Battle of Tienhaara
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Tienhaara was a part of Continuation War
between Finland
and the Soviet Union
fought north of Viipuri
on June 22 after the Red Army had captured Viipuri. Having lost Viipuri Finns concentrated their defense to the Tienhaara region which offered favourable area for defense with nearby waterway cutting the already narrow battlefield into several islands.
or Panzerschreck
anti-tank weapons. 20th Brigade was not prepared for Soviet armored assault, lead by 108th Corps' 90th Rifle Division supported by 260th Separate Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment and 1238th Self-propelled Gun Regiment, and its resistance crumbled switfly with men fleeing either in panic or under supposed orders to withdraw.
the regiment was able to keep the Tienhaara region including the Kivisillansalmi while defending against repeated attacks by two Soviet divisions of the 108th Corps supported by strong artillery. At the conclusion of the battle on June 23 Marttinen was promoted to colonel.
) decided that further attempts to cross the waterway would be too costly and time consuming instead bulk of the forces were concentrated to the Juustila-Ihantala area contributing to the events which lead to fighting at Tali-Ihantala
region. Finnish forces held to Tienhaara (now Seleznevo) until the ceasefire but the village was left to Soviet Union in the Treaty of Paris
in 1947.
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
between Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
fought north of Viipuri
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
on June 22 after the Red Army had captured Viipuri. Having lost Viipuri Finns concentrated their defense to the Tienhaara region which offered favourable area for defense with nearby waterway cutting the already narrow battlefield into several islands.
Background
Soviet 1944 offensive had started on June 10 1944 and in matter of days broke through of the fortified Finnish defense lines in southern Karelian Isthmus. On June 20 the advancing Soviet forces were already literally on the gates of Viipuri. Finnish 20th Brigade had been transferred to defend the city however it had been inadequately supplied and lacked effective anti-tank weapons as it had neither 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns nor knowledge on how to use the few available PanzerfaustPanzerfaust
The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
or Panzerschreck
Panzerschreck
Panzerschreck was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse , an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Another popular nickname was Ofenrohr ....
anti-tank weapons. 20th Brigade was not prepared for Soviet armored assault, lead by 108th Corps' 90th Rifle Division supported by 260th Separate Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment and 1238th Self-propelled Gun Regiment, and its resistance crumbled switfly with men fleeing either in panic or under supposed orders to withdraw.
Battle
JR61 (Infantry Regiment 61), or 'Sextiettan' (en. sixty-one) in Swedish as the regiment consisted primarily of Swedish speaking Finns, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Alpo Marttinen of the Finnish 17th Division (lead by Major General Alonzo Sundman) arrived to the Isthmus from Svir immediately after the loss of Viipuri. The regiment was deployed for defense at Tienhaara, which was located along the coastal highway leading north from Viipuri towards Finland, on the shore of Kivisillansalmi on June 22 relieving the worn out troops. Having strong artillery support and support of the Gefechtsverband KuhlmeyDetachment Kuhlmey
Detachment Kuhlmey was a temporary unit of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The unit was commanded by Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey and the detachment was built around the unit Schlachtgeschwader 3, which also was commanded by Kuhlmey....
the regiment was able to keep the Tienhaara region including the Kivisillansalmi while defending against repeated attacks by two Soviet divisions of the 108th Corps supported by strong artillery. At the conclusion of the battle on June 23 Marttinen was promoted to colonel.
Aftermath
Soviet forces attempted to push north but failed to break through of the Finnish lines. Soviet commander (Marshal Leonid GovorovLeonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
) decided that further attempts to cross the waterway would be too costly and time consuming instead bulk of the forces were concentrated to the Juustila-Ihantala area contributing to the events which lead to fighting at Tali-Ihantala
Battle of Tali-Ihantala
The Battle of Tali-Ihantala was part of the Continuation War , which occurred during World War II. The battle was fought between Finnish forces—using war material provided by Germany—and Soviet forces...
region. Finnish forces held to Tienhaara (now Seleznevo) until the ceasefire but the village was left to Soviet Union in the Treaty of Paris
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
in 1947.