Hanko Naval Base was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
naval base from 1940 to 1941 in the town of
Hanko Hanko may refer to
People
*August Hanko (military personnel), August Hanko, German First World War flying ace
Places
*Hanko, Finland, town and municipality
*Hanko Peninsula, Finland
*Hankø, an island in the Oslo Fjord in Norway
*The asteroid ...
at the
Hankoniemi peninsula which is located 100 kilometers (62 mi) from
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, the Finnish capital.
History
The Soviet Union had demanded from
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
a military base in the writing of regional exchange requirements just before outbreak of the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
from Hankoniemi peninsula.
In October 1939
Geoffrey Cox was told that the Finnish General Staff were prepared to cede even the Petsamo area, but not Hanko, which they knew in Russian hands would be ''a pistol pressed into Finland’s back'', and which was the ''real key to the Gulf of Finland''. The Russians were prepared to hand over in return ''some territory just north of the Finnish “waist-line”: - stretches of forest of no military value.''
After the Winter War, in the early Spring of 1940, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
repeated its call for a naval base in the Hankoniemi area.
Finland's negotiation delegation was forced to agree to the Soviet Union's peace terms, including the Hankoniemi base. On March 12, 1940, the
Moscow Peace Treaty
The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...
included a lease to the Soviet Union, for 30 years, of 115 square kilometers of territory which included the area of
Hankoniemi and the City of
Hanko Hanko may refer to
People
*August Hanko (military personnel), August Hanko, German First World War flying ace
Places
*Hanko, Finland, town and municipality
*Hanko Peninsula, Finland
*Hankø, an island in the Oslo Fjord in Norway
*The asteroid ...
surrounding maritime areas, as well as about 400 islands.
The area was handed over to the Soviets at Midnight on 22 March 1940. The Finnish population had been evacuated from the area, causing about 8,000
Finns
Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland.
Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...
to lose their homes. Soviet Union forces built a strong military base. It oversaw maritime traffic in the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
, and was also a potential south-west invasion front for war against Finland. The base was occupied by
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
,
airborne
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
and
armored forces
Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences), is the use of armoured fighting vehicle, armo ...
. The Soviet Union fortified the border between Finland and the base, and the Finnish forces invested in troops and fortifications on their side.
Outbreak of the Continuation War
Battles of the
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. A ...
that took place at the borders of the leased area were quite limited. The Finns did not try to assault the Hanko Soviet forces. However, the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from the leased area on December 2, 1941. The troops left their leased area heavily
mined, which hampered the return of the civilian population in the Hanko peninsula.
After the Continuation War, the Soviet Union demanded instead of Hanko a lease area in
Porkkala
Porkkalanniemi ( sv, Porkala udd) is a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, located at Kirkkonummi (Kyrkslätt) in Southern Finland.
The peninsula had great strategic value, as coastal artillery based there would be able to shoot more than hal ...
. The final turnover of the Hanko leased area was included in the
Paris Peace Agreement in 1947.
References
{{coord, 59.835608, 22.995666, display=title
Military installations of Finland
Installations of the Soviet Navy
Winter War
Military installations of the Soviet Union in other countries
Military installations closed in 1941
Finland–Soviet Union relations