On June 29, 1941, German-Finnish troops tried to break through the defense of the Red Army in the Arctic.

The Nazis planned to seize the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, but were able to advance only a short distance due to the fierce resistance of the Soviet troops.

Thus, the Nazis lost the opportunity to block supplies under the Lend-Lease and were unable to develop an offensive deep into the USSR from the northern direction.

Defense of the Arctic

“The Nazis prepared in advance for an attack on Murmansk. They attached great importance to the capture of the city. This would allow them to take control of an ice-free port in northern Europe, located next to major naval bases. In addition, the Nazis hoped to organize nickel mining in the Arctic and get the opportunity to land troops along the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean, ”Alexander Mikhailov, a specialist in the history of the Victory Museum, told RT.

For operations in the Arctic during the invasion from Finland, the Nazi command developed a plan codenamed "Blue Arctic Fox", the implementation of which was entrusted to the army "Norway".

The mountain corps Norway, which was part of it, was supposed to seize the naval base in the city of Polyarny, block the Kola Bay and, in cooperation with the 36th Army Corps, occupy Murmansk.

Operationally subordinate to the Norwegian Army, the 3rd Finnish Corps was supposed to capture Ukhta, Kestenga, the village of Louhi and cut the Kirov railway north of Kem.

Later, as part of the Blue Arctic Fox plan, Nazi troops were to occupy Arkhangelsk, block the northern communications linking the USSR with other countries, and also interrupt communication between the northern and central regions of the RSFSR.

The total number of the Hitlerite group, which was supposed to be involved in the Soviet Arctic and Karelia, reached 530 thousand people.

She was supported by the naval and air forces of the Reich.

On the Soviet side, the border with Finland was defended by the forces of the Northern Front, with a total strength of about 400 thousand servicemen.

Murmansk was covered by the 14th Army, which was part of it, in the operational subordination of which were the forces of the Northern Fleet and local border detachments.

  • Column of Nazi troops in the Murmansk direction

  • © Wikimedia Commons

At dawn on June 29, 1941, the forces of the Nazi mountain corps "Norway", having a fourfold numerical superiority over the Red Army units in their offensive zone, tried to break through the Soviet defenses in the Murmansk direction.

However, in a day, the Nazis managed to advance only 3-12 km in various sectors.

The actions of the Nazis were not very successful in the following days.

On July 7, Hitler's troops tried to make a new leap.

They crossed the Zapadnaya Litsa River and wedged themselves into the defenses of the Soviet troops.

However, part of the Nazis' forces was distracted by the landing party landed in their rear, which consisted of a battalion of border guards.

This allowed the main forces of the Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive and push back the enemy.

  • Fighting on the Kola Peninsula

  • © Ministry of Defense of Russia

In August, the Nazi command relocated additional units from Greece, Norway, as well as units of the Finnish army to the Arctic.

However, a new attempt at an offensive, undertaken in the early autumn of 1941, ended in failure for the Nazis.

On September 22, the Wehrmacht command decided to suspend the attack on Murmansk.

At about the same time, the Nazis had to go over to the defensive in the Kandalaksha direction.

As Andrei Koshkin, a full member of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with RT, the Nazis, having failed to break through to Murmansk, entrenched themselves on the Musta-Tunturi ridge, turning it into a real fortress.

Fighting in the area continued for over three years.

Moreover, all this time, the Red Army men kept the border sign A-36 on the old Soviet-Finnish border on Musta-Tunturi, which the enemy could not pass in this place.

“Having failed to capture Murmansk, the Nazis in revenge subjected the city to barbaric bombing.

According to some estimates, Murmansk became the second Soviet settlement after Stalingrad in terms of the number of Nazi bombs dropped per square meter of its territory.

On some days, the number of raids reached more than 15, ”the expert emphasized.

  • Residential areas of Murmansk destroyed by German bombing

  • © histrf.ru

According to Alexander Mikhailov, the nature of hostilities in the Arctic was significantly different from the battles in other sectors of the Soviet-German front.

The features of the relief complicated the use of military equipment and the arrangement of continuous lines of defense, and due to climatic conditions, the constant presence in combat positions turned into an ordeal.

“The Soviet command practiced sending reconnaissance and sabotage groups behind enemy lines.

Our soldiers had to make many kilometers of marches in the most difficult weather conditions.

Given the small number of settlements, they did not have the opportunity to rest and warm up.

The Arctic is a theater of military operations that requires special strength and hardening, both physical and moral, "said Dmitry Surzhik, associate professor of GAUGN in a conversation with RT.

The men who went to the front at the enterprises of Murmansk were replaced by old men, women and children, who often worked up to 14 hours a day.

Residents of the capital of the Soviet Arctic continued to fish and provide food not only to the population of the city, but also to the front.

  • Defensive battles of the 14th Army in the Murmansk direction.

    July - September 1941

  • © Ministry of Defense of Russia

As Alexander Mikhailov noted, thanks to the fact that the Red Army stopped the Nazis in the Arctic Circle, Murmansk and other northern ports became important "sea gates" through which the USSR accepted Lend-Lease supplies.

In Murmansk alone, at least 1.2 million tons of foreign cargo was handled.

Crucial moment

In 1942, the Red Army tried to push the Nazis back from the territory of the Soviet Arctic, but due to difficult weather conditions and a lack of ammunition, these actions were unsuccessful.

The front line on land has stabilized.

In 1943, Soviet aviation managed to gain air supremacy.

“In the summer of 1944, the Red Army brilliantly carried out the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation, after which the Finnish authorities, who until recently behaved confidently, themselves asked for peace with Moscow.

This immediately made the position of the Nazis in the Arctic not as stable as before.

Germany has lost an important ally, ”said Andrey Koshkin.

On October 7, 1944, Soviet troops launched the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation.

At this time, directly in the Murmansk region, the Nazis held a 53,000-strong group, reinforced with artillery and armored vehicles and relying on well-prepared fortifications.

The backbone of the Soviet strike force was the 14th Army.

Its population was over 113 thousand people.

The offensive of the ground forces of the Red Army was supported by the landing of amphibious assault forces behind enemy lines.

On the night of October 15, 1944, Soviet troops defeated the Nazi group in the Petsamo area.

On October 21, units of the Soviet 113th Rifle Corps reached the border with Norway.

The next day, units of the Red Army captured the village of Nikel.

On October 25, the Red Army liberated the Norwegian city of Kirkenes from the Nazis.

Four days later, Soviet troops completed the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, liberating the Soviet Arctic from the Nazis and expelling them from Northern Norway.

  • Soviet troops during the fighting in 1944

  • © histrf.ru

“Although the struggle for the Arctic during the Great Patriotic War is not as" heard "as the Battle of Stalingrad or Kursk, it played a colossal role in the war. If the Nazis deprived us of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, they would have the opportunity to strike at our troops from the northern direction, transfer the liberated forces to Leningrad and block a significant part of the USSR's ties with the outside world. In this case, things could have turned out not in the best way for us. It should be noted that the issues of the defense of the northern borders were solved by the Red Army effectively and with relatively small forces, ”summed up Andrey Koshkin.