intercepted a radio message that the Soviet 63rd Division and 30th Armored Brigade were to launch an attack on July 3 at 04:00 hours. The following morning, two minutes before the supposed attack, 40 Finnish and 40 German bombers bombed the Soviet troops, and 250 guns fired a total of 4,000 artillery shells into the area of the Soviets. On the same day, beginning at 06:00, 200 Soviet planes and their infantry attacked the Finnish troops. By 19:00 the Finnish troops had restored their lines.
On July 6 the Soviet forces had some success, despite the Finnish 6th Division having 18 artillery battalions and one heavy battery for their defence. However, the Soviets were thrown back the following day, and their counterattacks at 13:30 and 19:00 that day did not amount to anything. By July 7 the focus of the Soviet attacks was already moving to the area of Vuoksi, and the Soviets now began transferring their best troops to the Narva front
in Estonia, to fight the Germans and the Estonians. From July 9, the Soviet troops no longer attempted a break-through. Nevertheless, some fighting continued. Soviet forces were ordered to cease offensive operations and take up defensive positions on July 10 as Stavka redeployed forces to the Baltic fronts, where the Red Army was encountering "fierce German and Baltic resistance."
The Finnish army reported that 8,561 men were wounded, missing and/or killed in action. According to Finnish historian Ohto Manninen, the Soviets reported their losses as about 18,000–22,000 killed or wounded, based on the daily and 10-day summary casualty reports of the Soviet 21st Army. The uncertainty about casualties rises from the fact that 25% of the forces of the 21st Army didn't participate in the battle. In addition to the losses of the Soviet 21st Army the Soviet 6th Corps of the 23rd Army attacking east of 21st Army closer to Vuoksi waterway suffered 7905 casualties, of which 1458 were KIA and 288 MIA, without taking losses of its supporting formations into account.
, Battle of Nietjärvi
, and Battle of Ilomantsi
) achieved during the period, finally convinced the Soviet leadership that conquering Finland was proving difficult, and not worth the cost; the battle was possibly the single most important battle fought in the Continuation War, as it largely determined the final outcome of the war, allowing Finland to conclude the war with relatively favorable terms and continue its existence as an autonomous and independent nation. Finnish researchers state that Soviet sources - like POW interviews - prove that the Soviets intended on advancing all the way to Helsinki. There also existed an order from Stavka to advance far beyond the borders of 1940.
One of the reasons leading to the Soviet failure was that the Finns were able to intercept the Soviet radio messages and to forewarn and prompt the Finnish Army to put up a firmly resolved defense. Also, the existence of the Finnish Salpa Defence Line was an important factor in the peace negotiations in the autumn of 1944.
The cease-fire between the Soviet Union and Finland began at 07:00, September 4, 1944, although for the following 24 hours the Red Army failed to comply with it.
Russian historian Nikolai Baryshnikov argues that such views exaggerate the significance and misrepresent the outcome of the Finnish defensive battles of 1944, including the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. Though conquering Finland was not one of the known goals of the Soviet offensive and there is no solid documentary evidence, like military orders, that the Soviet high command intended to advance to Helsinki and occupy the country there exist strong evidence that Soviets intended to advance far beyond the borders of 1940. According to Marshall Vasilevsky
, already on June 17 it was decided that after taking Viipuri and the Viipuri Bay islands, the offensive would stop at the line Elisenvaara-Imatra-Virojoki, Soviet forces would switch to defense, and the main forces of the Leningrad Front would be concentrated on fighting the German forces in Estonia On June 21 a Stavka order was issued for the Leningrad Front to advance to the line mentioned by Vasilevsky, however it also instructed to then advance further to the line Kouvola-Kotka-Kymi River. There were no orders to advance further to Helsinki. It is also known that Stalin reminded Marshall Govorov that the goal was Berlin not Helsinki. According to General Shtemenko
the goal was to create a threat to Helsinki and other major political and economic centers in Finland, not conquer the country. After transferring most of its available forces to the Karelian Isthmus and receiving significant aid from Germany, the Finns managed to slow down and stop the Soviet offensive on the Isthmus before it reached the Finnish border. This boosted the morale of the Finnish troops, who were previously constantly retreating. According to Baryshnikov, Finnish propaganda soon started talking about a victory, and after the war this claim of achieving a victory in stopping the Soviets from conquering Finland became an official theme in Finnish historiography however contrary to Baryshnikov's claim the view of the Finnish victory exists also amongst non-Finnish historians.
