Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive
The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive or Karelian offensive was a strategic operation by the Soviet Leningrad and Karelian Fronts against Finland on the Karelian Isthmus and East Karelia fronts of the Continuation War, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The Soviet forces captured East Karelia and Vyborg/Viipuri. After that, however, the fighting reached a stalemate.
| Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive | |||||||||
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| Part of the Continuation War during the Eastern Front (World War II) | |||||||||
Finnish soldiers at the VT-line of fortifications during the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive in June 1944 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Finland Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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C.G.E. Mannerheim Karl Lennart Oesch |
Leonid Govorov Kirill Meretskov | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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75,000 soldiers (Karelian Isthmus, initially) 268,000 soldiers (after reinforcements both Karelian Isthmus and Karelian Front) 1,930 artillery pieces 110 tanks / assault guns (30–40 modern, StuG III, T-34, KV-1) 248 aircraft (only 50 were modern, Bf 109, Ju 88) |
451,500 soldiers (+5 new divisions were sent later to Karelian Isthmus) 10,500 artillery pieces 800 tanks 1,600 aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Karelian Isthmus: 9,300 deceased and 32,400 wounded (June 9 – July 15) 3,000 captured (all fronts) Karelian Front: 3,600 deceased and 12,100 wounded (June 9 – July 15). Based on database of deceased Finnish military persons excluding non-battle deaths. Total: 12,932 soldiers deceased (June 9 – July 15 in all fronts and all military branches) and 2,786 (July 16 – August 9.) Deceased soldiers in all fronts (June 9 – August 9, 1944): 10,008 KIA, 2,870 DIW (died in wounds), 2,802 MIA and confirmed deceased, 39 died in captivity, 726 non-combat deaths. |
Vyborg Offensive: Leningrad Front (10–20 June) 6,018 KIA & MIA 24,011 WIA & sick. Finnish estimation based on Soviet data and recalculations of losses including reinforcements and all units (Tapio Tiihonen, 2000): 60,000 KIA, WIA, MIA (52,000 losses of units and 8,000 losses of replacements.) Svir-Petrozavodsk Offensive: Karelian Front (21 June – 9 August) 16,924 KIA & MIA 46,679 WIA & sick. Virojoki-Lappeenranta Offensive (Finnish estimate based on Soviet data): Leningrad Front (21 June – 15 July) 15,000 KIA & MIA 53,000 WIA & sick. Finnish estimation (Tapio Tiihonen, 2000): 129,000 KIA, WIA, MIA (based on recalculation of Soviet data, units, reinforcements. Tiihonen found contradictory information there.) Total military losses of Soviet offensive in Karelian Isthmus: (June 9 – July 18): 189,000 KIA, WIA and MIA Baltic Fleet and Lake Ladoga / Lake Onega Detachments (Whole duration) 732 KIA & MIA 2,011 WIA & sick. | ||||||||
The operations of the strategic offensive can be divided into the following offensives:
- Viipuri (10–20 June) by the Leningrad Front
- Virojoki-Lappeenranta (21 June – 15 July) by the Leningrad Front
- Koivisto landing (20–25 June) by the Baltic Fleet
- Svir–Petrozavodsk (21 June – 9 August) by the Karelian Front
- Tuloksa landing (23–27 June) by the Soviet Ladoga Flotilla
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