Losses of the Finnish army in 1941. The beginning of the Barbarossa plan
After the end of the “Winter War” in March 1940 ( Talvisota) in Finland, revanchist sentiments have spread in all layers of society - not only to return lost territories, but to annex a number of regions of the USSR with the peoples traditionally living in them Finnish group(Karelians, Vepsians, Izhorians, Komi). Already in April 1940, the Finnish Armed Forces began preparing for a new war with the USSR. If in 1939 - the first half of 1940 Finland relied on Great Britain and France, then after their defeat in the military campaign of May - June 1940, Germany became its main foreign policy partner.
The agreement signed by the Soviets states that payment for equipment will be made on mutually agreed terms at the end of the war. Another bad deal as no final agreement was reached with the Soviet Union. Roosevelt, beloved by millions of Americans for his achievements at home, was actually a communist sympathizer and campaigned against the American people to trust Stalin. The truth must come out no matter who it is; The world cannot tolerate a gloss over facts when these facts lead people to commit genocide.
On August 18, 1940, military cooperation between Finland and Germany began.
On September 12, 1940, Finland and Germany agreed on the possibility of transit flights of the German Air Force through Finnish territory.
On October 1, 1940, an agreement was concluded between Finland and Germany on the supply of German weapons to the Finnish army. Before January 1, 1941, 327 artillery pieces, 53 fighters, 500 anti-tank rifles and 150,000 anti-personnel mines were delivered.
Every country in Europe has now become a victim of Stalin and Hitler, the villains, no matter who escaped the understanding of Roosevelt and Churchill. Of course, Finland can be accused of collaborating with Hitler, but the same applies to Stalin. Can anyone blame Finland for not wanting to, as in Eastern Europe, satellite of Russia? If not, then why does Finland deserve harsh conditions and the loss of Karelia?
Finland was sold to Stalin in a cascade of post-war mistakes in favor of the beast called Stalin. Well, so much for Roosevelt as a good judge of character, for one of the most savage and barbaric was his friend and confidante Joseph Stalin. His contribution to Stalin's success is innumerable, and he contributed to the loss of Karelia and Finland's position after the war.
Supplies also came from the USA - 232 artillery pieces.
Since January 1941, 90% of Finland's foreign trade was oriented towards Germany.
In the same month, Germany brought to the attention of the Finnish leadership its intention to attack the USSR.
Review of Finnish troops. Spring 1941
In this way he revealed his ignorance of what communism and Stalin meant; despite all the evidence at his disposal, this man refused to believe in communism, and Stalin was somehow a threat to freedom and justice. Apparently, Roosevelt also ignored Finland's position regarding the preservation of the security of the Soviet Union, and in particular Leningrad. Mannerheim was against the attack on Leningrad; and he did not allow Finnish troops to cut off food supplies associated with the besieged city.
Finland was not interested in Hitler's plan for world domination, nor in any master race theories, nor in any such fascist stupidity. Her goals were self-preservation and the return of Karelia. It was useless to become Stalin's ally, he would simply send his army and that would be the end of Finland. Instead, she chose the “lesser” of Adolf Hitler’s two evils.
On January 24, 1941, the Finnish parliament adopted a law on conscription, which increased the period of service in the regular troops from 1 to 2 years, and the conscription age was lowered from 21 to 20 years. Thus, in reality military service in 1941 there were 3 conscription age groups at once.
On March 10, 1941, Finland received an official proposal to send its volunteers to the newly formed SS units and in April gave its positive response. An SS battalion (1,200 people) was formed from Finnish volunteers, which in 1942 - 1943. participated in battles against units of the Red Army on the Don and in the North Caucasus.
And the Lord commanded all people to love their neighbors: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. R. and Finland to explore the possibility of a separate world. When asked by Mr. Molotov whether the American government had information that Finland wanted peace and what its real position was, Admiral Stanley replied that he could not say anything on this matter. I have no reason to believe that Finland really wants peace, that it has already decided to part with Germany and offer acceptable terms. It seems to me that Finland has not yet escaped from the clutches of Hitler, if it has this intention at all.
On May 30, 1941, the Finnish leadership developed a plan for the annexation of the so-called territory. "Eastern Karelia", which was part of the USSR (Karelo-Finnish SSR). Professor Jalmari Jaakkole ( Kaarle Jalmari Jaakkola) commissioned by the Finnish government, he wrote a book-memoir, “The Eastern Question of Finland,” which substantiated Finland’s claims to part of the territory of the USSR. The book was published on August 29, 1941.
The present government of Finland, which concluded a peace treaty with the Soviet Union and then violated it and attacked the Soviet Union in alliance with Germany, can hardly break with Hitler. To which the Prime Minister replied: You can best judge how much military value there would be in fighting the Germans on your front to get Finland out of the war. In addition, Finland's retreat from the Axis could have a significant impact on Hitler's other satellites. If this is so, it seems to me that it cannot be premature for you to ask the United States Government whether they know, or can find out, without disclosing your interest, what terms the Finns will be prepared to accept.
Jalmari Jaakkole
In June 1941, the Finnish army received 50 anti-tank guns from Germany.
On June 4, 1941, in Salzburg, an agreement was reached between the Finnish and German commands that Finnish troops would enter the war against the USSR 14 days after the start of the Soviet-German military campaign.
But you will be the best judge of the right tactics. Roosevelt believed that the Americans and Russians were for a “democratic” government and that Finland was for fascism! Only towards the end of his life, when Russian intentions in Poland could no longer be overlooked, did Roosevelt come to understand Stalin's interpretation of democracy. He trusted Stalin so much and believed that he would not betray him. But Roosevelt's naive, carefree thinking was dead. There would be so much suffering and injustice from trusting this man who demonstrated from time to time what and who he really was.
