Operation Birke
Operation Birke (Operation Birch) was a German operation late in World War II in Finnish Lapland to protect access to nickel. Background Finnish attempts to find an acceptable exit from the Continuation War in spring 1944 alarmed the Germans, who had sizable stores in Northern Finland. In April 1944, the Germans started a feverish effort to recon and construct defensive positions against possible advances from the south. Plan The name Birke was assigned for the operation on 9 April 1944. Its primary task was to provide protection to the then vital nickel mining operations at Petsamo (now Pechenga, Russia). Orders for the operation were prepared meticulously in extreme detail. It consisted of several phases, the first of which would be triggered by the code phrase "''Birke anschlagen''" (mark the birch for felling), would consist of evacuation of military stores and preparation for later phases. The second phase, which would be keyed to the code phrase "''Birke fällen''" (fell th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lapland (Finland)
Lapland ( fi, Lappi ; se, Lappi; smn, Laapi; sv, Lappland; la, Lapponia, links=no) is the largest and northernmost region of Finland. The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the region of North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders the Gulf of Bothnia, Norrbotten County in Sweden, Troms and Finnmark County in Norway, and Murmansk Oblast and the Republic of Karelia in Russia. Topography varies from vast mires and forests of the South to fells in the North. The Arctic Circle crosses Lapland, so polar phenomena such as the midnight sun and polar night can be viewed in Lapland. Lapland's cold and wintry climate, coupled with its relative abundance of conifer trees such as pines and spruces, means that it has become associated with Christmas in some countries, most notably the United Kingdom, and holidays to Lapland are common towards the end of the year. However, the Lapland region has developed its infrastructure for year-round ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. According to Finnish historian Olli Vehviläinen, the term 'Continuation War' was created at the start of the conflict by the Finnish government, to justify the invasion to the population as a continuation of the defensive Winter War and separate from the German war effort. He titled the chapter addressing the issue in his book as "Finland's War of Retaliation". Vehviläinen asserted that the reality of that claim changed when the Finnish forces crossed the 1939 frontier and started annexation operations. The US Library of Congress catalogue also lists the variants War of Retribution and War of Continuation (see authority control)., group="Note" In Soviet historiography, the war was called the Finnish Front of the Great Patriotic War.. Alter ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ahto
In Finnish mythology, Ahti () is a heroic character in folk poetry who is sometimes given the epithet Saarelainen (, "Islander"). Ahto is a Finnish sea god. The connection between the hero Ahti and the god Ahto, if any, is unclear. Description Ahti In the Kalevala the compiler Elias Lönnrot conflated several mythological persons into the main characters in an attempt to create a consistent narrative from several songs. The heroic figures '' Kaukomiele'' and ''Ahti'' were condensed into '' Lemminkäinen'' in the work. Ahti's story is of a man so eager to fight that he abandons his young wife and sets out on an adventure with his friend ''Teuri''. The original songs in the Ahti cycle have been tentatively dated to the Viking Age because of their references to sea voyages, but Oinas also sees an adventurous element in both Ahti and Kaukamoinen's tales. ''Ahti Saarelainen'' is described as a fierce seagoing warrior. He makes a double vow with his wife ''Kyllikki'', binding him ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lunde
Lunde may refer to: People Politics * Gulbrand Lunde (1901–1942), Norwegian councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government * Heidi Nordby Lunde (born 1973), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party * Jens Lunde (1884–1974), Norwegian politician for the Farmers' Party * Karl Lunde (1892–1975), Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party * Kjellbjørg Lunde (born 1944), Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party Sport Sailors * Eugen Lunde (1887–1963), Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics *Jeanette Lunde (born 1972), Norwegian sportsperson who competed in alpine skiing and sailing * Peder Lunde Jr. born 1942), Norwegian sailor and Olympic champion * Peder Lunde Sr. (1918–2009), Norwegian sailor and Olympic medalist *Vibeke Lunde (1921–1962), Norwegian sailor and Olympic medalist Other sports * Bill Lunde (born 1975), American golfer * Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim (born 1975), Norwegian footballer *Jeanette Lunde (born 1972), Norwegian ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pechenga (urban-type Settlement), Murmansk Oblast
