Battle of the Baltic (1941)
Encyclopedia
The Baltic Sea Campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea
, its coastal regions, and the Gulf of Finland during World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were Germany and Finland, opposed by the Soviet Union. Sweden's navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for the control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point
into the North Sea
. While operations included surface and sub-surface combat, aerial combat, amphibious landings, and support of large-scale ground fighting, the most significant feature of Baltic Sea operations was the scale and size of mine warfare
, particularly in the Gulf of Finland
. The warring parties laid over 60,000 naval mines and anti-sweep obstacles, making the shallow Gulf of Finland one of the most densely mined waters in the world.
was a small professional force. Naval strength in 1941 consisted of:
The Finnish Navy used several other vessels (for example, Coast Guard vessels) during the wars:
—the Kriegsmarine
s pre-war name—suffered from the limitations imposed by post-World War I treaty obligations; by 1935, however, Germany had signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
, which allowed it to expand considerably. The name Kriegsmarine was adopted the same year. Though a large, powerful, and professional force, it had to divide its assets between several theaters of war, severely limiting the number and size of the ships it was able to deploy in the Baltic Sea.
At the start of the operation Barbarossa
on 21 June 1941 German naval forces in the Baltic Sea consisted of
In September 1941 Germany formed the provisional Baltenflotte, which consisted of the battleship Tirpitz
, cruisers Admiral Scheer, Emden
, Köln
, Leipzig
and Nürnberg
, destroyers Z25
, Z26
, Z27
and the 2nd torpedo boat
squadron. It had been tasked with destroying the Soviet Baltic Fleet should it try to escape to neutral Sweden. As this did not happen, and aerial reconnaisance showed severe damage to the remaining ships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, the Baltenflotte was disbanded before October 1941.
suffered greatly from lack of funds, but still managed to field, at the outbreak of war:
was the largest of the four fleets which made up the Soviet Navy during World War II, and was commanded by Vladimir Tributs throughout the war. Though initially having bases only in the eastern corner of the Gulf of Finland, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
was the largest naval power in the Baltic Sea. As World War II progressed, it was able to make use of naval bases in Estonia
, Latvia
and Lithuania
, first under the terms of agreements forced by the Soviet Union in autumn 1939, then by direct access to the bases following the occupation of the Baltic states in spring, 1940. Gains from the Moscow Peace Treaty (1940)
after the Winter War
further helped the Soviet Baltic Fleet, as it acquired a base at Hanko, Finland, as well as the coast of the Karelian Isthmus. Liepāja
and Tallinn
were the main naval bases of the Baltic Fleet prior to Operation Barbarossa
.
was the third largest in the Baltic Sea. Though Sweden stayed neutral during the war, its naval vessels escorted and protected convoys inside Swedish territorial waters, at times attacking hostile submarines with depth charges.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all had small naval forces before World War II. During the occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union
in 1940 these were attached to the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
and the occupation of the Baltic states had left the Red Banner Baltic fleet in a strong position. It was the largest navy on the Baltic Sea (two battleships, two light cruisers, 19 destroyers, 68 submarines, and a naval air arm comprising 709 aircraft) with bases all along the Baltic coast as well as in Hanko. In particular, the long and vulnerable southern coast of Finland was now exposed to the Soviet navy for its full length. The Finnish Navy
had two branches, the old but well-maintained coastal fortifications built by the Russians before World War I (Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
), and the actual navy, consisting of two coastal defence ships, five submarines and a number of smaller craft. The Kriegsmarine could provide only a small part of its naval force, as it was tied up in the battle of the Atlantic. Germany's main concern in the Baltic sea was to protect the routes through the Archipelago Sea
which supplied its war industry with vital iron ore imported from Sweden.
The Soviet Navy was taken by surprise by the initial German assault on the USSR on 22 June 1941, and suffered heavy losses during the evacuation from the Baltic States and Finland. The Kriegsmarine had started laying mines several hours before the actual start of the invasion, with immediate effect, the Soviet Baltic Fleet losing a destroyer to mines on the second day of the war. The rapid German advance forced the Soviet Navy to abandon its bases along the Baltic coast and evacuate towards Tallinn
and Kronstadt
. To guard against a breakout by the Red Fleet, the Germans deployed a large battlegroup - including the new battleship , cruisers, and destroyers - to the Baltic in August–September 1941, and laid a series of minefields across the Gulf of Finland. As the Soviet fleet made no attempt to flee to the Atlantic or neutral Sweden, Germany eventually withdrew its capital ships. Later, the Finnish coastal defence ship was sunk by mines during Operation Northwind
, a failed feint operation. Finnish submarines and surface forces repeatedly attacked Soviet convoys to and from Hanko, but with limited success, due to both strong Soviet resistance and equipment failures. A report from Hanko told of a transport arriving with two unexploded Finnish torpedoes jutting from its hull.
As naval bases at Riga
and Liepāja
were lost to German advances, the Soviet Navy withdrew to Tallinn
, which was surrounded by the end of August, forcing the Soviets to conduct an evacuation by sea. To counter this, the German and Finnish navies dropped 2,400 mines, adding to the 600 already in the sea lanes outside Tallinn. German artillery was set up at Juminda peninsula and Finnish and German torpedo boat
s were put on alert. The Soviet evacuation
consisted of 160 ships, which carried 28,000 people (including the Communist leadership and their families, army and navy personnel, and 10,000 Estonians) and 66000 ST (59,874.2 t) of materiel. The evacuation began on the night of 27 August, at the same time as the first German troops entered the city. During embarkation the ships were under constant attack by German bombers and artillery, which continued as the armada reached the heavily mined Juminda peninsula. At midnight on the 28th the armada ran into the minefields while being attacked by Finnish and German torpedo boats. Casualties were heavy, with 65 of the 160 ships lost, and several more damaged. Of the 28,000 evacuees, 16,000 perished. With relatively small means, the Kriegsmarine and Finnish Navy had dealt a severe blow to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, which withdrew to the relative safety of the naval mine barriers and coastal fortifications of Kronstadt
.