At the same time, the Soviet 59th Army attacked the islands in the Viipuri Bay from July 4 on, and after several days of fighting forced the vastly outnumbered Finnish forces out from most of the islands while suffering heavy losses. However, the Soviet attack aimed at crossing the Viipuri Bay was a failure as the Soviet troops were thrown back by the German 122nd Division
of the V AK.
The Soviet 23rd Army attempted to start the crossing of the River Vuoksi on July 4 at Vuosalmi
, but due to the Finnish defense at Äyräpää ridge it was unable to start the crossing before July 9. Even with the crossing completed, the Soviet forces consisting of elements from three Soviet divisions were not able to expand the beachhead against the defending Finnish 2nd Division, which was later reinforced. The unsuccessful Soviet breakthrough attempts continued there until July 21.
In addition to Tali-Ihantala, the Finnish front line held fast at Kivisilta and Tienhaara
to the north of the Viipuri Bay. There was further heavy fighting
on the northeast side of Lake Ladoga
, and in the Battle of Ilomantsi
the Finns were able to encircle two Soviet divisions, though most of the troops were able to escape.
On July 12, the Soviet troops received an order to stop their attempts to advance and to dig in. Soon, the Finnish scouts noticed trains with empty trucks advancing towards Viipuri to take troops away from the Finnish front. They were needed for the great push towards Berlin.
The Finnish government chose to decline further negotiations in late June and did not ask for peace until the Soviet offensive had been stopped and instead used to Ryti-Ribbentropp agreement to strenghten their forces. Only after the Soviet offensive had been stopped on all primary fronts, on July 28 President Ryti was ready to resign and requested with leading social-democrat Väinö Tanner that Mannerheim accept the candidacy for presidency, thus freeing Finland from the Ryti-Ribbentropp agreement, which had only been made as a personal pledge of President Ryti. Finland then could ask the Soviet Union for peace.
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...
(1941–1944), which occurred during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The battle was fought between 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...
forces—using war material provided by Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
—and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
forces. To date, it is the largest battle in the history of the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
.
The battle was one of attrition - with the Finns suffering proportionally more casualties than the Soviet forces. It marked a point in the Soviet offensive when the Finnish forces first prevented the Soviets from making any significant gains however already earlier at Siiranmäki and Perkjärvi had Finns halted advancing Soviet forces. Finnish forces achieved a defensive victory, though Russian historian N. Baryshnikov criticizes this as an exaggeration.
After the Soviets had failed to create any breakthroughs in Tali-Ihantala, Viipuri Bay, or Vuosalmi
Battle of Vuosalmi
The Battle of Vuosalmi — the main bulk of it — lasted from July 4 to July 11, 1944. It was fought during the Continuation War , a part of World War II, between Finland and the Soviet Union....
, the Soviet Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
started the previously planned transfer
of troops from the Karelian Isthmus to support Operation Bagration, where they were encountering particularly fierce resistance. Though the Leningrad Front failed to advance into Finland as ordered by the Stavka
Stavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
some historians state that the offensive did eventually force Finland from the war.
Background
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
with very little activity on either side. When the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
was lifted in January 1944, the Stavka received orders to plan an offensive against Finland
Fourth strategic offensive
The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive or Karelian offensive was a strategic operation by the Soviet Leningrad and Karelian Fronts against Finland on the Karelian Isthmus and East Karelia fronts of the Continuation War, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The Soviet forces captured East Karelia and...
to push it out of the war.