On June 6, at the German-Finnish negotiations in Helsinki, the Finnish side confirmed its decision to participate in the impending war against the USSR.
On June 9, partial mobilization was announced in Finland (30,000 people).
On the same day, German troops (40,600 people) entered Finnish Lapland from Norway and settled in the area Rovaniemi.
Churchill's position was that he could not begin to treat them and Hitler. Churchill was afraid of hurting Stalin's feelings; Stalin could be sad, and he didn't want it. Stalin wanted Karelia, he would have gotten this and everything else. His attitude cost millions of lives and untold suffering.
The Americans and British would allow this. When the war ended, the Allies agreed that all Soviet citizens should be sent back to the Soviet Union to labor camps until they died, by gunfire if necessary. Stalin did not want any news about his paradise to spread. Thousands were sent back between Finland and Croatia. It was a great crime against humanity, rivaling Stalin's genocide.
On June 14, 14 minelayers of the German Navy arrived in Turku.
On June 15, 10 German fighters arrived at the Luostari airfield (Petsamo region).
On June 17, general mobilization was announced in Finland.
General mobilization in Finland. June 17, 1941
On June 18, a squadron of torpedo boats (17 boats) of the German Navy arrived in Helsinki.
If they want to think that this war made their people free, that's fine. There was no freedom for their own people and the countries they enslaved in Eastern Europe. The section “Leaving the battlefield without permission” was defined as an act of treason against the Fatherland and was to be punished by execution and confiscation of property.
Note that no evidence was found against those who were sentenced to hard labor. One procession passed from the Sibelius monument to the Russian Orthodox Church in Tölo, Helsinki, and the other was in Porkkala, a peninsula west of Helsinki that was leased to the Soviet Union as part of peace terms after the war. The Russian Embassy rented two buses to transport people to the event in Porkkala.
On the same day, in Finnish Lapland, German troops (36th Mountain Corps) began moving to the USSR border, to the Salla region.
On the same day, a flight of 3 German reconnaissance aircraft began to be based in Rovaniemi, which over the next days made a number of flights over Soviet territory.
On June 20, a flight of 3 German reconnaissance aircraft began to be based at Loutenjärvi airfield (central Finland).
"They realized they were on the wrong side"
Organizer Dania Skippari-Smirnov said she was aware that Finns might be annoyed by her event. Despite this, the large Russian community in Finland still did not consider necessary celebrations in Finland. The Helsinki event was described by organizers as a "peaceful celebration" and stressed that it was not a demonstration. The participants were Russians living in Finland whose relatives fought in World War II.
Finnish police retreat as human chain blocks deportation of Afghan family
Organizer Skippari-Smirnov said it was a simple memorial. After the war, Finland was banned by the Council from receiving Marshall aid and paid the Soviet Union approximately $226 million in war reparations. 
Police officers from central Finland were forced to leave their mission on Monday to pick up an Afghan family due to deportation. According to a police statement, demonstrators gathered at the Jyväskylä reception center created a chain of people to prevent officials from removing the family for deportation and encouraged officials to demand backup from seven additional units.
On June 21, Finnish troops (5,000 people with 69 guns and 24 mortars) landed on the demilitarized Åland Islands (Operation Regatta). The personnel (31 people) of the USSR consulate on these islands were arrested.
On the same day, the Finnish command received information about Germany’s intention to begin military operations against the USSR on June 22.
The fatal explosions in Helsinki require a re-examination of the obligation to install smoke alarms. The Finnish Security Investigations Agency is asking the Ministry of the Interior to find ways to force property owners to ensure that they install and maintain smoke detectors in properties. A recent investigation into a fire in eastern Helsinki found that a woman and her three children died because their home was not equipped with a fire alarm.
Attorney General Charged with Official Misconduct Following Corruption Investigation
Finnish Attorney General Matti Nissinen is accused of official misconduct for purchasing training services from a firm owned by his brother. Nissinen was suspended last week. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä criticized the latest nuclear tests North Korea as “reckless,” adding that it was contrary to international agreements banning nuclear weapons.
On June 22, the German Air Force bombed the territory of the USSR, moving through Finnish airspace using previously installed radio beacons and having the opportunity to refuel at the airfield in Utti. On the same day, Finnish submarines, together with German submarines, took part in mining the western part of the Gulf of Finland.
For the widespread " Crusade against Bolshevism" the armed forces had 153 divisions with just over three million soldiers, 600 tanks and 1,000 vehicles. In addition, there were a thousand people from allied states Hungary, Romania, Finland, Slovakia and Italy. There were 4.7 million soldiers in the Red Army.
Buoyed by the unexpected surprise, three groups of the German army quickly advanced east in accordance with the Barbarossa attack plan. Hitler wanted to starve in the city. However, despite the siege lasting 900 days, the resistance of the prisoners could not be broken. East of Leningrad there were months of brutal fighting on the Volkhov Front.
On June 24, the USSR Embassy left Finland.
On June 25, Soviet aviation launched strikes on the territory of Finland, including the capital of the country, Helsinki. On the same day, Finland declared war on the USSR, becoming an ally of Germany in World War II. 41 Finnish aircraft were destroyed at the airfields. Finnish air defenses shot down 23 Soviet aircraft.
With the wedge-armor strategy tested in Poland and France, the army group, in the midst of battles with lost batteries near Bialystok and Minsk, as well as Smolensk, gained enormous benefits in space. In the conquered areas, the Einsatzgruppen began its murderous "special tasks": the systematic murder of Jewish residents, communist officials and Sinti and Roma. The initial joy of the indigenous population, especially the Ukrainian and Baltic population, for the liberation of the “Stalinist yoke” by the Wehrmacht largely turned into hatred, from which it developed guerrilla warfare caused by extreme cruelty.