At the start of the war Finnish ground troops isolated the base at Hanko, with its 30,000-man garrison. The front there remained static, with only small scale naval and amphibious actions in the surrounding archipelago. By the end of the summer the Finnish 17th Division, which had made up the bulk of the besieging force, left Hanko for Eastern Karelia. By December 1941 the base was evacuated, having lost its importance due to both the continuing blockade and the rapid German advance toward Leningrad. The evacuation was performed in several convoys, which managed to transport roughly 23,000 troops to Leningrad. The fleet suffered casualties from Finnish minefields and coastal artillery, losing three destroyers and two large transports (Andrei Zhdanov and Iosif Stalin
) as well as several smaller vessels. Finnish troops took the abandoned and heavily mined Hanko after the Soviets had left.
Though naval mines, aerial supremacy, and the rapid German advance on land had largely neutralized its heavy elements, the Soviet Baltic Fleet in the immediate vicinity of Leningrad
had not been destroyed. Shore bombardment by the fleet was important in saving Leningrad from the Initial German assault in September. The battleship Marat was sunk by German Junkers Ju 87
Stuka dive bomber
s in Kronstadt on 23 September, but was partially salvaged for use as a static battery. Many Baltic Fleet sailors fought on land during the Siege of Leningrad
. Also, though some of the islands in the bay of Finland had been lost during 1941, Admiral Tributs had decided to keep the islands of Seiskari and Lavansaari, which would prove to be important bases as the war progressed.
and sent several submarines into the open Baltic via Lavansaari island, which now proved an invaluable base for both submarines and light surface forces. Submarines attacked German-Finnish as well as neutral shipping with limited success, sinking 18 ships but losing 12 submarines. Although the losses incurred by the Soviet submarines were fairly light, their presence in the Baltic Sea disrupted transportation and forced vessels to use safer coastal waterways instead of faster open sea routes. Continued Soviet submarine operations forced the Germans and Finns to step up their anti-submarine efforts in the Gulf of Finland, and largely due to these efforts, Soviet submariners met increasing hardships and losses, while seeing ever-fewer victories against Axis shipping.
The Soviets had evacuated most of the islands in the Gulf of Finland in late 1941. They recaptured the Suursaari from a small Finnish detachment in January 1942; two months later, a larger Finnish force with strong air cover marched over the ice and drove off the Soviet garrison. Soviet attempts to regain the island resulted in battles which continued over the ice until April 1942. Finnish and German forces also captured lightly defended Tytärsaari
. In July 1942, the Soviets attempted to wrest the small island of Someri
from the Finnish. In spite of initial success, the Soviet landing force was crushed, and the supporting naval units were repulsed in what proved to be one of the largest surface actions seen on the Baltic Sea during World War II.
Finnish submarines spent most of early 1942 on the docks, where they were fitted with improved listening systems and depth charge racks. In October 1942, the boats were deployed to the Sea of Åland
to hunt Soviet submarines which had managed to break through the anti-submarine barriers. Each of three large Finnish submarines managed to destroy one Soviet submarine, of which two were destroyed with torpedoes, and one by intentional ramming. Anti-submarine efforts on the Sea of Åland proved effective enough for the Soviet command to decrease submarine operations in the area.
In November 1942, Finnish motor torpedo boats raided the harbor of Soviet-controlled Lavansaari, sinking the gunboat in shallow water. The Soviets were able to recover and repair the ship, and after several months it was returned to active duty.
at the Estonian border, the Axis maintained a minefield blockade until September, when Finland signed peace
with the Soviet Union, and Army Group North retreated from Estonia. The Kriegsmarine lost several minesweepers and the anti-aircraft cruiser in the process. Three German Elbing-class
torpedo boats—T-22, T-30 and T-32—were also lost after running into a minefield in August 1944.
During the Soviet offensive against Finland in the summer of 1944, the Red Army made landings in the Koivisto
islands. Finnish and German naval units clashed with Soviet light naval units and were subjected to repeated air attacks, during which the Finnish Navy lost Tarmo
and VMV 17
, Germany lost T 31
and AF 32, and both had several other vessels damaged. Finnish forces were evacuated from the islands unchallenged, which opened the way for Soviet amphibious operations on Viipuri Bay. Finnish and German light naval forces made repeated raids into the bay, under constant air, artillery and motor torpedo boat attacks. While no ships were lost during the raids, nearly all participating vessels were heavily damaged. The naval forces never reached their target area, but their raids helped the defense of the islands in Viipuri Bay by drawing artillery fire, as well as attacks by Soviet aircraft.
After the Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day
), Großadmiral Karl Dönitz
transferred the bulk of the German surface fleet to the Baltic in order to support the seaward flank of the German Army. The heavy cruiser bombarded Red Army positions near Riga, and several U-boats infiltrated the Gulf of Finland, losing six boats to the Soviets.
Following Finland's Armistice with the Soviets, the Germans tried to seize strategic positions in Finland. In the Baltic, this included the failed operation Tanne Ost and the canceled operation Tanne West.
