Battle of Tali-Ihantala
Tali and Ihantala, north-east of Vyborg, Karelian Isthmus, Russia
What happened
The Finnish army under Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim and General Karl Lennart Oesch fought the Soviet Leningrad Front under Marshal Leonid Govorov. In June 1944 the Soviet Union launched a huge offensive to knock Finland out of the war. After breaking through and capturing Vyborg, Soviet forces attacked the new Finnish line at Tali and Ihantala. For two weeks the Finns held, using massed artillery and new anti-tank weapons, until the Soviet attacks stopped.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It is the largest battle ever fought in the Nordic countries. It helped convince the Soviet leaders that conquering Finland would cost too much, so Finland kept its independence.
What came next
A ceasefire began on 4 September 1944, and the Moscow Armistice ended the war on 19 September. Finland gave up territory and paid reparations.
Did you know?
The Finns could fire about 250 guns at a single target at once, the heaviest artillery concentration in Finland's history.
Timeline
- 9 June 1944The Soviet offensive on the Karelian Isthmus begins.
- 20 June 1944Soviet forces capture Vyborg.
- 25 June-9 July 1944The Battle of Tali-Ihantala.
- 4 September 1944A ceasefire begins.
- 19 September 1944The Moscow Armistice is signed.