| Karelian Front | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 1941 – 1945 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Workers' and Peasants' Red Army |
| Type | Army Group Command |
| Role | Co-ordination and conduct of Red Army operations north of Lake Ladoga and in the Arctic |
| Size | 2 Armies |
| Engagements | Svir-Petrozavodsk Operation Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Marshal of the Soviet Union K.A. Meretskov |
TheKarelian FrontRussian:Карельский фронт) was afront (a formation of Army Group size) of theSoviet Union'sRed Army duringWorld War II, and operated inKarelia.
The Karelian Front was created in August 1941 whenNorthern Front was split into Karelian Front andLeningrad Front to take account of the different military developments and requirements on the Leningrad approaches versus those along the Finnish border to the Arctic. It remained in existence until the end of the war.
The front covered the sector north ofLake Ladoga and theSvir River to theArctic Coast near Murmansk. It was involved in combat with bothFinnish andGerman forces along the Soviet-Finnish border. The front between Lake Ladoga andLake Onega was split off to the independent 7th Army during the static phase of the war.
During 1944, the Karelian Front participated with the Leningrad Front in the final offensive against Finland which led to the Soviet-Finnish armistice. In October 1944 thePetsamo-Kirkenes Operation was conducted along the front, capturing some parts of northern Finland and liberating the easternmost parts of the NorwegianFinnmark province from German occupation.
The Karelian Front in thePetsamo-Kirkenes Operation conducted the only[citation needed] successful major military operation ever undertaken in an Arctic environment in modern warfare. The experiences in the conduct of the operation, particularly in terms of organising rear-area services and supply, were considered important to the conduct of theRed Army's offensive against theJapaneseKwantung Army inManchuria, and many leading officers were transferred from Karelian Front to theBaikal theatre of war.[citation needed]
Order of battle of the Karelian Front on 1 September 1944:[1]