In late August and September the Germans abandoned Estonia, successfully evacuating 91,000 soldiers and 85,000 civilian refugees by ship. This, combined with the use of Finnish bases and coastal seaways, enabled the previously impenetrable anti-submarine barrier to be circumvented by the Soviets. During the Moonzund Landing Operation
, the Red Army and the Baltic Fleet took the Baltic Islands in September, and completed their operations in Estonia by the end of October. The Kriegsmarine opposed this offensive by bombarding the Red army, losing the destroyers Z35 and in December.
, and Goya
, which were evacuating refugees from East Prussia, with heavy loss of life.
(fi. Laatokka) was limited by the 1920 Treaty of Tartu
, which restricted the maximum displacement of ships to 100 LT (101.6 t) and the maximum weapon caliber to 47 mm (1.85 in).
, though it remained frozen for most of that conflict, limiting the use of naval forces on the lake. As the winter progressed, troop and supply movements across the ice became increasingly important, the Finns having surrounded a large Soviet formation on the northern shore of the lake, near Kitilä, in a motti
. Unlike many other encircled Soviet formations, the forces in Kitilä were able to survive due to supply routes running across the ice. Finnish forces tried repeatedly to halt these operations by both fortifying islands next to the ice road
and cutting cracks into the ice.
and the Continuation War
began, Lake Ladoga became a battleground once more. The Soviets' first task was the evacuation of Red Army troops trapped against the northern shore of the lake by advancing Finnish forces. These withdrawals were for the most part successful, with Soviet forces sustaining only minor losses. After the German push toward Leningrad
had besieged the city
, the supply routes across the lake became of paramount importance to the Soviet defenders. As ice formation prevented ships from transporting supplies, ice roads were made on the lake-ice, forming the Road of Life
.
By the summer of 1942, the Finns had moved only the obsolete MTB Sisu
to Ladoga. The rest of their naval force consisted of small civilian boats and transport vessels captured from the Soviets. Germany and Italy also sent some naval forces to Ladoga, forming Naval Detachment K
. Using mainly Italian motor torpedo boat
s and German artillery barges and minelaying boats, the naval detachment tried several times to interdict the Leningrad supply convoys on Ladoga. They were transferred away as the lake began to freeze over, and did not return the following year, as the Soviets had managed to open a land route to Leningrad in January 1943. The Finns bought several of the German barges and infantry boats and used them on Ladoga; they also bought the Italian motor torpedo boats and used them in the Baltic.
In 1943 there was little naval activity on the lake. In 1944, however, the Soviet offensive across the River Svir (aimed at capturing Sortavala
at the lake's northern end) included a landing at Tuloksa on the eastern shore. One Soviet naval infantry brigade was landed, and later reinforced by a second. Soviet air and naval superiority prevent Finnish naval forces from challenging them; however, as the Soviet offensive continued, the Finnish flotilla - reinforced by three obsolete motor torpedo boats
and three additional barges acquired from the Germans - supported the land forces with their artillery and countered Soviet raids at the northern end of the lake. When a ceasefire was declared, most of the Finnish naval assets were evacuated via land routes over the agreed-upon border. The Soviets demanded the former German barges and infantry boats, and received them in August 1945 at Helsinki.
(fin. Ääninen) in 1941 they captured several Soviet ships, and raised others which had been sunk in shallow water by the retreating Soviets. Some of these were armed by the Finns. Their first successful operation took place on the frozen lake in Spring of 1942, when a Finnish patrol crossed the ice and set fire to some Soviet barges. A captured Soviet naval vessel renamed VTV-1
(patrol gunboat nr. 1) was brought to Onega to support naval operations; however, most of the ships available to the Finns were obsolete and unable to challenge even the small Soviet force that operated on the lake. When the Soviets began their 1944 offensive in the Karelian Isthmus, the Finns, anticipating another offensive closer to Onega, began evacuating the region. Finnish naval force protected the evacuation convoys, after which the ships were disarmed and scuttled. Only VTV-1 was spared, being transported by rail to the Baltic.
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, its coastal regions, and the Gulf of Finland during World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were Germany and Finland, opposed by the Soviet Union. Sweden's navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for the control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point
Choke point
In military strategy, a choke point is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or a bridge, or at sea such as a strait which an armed force is forced to pass, sometimes on a substantially narrower front, and therefore greatly decreasing its combat power, in order to reach its...
into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. While operations included surface and sub-surface combat, aerial combat, amphibious landings, and support of large-scale ground fighting, the most significant feature of Baltic Sea operations was the scale and size of mine warfare
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
, particularly in the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
. The warring parties laid over 60,000 naval mines and anti-sweep obstacles, making the shallow Gulf of Finland one of the most densely mined waters in the world.
Finnish Navy
The Finnish NavyFinnish Navy
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS" simply short for "Finnish Navy Ship"...
was a small professional force. Naval strength in 1941 consisted of:
- Two coastal defence ships, ( and )
- Five submarines
- Four sloops
- Three minelayers
- 12 minesweepers
- Seven motor torpedo boats
The Finnish Navy used several other vessels (for example, Coast Guard vessels) during the wars:
- Four sloops — used mainly as escorts and minesweepers
- Six cutters — smaller vessels used as escorts and minesweepers
- 17 VMV class patrol boatVMV class patrol boatVMV class patrol boat was a series of Finnish patrol boats, which served with the Finnish Coast Guard and the Finnish Navy during World War II.-Development:The VMV-boats were designed by dipl.eng. Jaakko Rahola of the Finnish Navy...
s — used as small torpedo boats, gun boats, sub hunters and in other roles.
