75 years ago, in October 1944, the Red Army carried out the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation. As a result, the Soviet Arctic and Northern Norway were liberated from the German invaders. In modern Norway, the myth of the "Soviet occupation" and the "Russian threat" is being created.
Russian threat
They try to combine the past "grievances" with the new ones. Allegedly, Russian special forces violated the borders of Norway and "the Russians threaten Norwegian sovereignty." The Norwegian king is urged not to participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation, if representatives of Russia are invited to Kirkenes.
In an open letter, Waling Gorter invites the Norwegian monarch not to participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Norway in October 2019 if it is proved that Russian special forces violated the sovereignty of Norway, including on Svalbard. The author also expresses doubts about the "liberation" of Norway. In his opinion, Stalin carried out an operation in the North of Europe only with the aim of "expanding the line of defense." In addition, the Russians allegedly were in no hurry with the beginning of the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, they waited until October 7, 1944, saving people and equipment. And on October 3, an order to retreat came from Berlin, so "not so many Soviet soldiers died on Norwegian soil." “Not so many”: over 6 thousand people - irrecoverable losses and more than 15 thousand people - sanitary. It turns out that the Russians advanced after the Germans had withdrawn and "fought" mainly with broken roads. Kirkenes mostly saw no fighting and was burned by the retreating German troops.
The situation is similar with the current Russian military exercises, the purpose of which is supposedly to control Svalbard and the Barents Sea. In the author's opinion, at present "the same expansion of defense is taking place" in Russia as before the USSR, corresponding to the current situation. Against Norway and its allies. And if the Russian special forces are currently violating the sovereignty of Norway, then "we are entering a new phase of relations, although the tradition of such incidents has existed for a long time." And Norway should not get inside the line of defense of Russia, which "she is building against us and our allies within our state borders." It is impossible to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the "expansion of the USSR defense line", which included Eastern Finnmark (the northernmost administrative-territorial unit of Norway).
It should be noted that this is not the first accusation against the USSR by Norwegian stakeholders. In Norway, whose citizens actively supported the Third Reich and fought for it, the Soviet Union was accused of "genocide of the Sami people." During the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, retreating German troops and Norwegian collaborators used the scorched earth tactics. The Nazis destroyed the entire infrastructure of the region and deported 50 thousand Sami community. About 300 people died. In Norway, they called this event "called" the greatest disaster in the history of the country. " The matter reached such impudence that the USSR was accused of the fact that the advancing Red Army "provoked" the Nazis to destroy and evict the population.
Norwegians in the armed forces of the Third Reich
In composing the "grievances" inflicted on Norway by the Soviet Union, and participating in the creation of the myth of the "Russian threat" to the world community at the present time, Oslo tries not to remember that the kingdom was de facto an ally of Hitler during the Second World War.
Hundreds of Norwegian volunteers fought with the USSR already during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In April 1940, ahead of England and France, Germany occupied Norway. Obergruppenführer Terboven was entrusted with the rule of the occupying forces in Norway and control of the Norwegian administration as Reich Commissioner of Norway. The Norwegian Nazi Vidkun Quisling (since 1942 - Minister-President of Norway) was appointed acting prime minister, head of the Norwegian civil administration.
Having captured Norway, Berlin decided for itself several strategic tasks. First, the Germans did not allow England and France to occupy Norway, to occupy a strategic foothold in Northern Europe, directed against the Third Reich. Now Norway was a strategic foothold of the German Empire, a base for surface and submarine fleets, aviation, which threatened the British Isles and the USSR. The non-freezing northern ports provided good opportunities for operations in the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Second, the Germans retained access to strategic raw materials. In particular, to the Swedish iron ore, which was exported through the Norwegian port of Narvik. Thirdly, the Hitlerite elite viewed the Norwegians, like other peoples of the Germanic language group, as part of the future of the "new world order", the "Nordic race" of masters.
The German army "Norway" (three army corps) was stationed in Norway and used the country as a staging ground for an attack on the Soviet Union. Also, part of the German fleet was based in Norwegian ports, and aircraft of the 5th Air Fleet were based at airfields. On June 29, 1941, the German army "Norway" launched an offensive on Soviet territory, delivering the main blow to Murmansk and auxiliary blows to Kandalaksha and Ukhta. By the end of 1941, the number of German troops on Norwegian territory had reached 400,000. Norway became an important naval base of the Third Reich in the North Atlantic. Stalin even suggested that Churchill open a second front in Norway. However, the British prime minister refused, due to the unpreparedness and insufficient forces of the allies for such an operation.