Turku Castle after the bombing on June 25, 1941
The new war against the USSR was called the “continuation war” in Finland ( Jatkosota).
By the beginning of hostilities, 2 Finnish armies were concentrated on the borders with the Soviet Union - on the Karelian Isthmus, the Southeastern Army under the command of General Axel Erik Heinrichs ( Axel Erik Heinrichs) and in Eastern Karelia the Karelian Army under the command of General Lenart Esch ( Lennart Karl Oesch). There were 470,000 soldiers and officers in the active army. IN armored forces There were 86 tanks (mostly Soviet captured ones) and 22 armored vehicles. Artillery was represented by 3,500 guns and mortars. The Finnish Air Force included 307 combat aircraft, of which 230 were fighters. The navy consisted of 80 ships and boats various types. Coastal defense had 336 guns, and air defense had 761 anti-aircraft guns.
The German initial successes, as well as the huge losses of Soviet war materials and fallen soldiers or soldiers who entered the war, seemed to confirm the idea of commanding an army to defeat the Red Army within weeks. In early December, snow and icy temperatures brought the attack to a complete halt. Hitler was responsible for the unexpected winter crises.
Most German federations are not equipped with winter clothing and winter-ready armor technology in fervent anticipation of a “lightning strike.” Quickly improvised collections winter clothes and blankets in the German Reich could hardly improve the completely inadequate equipment of the German soldiers. Frostbite failures exceeded combat losses.
General Lenart Ash. 1941
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Armed Forces was Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim ( Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim).
In Finnish Lapland, the left flank of the Finnish troops was covered by the German 26th Army Corps.
On the Karelian Isthmus, the Finnish Southeastern Army (6 divisions and 1 brigade) was opposed by 8 divisions of the Red Army.
In Eastern Karelia, the Finnish Karelian Army (5 divisions and 3 brigades) was opposed by 7 divisions of the Red Army.
In the Arctic, German-Finnish troops (1 German and 1 Finnish division, 1 German brigade and 2 separate battalions) were opposed by 5 divisions of the Red Army.
On June 28, the Finnish army went on the offensive.
Finnish soldiers on the way to the front. July 1941
In addition to the Finnish units themselves, the Finnish army included a Swedish volunteer battalion (1,500 people) led by Hans Berggren ( Hans Berggren). After the Swedish volunteer battalion returned to Sweden on December 18, 400 Swedish citizens remained to serve in the Finnish army until September 25, 1944, as part of a separate volunteer company.
Also, Estonian volunteers (2,500 people) served in the Finnish Armed Forces, of which on February 8, 1944, the 200th Regiment (1,700 people) was formed as part of the 10th Infantry Division under the command of Colonel Eino Kuusela ( Eino Kuusela). Until mid-August 1944, the regiment led fighting on the Karelian Isthmus and near Vyborg. In addition, 250 Estonians served in the Finnish Navy.
On July 1, 1941, the Finnish 17th Division (including a Swedish volunteer battalion) launched attacks on a Soviet military base (25,300 men) on the Hanko Peninsula, which were successfully repelled by the Soviet garrison until December 1941.
3 July Finnish submarine Vesikko east of the island of Suursaari, she sank the Soviet transport Vyborg (4100 brt) with a torpedo. Almost the entire crew was saved (1 person died).
Finnish submarine Vesikko. 1941
On July 8, German troops (36th Mountain Corps), advancing from the territory of Finnish Lapland, occupied the desert mountain region of Salla. At this point, active hostilities on the northern section of the Soviet-Finnish border, controlled by German troops, stopped until the fall of 1944.
On July 23, Finnish troops captured a bridgehead on the southern bank of the Vuoksa River.
On July 31, British aircraft bombed Petsamo. Finland protested and withdrew its embassy in London. In turn, the British Embassy left Helsinki.
On July 1, 1941, fighting began in the Kandalaksha direction. The Finnish 6th Infantry and German 169th Infantry Divisions advanced 75 km into Soviet territory, but were stopped and went on the defensive, which they occupied until the end of the war.
On August 15, 1941, a Finnish patrol boat sank the Soviet submarine M-97.
On August 16, Finnish troops captured Sortavala.
On August 21, Finnish troops captured Kexholm.
On August 29, Finnish troops captured Vyborg.
On August 31, Finnish troops captured Terijoki.
Captured Red Army soldiers surrounded by Finnish soldiers. September 1941
By September 2, the Finnish army had reached the borders of Finland everywhere in 1939 and continued the offensive on Soviet territory. During the battles, the Finns captured more than a hundred Soviet light, amphibious, flamethrower, medium (including T-34) and heavy (KV) tanks, which they included in their tank units.
The Finnish army, having crossed the Soviet-Finnish border in 1939 and advanced further 20 km, stopped 30 km from Leningrad (along the Sestra River) and blocked the city from the north, carrying out a blockade of Leningrad together with German troops until January 1944.
The return of Finnish refugees (180,000 people) to the southern regions of Finland, formerly occupied by the USSR, began.
On the same day, a Finnish torpedo boat south of Koivisto sank the Soviet steamer Meero (1866 GRT). The crew was saved.
On September 4, Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim told the German command that the Finnish army would not participate in the assault on Leningrad. 
Finnish soldiers cross the Soviet-Finnish border, 1939.
September 2, 1941
On September 7, Finnish troops reached the Svir River.
On September 11, Finnish Foreign Minister Rolf Johan Witting ( Rolf Johan Witting) informed the US Ambassador to Helsinki, Arthur Schoenfield, that the Finnish army would not participate in the assault on Leningrad.