Kriegsmarine
Initially, the German ReichsmarineReichsmarine
The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1918 to 1935...
—the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
s pre-war name—suffered from the limitations imposed by post-World War I treaty obligations; by 1935, however, Germany had signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement of June 18, 1935 was a bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and German Reich regulating the size of the Kriegsmarine in relation to the Royal Navy. The A.G.N.A fixed a ratio whereby the total tonnage of the Kriegsmarine was to be 35% of the total tonnage...
, which allowed it to expand considerably. The name Kriegsmarine was adopted the same year. Though a large, powerful, and professional force, it had to divide its assets between several theaters of war, severely limiting the number and size of the ships it was able to deploy in the Baltic Sea.
At the start of the operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
on 21 June 1941 German naval forces in the Baltic Sea consisted of
- 28 Schnellboots
- 5 submarines
- 6 minelayers (converted passenger liners)
- 3 squadrons of M-class minesweepersM class minesweeper (Germany)The M class were the standard minesweeper of the German Navy during World War II.-M1935:The first series; the M1935 were ordered in the late 1930s to replace worn out World War I vintage boats. These ships proved versatile and seaworthy. The vessels could also undertake convoy escort,...
- 3 squadrons of requisitioned minesweepers (trawlers)
- 2 squadrons of R-boatsR boatThe R boats were a group of small minesweepers but used for several purposes during the Second World War.A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
- 2 squadrons of patrol boats (trawlers)VorpostenbootVorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...
- 3 SperrbrecherSperrbrecherA Sperrbrecher , was a German auxiliary ship of the Second World War that was intended to serve as a type of minesweeper, by sailing ahead of other vessels through minefields, intending to detonate any mines in their path...
- 2 depot ships for minesweepers
- 4 auxiliary minelayers
In September 1941 Germany formed the provisional Baltenflotte, which consisted of the battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
, cruisers Admiral Scheer, Emden
German cruiser Emden
The German light cruiser Emden was the only ship of its class. The third cruiser to bear the name Emden was the first new warship built in Germany after World War I....
, Köln
German cruiser Köln
Köln was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln . The others in her class were the Königsberg and the Karlsruhe...
, Leipzig
German cruiser Leipzig
The German light cruiser Leipzig was the lead ship of her class . She was the fourth German warship to carry the name of the city of Leipzig.-History:...
and Nürnberg
German cruiser Nürnberg
The Nürnberg, was a German light cruiser of the Leipzig class named after the city of Nuremberg. Some sources consider the Leipzig and Nürnberg to be of separate, single ship, classes...
, destroyers Z25
German destroyer Z25
Z25 was a built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-External links:*...
, Z26
German destroyer Z26
Z26 was a built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-External links:*...
, Z27
German destroyer Z27
Z27 was a built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II.-External links:*...
and the 2nd torpedo boat
German torpedoboats of World War II
The German torpedoboats of World War II were armed principally, if not exclusively, with torpedoes and varied widely in size. They should not be confused with the larger destroyers, nor with the smaller, torpedo-armed Schnellboote .-Raubvogel and Raubtier :The six Raubvogel class torpedo boats were...
squadron. It had been tasked with destroying the Soviet Baltic Fleet should it try to escape to neutral Sweden. As this did not happen, and aerial reconnaisance showed severe damage to the remaining ships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet, the Baltenflotte was disbanded before October 1941.
Polish Navy
The relatively small Polish NavyPolish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
suffered greatly from lack of funds, but still managed to field, at the outbreak of war:
- Four destroyers
- Five submarines
- Large minelayer
- Various smaller vessels
Soviet Baltic Fleet
The Soviet Baltic FleetBaltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
was the largest of the four fleets which made up the Soviet Navy during World War II, and was commanded by Vladimir Tributs throughout the war. Though initially having bases only in the eastern corner of the Gulf of Finland, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
was the largest naval power in the Baltic Sea. As World War II progressed, it was able to make use of naval bases in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, first under the terms of agreements forced by the Soviet Union in autumn 1939, then by direct access to the bases following the occupation of the Baltic states in spring, 1940. Gains from the Moscow Peace Treaty (1940)
Moscow Peace Treaty (1940)
The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War. The treaty ceded parts of Finland to the Soviet Union. However, it preserved Finland's independence, ending the Soviet...
after 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...
further helped the Soviet Baltic Fleet, as it acquired a base at Hanko, Finland, as well as the coast of the Karelian Isthmus. Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
and Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
were the main naval bases of the Baltic Fleet prior to Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
.
