The Only Way Out

Rovaniemi, the capital city of Finnish Lapland and formerly the site of German headquarters, was burning to the ground when the first Finnish unit, Infantry Regiment 11, arrived on the scene as the delaying Gebirgs-Infanterie-Division 7 was just departing the city. The commander of IR 11 quickly decided that …

1944-10-15

176

Rovaniemi, the capital city of Finnish Lapland and formerly the site of German headquarters, was burning to the ground when the first Finnish unit, Infantry Regiment 11, arrived on the scene as the delaying Gebirgs-Infanterie-Division 7 was just departing the city. The commander of IR 11 quickly decided that his regiment would outflank the Germans across some very rough terrain and cut off the road to Kittila -- the only way out.

Rovaniemi, Finland

The Continuation War, also known as Second Soviet-Finnish war, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany, against the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1941 to 1944, as a part of World War II. In Soviet historiography, the war was called the Finnish Front of the Great Patriotic War. Germany regarded its operations in the region as part of its overall war efforts on the Eastern Front and provided Finland with critical material support and military assistance, including economic aid. The Continuation War began 15 months after the end of the Winter War, also fought between Finland and the USSR. There have been numerous reasons proposed for the Finnish decision to invade, with regaining territory lost during the Winter War being regarded as the most common. Other justifications for the conflict included President Ryti's vision of a Greater Finland and Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim's desire to annex East Karelia. Plans for the attack were developed jointly between the Wehrmacht and a faction of Finnish political and military leaders with the rest of the government remaining ignorant. Despite the co-operation in this conflict, Finland never formally signed the Tripartite Pact, though they did sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. Finland's leadership justified their alliance with Germany as self-defence.

Finnish

German

Scenario Type = Standard