On September 13, off the island of Ute (off the coast of Estonia), the Finnish flagship, a coastal defense battleship, was struck by a mine and sank. Ilmarinen. 271 people died, 132 people were saved.
On September 22, Great Britain expressed a note to Finland about its readiness to return to friendly relations, subject to Finland’s cessation of hostilities against the USSR and the withdrawal of troops abroad in 1939.
On October 1, 1941, Finnish troops captured the capital of the Karelo-Finnish SSR - Petrozavodsk.
Finnish troops enter Petrozavodsk. October 1, 1941
Yalmar Prokop
On the same day, Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, by order, banned the Finnish Air Force from flying over Leningrad.
October 3, 1941 Secretary of State USA Cordell Hull ( CordellHull) congratulated the Ambassador of Finland in Washington Hjalmar Prokop ( Hjalmar Johan Fredrik Procope) with the “liberation of Karelia,” but warned that the United States opposes the Finnish army’s violation of the 1939 Soviet-Finnish border.
On October 24, the first concentration camp for the Russian population of Eastern Karelia was created in Petrozavodsk. Until 1944 The Finnish occupation authorities created 9 concentration camps, through which about 24,000 people (27% of the population) passed. Over the years, about 4,000 people died in concentration camps.
Russian children in a Finnish concentration camp.
On November 3, 1941, a Finnish minesweeper hit a mine near Porvo and sank Kuha.
On November 6, Finnish troops along the entire front went on the defensive.
On November 28, Great Britain presented Finland with an ultimatum demanding a cessation of hostilities against the USSR before December 5, 1941.
On the same day, a Finnish minesweeper sank in the Koivisto Sund Strait. Porkkala. 31 people died.
On December 2, 1941, Soviet troops abandoned their base on the Hanko Peninsula.
On December 4, Finnish troops entered a military base on the Hanko Peninsula
On December 5, Finnish troops captured the city of Medvezhyegorsk.
On the same day, the Finnish government announced the inclusion of the USSR territory occupied by Finnish troops into Finland.
6 December Great Britain (as well as the Union of South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) declared war on Finland after refusing to stop military operations against the USSR.
On the same day, Finnish troops captured the village of Povenets and cut the White Sea-Baltic Canal.
In 1941 - 1944 Germany supplied the Finnish Air Force with new aircraft designs - 48 fighters Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2, 132 fighters Bf 109G-6, 15 bombers Dornier Do 17Z-2 and 15 bombers Ju 88A-4 who took part in the battles against the Red Army.
From January 3 to January 10, 1942, in the Medvezhyegorsk area, Soviet troops (5 rifle divisions and 3 brigades) carried out unsuccessful attacks on Finnish troops (5 infantry divisions).
Finnish infantrymen on the Svir River. April 1942
During the spring of 1942 and the beginning of the summer of 1944, local battles were fought on the Soviet-Finnish front.
By the spring of 1942, 180,000 older people had been demobilized from the Finnish army.
June 4 - 6, 1942 Adolf Hitler visited Finland ( AdolfHitler).
Since the summer of 1942, Soviet partisans began to carry out their raids into the interior of Finland.
Soviet partisans in Eastern Karelia. 1942
14 July 1942 Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi sank the Soviet submarine Shch-213.
On September 1, 1942, Finnish aircraft sank the Soviet patrol ship Purga on Lake Ladoga.
Finnish fighter aircraft made in Italy FA-19
On October 13, 1942, 2 Finnish patrol boats south of Tiiskeri sank the Soviet submarine Shch-311 (“Kumzha”).
On October 21, a Finnish submarine near the Åland Islands Vesehiisi sank the Soviet submarine S-7 with a torpedo, from which its commander and 3 sailors were captured.
On October 27, a Finnish submarine near the Åland Islands Iku Turso A torpedo sank the Soviet submarine Shch-320.
Adolf Hitler and Carl Gustav Mannerheim. June 6, 1942
November 5, 1942, a Finnish submarine near the Åland Islands Vetehinen sank the Soviet submarine Shch-305 (Lin) with a ramming attack.
On November 12, the 3rd Infantry Battalion (1,115 people) was formed from Red Army prisoners of war belonging to the Finnish peoples (Karelians, Vepsians, Komi, Mordovians). Since May 1943, this battalion took part in battles against Red Army units on the Karelian Isthmus.
On November 18, 3 Finnish torpedo boats in the Lavensaari roadstead sank the stationary Soviet gunboat "Red Banner".
By the end of 1942, on the territory of the USSR occupied by Finnish troops, there were 18 partisan detachments and 6 sabotage groups (1698 people).
In the spring of 1943, the Finnish command formed the 6th infantry battalion, consisting of Finnish-speaking residents Leningrad region- Ingrians. The battalion was used for construction work on the Karelian Isthmus.
In March 1943, Germany demanded that Finland sign a formal commitment to a military alliance with Germany. The Finnish leadership refused. The German ambassador was recalled from Helsinki.
On March 20, the United States officially offered Finland its assistance in exiting the war against the USSR and the British Empire, but the Finnish side refused.
25 May 1943 Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi sank the Soviet submarine Shch-408.
26 May Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi sank the Soviet submarine Shch-406.
In the summer of 1943, 14 partisan detachments carried out several deep raids into the interior of Finland. The partisans were given two interrelated strategic tasks: the destruction of military communications in the front-line zone and the disorganization of the economic life of the Finnish population. The partisans sought to inflict as much damage as possible on the Finnish economy and sow panic among the civilian population. During the partisan raids, 160 Finnish peasants were killed and 75 seriously wounded. The authorities issued an order for the urgent evacuation of the population from central Finland. Locals abandoned livestock, agricultural equipment, and property. Haymaking and harvesting in these areas were disrupted in 1943. To protect populated areas, the Finnish authorities were forced to allocate military units.