Soviet Naval Strength in the Baltic June 1941
| Ship Type | Number | Note/class |
|---|---|---|
| Battleship | 2 | Gangut class battleship Gangut class battleship The Gangut-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts begun for the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests... s |
| Cruisers | 2 | Kirov class cruiser Kirov class cruiser The Kirov-class cruisers were six vessels built between 1935 and 1944 for the Soviet Navy: Kirov, Voroshilov, Maxim Gorky, Molotov, Kalinin, and Kaganovich. After the first two ships, armor protection was increased and subsequent ships are sometimes called the Maxim Gorky class... s |
| Destroyer Leaders | 2 | Leningrad class destroyer Leningrad class destroyer The Leningrad-class destroyer leaders were built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1930s. They were inspired by the contre-torpilleurs built for the French Navy. They were ordered in two groups of three ships each, the first group was designated Project 1 and the second Project 38... |
| Destroyers (Modern) | 17 | 3 Type 7 Gnevny class destroyer The Gnevny class were a group of destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1930s - early 1940s. They are sometimes known as the Gremyashchiy class destroyer and the Official Soviet Designation was Project 7... , 13 Type 7U Soobrazitelny class destroyer The Soobrazitel'nyi class were destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the early 1940s. The Soviet designation was Type 7U or Ulutshenyi . The ships fought in World War II. They were modified versions of the Gnevny class destroyers. The design was finalised in 1936 after initial disappointments... , Opytny Opytny class destroyer The Opytny was a unique destroyer built for the Soviet Navy. The Soviet designation was Project 45. She was commissioned in 1941 and fought in World War II as part of the Baltic Fleet. She was indigenously designed in contrast to the Type 7 which was built with Italian assistance and intended as a... |
| Destroyers (old) | 6 | Novik type |
| Submarines | 65 | |
| Escort Vessels/Gunboats | 7 | |
| Mine warfare vessels | 39 | |
| Motor Torpedo Boats | 48 | |
Other Navies on the Baltic Sea
The Swedish NavySwedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
was the third largest in the Baltic Sea. Though Sweden stayed neutral during the war, its naval vessels escorted and protected convoys inside Swedish territorial waters, at times attacking hostile submarines with depth charges.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all had small naval forces before World War II. During the occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union
Occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union (1940)
The occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union covers the period from the Soviet–Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to the illegal annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941...
in 1940 these were attached to the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
Invasion of Poland
The Polish navy participated in the Battle of Gdańsk Bay in 1939. Most of its surface ships were evacuated to continue the war from Britain (Operation Pekin), but a few vessels remained in Poland and were sunk by German forces. Polish Submarines operated in the Baltic until either internment or escape to Britain (see Orzeł incident) in the Autumn of 1939.Winter war between the USSR and Finland 1939–1940
Operations in 1941
The Winter WarWinter 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...
and the occupation of the Baltic states had left the Red Banner Baltic fleet in a strong position. It was the largest navy on the Baltic Sea (two battleships, two light cruisers, 19 destroyers, 68 submarines, and a naval air arm comprising 709 aircraft) with bases all along the Baltic coast as well as in Hanko. In particular, the long and vulnerable southern coast of Finland was now exposed to the Soviet navy for its full length. The Finnish Navy
Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS" simply short for "Finnish Navy Ship"...
had two branches, the old but well-maintained coastal fortifications built by the Russians before World War I (Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's Naval Fortress
Peter the Great's naval fortress or the Tallinn-Porkkala defence station was a Russian fortification line, which aimed to block access to the Russian capital Saint Petersburg via the sea. The plans for the fortress included heavy coastal artillery pieces along the northern and southern shores of...
), and the actual navy, consisting of two coastal defence ships, five submarines and a number of smaller craft. The Kriegsmarine could provide only a small part of its naval force, as it was tied up in the battle of the Atlantic. Germany's main concern in the Baltic sea was to protect the routes through the Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
which supplied its war industry with vital iron ore imported from Sweden.
The Soviet Navy was taken by surprise by the initial German assault on the USSR on 22 June 1941, and suffered heavy losses during the evacuation from the Baltic States and Finland. The Kriegsmarine had started laying mines several hours before the actual start of the invasion, with immediate effect, the Soviet Baltic Fleet losing a destroyer to mines on the second day of the war. The rapid German advance forced the Soviet Navy to abandon its bases along the Baltic coast and evacuate towards Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
and Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
. To guard against a breakout by the Red Fleet, the Germans deployed a large battlegroup - including the new battleship , cruisers, and destroyers - to the Baltic in August–September 1941, and laid a series of minefields across the Gulf of Finland. As the Soviet fleet made no attempt to flee to the Atlantic or neutral Sweden, Germany eventually withdrew its capital ships. Later, the Finnish coastal defence ship was sunk by mines during Operation Northwind
Operation Nordwind (1941)
Operation North Wind was a joint German-Finnish naval operation in the Baltic Sea in 1941, in the course of World War II...
, a failed feint operation. Finnish submarines and surface forces repeatedly attacked Soviet convoys to and from Hanko, but with limited success, due to both strong Soviet resistance and equipment failures. A report from Hanko told of a transport arriving with two unexploded Finnish torpedoes jutting from its hull.
As naval bases at Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
were lost to German advances, the Soviet Navy withdrew to Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, which was surrounded by the end of August, forcing the Soviets to conduct an evacuation by sea. To counter this, the German and Finnish navies dropped 2,400 mines, adding to the 600 already in the sea lanes outside Tallinn. German artillery was set up at Juminda peninsula and Finnish and German torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s were put on alert. The Soviet evacuation
Evacuation of Tallinn (1941)
The Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, also called Soviet Dunkerque or Tallinn disaster was a Soviet operation to evacuate parts of the Baltic Fleet and Red Army units from the encircled city of Tallinn in August 1941....
consisted of 160 ships, which carried 28,000 people (including the Communist leadership and their families, army and navy personnel, and 10,000 Estonians) and 66000 ST (59,874.2 t) of materiel. The evacuation began on the night of 27 August, at the same time as the first German troops entered the city. During embarkation the ships were under constant attack by German bombers and artillery, which continued as the armada reached the heavily mined Juminda peninsula. At midnight on the 28th the armada ran into the minefields while being attacked by Finnish and German torpedo boats. Casualties were heavy, with 65 of the 160 ships lost, and several more damaged. Of the 28,000 evacuees, 16,000 perished. With relatively small means, the Kriegsmarine and Finnish Navy had dealt a severe blow to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, which withdrew to the relative safety of the naval mine barriers and coastal fortifications of Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
.
