6th Division (Continuation War)
6th Division | |
---|---|
6. Divisioona | |
Active | 1941–1944 |
Country | |
Branch | Army |
Type | Division |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Einar Vihma |
The 6th Division (Finnish: 6. Divisioona) was a unit of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War.
History
Originally a part of the Finnish V Corps, the 6th Division was attached to the German XXXVI Corps in Northern Finland in 1941.[1] As part of Operation Arctic Fox, the division attacked alongside the SS Division Nord and German 169th Infantry Division against Salla with the goal of reaching Kandalaksha on the White Sea coast.[2] The town of Salla was captured, but the division suffered 405 casualties in the process.[3] Following the capture of Salla, the division continued towards river Verman, reaching it on October 18th 1941.[4] By this point, both increasingly difficult logistics and the losses suffered forced Operation Arctic Fox to be halted.[4] The 6th division was considered unfit for attack.[4] During these actions, the division also fought alongside a small German tank unit, the Panzer-Abteilung 211, which consisted entirely of captured French tanks.
Following the failure of Operation Arctic Fox, the Finnish general headquarters wanted to reduce the division to a brigade-sized element to help both a labor shortage on the home front, as well as for foreign political reasons related to attacking beyond the pre-Winter War borders.[5] As a result, the division was reorganized temporarily as the 12th Brigade. It would be later[when?] brought back to division strength.
After the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive started in 1944, the 6th Division was moved from the Maaselkä isthmus to the Karelian Isthmus[6][7] as a component of the Finnish IV Corps.[8] There it took part in the decisive Battle of Tali-Ihantala, where its arrival prevented the breaking of the Armored Division[9] and enabled the Armored Division and the 11th Division to be moved out of the line to act as a reserve.[10]
After the Moscow armistice, the division also took part in the Lapland War against the German forces still in Lapland.[11][12] On September 30th, 1944, the division was subordinated to the Armored Division, with the resulting formation being named Group Lagus.[13] As a part of this formation, the division participated in the capture of Rovaniemi, after which it was disbanded.[14]
Commanders
- Colonel Werner Viikla (1941)
- Colonel A. Mäkiniemi (12th Brigade)
- Major General Einar Vihma (1943)
Organization
The 6th Division was organised from men from the Far-North Military Province (Perä-Pohjolan Sotilaslääni).[15] It lacked the Heavy Artillery Battalion.[15]
The division consisted of the following subordinate units:[15]
- Infantry Regiment 12 (Rovaniemi)
- Infantry Regiment 33 (Sodankylä)
- Infantry Regiment 54 (Western Lapland)
- Field Artillery Regiment 14 (Tornio)
- Light Battalion 3
- Engineer Battalion 36
- Signal Battalion 36
Notes
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 257.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, pp. 260–262.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 262.
- ^ a b c Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 264.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, pp. 264–266.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 800.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 804.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 789.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 934.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, pp. 935–936.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, pp. 1129–1130.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 1136.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, p. 1141.
- ^ Leskinen & Juutilainen 2005, pp. 1140–1143.
- ^ a b c Sotatieteen laitos 1988, p. 100.
References
- Leskinen, Jari; Juutilainen, Antti, eds. (2005). Jatkosodan pikkujättiläinen (in Finnish). Helsinki: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. ISBN 951-0-28690-7.
- Sotatieteen laitos, ed. (1988). Jatkosodan historia 1. Sotatieteen laitoksen julkaisuja XXV (in Finnish). Vol. 1. Porvoo: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. ISBN 951-0-15327-3.