Already in the fall of 1940, the Norwegian Nazis proposed to form Norwegian units as part of the German armed forces. This initiative was supported by the Norwegian pro-German government of Quisling. According to Quisling, the participation of the Norwegians in the war on the side of the Third Reich provided them with a privileged position in the future "new world order." In December 1940, Quisling in Berlin agreed to begin the formation of a Norwegian volunteer unit as part of the SS troops. In January 1941, the Norwegian leadership sent an official request to Berlin to allow Norwegian volunteers to serve in the SS forces. The Germans responded positively. On January 13, 1941, Vidkun Quisling addressed the people on the radio with an appeal to sign up as volunteers in the SS "Nordland" regiment.
On January 28, 1941, the first 200 Norwegian volunteers, mostly members of the paramilitary Nazi organization "Druzhina" (Hird), in the presence of SS Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler, Reichskommissar of Norway Terboven and Quisling, swore allegiance to the "leader of the Germans" Adolf Hitler. The Norwegians were enlisted in the SS "Nordland" regiment as part of the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" (later this regiment became the nucleus of the 11th SS Motorized Infantry Division "Nordland"). Some of the Norwegian volunteers also served in other parts of the SS. The Norwegian SS men fought in Little Russia, on the Don, in the North Caucasus, near Leningrad, in Hungary and Yugoslavia. Also, the Norwegians fought in the 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" in the Murmansk region.
In the summer of 1941, an extensive information campaign began in Norway to attract volunteers to the SS troops. Knut Hamsun, a Norwegian writer, Nobel Prize winner, took an active part in it. Recruitment points were opened in the cities, where more than 2 thousand people came. In July 1941, the first volunteers were sent to Germany (training camps in Kiel). On August 1, 1941, the Norwegian SS Legion (SS Legion "Norway") was created. The first commander of the legion was the former colonel of the Norwegian army, SS Sturmbannführer Jorgen Bakke. In October, the legion numbered over 1,000 fighters. It consisted of one infantry battalion (three infantry companies and one machine-gun company), one anti-tank company and a platoon of war correspondents.
In February 1942, the Norwegian legion arrived at Luga (Leningrad Oblast). The Norwegian Legion became part of the 2nd SS Infantry Brigade. The Norwegians fought on the front lines and were on patrol. So, after heavy fighting in April 1942 at Pulkovo, 600 people remained in the Norwegian Legion. Over the following months, despite constantly arriving reinforcements, bringing the strength of the Norwegian Legion to 1100-1200 men, heavy casualties constantly reduced the number of Norwegian volunteers to 600-700. Also, the 1st SS Police Company was formed from the volunteers (it was recruited from the Norwegian police), it also operated in the Leningrad direction; a police ski company (then a battalion) as part of the 6th SS Mountain Division, which fought in the Murmansk direction; 2nd SS Police Company as part of the 6th SS Mountain Division; 6th SS guard battalion, formed in Oslo, etc.
In August 1943, Quisling's pro-German government declared war on the Soviet Union. In January 1944, it was decided to mobilize 70 thousand people for service in the Wehrmacht. However, the mobilization failed, the war was drawing to a close. Germany was defeated and there were few people willing to die. On May 2, 1945, the last Norwegian SS men surrendered along with the rest of the Berlin Wehrmacht group. In total, through the Norwegian units as part of the SS troops on the Russian front for 1941-1945. passed 6 thousand Norwegians, of which about 1 thousand died.
In addition, about 500 Norwegian volunteers served in the German navy. In 1941, the pro-German government of Norway formed the Volunteer Air Corps under the command of the famous explorer of the Arctic and Antarctic polar pilot Triggve Gran. About 100 Norwegians joined the ranks of the German Air Force. Also, thousands of Norwegians served in paramilitary construction organizations that built important facilities (fortifications, bridges, roads, airfield, docks, etc.) in Germany, Italy, France and Finland. In 1941-1942. only 12 thousand Norwegians were involved in the construction of highways in the frontal zone in Northern Finland. At various times, from 20 to 30 thousand Norwegians served in the paramilitary Todt Organization, in the Viking Task Force, which was engaged in the construction of military installations in Finland and Norway. Norwegian volunteers were employed in the transport and security units of the Wehrmacht. We guarded concentration camps. On the territory of Norway, 15,500 citizens of the USSR and 2,839 citizens of Yugoslavia were killed in camps. Norwegian women served as nurses in Wehrmacht military hospitals.