Pechenga (russian: Пече́нга; Finnish and sv, Petsamo; no, Petsjenga; se, Beahcán; sms, Peäccam) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Pechengsky District, Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Pechenga Urban Settlement of Pechengsky Municipal District. Population: History The Pechenga area has been indigenously inhabited by the Finnic KvensJulku, Kyösti: ''Kvenland - Kainuunmaa''. With English summary: ''The Ancient territory of Kainuu''. Oulu, 1986. and the Sami. The settlement was founded by Russians as the Pechenga Monastery in 1533 at the influx of the Pechenga River into the Barents Sea, 135 km west of modern Murmansk. St. Tryphon of Pechenga, a monk from Novgorod is considered to be the founder of Pechenga Monastery. In 1533, the area became part of Russia. Inspired by the model of the Solovki, Tryphon wished to convert the local Sami population to Christianity and to demonstrate how faith could flourish i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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20th Mountain Army (Wehrmacht)
The German Lapland Army (''AOK Lappland'') was one of the two army echelon headquarters controlling German troops in the far north of Norway and Finland during World War II. It was established in January 1942, and renamed the 20th Mountain Army (''20. Gebirgsarmee'') in June 1942. On 18 December 1944, the 20th Mountain Army took over the role of ''Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber Norwegen'' from the dissolved Army of Norway (Wehrmacht), Army of Norway. Commanders Commander-in-chiefs Chiefs of staff * Generalleutnant Ferdinand Jodl (22 June 1942 – 1 March 1944) * Generalleutnant Hermann Hölter (1 March 1944 – 8 May 1945) Units April 1942 *2nd Mountain Division (Wehrmacht), 2nd Mountain Division *6th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht), 6th Mountain Division *7th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht), 7th Mountain Division *163rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 163rd Infantry Division *169th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), 169th Infantry Division *210th Coastal Defense Division (Wehrmacht), 210th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Operation Nordlicht (1944–1945)
Operation Nordlicht (German, 'Northern Light') was a German operation during the end of World War II. After Finland had made peace with the USSR, the Germans planned to fall back to defense lines built and equipped in advance across Finnish Lapland (Operation Birke). During the operation, the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' gave an order to move from Operation Birke to Operation Nordlicht on 4 October 1944. That meant that instead of evacuating everything and then fortifying on the strong defensive positions, the German 20th Mountain Army was to retreat according to a set timetable to a new defense line in Lyngen, Norway. The Germans retreated using scorched-earth tactics and destroyed almost all buildings and all boats in Finnmark, thus denying the enemy any facilities in the area. The same tactics had already been used in Finnish Lapland. The retreat ended on 20 January 1945. A detailed account of 'the Nazis' scorched earth campaign in Norway' by Vincent Hunt includes statements b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lyngen
Lyngen ( se, Ivggu suohkan; fkv, Yykeän komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lyngseidet. Other villages include Furuflaten, Lattervika, Nord-Lenangen, and Svensby. The municipality is the 141st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lyngen is the 240th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,729. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 9.9% over the previous 10-year period. General information The parish of Lyngen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, the southern part of Karlsøy Municipality (population: 862) surrounding the Sørfjorden (innermost part of the Ullsfjorden) was transferred to Lyngen. Then on 1 January 1875, a small part of Lyngen (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring Balsfjord Municipality. On 1 January 1902, the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of Norway; it also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo. Norway has a total area of and had a population of 5,425,270 in January 2022. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden at a length of . It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast and the Skagerrak strait to the south, on the other side of which are Denmark and the United Kingdom. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. The maritime influence dominates Norway's climate, with mild lowland temperatures on the se ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lapland War
During World War II, the Lapland War ( fi , Lapin sota; sv, Lapplandskriget; german: Lapplandkrieg) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. Though the Finns and the Germans had been fighting against the Soviet Union since 1941 during the Continuation War (1941–1944), peace negotiations had already been conducted intermittently during 1943–1944 between Finland, the Western Allies and the USSR, but no agreement had been reached. The Moscow Armistice, signed on 19 September 1944, demanded that Finland break diplomatic ties with Germany and expel or disarm any German soldiers remaining in Finland after 15 September 1944. The ''Wehrmacht'' had anticipated that turn of events and planned an organised withdrawal to German-occupied Norway, as part of Operation Birke (Birch). Despite a failed offensive landing operation by Germany in the Gulf of Finland, the evacuation proceeded ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |