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Module's Annotation MODULE’S ANNOTATION DIVERSE ARCTIC Programmes The Arctic during the Second World War Course unit title Number of ECTS credits allocated: 10 ECTS classroom load independent load Semester/trimester when the course unit is delivered Spring 2014 Name of lecturer(s) Prof.Mikhail Suprun Сhair Russian History Institute ИСГиПН Type of course unit (compulsory, optional) compulsory Level of course unit (e.g. first, second or third cycle; sub-level first if applicable)) Language of instruction English Mode of delivery (face-to-face, blended, distance learning) Face-to-face Scientific benefit of this student course This student course will provide both know- how and insight in recent Arctic capita selecta and will concentrate on the history of the Second World War, related topics and the Cold War period as such in the Arctic Course contents The contents of this course will be based on publications and archive sources from both the Russian and the Western side, made by authoritative scientific institutes The Arctic during the Second World war period (10 ECTS=90 hours) Three periods can be identified in history of the Second World War in northernmost Europe: September 1939 to June 1941, June 1941 to June 1944, and June 1944 to May 1945. First period: September 1939 to June 1941. The first period saw military confrontations in which smaller Nordic nations confronted great European powers: the Soviet-Finnish “Winter” War (November 30, 1939, to March 13, 1940) and the German occupation of Norway (April 8 to June 10, 1940). On 23 August 1939 the long diplomatic manoeuvring preceding a new European war ended when Germany and the USSR signed a treaty of non-aggression, also known as the Molotov- Ribbentrop pact. The secret part of the treaty divided much of the Middle and Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. For Germany the non-aggression pact with the USSR became a carte blanche to launch an attack on Poland, which immediately drew into war France and the UK. Finland, the only Nordic nation explicitly mentioned in it, was recognized as part of the Soviet sphere of influence. In the context of a new European war, the Soviet leadership attempted to negotiate with Finland an exchange or lease of territories aimed to secure Leningrad, the second largest Soviet city located close to the border with Finland. These negotiations, which lasted during October and early November, resulted in a dead end, and the Soviet leadership decided to solve this question by force. On 26 November, Soviet forces organized a border provocation, known as the incident of Mainila, followed by the Soviet declaration of war on Finland on 30 November. On 1 December, a puppet Finnish Communist government was established, headed by a prominent Communist leader Otto Kuusinen and named Terijoki government after first Finnish town captured by the Red Army, which was made its place of residence. A treaty of mutual assistance was signed with the Soviet government, with the aim to de-legitimize the Finnish government in Helsinki. The Red Army had a significant advantage in manpower (425,000 against 265,000), tanks (2,289 against 26), artillery (2,876 against 534) and aviation (2,446 against 270). In the first phase of the Soviet campaign against Finland (30 November 1939 to 10 February 1940) the Red Army advanced in four directions: in the Karelian Isthmus, to the north of Lake Ladoga, in Kainuu and along the Arctic coast. The main offensive in the Karelian Isthmus, aimed at Helsinki, failed to overcome Finnish defences and was stopped until late January. In the meantime, two Soviet armies advancing in the northern sector of the front were confronted by the “North Finland Group.” It effectively withheld Soviet pressure in Kainuu, where the Red Army managed to advance only 35 to 45 km from the state border. The Soviet offensive along the Arctic coast, heading towards Petsamo, was more successful. Soviet forces occupied the Finnish part of the Rybachi Peninsula in the first day of the war, and on 1 December 1939 reached Parkkina. A successful landing operation of the 14th Soviet army then led to the capture of Petsamo, which cut Finland from the Arctic coast to the end of the war. Developing this success, Red Army forces advanced all the way to Hцyhenjдrvi, which they reached on 18 December. Further attacks were halted for the two following months. The outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish War led to a flow of volunteers willing to fight on the Finnish side. Sweden became the largest donor nation, providing a whole Swedish volunteer corps. Altogether, the number of foreign volunteers in the Finnish army amounted to 11,500, of whom 8,402 were Swedes. Most of them were involved in the operations in the northern areas of Finland, known as the “Lapland front.” After repeated failures to break through the Finnish defences in December 1939 and January 1940, the Soviet command amassed 670,500 people to prepare a new offensive, which was launched in early February. On 17 February, the forefront of the Finnish defence line was breached, and developing this success, on 13 March units of the Red Army captured Vyborg (Viipuri), which opened the way to Helsinki. Advances in the south were accompanied by a resumed offensive of Soviet forces in the Arctic. By late February, the Red Army forced Finnish troops to retreat to Nautsi where the front stabilized until the end of the war. On 12 March, 1940, a peace treaty was signed in Moscow ending the hostilities the following day. Finland had to accept all Soviet territorial demands and ceded its part of the Rybachii Peninsula in the Barents Sea, as well as much more significant territories in the Karelian Isthmus and around Lake Ladoga. Finland was also compelled to build a railway connecting the Kola Peninsula with Tornio in the Gulf of Bothnia, although its construction was never started. The Winter War claimed heavy casualties on both sides. In 105 days of battle the Finnish Army lost ca. 26,000 and the Red Army ca. 127,000 men killed or missed in action, died of wounds and frozen to death. The Winter War also pushed Finland to military cooperation with Germany which eventually led to a second military confrontation between the USSR and Finland, in which the latter fought on the side of the Axis powers. In the meantime, Norway, despite its officially announced neutrality, grew in prominence in war plans of Germany. Concerns for vital deliveries of iron ore from northernmost Sweden, which could be easily interrupted by Allied forces landing in Norway were one reason; another one was the strategic importance of Norwegian ports which, if occupied by the German navy, could help it break through the British sea blockade and damage Allied naval communications. On 9 April 1940, German forces landed in Norway and quickly occupied the key strategic targets. The Norwegian resistance bought just enough time for the government and royal family to leave the country for the UK, where the government in exile was established. By 2 May Norwegian forces defending southern and western parts of the country surrendered. In North Norway, however, Allied forces were more successful in repelling German attacks in the Battle of Narvik, which lasted from 9 April to 8 June 1940. Although the Allies were victorious both on land and on sea, eventually they withdrew their troops due to the collapse of the Western front in France, and Norwegian forces had to lay down arms. The occupation of Norway compelled Germany to establish supply routes for its troops and bases stationed in northern Norwegian ports. Despite its official neutrality policy, Sweden granted passage through its territories to North Norway for German supplies and, after the surrender of last Norwegian forces, for German troops. A similar agreement was signed between Germany and Finland. First German troops arrived in the Finnish port of Vaasa on 21 September 1940. To provide logistical support for the traffic of equipment, munitions and people between Finnish ports and North Norway, the German Army built living quarters, depots and bases along railway lines from Vaasa and Oulu to Ylitornio and Rovaniemi, and from there along motor roads via Karesuvanto and Kilpisjдrvi or Ivalo and Petsamo to Skibotn and Kirkenes in North Norway. Operations were manned by sizeable German military personnel, which was also stationed in Finnish Lapland. The Soviet Union also became briefly involved in military cooperation with the Nazi Germany in the Arctic. Prior to the occupation of Norway, a possibility to establish a secret German naval base in the Kola Peninsula was discussed between the two governments, with no concrete outcomes. During the summer of 1940, Soviet authorities also granted assistance to the German auxiliary cruiser Komet in passing through the Northern Sea Route to the Pacific Ocean, where it served as a commerce raider disturbing British sea communications. Second period: June 1941 to June 1944. On 22 June 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union, and four days later, on June 26, 1941, Finland declared state of war with the USSR. On 29 June the German Alpine Corps Norwegen supported by Finnish military unites launched a two- pronged offensive to Murmansk from Petsamo and to Kandalaksha from Salla. The operation plan was to cut off the railway connection between the port of Murmansk and the rest of Russia and then to capture Murmansk. The German-Finnish force failed to reach its goals and by mid- September 1941 took defence positions along the river Zapadnaia Litsa and the Murmansk railway. The frontline then stabilized until the autumn of 1944. The main operations in the Arctic were transferred to the Norwegian and Barents Seas, which became one of the shortest, but also dangerous routes of shipping lend-lease supplies to the USSR by the Western Allies during 1941–1945.
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