In total, during the years of World War II, up to 15 thousand Norwegians fought with arms in their hands on the side of the Third Reich, and tens of thousands more voluntarily worked for the glory of the Third Reich. For comparison, by the end of the war, the Norwegian armed forces, subordinate to the Norwegian government in exile, numbered about 4,500 infantry, 2,600 Air Force personnel and 7,400 Navy personnel.
Thus, the facts show that Norway fought on the side of the Third Reich. Thousands of Norwegians served in the German armed forces, took part in the aggression against the USSR, fought on the Eastern Front, tens of thousands worked for Hitler's victory. The Norwegian SS men participated in the genocide of the Soviet (Russian) people on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR and the RSFSR. Thousands of Soviet citizens died in concentration camps in Norway, which were also guarded by Norwegian citizens. There is no limit to the hypocrisy and cynicism of our "Western partners". During World War II, they fought together for Hitler and openly supported the "German European Union."And after the Red Army took Berlin, they unanimously declared themselves "members of the anti-Hitler coalition," "victims of Nazism," and now they are accused of aggression by the Russians, the USSR-Russia.
Battle for the North
By early October 1944, the Nazis continued to hold positions in the Arctic. The 19th German Mountain Corps of the 20th Army (about 3 infantry divisions, 53 thousand men, 753 guns and mortars, 27 tanks and self-propelled guns, 160 aircraft) occupied a foothold in the Petsamo area. The Germans relied on powerful defenses, where natural obstacles were reinforced with permanent structures. Also, the German troops could support the fleet, which was based in Northern Norway. There was the battleship "Tirpitz", one and a half hundred combatants (including 12-14 destroyers, up to 30 submarines) and auxiliary ships. The Murmansk direction was important for Berlin due to strategic considerations. Control over this area allowed Germany to receive strategic raw materials for the military industry - copper, nickel and molybdenum. The region was also important for the Third Reich as a strategic foothold for the Navy and Air Force.
Finland's withdrawal from the war and the successful offensive in September of the 19th and 26th armies of the Karelian Front, which thwarted the Germans' plan to withdraw the main forces of the 20th Mountain Army to the Petsamo region, created favorable preconditions for the Red Army's offensive in the Arctic. On the Soviet side, the operation was attended by the troops of the 14th Army (from the Karelian Front) under the command of General Shcherbakov, consisting of 5 rifle corps and 1 operational group (8 rifle divisions, 6 rifle and 1 tank brigades), about 100 thousand people in total, over 2,100 guns and mortars, 126 tanks and self-propelled guns. Also, the 7th Air Army (about 700 aircraft), and the forces of the Northern Fleet (two marine brigades, a reconnaissance detachment, a detachment of ships and an air group - 275 aircraft).
The Soviet high command set the main goal to defeat the enemy grouping, the capture of Petsamo (Pechenga), then the Norwegian Kirkenes. On October 7, 1944, the shock group of the 14th Army launched an offensive (Tenth Stalinist strike: Petsamo-Kirkenes operation) from the area south of Lake. Chap bypassing the right flank of the German corps. By October 10, units of the 131st Rifle Corps intercepted the Titovka - Petsamo road, units of the 99th Rifle Corps crossed the river. Titovka, while the 126th and 127th corps bypassed the German positions south of Luostari. On the night of October 10, the Soviet fleet (30 boats) landed units of the 63rd Marine Brigade at Mattivuono. At the same time, the 12th Marine Brigade attacked on the isthmus of the Sredny Peninsula and captured the Musta-Tunturi ridge. Under the threat of encirclement, the German troops began to retreat.
On October 12, the scouts of the Northern Fleet, landed by boats, took possession of the batteries at Cape Krestovy after fierce battles. On October 13-14, paratroopers and units of the 63rd Marine Brigade occupied the city of Linahamari. Thus, a threat was created to encircle Pechenga from the northern direction. On October 15, our troops occupied Pechenga-Petsamo, on October 22 - Nikel. Troops were landed in Suolavuono and Aresvuono bays, which contributed to the capture of the Norwegian settlement of Tornet on October 24. On October 25, units of the 141st corps, supported by the landing force, occupied Kirkenes. On October 29, our troops stopped their advance on the territory of Norway, reaching the line north of Neiden and south-west of Nautsi.
Thus, Soviet troops liberated the area of the Soviet Arctic and Northern Norway. After the end of the Great War, Soviet troops were withdrawn from Northern Norway (in September 1945).