The Soviet attack on the Finnish front commenced 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...
on June 9, 1944, (coordinated with the Allied Invasion of Normandy). Three armies were pitted there against the Finns, among them several experienced Guard formations
Guards unit
Guards units are elite units and formations in the armed forces of the former Soviet Union, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in service, and are considered to have elite status. The Guards designation originated during the...
.
The attack soon breached the Finnish front line of defence in Valkeasaari on June 10 and the Finnish forces retreated to their secondary defence line, the VT-line
VT-line
The VT-line or Vammelsuu–Taipale line was a Finnish defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus built in 1942–1944 during the Continuation War and running from Vammelsuu on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland through Kuuterselkä and Kivennapa and along Taipaleenjoki to Taipale on the western...
(which ran between Vammelsuu and Taipale). The Soviet attack was supported by a massive artillery barrage, air bombardments and armoured forces.
The VT-line was breached in Sahakylä and Kuuterselkä on June 14 and after a failed counterattack in Kuuterselkä by the Finnish armoured division the Finnish defence had to be pulled back to the VKT-line
VKT-line
The VKT-line or Viipuri–Kuparsaari–Taipale line was a Finnish defensive line on Karelian Isthmus during the Continuation War, spanning from Viipuri through Tali and Kuparsaari along the northern shore of Vuoksi River, Suvanto and Taipaleenjoki to Taipale on the western shore of Lake Ladoga, using...
(Viipuri (sw: Viborg, ru: Vyborg) – Kuparsaari – Taipale).
The abandonment of the VT-line was followed by a week of retreat and delaying battles. The Soviet offensive was crowned when the city of Viipuri was captured by the Soviets on June 20 after only a short battle. Despite the Red Army’s great success in smashing two Finnish defense lines and capturing a substantial piece of territory in just 10 days, it had failed to destroy the Finnish army which was able to concentrate the depleted forces on the VKT-line, as well as to have time to get reinforcements from the other main front north of Lake Ladoga.
Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
, the Finnish commander in chief, had asked for German help on June 12, and on June 16 the Flight detachment Kuhlmey (a composite ad hoc wing of about 70 dive bombers and ground attack fighters, with a fighter and an air transport component) arrived in Finland. A few days later the battalion-sized 303. Assault Gun Brigade and the 122nd Division
122nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 122nd Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 5 October 1940- Organisation :-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Siegfried Macholz, 5 October 1940 – 8 December 1941...
Greif had also arrived but after that the Germans offered only supplies, among which Panzerfaust
Panzerfaust
The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
anti-tank weapons were the most important.
The German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
arrived on June 22 and demanded a guarantee that Finland would fight to the end as a precondition of continued German military support. President Ryti gave this guarantee
Ryti-Ribbentrop Agreement
The Ryti–Ribbentrop letter of agreement of June 26, 1944 was a personal letter from President Risto Ryti to Führer Adolf Hitler where Risto Ryti, then President of Finland, undertook not to reach a separate peace in the war with the Soviet Union without the approval from Nazi Germany to secure...
as a personal undertaking.
On June 22, during Ribbentrop's visit in Helsinki, the Finnish government asked about the possibility for peace and accompanying Soviet conditions. The Soviet response, which arrived the next day, demanded a signed statement of capitulation before any conditions could be presented. This created confusion in the Finnish government. Ryti and Tanner were willing to repeat the inquiry about Soviet conditions, while others outright opposed this. During the meeting Marshal Mannerheim was called; and he stated that the Soviet demand constituted an unconditional surrender. When the Finnish government recalled Paasikivi's negotiation trip to Moscow in March 1944 (initiated by the Soviet ambassador in Stockholm, Mrs. Kollontai), which had merely turned out to be the Soviets' dictation of terms,the Finnish government decided to interpret the present Soviet response as it was written: a demand for unconditional surrender. It seemed that after Finnish unwillingness to accept the Soviet proposals in April 1944, owing to excessive reparation demands, Finland was to be offered only unconditional surrender. This was in line with Churchill's statement that as an Axis belligerent, Finland's surrender must be unconditional. The Soviet authorities denied this interpretation in an article published in Pravda on July 2, 1944. Furthermore, it is also known that Stalin even told American ambassador Harriman that US diplomats can try to clarify to the Finns that he had no intend to take over the country. In October 1993, a draft document was found in the Russian Foreign Ministry archives with a letter dated June 28, 1944, which contained detailed conditions of a Finnish surrender extremely close to unconditional surrender. However, this and similar drafts for the other countries the USSR was at war with existed since 1943, and they were replaced by new ones in the summer of 1944.
