User:Herostratus/Arctic land operations of World War II

Despite the harsh and remote environment, various campaigns, battles, and operations tool place on land above the Arctic Circle during World War II, in the northern parts of Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninnsula and adjacent territory of northwest Russia, and some outlying islands.

Much of the arctic land military activity was in support of Arctic naval operations of World War II.

Norwegian campaign in the spring of 1940

List of military operations in the Nordic countries during World War II

Scandinavia and Finland[edit]

Axis[edit]

• Birke ("Birch") (1944) – German plan to withdraw from northern Finland prior to the Lapland War.
• Birkhahn (1945) – German evacuation from Norway.^[1]
• Büffel ("Buffalo") (1940) – German operation to relieve troops in Narvik, Norway.

• Holzauge ("Wood knot") (1942) – activities in Greenland.

• Kilpapurjehdus ("Regatta") (1941) – Finnish naval operation for the militarization of the Åland islands.
• Lachsfang (1942) – Proposed combined German and Finnish attack against Kandalaksha and Belomorsk.

• Nordlicht ("Aurora Borealis") (1944) – German withdrawal from the Kola Peninsula into Norway.

• Silberfuchs ("Silver Fox") (1941) – German and Finnish operations in the Arctic, including:

• • Blaufuchs 1 ("Blue Fox 1") (1941) – Staging of German forces from Germany to northern Finland.

• • Blaufuchs 2 ("Blue Fox 2") (1941) – Staging of German forces from Norway to northern Finland.

• • Platinfuchs ("Platinum Fox") (1941) – Joint German-Finnish attack towards Murmansk from Finnish Petsamo.

• • Polarfuchs ("Polar Fox") (1941) – Joint German-Finnish attack towards Kandalaksha from Finnish Lapland.

• • Rentier ("Reindeer") (1941) – German occupation of Petsamo.

• Sizilien (1943) – German raid upon allied occupied Spitsbergen (Svalbard).

• Weserübung ("Weser Exercise") (1940) – German invasion of Denmark and Norway.

• • Weserübung Nord ("Weser Exercise") (1940) – German invasion of Trondheim and Narvik.

• Zitronella ("Lemon flavour") (1943) – German raid against a Norwegian/British station on Svalbard.

ALLIES[edit]

Most of the important cities and bases in Norway were south of the Arctic Circle, but ...

• Alphabet (1940) evacuation of British troops from Norway

• • Anklet (1941) raid on German positions on Lofoten Islands, Norway
• Claymore (1941) – British raid on Lofoten Islands, Norway
• Gauntlet (1941) – raid on Spitsbergen
• Jupiter (1942) – suggested invasion of Norway
• Musketoon (1942) – British/ Norwegian destruction of a power station in Norway

• R 4 (1940) – Planned British invasion of Norway

• The Sepals/Perianth Operation (1944) – OSS supported operation in Sweden
• Wilfred (1940) – British plan to mine the Norwegian coast