At the start of the war Finnish ground troops isolated the base at Hanko, with its 30,000-man garrison. The front there remained static, with only small scale naval and amphibious actions in the surrounding archipelago. By the end of the summer the Finnish 17th Division, which had made up the bulk of the besieging force, left Hanko for Eastern Karelia. By December 1941 the base was evacuated, having lost its importance due to both the continuing blockade and the rapid German advance toward Leningrad. The evacuation was performed in several convoys, which managed to transport roughly 23,000 troops to Leningrad. The fleet suffered casualties from Finnish minefields and coastal artillery, losing three destroyers and two large transports (Andrei Zhdanov and Iosif Stalin
Iosif Stalin class passenger ship
The Iosif Stalin-class passenger ship was a two-strong class of large turbo-electric powered passenger ships, operated by the Soviet Baltic State Shipping Company . The ships were taken over by the Soviet Navy during World War II and used as transport vessels...
) as well as several smaller vessels. Finnish troops took the abandoned and heavily mined Hanko after the Soviets had left.
Though naval mines, aerial supremacy, and the rapid German advance on land had largely neutralized its heavy elements, the Soviet Baltic Fleet in the immediate vicinity of Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
had not been destroyed. Shore bombardment by the fleet was important in saving Leningrad from the Initial German assault in September. The battleship Marat was sunk by German Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
Stuka dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s in Kronstadt on 23 September, but was partially salvaged for use as a static battery. Many Baltic Fleet sailors fought on land during 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...
. Also, though some of the islands in the bay of Finland had been lost during 1941, Admiral Tributs had decided to keep the islands of Seiskari and Lavansaari, which would prove to be important bases as the war progressed.
Operations in 1942
In 1942, the Baltic Fleet was confined to the innermost part of the Gulf of Finland by German minefields. The Soviets maintained the Oranienbaum BridgeheadOranienbaum Bridgehead
The Oranienbaum Bridgehead was an isolated portion of the Leningrad Oblast in Russia, which was retained under Soviet control during the siege of Leningrad in World War II...
and sent several submarines into the open Baltic via Lavansaari island, which now proved an invaluable base for both submarines and light surface forces. Submarines attacked German-Finnish as well as neutral shipping with limited success, sinking 18 ships but losing 12 submarines. Although the losses incurred by the Soviet submarines were fairly light, their presence in the Baltic Sea disrupted transportation and forced vessels to use safer coastal waterways instead of faster open sea routes. Continued Soviet submarine operations forced the Germans and Finns to step up their anti-submarine efforts in the Gulf of Finland, and largely due to these efforts, Soviet submariners met increasing hardships and losses, while seeing ever-fewer victories against Axis shipping.
The Soviets had evacuated most of the islands in the Gulf of Finland in late 1941. They recaptured the Suursaari from a small Finnish detachment in January 1942; two months later, a larger Finnish force with strong air cover marched over the ice and drove off the Soviet garrison. Soviet attempts to regain the island resulted in battles which continued over the ice until April 1942. Finnish and German forces also captured lightly defended Tytärsaari
Bolshoy Tyuters
Bolshoi Tyuters is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, located 75 km away from the coast of Finland, to the south-east from Hogland. The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The area is approximately 8.3 km². There are no permanent inhabitants, save for a...
. In July 1942, the Soviets attempted to wrest the small island of Someri
Battle of Someri
The Battle of Someri was a battle in the Gulf of Finland during World War II on 8-9 July, 1942, between the Soviet Union and Finland. Starting as a modest operation to clear a Finnish observation post from a small island, it became one of the largest surface ship engagements in the Baltic...
from the Finnish. In spite of initial success, the Soviet landing force was crushed, and the supporting naval units were repulsed in what proved to be one of the largest surface actions seen on the Baltic Sea during World War II.
Finnish submarines spent most of early 1942 on the docks, where they were fitted with improved listening systems and depth charge racks. In October 1942, the boats were deployed to the Sea of Åland
Sea of Åland
The Sea of Åland is the waters located in the southern Gulf of Bothnia, between the Åland islands and the Swedish mainland. The sea connects Kvarken and the Bothnian Sea with the Baltic Sea proper. The seas are often choppy here. The narrowest part is named Södra Kvarken or South Kvarken....
to hunt Soviet submarines which had managed to break through the anti-submarine barriers. Each of three large Finnish submarines managed to destroy one Soviet submarine, of which two were destroyed with torpedoes, and one by intentional ramming. Anti-submarine efforts on the Sea of Åland proved effective enough for the Soviet command to decrease submarine operations in the area.
In November 1942, Finnish motor torpedo boats raided the harbor of Soviet-controlled Lavansaari, sinking the gunboat in shallow water. The Soviets were able to recover and repair the ship, and after several months it was returned to active duty.
Operations in 1943
In the Spring of 1943, the Axis completed an extensive mine and anti submarine net barrage across the Gulf of Finland, effectively preventing Soviet submarines from raiding German shipping or disrupting U-boat training. Six Soviet submarines were lost trying to penetrate the barrage.Operations in 1944
The Soviets began to defeat the Axis on land in 1944, lifting the Siege of Leningrad and relieving the Oranienbaum Bridgehead in January. In February 1944, a Soviet amphibious assault on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland was repelled. ResistingBattle 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....
at the Estonian border, the Axis maintained a minefield blockade until September, when Finland signed peace
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on September 19, 1944, ending the Continuation War...
with the Soviet Union, and Army Group North retreated from Estonia. The Kriegsmarine lost several minesweepers and the anti-aircraft cruiser in the process. Three German Elbing-class
Elbing class torpedo boat
The Elbing class torpedo boats were a class of 15 small warships that served in the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Although classed as Flottentorpedoboot by the Germans, in most respects—displacement, weaponry, usage—they were comparable to contemporary medium-size destroyers...
torpedo boats—T-22, T-30 and T-32—were also lost after running into a minefield in August 1944.