Victim of sabotage war. Locke, July 14, 1943
On August 23, 1943, Soviet torpedo boats south of Tiiskeri sank a Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi. Of the 60 crew members, 35 people were saved.
In August 1943, from 2 tank brigades with total number 150 tanks (mainly captured T-26s), a brigade of assault guns, staffed by Finnish Bt-42s and German Sturmgeschütz IIIs, Jaeger brigade and support units, a tank division was formed ( Panssaridivisoona), which was headed by Major General Ernst Lagus ( Ernst Ruben Lagus).
On September 6, 1943, Finnish torpedo boats sank a Soviet transport barge between Leningrad and Lavensaari. 21 people died.
On February 6, 1944, Soviet aviation bombed Helsinki (910 tons of bombs). 434 buildings were destroyed. 103 city residents were killed and 322 were injured. 5 Soviet bombers were shot down.
Fires in Helsinki caused by bombing. February 1944
On February 16, Soviet aviation bombed Helsinki (440 tons of bombs). 25 city residents died. 4 Soviet bombers shot down.
On February 26, Soviet aviation bombed Helsinki (1067 tons of bombs). 18 city residents died. 18 Soviet bombers were shot down.
On the same day, a Finnish patrol boat was sunk by Soviet aircraft in the Helsinki roadstead.
Women from the organization Lotta Svärd at the air surveillance post. 1944
Evacuation of children from the frontline zone. Spring 1944
On March 9, 1944, the Finnish Air Force attacks Soviet airfields on the Leningrad Front.
On March 20, the United States offered Finland its mediation in peace negotiations. The Finnish government refused.
On March 21, the evacuation of the Finnish population from Eastern Karelia began. From here, about 3,000 former Soviet citizens were evacuated to the interior of Finland.
In total, up to 200,000 people were evacuated from the front-line zone to the north.
March 25 former ambassador Finland in Stockholm Juho Kusti Paasikivi ( Juho Kusti Paasikivi) and special representative of Marshal Mannerheim Oscar Karlovich Enkel ( Oscar Paul Enckell) went to Moscow to negotiate peace with the USSR.
On April 1, 1944, the Finnish delegation returned from Moscow and informed the government of the Soviet conditions for concluding a bilateral peace: the 1940 border, the internment of German units, reparations in the amount of 600 million US dollars over 5 years. During the discussions, the last 2 points were recognized by the Finnish side as technically impracticable.
On April 18, 1944, the Finnish government gave a negative response to the Soviet conditions for concluding a peace treaty.
On May 1, 1944, Germany protested in connection with the Finnish side’s search for a separate peace with the USSR.
At the beginning of June 1944, Germany stopped grain supplies to Finland.
In June 1944, Germany supplied 15 tanks to the Finnish army Pz IVJ and 25,000 anti-tank grenade launchers Panzerfaust And Panzerschreck. The 122nd Wehrmacht Infantry Division was also transferred from Estonia to Vyborg.
June 10, 1944 troops of the Leningrad Front (41 rifle divisions, 5 brigades - 450,000 people, 10,000 guns, 800 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,547 aircraft (not counting naval aviation), group Baltic Fleet(3 brigades Marine Corps, 175 guns, 64 ships, 350 boats, 530 aircraft) and ships of the Ladoga and Onega flotillas (27 ships and 62 boats) began an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. The Finnish army had 15 divisions and 6 brigades (268,000 people, 1,930 guns and mortars, 110 tanks and 248 aircraft) on the Karelian Isthmus and South Karelia.
On June 14, the Finnish tank division unsuccessfully counterattacked the advancing Red Army units.
On June 16, Germany transferred 23 dive bombers to Finland Ju-87 and 23 fighters FW-190.
On June 20, Soviet troops entered Vyborg, abandoned by Finnish troops.
Soviet troops enter Vyborg. June 20, 1944
On the same day, Soviet aircraft (80 aircraft) attacked the Elisenvaara railway station, killing more than 100 civilians (mostly refugees) and injuring more than 300.
Funeral of the victims in Elisenvaara. June 22, 1944
From June 20 to 30, Soviet troops launched unsuccessful attacks on the Vyborg-Kuparsaari-Taipele defense line.
On June 21, Finland, through Sweden, invited the USSR to consider the terms of the truce.
On the same day, Soviet troops (3 rifle divisions) unsuccessfully attacked Medvezhyegorsk.
On the same day, Soviet aircraft sank a Finnish torpedo boat Tarmo.
On the same day, the 122nd Wehrmacht Infantry Division stopped the advance of the Soviet 59th Army along the Vyborg Bay.
On June 22, the USSR responded that only surrender without any conditions was possible for Finland.
On the same day in Helsinki, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop ( Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop) entered into an agreement with President Risti Heikko Ryti that Finland would not conduct separate peace negotiations.
On June 23, Finnish troops left Medvezhyegorsk, where Soviet troops entered on the same day.
On the same day, 42 self-propelled artillery units arrived from Germany to Finland Stug-40/42.
From June 25 to July 9, 1944, there were fierce battles in the Tali-Ihantala area on the Karelian Isthmus, as a result of which the Red Army was unable to break through the defenses of the Finnish troops. The Red Aria lost 5,500 people killed and 14,500 wounded. The Finnish army lost 1,100 people killed, 6,300 wounded and 1,100 missing.
Finnish infantryman with a German Panzerschreck anti-tank rifle. Summer 1944
On June 25, Soviet troops occupied Olonets.
On June 27, Finnish troops left Petrozavodsk.
On June 28, Soviet troops liberated Petrozavodsk.
By the end of June 1944, the Red Army reached the Soviet-Finnish border of 1941.
On June 30, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Finland.
From July 1 to July 10, 1944, Soviet troops captured 16 islands of the Bjork archipelago in the Vyborg Bay. The Red Army lost 1,800 people killed, and 31 ships were sunk during the fighting. The Finnish army lost 1,253 people killed, wounded and prisoners, and 30 ships were sunk during the fighting.
On July 2, near Medvezhyegorsk, Soviet troops surrounded the 21st Finnish brigade, but the Finns managed to break through.
On July 9 - 20, Soviet troops unsuccessfully tried to break through the defenses of Finnish troops on the Vouksa River - the bridgehead was captured only in the northern sector.
On July 12, the troops of the Leningrad Front stopped the offensive and went on the defensive.
On the same day, the USSR notifies Sweden of its readiness to discuss the terms of an armistice with Finland.
On July 15, a Finnish minesweeper was sunk by Soviet aircraft in the Porkkala roadstead. Vilppula.
On August 2, in the Ilomantsi area, the Finnish cavalry and 21st rifle brigades surrounded the 176th and 289th Soviet rifle divisions.
On August 4, 1944, Finnish President Risti Heikko Ryti resigned. Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim was elected as the new president.
On August 5, in the Ilomantsi area, the remnants of the 289th Soviet Rifle Division broke out of encirclement.
On August 9, the troops of the Karelian Front, during the offensive, reached the Kudamguba - Kuolisma - Pitkäranta line.
On August 25, Finland announced a severance of relations with Germany and turned to the USSR with a request to resume negotiations.
Finnish delegation to conclude a truce. September 1944
On August 29, troops of the Karelian Front stopped the offensive.
By the end of August 1944, during the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus and in South Karelia, Soviet troops lost 23,674 people killed and 72,701 wounded, 294 tanks and 311 aircraft. Finnish troops lost 18,000 killed and 45,000 wounded.
On September 4, 1944, the Finnish government made a radio announcement that it accepted Soviet preconditions and ceased hostilities along the entire front.
On September 5, the Red Army stopped shelling Finnish positions. 
Soviet and Finnish officers after the armistice. September 1944
On September 15, Finland declared war on Germany.
During the fighting against the USSR from June 28, 1941 to September 4, 1944, the Finnish army lost 58,715 people killed and missing. 3,114 people were captured, of which 997 people died. In total, in 1941 - 1944. About 70,000 Finnish citizens died.
Accurate data on the losses of Soviet troops on the Soviet-Finnish front in 1941 - 1944. no, but in the battles in Karelia in 1941 - 1944. and during the summer offensive of 1944, 90,939 people died on the Karelian Isthmus. 64,000 people were captured in Finnish captivity, of which 18,700 died.
After the end of World War II, the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 required Finland to significantly reduce its Armed Forces. Thus, the number of military personnel was to be determined at 34,000 people. Then the tank division was disbanded. Also, until now, the Finnish Navy should not include submarines, torpedo boats and specialized assault ships, and the total tonnage of ships was reduced to 10,000 tons. Military aviation was reduced to 60 aircraft.
In the USSR, Ingrians were greeted with an orchestra. Vyborg, December 1944
55,000 Ingrians voluntarily returned to the USSR, as well as employees of the 3rd and 6th infantry battalions forcibly. The former were sent to settle in various regions of the RSFSR and Kazakhstan, and the latter were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment in camps.
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Verigin S.G., Laidinen E.P., Chumakov G.V. USSR and Finland in 1941 - 1944: unexplored aspects of military confrontation // Journal " Russian history", 2009. No. 3. P. 90 - 103.
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Abbott P., Thomas N., Chappell M. Germany's allies on the Eastern Front 1941 - 1945. M., 2001
Why did war break out again between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1941? Was the cause fascist revanchism, or the small country’s fear of losing independence? How did the hostilities unfold, and what price did Finland pay for all this?
In Finland the war of 1941-44 against the Soviet Union is called war - continuation, that is, a continuation winter war 1939-40 The Red Army attacked Finland on November 30, 1939. This became possible thanks to the secret additional protocol of the Soviet-German Pact of August 23, 1939, according to which Finland, following the example of the Baltic countries, fell into the zone of influence of the USSR. After the Winter War Soviet Union continued to put pressure on Finland and constantly sought Germany's consent to the final implementation of the agreement. Finland, in search of protection, was forced to hide under the wing of Germany.
The threat posed by the Soviet Union towards Finland arose due to different interpretations peace treaty, the accession of the Baltic countries to the Soviet Union in 1940 and the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov, who called on German Chancellor A. Hitler to fully implement the agreement of the summer of 1939 regarding part of Finland. First, Finland turned to Sweden for help and Western countries. The Soviet Union, citing the peace treaty, prevented the emergence of joint defense plans between Sweden and Finland. Great Britain, which fought alone against Germany in the summer of 1940, could not help Finland. Between May and June 1940, Germany captured Denmark and Norway.