On June 21 Stavka ordered the Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
to breach the defensive line and to advance to Lake Saimaa.
Finnish
HQ of the Commander of the Isthmus Forces (Lt. Gen. Karl Lennart OeschKarl 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...
)
- Finnish IV AK (Lt. Gen. Taavetti Laatikainen)
- 3rd Brigade "Blue Brigade" (Col. Lauri Haanterä)
- Finnish 3rd DivisionFinnish 3rd Division (Continuation War)The 3rd Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War.-History:The 3rd division was the main component of the Finnish III Corps. During the war, the division fought mostly in the Uhtua and Kiestinki area, when it participated in Operation Arctic Fox...
(Mj. Gen. Aaro Pajari) - Finnish 4th Division (Mj. Gen. Pietari Autti)
- Finnish 18th Division (Mj. Gen. Paavo Paalu sacked June 26, Col. Otto Snellman),
- since June 27 11th Division (Mj. Gen. Kaarlo Heiskanen).
- Finnish 6th DivisionFinnish 6th Division (Continuation War)The 6th Division was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War.-History:The 6th Division was attached to the German XXXVI Corps in Northern Finland in 1941. As part of Operation Arctic Fox the division attacked with the SS Division Nord and German 169th Infantry Division against Salla...
(Mj. Gen. Einar Vihma)
- Finnish Armoured DivisionFinnish Armoured DivisionThe Finnish Armoured Division was a Finnish armoured division during the Continuation War.-Foundation:The Finnish Supreme headquarters ordered the foundation of an armoured division on 28 June 1942 and the actual foundation was on 30 June 1942. The division consisted of the newly formed Armoured...
(MJ. Gen. Ruben LagusRuben LagusErnst Ruben Lagus was a Finnish Major General.Lagus was one of the Finnish Jaeger troops trained in the volunteer Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion...
) - LeR 3 (Lt. Col E. Magnusson) (33 Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
, 18 Brewster BuffaloBrewster BuffaloThe Brewster F2A Buffalo was an American fighter aircraft which saw limited service early in World War II. Though the Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the US Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft, it turned out to be a big disappointment...
239 Fighters and 1 Fokker C.XFokker C.X-Bibliography:*Taylor, H.A.. Airspeed Aircraft since 1931. Putnam. 1970. London. ISBN 370 00110 9...
reconnaissance) - LeR 4 (Col. O. Sarko) (33 Bristol BlenheimBristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
, 12 Junkers Ju 88Junkers Ju 88The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
, 8 Dornier Do 17Dornier Do 17The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
Z bombers)
German
- German air unit Gefechtsverband KuhlmeyDetachment KuhlmeyDetachment Kuhlmey was a temporary unit of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The unit was commanded by Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey and the detachment was built around the unit Schlachtgeschwader 3, which also was commanded by Kuhlmey....
(Lt. Col. Kurt KuhlmeyKurt KuhlmeyKurt Kuhlmey was one of the most famous Stuka pilots of World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in July 1942....