During the Soviet offensive against Finland in the summer of 1944, the Red Army made landings in the Koivisto
Koivisto
Koivisto has many meanings.Persons named Koivisto:* Anu Koivisto, Finnish backstroke swimmer* Mauno Koivisto, Finnish president, Ph.D.* Jussi V. Koivisto, Finnish economist, Ph.D.* Tom Koivisto, Finnish ice hockey player...
islands. Finnish and German naval units clashed with Soviet light naval units and were subjected to repeated air attacks, during which the Finnish Navy lost Tarmo
Taisto class motor torpedo boat
The Taisto class motor torpedo boats or T class was a Finnish-designed class of motor torpedo boats, which saw with the Finnish Navy during World War II....
and VMV 17
VMV class patrol boat
VMV class patrol boat was a series of Finnish patrol boats, which served with the Finnish Coast Guard and the Finnish Navy during World War II.-Development:The VMV-boats were designed by dipl.eng. Jaakko Rahola of the Finnish Navy...
, Germany lost T 31
Elbing class torpedo boat
The Elbing class torpedo boats were a class of 15 small warships that served in the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Although classed as Flottentorpedoboot by the Germans, in most respects—displacement, weaponry, usage—they were comparable to contemporary medium-size destroyers...
and AF 32, and both had several other vessels damaged. Finnish forces were evacuated from the islands unchallenged, which opened the way for Soviet amphibious operations on Viipuri Bay. Finnish and German light naval forces made repeated raids into the bay, under constant air, artillery and motor torpedo boat attacks. While no ships were lost during the raids, nearly all participating vessels were heavily damaged. The naval forces never reached their target area, but their raids helped the defense of the islands in Viipuri Bay by drawing artillery fire, as well as attacks by Soviet aircraft.
After the Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
), Großadmiral Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
transferred the bulk of the German surface fleet to the Baltic in order to support the seaward flank of the German Army. The heavy cruiser bombarded Red Army positions near Riga, and several U-boats infiltrated the Gulf of Finland, losing six boats to the Soviets.
Following Finland's Armistice with the Soviets, the Germans tried to seize strategic positions in Finland. In the Baltic, this included the failed operation Tanne Ost and the canceled operation Tanne West.
In late August and September the Germans abandoned Estonia, successfully evacuating 91,000 soldiers and 85,000 civilian refugees by ship. This, combined with the use of Finnish bases and coastal seaways, enabled the previously impenetrable anti-submarine barrier to be circumvented by the Soviets. During the Moonzund Landing Operation
Moonzund Landing Operation
The Moonsund Landing Operation , also known as the Moonzund landing operation, was an amphibious operation and offensive by the Red Army during World War II, taking place in late 1944. It was part of the Baltic Offensive, and was designed to clear German forces of Army Group North from the islands...
, the Red Army and the Baltic Fleet took the Baltic Islands in September, and completed their operations in Estonia by the end of October. The Kriegsmarine opposed this offensive by bombarding the Red army, losing the destroyers Z35 and in December.
Operations in 1945
In 1945, as the Red Army advanced further into Nazi territory, the German Navy was involved in evacuating refugees and bombarding the Soviets. The Soviet surface fleet remained in the Leningrad area due to minefields and the poor condition of the ships, but Soviet submarines were very active, sinking the liners Wilhelm GustloffWilhelm Gustloff (ship)
The MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German KdF flagship during 1937-1945, constructed by the Blohm & Voss shipyards. It sank after being torpedoed by the Soviet submarine on 30 January 1945....
, and Goya
Goya (ship)
The Goya was a German transport ship sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea, near the end of the Second World War, while carrying wounded Wehrmacht troops and civilians who were fleeing the advance of Soviet forces. Most of the crew and passengers died...
, which were evacuating refugees from East Prussia, with heavy loss of life.
Operations on Lake Ladoga
Before World War II, Soviet and Finnish naval strength on Lake LadogaLake 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:...
(fi. Laatokka) was limited by the 1920 Treaty of Tartu
Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Finnish)
The Treaty of Tartu between Finland and Soviet Russia was signed on 14 October 1920 after negotiations that lasted for four months. The treaty confirmed the border between Finland and Soviet Russia after the Finnish civil war and Finnish volunteer expeditions in Russian East Karelia. Ratifications...
, which restricted the maximum displacement of ships to 100 LT (101.6 t) and the maximum weapon caliber to 47 mm (1.85 in).
Operations in 1939–1940
Lake Ladoga became part of the battleground during the Winter WarWinter 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...
, though it remained frozen for most of that conflict, limiting the use of naval forces on the lake. As the winter progressed, troop and supply movements across the ice became increasingly important, the Finns having surrounded a large Soviet formation on the northern shore of the lake, near Kitilä, in a motti
Motti
Motti may refer to:*Motti, a Finnish military tactic.*A measurement of firewood, equivalent to one cubic metre of wood.*Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, a fictional character from the Star Wars universe.*a variant of Motikan, a Kurdish clan....
. Unlike many other encircled Soviet formations, the forces in Kitilä were able to survive due to supply routes running across the ice. Finnish forces tried repeatedly to halt these operations by both fortifying islands next to the ice road
Ice road
Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...
and cutting cracks into the ice.