The course of hostilities in Finnish wars 1939-45 OFFENSIVE MAP OF THE 1941 CONTINUATION WAR AND 1942 WAR OF POSITION. The map shows the progress German troops V Northern Europe in 1941; the lines on which the offensive stopped; front lines in 1942 and the operational offensives of the Red Army towards Finland in the winter and spring of 1942. The Moscow Peace Treaty of March 12, 1940 obliged Finland to lease the territory on Cape Hanko to the Soviet Union for a naval base. The Soviet Union evacuated the base's military personnel in December 1941 to the Oranienbaum-Leningrad area. Original map by Rautio Ari, Progress of hostilities in the Finnish Wars 1939-45, Porvoo 2004. Photo: Ari Raunio
The Moscow Peace Treaty, signed after the Winter War in March 1940, contrary to the assurances of the Soviet Union, did not remove all the problems in relations between Finland and the USSR. In practice, only the Soviet Union had the right to interpret the short and condensed treaty, and these interpretations were perceived as a threat to Finnish independence. It was believed that the final goal of the USSR was the complete capture of Finland. Another confirmation of this was the decision of the top leadership of the Soviet Union to found the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Union on March 31, 1940. Socialist Republic. A few days earlier, the Finnish language received the status of official language. This new Soviet republic included territories seized by the Soviet Union from Finland after the Winter War.
In an effort to repel the threat posed by the Soviet Union, Finland fell into the arms of Germany. Finland requested military support, and Germany offered to return, with interest, the territories lost in the Winter War. To do this, Finland had to open a front in parallel with the German attack and provide its northern regions for an attacking bridgehead for the German army. It was assumed that it would be easy to conduct military operations from the territory of Finland in conditions when Germany was attacking the Soviet Union in other directions.
This prospect excited the thoughts of Finnish leaders. In addition to the territories lost during the winter war, Finland was attracted by the lands of the Karelians related to the Finns, that is, there was talk of annexing the Karelian Soviet republic to Finland. At the beginning of the Continuation War, both the Soviet Union and Finland thought it was a good idea to unite Finland and the Karelian Republic.
The winter war was, apparently, successful main reason, according to which Germany did not demand that Finland accept fascist ideology as a condition for joint military action. Finland retained a democratic form of government and remained a Western rule of law state throughout the war.
The Continuation War, which lasted more than three years, can be divided militarily into three stages: the war of attack in 1941, the war of position in 1942-44, and the war of reflection in 1944.
Planning an attack It was believed that it would mainly be accompanied by the retreat of units of the Red Army. It was believed that a massive attack by the Germans in the Leningrad direction would weaken the combat power of the Red Army on the Finnish border. It turned out differently - the battles became fierce. Finland lost 21,000 soldiers in 1941, that is, 2,000 more than during the entire winter war. The total Finnish losses in the Continuation War amounted to 60,000 people killed and died from wounds. The number of wounded reached almost 150,000.
Defensive actions of the continuation war of 1942-44. In the winter of 1944, the Red Army pushed German corps on the Leningrad Front to the Narva-Pepsijärvi line. The fourth strategic strike of the Red Army in 1944 was aimed at Finland. The Red Army, with its offensive, forced the Finnish units to retreat to the positions won in 1941. The power of the offensive was weakened as a result of the resistance of Finnish troops in the area of the border established by the peace agreement after the winter war. The Red Army attacked German troops at Petsamo (Pechenga) in October 1944. Original map by Ari Raunio-Juri Kilin, Defensive Actions of the Continuation War 1942-44, Keuru 2008. Photo: Ari Raunio
Finland received a formal reason for the offensive in the summer of 1941, after Soviet aircraft bombed many Finnish cities on June 25. In fact, Finland had already pledged to provide the northern regions of the country for a German military bridgehead and promised to launch its own offensive in southern Finland. In secret military negotiations, Finland's actions were coordinated with the German attack on the Soviet Union, that is, the Barbarossa plan.
In June-July 1941, the corps of the German Army “Norway” began an offensive from Northern Finland to the northern regions of the USSR. The units under Finnish command launched a general offensive in the North Ladoga direction on July 10. Five days earlier, the division, under the command of the General Staff, began an offensive towards Rukajärvi.
Finnish troops, in addition to the territories lost in the winter war, captured the regions Karelian Soviet Republic. The offensive in the northern direction of the German Army “Norway” floundered along the entire front already in September. The Finnish corps, under the command of this German army, occupied Kestenga, with the support of German units. The advance of the army corps of the southern flank stopped in August on the approaches to Ukhtua (now Kalevala). The Finnish Army Corps was withdrawn from German command in the summer of 1942.
On the Karelian Isthmus In the first days of September, troops under the command of the Finnish General Staff stopped at the approaches to the old borders of the Principality of Finland, which seceded from Russia in 1918. Soviet Russia and Finland fixed the borders with a peace treaty of 1920. In the northern part of Lake Ladoga Finnish units reached the old border during July-August, in September - to Svir and Petrozavodsk, in October-November - to the northern side of Medvezhyegorsk. The offensive on this line was stopped in early December. Great Britain declared war on Finland on December 6, 1941. The United States did not declare war on Finland, but relations between the countries were seriously tested during different periods of the war and were on the verge of breaking in the summer of 1944.
At the offensive stage, the Germans tried unsuccessfully to force the Finns to continue offensive operations, both on the Karelian Isthmus closer to Leningrad, and in the direction from Svir to the south, in order to join the German troops surrounding Leningrad. Supreme Commander Marshal Gustav Mannerheim rejected all German plans. Each time, before giving an answer, Mannerheim consulted with the President of the Republic, Risto Ryti.
The positional war lasted two and a half years. During this time, the Finns did not conduct a single offensive operation. A significant military action was the capture of the island of Suursaari (Gogland) in the Gulf of Finland in the winter of 1942. Finnish units repelled a series of attacks by the Red Army in January 1942 on the isthmus between Seesjärvi and Yajaninen and in April-May east of Svir. During the winter-spring of 1942, the German army repulsed the operational offensives of the Red Army in the direction of Pechenga and Kestenga. In the above-mentioned area of military operations, the Finnish-German corps was commanded by Major General of the Finnish Army Hjalmar Siilasvuo.