) arrived in Finland on June 16. (23–43 Fw-190 A-6/F-8Focke-Wulf Fw 190The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
fighters and ground attack aircraft, 24–30 Ju-87 D StukaJunkers Ju 87The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
s and 1–8 Bf-109 G-8 reconnaissance fighters) - German Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 (Cpt. Hans-Wilhelm Cardeneo) arrived in Finland on June 22. (22 StuG III Ausf. G assault guns, 9 StuH 42 assault howitzers)
Soviet
Soviet forces that took part in the battle belonged to the Soviet Leningrad FrontLeningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
under Marshall Leonid Govorov
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
's command. In Tali-Ihantala region, the Soviet 21st Army (Gusev) attacked; the 30th Guards Rifle Corps, 97th, 108th, 109th, and 110th Rifle Corps took part in the battle. These five corps had together the 45th, 63rd and 64th Guards Rifle Divisions and 46th, 72nd, 90th, 109th, 168th, 178th, 265th, 268th, 286th, 314th, 358th and 372nd Rifle Divisions. The 21st Army did not commit all of its forces simultaneously but instead kept some of the forces in reserve and committed them only after the initially committed formations had spent their offensive capability and required rest and refit. Also at the beginning of the battle some of the Soviet forces that later took part to the battle were deployed on nearby sections of the front like the 108th Rifle Corps with its three divisions being deployed to Viipuri and Viipuri Bay area. Soviet 23rd Army (Tserepanov) attacked on the front immediately east of the 21st Army towards Noskua. It deployed the Soviet 6th Corps which consisted of 13th, 177th and 382nd Rifle Divisions.
The terrain
The Battle of Tali-Ihantala was fought in a small area (100 km²) between the northern tip of the Viipuri Bay and the River Vuoksi around the villages of Tali and Ihantala, 8–14 km north-east from Viipuri.The Soviet forces were concentrated on the area east of the city of Viipuri, from where the attack started, through the southern village of Tali, northwards to Ihantala (Petrovka). This was the only suitable exit terrain for armoured forces out of 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...
, 10 km wide, broken by small lakes and limited by Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal
The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September 1856 .It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968....
on the west and the River Vuoksi on the east.
Tali: June 25 – June 30
June 20 – June 24
The first days were a defensive battle that the Finnish 18th Division (6th and 48th Infantry Regiment and 28th Independent Battalion) and 3rd Brigade (4 battalions) and the 3rd battalion of the 13th Regiment (Swedish speaking) fought against the Soviet 97th and 109th Corps and 152nd Tank Brigade. The defenders were hit especially hard by artillery and air attacks, but managed to put up a strong defense that stalled the Soviet advance long enough for Finnish reinforcements to join the battle.June 25 – June 26
The action of June 25 started at 0630 with a one-hour heavy artillery bombardment and air attack, followed by a major Soviet offensive from Tali village at 0730. The goal of the attack was to reach Imatra-Lappeenranta-Suurpäälä before June 28. The 30th Guards Rifle Corps had now also joined the battle.The Soviet army tried a breakthrough along both sides of Lake Leitimojärvi. The attack on the eastern side of the lake was stopped after 3 kilometers by the Finnish 4th Division. On the west side the Soviet infantry of the 45th Guards Division and the 109th Corps got stuck in defensive positions around the hills of Konkkalanvuoret defended by the Finnish regiment JR48.
However, Soviet tanks from the 27th Tank Regiment were able to force their way to the Portinhoikka crossroads.
The Soviets also attacked with the 178th Division over the Saarela strait which was defended by Finnish regiment JR6's 1st battalion, but the attack was thrown back here as well. Meanwhile, the Soviet 97th Corps attacked the Finnish 3rd Brigade’s positions but gained little ground. At this stage the situation was very critical for the Finns whose units were at risk of being cut off and surrounded. This would inevitably have led to defeat of the Finnish IV Corps and the loss of the VKT line.
The Finns were able to organize a counterattack with the reserves of the 18th Division, parts of the 17th Division and some battle groups from the 4th Division. Later that afternoon the Finnish armored division joined the battle and managed to push the Soviet attackers on the west side of the Lake Leitimojärvi back to their starting point. The Soviet 27th Tank Regiment was annihilated except for six tanks that were captured by the Finns.
