Raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo
Encyclopedia
The raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo took place on 30 July 1941 during the Second World War
. The Royal Navy
air arm launched this unsuccessful raid from the aircraft carrier
s and to inflict damage on merchant vessels owned by Germany
and Finland
and to show support for their new ally, the Soviet Union
.
, Finland
declared independence from the Soviet Union with the north port of Petsamo
under the Treaty of Tartu
(1920). In the Winter War
, the Soviet Union
occupied Petsamo. In the following peace agreement
, only the Finnish part of the Rybachy Peninsula (fin. Kalastajan saarento) was ceded to the Soviet Union (321 km²/124 mi²), although the Soviet Union had occupied all of Petsamo during the Winter War. In 1941, during the Continuation War
, Petsamo was used by Nazi Germany
as a staging area
for the attack toward Murmansk
.
Kirkenes is in Norway
, which was neutral at the start of the war, but was invaded by Germany and occupied.
War officially broke out between Britain
and Nazi Germany
on 3 September 1939. In December, Joseph Stalin decided to invade Finland and, although they put up a stubborn defense, Finland had to give up some of territory after they agreed to sign an armistice in February 1940. Subsequently, Denmark and Norway were invaded in April 1940 and France was defeated in May.
By June 1940, Britain was the only European country standing against Adolf Hitler
. However, after defeat in the Battle of Britain
, Germany focused eastward and invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 and Finland fought as a co-belligerent, in what is known the Continuation War
.
Operation Barbarossa
threatened the survival of the Soviet Union. The British decided that the best way to show support for their new ally would be to attack ports occupied by the Axis: the use of aircraft from ships having previously been shown effective at Taranto
and against the battleship
.
for Seidis Fjord in Iceland
on 23 July 1941. They arrived two days later, refuelled and sailed the following day for Norway. The strike was supposed to be a surprise attack but, since it was light for 24 hours a day at that time of year, surprise was almost impossible and was lost when the attacking force was spotted by aircraft shortly before launch of the attack.
Furious attacked ships in Petsamo launching nine Fairey Albacore
s from 817 Squadron
, nine Fairey Swordfish
of 812 Squadron
and six bomb armed Fairey Fulmar
s from 800 Squadron. In the end, the harbour was almost entirely empty and the raiders claimed sinking only one small steamer and the destruction of several jetties. One Albacore and one Fulmar were lost due to enemy action and one more Fulmar was lost due to engine failure prior to the attack.
The raid on Kirkenes was a disaster. The Luftwaffe had been alerted and had their Bf 109
and Bf 110
fighters in the air and waiting. Victorious launched two sub flights consisting of a total of 12 Albacores from 827 Squadron
, eight Albacores from 828 Squadron
, and nine Fulmars from 809 Squadron
.The Fulmars, unfortunately, were unable to rendezvous with the Albacore squadrons, who were then left without fighter protection. The Albacores had to attack by flying over the mountains and the fjord rather than attacking from the sea. There were only four cargo vessels within the harbour. The aircraft released their torpedoes quickly to get away from anti-aircraft fire, sinking one 2000 LT (2,032.1 t) vessel and setting another on fire and causing minor damage ashore. One Bf 109, two Bf 110s and one Ju 87 were claimed shot down for the loss of 11 Albacores and two Fulmars with a further eight Albacores damaged. Incomplete German loss records confirm the loss of at least one Bf 110 to a Fulmar and one Ju 87 to an Albacore.
, it had no impact on the course of the war. A number of aircraft were lost and even harder to replace aircrews were killed.
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 Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
air arm launched this unsuccessful raid from the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s and to inflict damage on merchant vessels owned 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 Finland
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...
and to show support for their new ally, the Soviet Union
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....
.
Origins
During the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, Finland
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...
declared independence from the Soviet Union with the north port of Petsamo
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located to the northwest of the Kola Peninsula on the coast of the Barents Sea and borders with Finland in the south and southwest and with Norway in the west, northwest, and north...
under the 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...
(1920). In the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, the Soviet Union
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....
occupied Petsamo. In the following peace agreement
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...
, only the Finnish part of the Rybachy Peninsula (fin. Kalastajan saarento) was ceded to the Soviet Union (321 km²/124 mi²), although the Soviet Union had occupied all of Petsamo during the Winter War. In 1941, during the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, Petsamo was used by Nazi 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...
as a staging area
Staging area
A staging area is a location where organisms, people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled before use.- In construction :...
for the attack toward Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
Kirkenes is in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, which was neutral at the start of the war, but was invaded by Germany and occupied.
War officially broke out between Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Nazi 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...
on 3 September 1939. In December, Joseph Stalin decided to invade Finland and, although they put up a stubborn defense, Finland had to give up some of territory after they agreed to sign an armistice in February 1940. Subsequently, Denmark and Norway were invaded in April 1940 and France was defeated in May.
By June 1940, Britain was the only European country standing against Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. However, after defeat in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, Germany focused eastward and invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 and Finland fought as a co-belligerent, in what is known 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...
.
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...
threatened the survival of the Soviet Union. The British decided that the best way to show support for their new ally would be to attack ports occupied by the Axis: the use of aircraft from ships having previously been shown effective at Taranto
Battle of Taranto
The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
and against the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
.
The strike
The strike force—consisting of the two carriers, two cruisers, and , and six destroyers—left Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
for Seidis Fjord in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
on 23 July 1941. They arrived two days later, refuelled and sailed the following day for Norway. The strike was supposed to be a surprise attack but, since it was light for 24 hours a day at that time of year, surprise was almost impossible and was lost when the attacking force was spotted by aircraft shortly before launch of the attack.
Furious attacked ships in Petsamo launching nine Fairey Albacore
Fairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
s from 817 Squadron
817 Naval Air Squadron
817 Naval Air Squadron was a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War.In 1941, the squadron operated Fairey Albacore aircraft in the Anti-Submarine Warfare role in Icelandic and Mediterranean waters...
, nine Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
of 812 Squadron
812 Naval Air Squadron
812 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in World War II and the Korean War.-First formation:...
and six bomb armed Fairey Fulmar
Fairey Fulmar
The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation at its Stockport factory between January 1940 and December 1942...
s from 800 Squadron. In the end, the harbour was almost entirely empty and the raiders claimed sinking only one small steamer and the destruction of several jetties. One Albacore and one Fulmar were lost due to enemy action and one more Fulmar was lost due to engine failure prior to the attack.
The raid on Kirkenes was a disaster. The Luftwaffe had been alerted and had their Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The 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...
and Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
fighters in the air and waiting. Victorious launched two sub flights consisting of a total of 12 Albacores from 827 Squadron
827 Naval Air Squadron
827 Naval Air Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II. It operated Fairey Barracudas starting in May 1943, becoming the first squadron to receive Barracudas in any substantial number....
, eight Albacores from 828 Squadron
828 Naval Air Squadron
828 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in September 1940 as a torpedo spotter reconnaissance squadron...
, and nine Fulmars from 809 Squadron
809 Naval Air Squadron
-WWII:Formed in January 1941 at St Merryn with 12 Fairey Fulmars, the squadron embarked in HMS Victorious in July 1941. At first involved in operations against Petsamo and Bodø, and then the convoys to North Russia, Victorious and her air group fought in the Mediterranean from July 1942, including...
.The Fulmars, unfortunately, were unable to rendezvous with the Albacore squadrons, who were then left without fighter protection. The Albacores had to attack by flying over the mountains and the fjord rather than attacking from the sea. There were only four cargo vessels within the harbour. The aircraft released their torpedoes quickly to get away from anti-aircraft fire, sinking one 2000 LT (2,032.1 t) vessel and setting another on fire and causing minor damage ashore. One Bf 109, two Bf 110s and one Ju 87 were claimed shot down for the loss of 11 Albacores and two Fulmars with a further eight Albacores damaged. Incomplete German loss records confirm the loss of at least one Bf 110 to a Fulmar and one Ju 87 to an Albacore.
Aftermath
The attack was a failure. Unlike the Battle of TarantoBattle of Taranto
The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
, it had no impact on the course of the war. A number of aircraft were lost and even harder to replace aircrews were killed.