| Battle of Porlampi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofContinuation War | |||||||
 Soviet artillery pieces of the 101st Howitzer Artillery Regiment captured at Porlampi | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Finland |  Soviet Union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Paavo TalvelaKarl Lennart Oesch |  Mikhail GerasimovVladimir Kirpichnikov (POW)Filipp Starikov | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| IV Corps | 23rd Army | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 43,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
3,400
| 17,000+
| ||||||
TheBattle of Porlampi, also known as theBattle of Porlammi, was a military engagement fought between theFinnish Army andRed Army from 30 August to 1 September 1941 on theKarelian Isthmus.[1] The battle was fought near the town ofPorlampi during the second month of theContinuation War.[2] The battle was a Finnish victory and effectively ended the reconquest of Karelia.[3]
Territorial disputes between the Soviet Union and Finland caused the outbreak of theWinter War in November 1939. Several months of fighting ensued, during which the Red Army was able to push back the Finnish defenders on theKarelian Isthmus. Located on the main road to the vital port ofVyborg, the town of Porlampi was occupied by the Soviets in March 1940 following theBattle of Summa.[4]
Following the end of the Winter War in March 1940, Finland was forced tocede part ofKarelia to the Soviet Union, with Porlampi being one of the territories handed over.[5][4]
On 22 June 1941 theGermanWehrmacht launchedOperation Barbarossa, the planned invasion of the Soviet Union. Prior to the commencement of Barbarossa, Finnish and German officers had planned for possible Finnish participation in the war against the Soviet Union. Finland mobilized 16 infantry divisions, one cavalry brigade, and two jäger brigades of the Finnish Army to the newly established border with the Soviets on 21 June, and on 22 June conductedOperation Kilpapurjehdus, an action that violated theMoscow Peace Treaty.[5] That same day, German naval bombers beganmining the waters aroundLeningrad, with some of the aircraft being deployed from airfields in Finland.[6] On 25 June a flight of Soviet bombers struck at airfields in Finland, and Soviet artillery stationed inHanko fired on Finnish targets.[7]
With the border situation growing more volatile, the Finnish Army prepared to enter the widening conflict. On 29 JuneCarl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim,Marshal of Finland, formed theArmy of Karelia under the command ofErik Heinrichs. Combat operations against the Red Army andAir-force commenced on 1 July, and war was declared that same day. The first Finnishoffensive into Ladoga Karelia began on 10 July, a move that split the zones of Soviet occupation in Karelia into separate fronts. Despite Finnish success in other areas, theIV Corps was unable to begin its advance against the Soviets until theII Corps reached the northern shore ofLake Ladoga on 9 August.[3]
Once the offensive began, the objective of the IV Corps was the recapture of the town of Vyborg.[3] Plans were made to begin an offensive on 15 August, but movement by Soviet troops changed the situation. The Soviet23rd Army withdrew some of its divisions from the Finnish border, seeking to use the narrow part of the Karelian Isthmus to better utilize their numerical superiority for defense.[8] The Finns postponed their offensive until the Soviets had abandoned their fortifications, finally striking on 21 August. The Finnish plan had been modified as the situation changed; rather than assault Vyborg, the IV Corps would now maneuver around the northern flank of the city and pursue the withdrawing Soviets to theVuoksi River.[3][9]
The main body of the Finnish IV Corps crossed the border to the north of Vyborg on 22 August, and continued to advance towards the Vuoksi River in the opening days of the offensive. On 24 August the Finnish 8th Division crossed Viipuri Bay, landing to the south of Vyborg and cutting the coastal road to the city.[10] Hoping to re-establish the road link to Vyborg, the Soviet 43rd, 115th and 123rd Rifle Divisions launched a counter-offensive directed at the Finnish 8th Division. Though heavily outnumbered, FinnishLight Brigade T stalled the Soviets for a few crucial hours while IV Corp advanced southward on 25 August.[11] For the next few days both armies drew up their forces and prepared for an engagement in the heavilyforested terrain around the town ofPorlampi, which was positioned between the coastal and central Karelian highways.[3]
The battle commenced when advanced elements of the Soviet 43rd Rifle Division encountered the Finnish 8th Division in the forests around Porlampi on 30 August.[12] Both sides called for reinforcements. The Soviets were unaware (or only partially aware)[8] that the Finnish soldiers they were fighting had crossed Viipuri Bay, and it was incorrectly assumed that the 8th Division was part of the main body of the IV Corps—in reality, IV Corps was advancing unopposed to the north and east of the Soviet divisions, threatening to swing south and partially encircle the Soviet forces.[12]
In the several days of fighting that ensued in the Porlampi area, the Finns employedmotti skirmishing tactics to counter the superior Soviet numbers. The Finnish artillery was reported to have been particularly effective during the engagement as it disabled many soviet vehicles, blocking roads and creating bottlenecks.[9][13] Late in the day on 30 August the 43rd Rifle Division pushed the 8th Division out of Porlampi and into the nearby village of Somme, which lay several miles to the northwest. There the fighting continued throughout the night. On the morning of 31 August the main body of the IV Corps arrived, attacking the 123rd Rifle Division at Porlampi and the 115th Rifle Division at Ylasomme, an action which collapsed the north flank of the Soviet army. The Soviets were forced back, and the Finnish forces made ready toencircle them. However, the 8th Division was still engaged in heavy fighting with the 43rd Rifle Division to the northwest of town and was unable to complete the encirclement. Using the heavily forested terrain to their advantage, the Soviet 123rd and 115th Rifle Divisions withdrew southwest towardsKoivisto.[12][9] Vyborg fell on 31 August, freeing up more Finnish forces to engage the remaining forces of the 23rd Army. The 43rd Rifle Division, which had advanced furthest west, was almost completely destroyed by the Finnish forces on 1 September. Some survivors retreated to the south and were evacuated from theBaltic coast by theSoviet Navy in November.[14]
The Red Army suffered 7000 killed, 1000 wounded and 9000captured, predominantly from the destroyed 43rd Rifle Division. The Finnish IV Corps lost 700 killed and 2700 wounded.[1] The Finns seized a vast quantity of Soviet equipment at the battle, including 164 artillery pieces of various calibers.[9] The Finns also managed to captureMajor generalVladimir Kirpichnikov, who was the highest-ranking SovietPOW captured during the Winter War and the Continuation War.
The Finnish Army advanced towards Koivisto after the victory at Porlampi, capturing the port on 2 September. The Finnish Army declined a German proposal to attackLeningrad, and the offensive was ended on 5 September.[6][15]
A memorial dedicated to the casualties of the battle stands outside of the modern town, known as Sveklovichnoye since 1948. The memorial consists of a boulder inscribed with the date and outcome of the battle.[1]