In an effort to repel the threat posed by the Soviet Union, Finland fell into the arms of Germany. In an effort to repel the threat posed by the Soviet Union, Finland fell into the arms of Germany. Finland requested military support, and Germany offered to return, with interest, the territories lost in the Winter War. To do this, Finland had to open a front in parallel with the German attack and provide its northern regions for an attacking bridgehead for the German army. Photo: vainse/flickr.com/ccby2.0
From the summer of 1942 to the summer of 1944, military operations were limited to positional clashes. During the war Finland was ready to begin peace negotiations on the terms of returning the old borders before the winter war. The Soviet Union insisted on the boundaries of the Moscow Treaty of 1940.
Germany reacted sharply negatively to Finland’s attempts to make peace and, on the condition of continued military and food assistance, demanded that Finland continue to fight. The country experienced a shortage of food products that could only be obtained from Germany. The head of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, sought to speed up the 1944 winter negotiations with the massive bombing of Helsinki in February. Finnish parliament in April 1944 rejected the conditions put forward by the USSR, which assumed a return to the borders of the 1940 peace treaty and the expulsion of German troops from Northern Finland.
Stalin's fourth strategic strike in the summer of 1944
Big Offensive The Red Army's attack on Finland began on the Leningrad front with an attack on the Karelian Isthmus on June 10. The corps of the Karelian Front began ten days later an offensive on the isthmus between Svir, Segozero and Lake Onega.
On the first day of the main offensive, the troops of the Leningrad Front under the command of Colonel General L. Govorov captured an advanced Finnish defensive bridgehead, and five days later another one - the most fortified of all Finnish bridgeheads on the Karelian Isthmus. Govorov 18.6 was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. Two days later, his corps took Vyborg.
After the loss of Vyborg, Finland was again ready for a truce with the USSR. Finland, however, interpreted the Soviet Union's response as a demand for unconditional surrender and decided to continue resistance. In order to ensure the receipt of military aid from Germany, President Risto Ryti sent a personal message to Adolf Hitler in which he confirmed that neither he nor the government he appointed would make a separate peace with the Soviet Union.
Finnish formations under the command of Lieutenant General Lennart Esch were able to stop the advance of the Red Army on the Karelian Isthmus on the Vyborg Bay and Vuoksa-Taipale line in mid-August. In mid-August, positional warfare began again on the Karelian Isthmus.
In the northern part of Ladoga, the corps of Lieutenant General Paavo Talvela slowly retreated fightingly to Ladoga and Karelia, where by the end of August the Finns managed to stop the advance of the troops of the Karelian Front under the command of Army General K. Meretskov on the Pitkäranta-Lemetti-Loimola line. The last big battles of the war were fought in the Ilomantsi region, where the units of Major General Erkki Raappan in early August pushed the corps of the Karelian Front back beyond the old border established by the peace treaty of 1920.
The war ended in September 1944 with an armistice, which was formalized by the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The 1944 truce was even harsher than the peace treaty signed after the winter war in Moscow on March 12, 1940.
President Ryti resigned during the battles near Ilomantsi. Parliament elected Mannerheim as the new president, who appointed a government headed by Prime Minister Hakzel. In early August, Finland agreed to the preconditions for peace negotiations presented by the Soviet Union. The guns on the fronts fell silent on September 4-5. Hakzel, who led the Finnish delegation at the peace talks in Moscow, was struck by paralysis in early September. Karl Enckel was appointed the new head of the delegation. An agreement on the cessation of hostilities between Finland and the Soviet Union was signed in Moscow on September 19. In Finnish history this agreement is called the “truce agreement”.
The war ended in September 1944 with an armistice, which was formalized by the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The war ended in September 1944 with an armistice, which was formalized by the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The 1944 truce was even harsher than the peace treaty signed after the winter war in Moscow on March 12, 1940. Photo: vainse/flickr.com/ccby2.0
Territorial concessions, control commission and war reparations
The terms of the treaty were harsh for Finland. Its provisions in some respects were stricter than the preliminary conditions.
In addition to the boundaries outlined by the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, Finland was forced to cede Petsamo (Pechenga) and lease the naval base at Porkkala, which was only 30 kilometers from the Finnish capital Helsinki, to the Soviet Union. The USSR decided in 1955 to abandon the naval base in Porkkala, leased for a period of 50 years. The units located there left the base, and in January 1955 the territory was returned to Finnish control.
The lost territories accounted for more than 10% of Finland's land area. Finland, which had a population of 4 million at the time, was forced to accommodate about 400,000 people from abandoned territories.
Finland was also obliged to expel the German army contingent, numbering almost 200,000 people, from the northern part of the country. The forced expulsion led to hostilities between German and Finnish units. About 1,000 more military personnel died in this Lapland War. The last German units left Finnish Lapland in April 1945.
Arrived in Finland to observe the implementation of the peace agreement Allied Control Commission. The commission was headed by Colonel General A. Zhdanov, in whose actions representatives of Great Britain did not interfere. At the request of the Soviet Union, President Ryti and some wartime political leaders, were sentenced by a war crimes tribunal to various terms of imprisonment. Ryti received 10 years in prison. President Mannerheim escaped the tribunal. Elected after him as president, J.K. Paasikivi pardoned Ryti in 1949.
The Control Commission left Finland in the autumn of 1947 after the ratification of the Paris Peace Treaty.
Except territorial concessions, Finland was ordered to pay significant war reparations, which in the most severe cases amounted to 16% of government spending. The last batch of reparation goods was sent to the Soviet Union in 1952.
Text: Ari Raunio, Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, Master of Science in Political Science
