North Finland Group
Encyclopedia
North Finland Group was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War
. It was responsible for an almost 800-kilometer-long border from the town of Lieksa
to the Arctic Ocean
. The group was under Major General Wiljo Tuompo
, and the headquarters was located in Kajaani
.
It was charged to defend the Northern Finland. It has two subgroups, the Lapland Group
in the north and the North Karelian Group
in the south. During the Battle of Suomussalmi
on 11 December 1939, the main headquarters took under control the Lapland Group, and appointed Kurt Martti Wallenius
as its commander. The North Finland Group remained areas of the North Karelian Group, Suomussalmi and Kuhmo
.
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. It was responsible for an almost 800-kilometer-long border from the town of Lieksa
Lieksa
Lieksa is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. The group was under Major General Wiljo Tuompo
Wiljo Tuompo
Viljo Einar Tuompo was a Finnish Major General during World War II. During the Winter War, he was commander of the North Finland Group. During the Continuation War, Tuompo was the Chief of the Command Group of the General Headquarters in Mikkeli. He was promoted as Lieutenant General in 1941....
, and the headquarters was located in Kajaani
Kajaani
Kajaani is a town and municipality in Finland.It is the capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi , which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki . There are inhabitants and city surface area is of which is water. The population density is . The town is...
.
It was charged to defend the Northern Finland. It has two subgroups, the Lapland Group
Lapland Group
The Lapland Group was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Group was formed on 13 December 1939 from troops of the North Finland Group. The Group was placed under the command of Major General Kurt Martti Wallenius and had its headquarters...
in the north and the North Karelian Group
North Karelian Group
The North Karelian Group was a formation of the Finnish Army during the Winter War. It defended the wide stretch of border between the Finnish IV Corps and the troops around Suomussalmi...
in the south. During the Battle of Suomussalmi
Battle of Suomussalmi
The Battle of Suomussalmi [suo.mus.sal.mi] was fought between Finnish and Soviet forces in the Winter War. The action took place from around December 7, 1939 to January 8, 1940.The outcome was a major Finnish victory against vastly superior forces...
on 11 December 1939, the main headquarters took under control the Lapland Group, and appointed Kurt Martti Wallenius
Kurt Martti Wallenius
Kurt Martti Wallenius was a Finnish Major General.Wallenius was a member of the Finnish Jäger troops trained in Germany prior to Finnish independence. In 1915 Wallenius travelled to Germany where he enrolled in the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion...
as its commander. The North Finland Group remained areas of the North Karelian Group, Suomussalmi and Kuhmo
Kuhmo
Kuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It has a borderline of with Russia....
.