June 27 – June 30
More Finnish units joined the battle along with the German 303rd Sturmgeschütz brigade. The Finnish units had been spread out and mixed in the battle, which made the organization of a concentrated defence difficult. The Finnish units were therefore reorganized into two battle groups, BG Björkman and BG Puroma. The Soviets also reinforced their forces with the 108th Corps. At this stage the Soviet forces included at least one armored brigade, two armored breakthrough regiments and four assault gun regiments.The Finns tried to regain the initiative by attacking the four Soviet divisions (46th Guard, 63rd Guard, 64th Guard, 268th Division and the 30th Guards Tank Brigade) – who had broken through east of Leitimojärvi – from three directions in order to make a "motti" of the Soviet divisions. The two battle groups, Björkman and Puroma, did manage to advance to within one kilometer of each other but failed to surround the Soviet divisions who had set themselves up into a hedgehog defense around Talinmylly.
The Finnish attack failed because of heavy Soviet resistance especially with massed tanks and artillery and because communication between several of the battalions broke down during the attack. Colonel Puroma said after the war that the one thing he regretted was the failure to make a motti out of Talinmylly. The attack gave the Finnish defenders 72 hours of respite at the same time as the fresh Finnish 6th and 11th Divisions reached the battlefield. Several tank battles took place during this fighting.
On June 28, air activity was high on both side as Finnish bombers and German Stukas pounded Soviet formations. The Soviet Air Force also attacked from the air and hit the staff of the Finnish Armored Division hard with bombers from the Soviet 276th Bomber Division. On June 28 the Finnish commander Oesch gave the order that the Finnish units should withdraw back to the line of Vakkila-Ihantalajärvi-Kokkoselkä-Noskuanselkä (still within the VKT line), but they became caught up in a new Soviet offensive.
June 29 was the hardest and worst day for the Finns during the whole battle, and defeat was not far off. The Finnish forces finally managed to restore the line on June 29 after very bloody fighting. On June 30 the Finnish forces retreated from Tali. The heaviest fighting took place between July 1 and July 2 when the Finns lost some 800 men per day.
Ihantala: July 1 – July 9
The ensuing Finnish concentration of artillery fire was the heaviest in the country's military history. It was based on the famed fire correction method of Finnish Artillery General Vilho Petter NenonenVilho Petter Nenonen
Vilho Petter Nenonen was a Finnish general.Received his military education in the Hamina Cadet School 1896-1901, in the Mihailov Artillery School in St Petersburg 1901-1903, and in St Petersburg Artillery Academy 1906-1909. He served in the Russian army during World War I...
, which enabled easy fire correction and quick changes of targets. At the critical Ihantala sector of the battle, the Finnish defenders managed to concentrate their fire to the extent of smashing the advancing Soviet spearhead. The clever fire control system enabled as many as 21 batteries, totaling some 250 guns, to fire at the same target simultaneously in the battle; the fire controller did not need to be aware of the location of individual batteries to guide their fire, which made quick fire concentration and target switching possible. This concentration was considered a world record at the time.
According to Bitva za Leningrad 1941–1944 ("The Battle of Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
") edited by Lieutenant General S.P. Platonov:
"The repeated offensive attempts by the Soviet Forces failed ... to gain results. The enemy succeeded in significantly tightening its ranks in this area and repuls[ing] all attacks of our troops ... During the offensive operations lasting over three weeks, from June 21 to mid-July, the forces of the right flank of the Leningrad front failed to carry out the tasks assigned to them on the orders of the Supreme Command issued on June 21."
By this time the Finnish army had concentrated half its artillery in the area, along with the army's only armoured division, with StuG III assault guns as its primary weapon and German 303. Sturmgeschütz Brigade. The defenders now finally had the new German anti-tank weapons that were previously kept in storage.
On July 2 the Finns intercepted a radio message that the Soviet 63rd Division and 30th Armored Brigade were to launch an attack on July 3 at 04:00 hours. The following morning, two minutes before the supposed attack, 40 Finnish and 40 German bombers bombed the Soviet troops, and 250 guns fired a total of 4,000 artillery shells into the area of the Soviets. On the same day, beginning at 06:00, 200 Soviet planes and their infantry attacked the Finnish troops. By 19:00 the Finnish troops had restored their lines.
On July 6 the Soviet forces had some success, despite the Finnish 6th Division having 18 artillery battalions and one heavy battery for their defence. However, the Soviets were thrown back the following day, and their counterattacks at 13:30 and 19:00 that day did not amount to anything. By July 7 the focus of the Soviet attacks was already moving to the area of Vuoksi, and the Soviets now began transferring their best troops to the Narva front
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
in Estonia, to fight the Germans and the Estonians. From July 9, the Soviet troops no longer attempted a break-through. Nevertheless, some fighting continued. Soviet forces were ordered to cease offensive operations and take up defensive positions on July 10 as Stavka redeployed forces to the Baltic fronts, where the Red Army was encountering "fierce German and Baltic resistance."
Losses
Finnish sources estimate that the Soviet army lost about 300 tanks in the Tali-Ihantala, mainly to air attacks and close defence weapons. 120–280 Soviet aircraft were shot down.The Finnish army reported that 8,561 men were wounded, missing and/or killed in action. According to Finnish historian Ohto Manninen, the Soviets reported their losses as about 18,000–22,000 killed or wounded, based on the daily and 10-day summary casualty reports of the Soviet 21st Army. The uncertainty about casualties rises from the fact that 25% of the forces of the 21st Army didn't participate in the battle. In addition to the losses of the Soviet 21st Army the Soviet 6th Corps of the 23rd Army attacking east of 21st Army closer to Vuoksi waterway suffered 7905 casualties, of which 1458 were KIA and 288 MIA, without taking losses of its supporting formations into account.
Impact
The Battle of Tali-Ihantala, along with other Finnish victories (Battle of Vyborg Bay (1944), Battle of VuosalmiBattle of Vuosalmi
The Battle of Vuosalmi — the main bulk of it — lasted from July 4 to July 11, 1944. It was fought during the Continuation War , a part of World War II, between Finland and the Soviet Union....
, Battle of Nietjärvi
Battle of Nietjärvi
The Battle of Nietjärvi was part of the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, which occurred during the World War II. The battle ended in a Finnish victory.-Background: U-line prepares to meet a Soviet attack:...
, and Battle of Ilomantsi
Battle of Ilomantsi
The Battle of Ilomantsi was a part of the Continuation War . It was fought from July 26 to August 13, 1944, between Finland and the Soviet Union in area roughly 40 kilometers wide and 30 kilometers deep, near the Finnish-Soviet border, close to a small Finnish town of Ilomantsi, in North Karelia...
) achieved during the period, finally convinced the Soviet leadership that conquering Finland was proving difficult, and not worth the cost; the battle was possibly the single most important battle fought in the Continuation War, as it largely determined the final outcome of the war, allowing Finland to conclude the war with relatively favorable terms and continue its existence as an autonomous and independent nation. Finnish researchers state that Soviet sources - like POW interviews - prove that the Soviets intended on advancing all the way to Helsinki. There also existed an order from Stavka to advance far beyond the borders of 1940.
One of the reasons leading to the Soviet failure was that the Finns were able to intercept the Soviet radio messages and to forewarn and prompt the Finnish Army to put up a firmly resolved defense. Also, the existence of the Finnish Salpa Defence Line was an important factor in the peace negotiations in the autumn of 1944.
The cease-fire between the Soviet Union and Finland began at 07:00, September 4, 1944, although for the following 24 hours the Red Army failed to comply with it.
Russian historian Nikolai Baryshnikov argues that such views exaggerate the significance and misrepresent the outcome of the Finnish defensive battles of 1944, including the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. Though conquering Finland was not one of the known goals of the Soviet offensive and there is no solid documentary evidence, like military orders, that the Soviet high command intended to advance to Helsinki and occupy the country there exist strong evidence that Soviets intended to advance far beyond the borders of 1940. According to Marshall Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
, already on June 17 it was decided that after taking Viipuri and the Viipuri Bay islands, the offensive would stop at the line Elisenvaara-Imatra-Virojoki, Soviet forces would switch to defense, and the main forces of the Leningrad Front would be concentrated on fighting the German forces in Estonia On June 21 a Stavka order was issued for the Leningrad Front to advance to the line mentioned by Vasilevsky, however it also instructed to then advance further to the line Kouvola-Kotka-Kymi River. There were no orders to advance further to Helsinki. It is also known that Stalin reminded Marshall Govorov that the goal was Berlin not Helsinki. According to General Shtemenko
Sergei Shtemenko
Sergei Matveevich Shtemenko was a Soviet general, who served as the Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces' General Staff from 1948 to 1952.-Early life:...
the goal was to create a threat to Helsinki and other major political and economic centers in Finland, not conquer the country. After transferring most of its available forces to the Karelian Isthmus and receiving significant aid from Germany, the Finns managed to slow down and stop the Soviet offensive on the Isthmus before it reached the Finnish border. This boosted the morale of the Finnish troops, who were previously constantly retreating. According to Baryshnikov, Finnish propaganda soon started talking about a victory, and after the war this claim of achieving a victory in stopping the Soviets from conquering Finland became an official theme in Finnish historiography however contrary to Baryshnikov's claim the view of the Finnish victory exists also amongst non-Finnish historians.
Related operations
On June 22, the Soviet forces began a wide-scale push into Eastern Poland and Belorussia.At the same time, the Soviet 59th Army attacked the islands in the Viipuri Bay from July 4 on, and after several days of fighting forced the vastly outnumbered Finnish forces out from most of the islands while suffering heavy losses. However, the Soviet attack aimed at crossing the Viipuri Bay was a failure as the Soviet troops were thrown back by the German 122nd Division
122nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 122nd Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 5 October 1940- Organisation :-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Siegfried Macholz, 5 October 1940 – 8 December 1941...
of the V AK.
The Soviet 23rd Army attempted to start the crossing of the River Vuoksi on July 4 at Vuosalmi
Battle of Vuosalmi
The Battle of Vuosalmi — the main bulk of it — lasted from July 4 to July 11, 1944. It was fought during the Continuation War , a part of World War II, between Finland and the Soviet Union....
, but due to the Finnish defense at Äyräpää ridge it was unable to start the crossing before July 9. Even with the crossing completed, the Soviet forces consisting of elements from three Soviet divisions were not able to expand the beachhead against the defending Finnish 2nd Division, which was later reinforced. The unsuccessful Soviet breakthrough attempts continued there until July 21.
In addition to Tali-Ihantala, the Finnish front line held fast at Kivisilta and Tienhaara
Battle of Tienhaara
The Battle of Tienhaara was a part of Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union fought north of Viipuri on June 22 after the Red Army had captured Viipuri...
to the north of the Viipuri Bay. There was further heavy fighting
Battle of Nietjärvi
The Battle of Nietjärvi was part of the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, which occurred during the World War II. The battle ended in a Finnish victory.-Background: U-line prepares to meet a Soviet attack:...
on the northeast side 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:...
, and in the Battle of Ilomantsi
Battle of Ilomantsi
The Battle of Ilomantsi was a part of the Continuation War . It was fought from July 26 to August 13, 1944, between Finland and the Soviet Union in area roughly 40 kilometers wide and 30 kilometers deep, near the Finnish-Soviet border, close to a small Finnish town of Ilomantsi, in North Karelia...
the Finns were able to encircle two Soviet divisions, though most of the troops were able to escape.
On July 12, the Soviet troops received an order to stop their attempts to advance and to dig in. Soon, the Finnish scouts noticed trains with empty trucks advancing towards Viipuri to take troops away from the Finnish front. They were needed for the great push towards Berlin.
The Finnish government chose to decline further negotiations in late June and did not ask for peace until the Soviet offensive had been stopped and instead used to Ryti-Ribbentropp agreement to strenghten their forces. Only after the Soviet offensive had been stopped on all primary fronts, on July 28 President Ryti was ready to resign and requested with leading social-democrat Väinö Tanner that Mannerheim accept the candidacy for presidency, thus freeing Finland from the Ryti-Ribbentropp agreement, which had only been made as a personal pledge of President Ryti. Finland then could ask the Soviet Union for peace.