Operations in 1941–1944
When Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
and 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...
began, Lake Ladoga became a battleground once more. The Soviets' first task was the evacuation of Red Army troops trapped against the northern shore of the lake by advancing Finnish forces. These withdrawals were for the most part successful, with Soviet forces sustaining only minor losses. After the German push toward Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
had besieged the city
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...
, the supply routes across the lake became of paramount importance to the Soviet defenders. As ice formation prevented ships from transporting supplies, ice roads were made on the lake-ice, forming the Road of Life
Road of Life
The Road of Life was the ice road transport route across the frozen Lake Ladoga, which provided the only access to the besieged city of Leningrad in the winter months during 1941–1944 while the perimeter in the siege was maintained by the German Army Group North and the Finnish Defence Forces. ...
.
By the summer of 1942, the Finns had moved only the obsolete MTB Sisu
Sisu class motor torpedo boat
The Sisu class motor torpedo boats was a series of two Italian M.A.S. type motor torpedo boats of the Finnish Navy. The vessels were constructed in 1916 by the Orlando shipyard in Livorno, Italy. Sisu and Hurja were purchased by the Finns in 1920, and saw service in World War II...
to Ladoga. The rest of their naval force consisted of small civilian boats and transport vessels captured from the Soviets. Germany and Italy also sent some naval forces to Ladoga, forming Naval Detachment K
Naval Detachment K
The Finnish Naval Detachment K was a flotilla that operated on Lake Ladoga during World War II.-Background:The Continuation War began in the summer of 1941. The Finns, who had operated naval units on Lake Ladoga before World War II, began reestablishing a flotilla on the lake as soon as their...
. Using mainly Italian motor torpedo boat
Jymy class motor torpedo boat
The Jymy class motor torpedo boats or J class was an Italian-designed class of motor torpedo boats, seeing service during World War II with the Italian Navy in the Lake Ladoga, and later with the Finnish Navy in the Gulf of Finland....
s and German artillery barges and minelaying boats, the naval detachment tried several times to interdict the Leningrad supply convoys on Ladoga. They were transferred away as the lake began to freeze over, and did not return the following year, as the Soviets had managed to open a land route to Leningrad in January 1943. The Finns bought several of the German barges and infantry boats and used them on Ladoga; they also bought the Italian motor torpedo boats and used them in the Baltic.
In 1943 there was little naval activity on the lake. In 1944, however, the Soviet offensive across the River Svir (aimed at capturing Sortavala
Sortavala
Sortavala is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga. Population: It is an important station of the Vyborg-Joensuu railroad.-History:...
at the lake's northern end) included a landing at Tuloksa on the eastern shore. One Soviet naval infantry brigade was landed, and later reinforced by a second. Soviet air and naval superiority prevent Finnish naval forces from challenging them; however, as the Soviet offensive continued, the Finnish flotilla - reinforced by three obsolete motor torpedo boats
Syöksy class motor torpedo boat
The Syöksy class motor torpedo boats was a series of four British Thornycroft type motor torpedo boats of the Finnish Navy. The vessels were constructed in 1928 by the John Thornycroft & Co shipyard in Woolton, UK. The vessels saw service in World War II. The Thornycroft type released its...
and three additional barges acquired from the Germans - supported the land forces with their artillery and countered Soviet raids at the northern end of the lake. When a ceasefire was declared, most of the Finnish naval assets were evacuated via land routes over the agreed-upon border. The Soviets demanded the former German barges and infantry boats, and received them in August 1945 at Helsinki.
Operations on Lake Onega
When Finnish forces reached Lake OnegaLake 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...
(fin. Ääninen) in 1941 they captured several Soviet ships, and raised others which had been sunk in shallow water by the retreating Soviets. Some of these were armed by the Finns. Their first successful operation took place on the frozen lake in Spring of 1942, when a Finnish patrol crossed the ice and set fire to some Soviet barges. A captured Soviet naval vessel renamed VTV-1
Finnish patrol gunboat VTV-1
VTV-1 was originally a Soviet type 1125 armored motor boat with the designation No 215. It was captured by Finnish troops in 1941, after it had been damaged by artillery fire and beached by its crew...
(patrol gunboat nr. 1) was brought to Onega to support naval operations; however, most of the ships available to the Finns were obsolete and unable to challenge even the small Soviet force that operated on the lake. When the Soviets began their 1944 offensive in the Karelian Isthmus, the Finns, anticipating another offensive closer to Onega, began evacuating the region. Finnish naval force protected the evacuation convoys, after which the ships were disarmed and scuttled. Only VTV-1 was spared, being transported by rail to the Baltic.
Finnish Naval forces on Lake Onega
| Name | Type | Role | Armament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddlewheel steamers | Gunboat | ||
| VTV-1 Finnish patrol gunboat VTV-1 VTV-1 was originally a Soviet type 1125 armored motor boat with the designation No 215. It was captured by Finnish troops in 1941, after it had been damaged by artillery fire and beached by its crew... |
Patrol boat (captured 1941) | Gunboat | |
| Tugs | Patrol boat | ||
| 14 boats | Motor boat |
See also
- Black Sea Campaigns (1941-44)Black Sea Campaigns (1941-44)The Black Sea Campaigns are the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces, and non-combat operations....
- Battle of Hanko (1941)Battle of Hanko (1941)The Battle of Hanko was a lengthy series of small battles fought on Hanko Peninsula during the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union in the second half of 1941...