The Military History of Western Lapland
Lapland War
The Lapland War began as a fake war. The landing in Tornio launched the actual military operations on 1 October 1944. The Finns faced the German 20th Mountain Army in Lapland. The strength of the 20th Mountain Army was over 200,000 soldiers. After the demobilization of the reservists during the end of the war, the Finns were down to 12,000 soldiers from 75 000 soldiers.

War events
The armistice between the Soviet Union and Finland, followed by a peace treaty in September 1944, required the expulsion of the German troops from Finland by September 15.
Initially, a fake war was fought in accordance with a secret German-Finnish agreement. The Finns followed the Germans according to their retreat plan. The first battles in Lapland took place on 28 September at Pudasjärvi and the following day in Olhava.
The Lapland War truly began with the landing in Tornio to the rear of the Germans on 1 October. The Finnish 3rd Division repelled German counterattacks in intense battles and captured Tornio by 8 October. At the same time, 15th Brigade advanced from Oulu and captured Kemi.
Further east, on 1 October, the Group Lagus began its advance from Pudasjärvi towards Rovaniemi. The most significant battle took place from 6 to 9 October in the area of Ylimaa. Near the border, the Frontier Jaeger Brigade advanced northward. While advancing, the brigade left some troops on border control.
The 3rd Division also continued to advance from Tornio to Rovaniemi. Encircling the enemy was unsuccessful, but the Finnish troops captured the burned Rovaniemi on 16 October. Meanwhile, 11th Division advanced northward near the western border.
In the east, the Armoured Division continued to advance northward from Rovaniemi. The burned Sodankylä was captured on 20 October, but three days later the advance of the Finns was halted at the Schutzwall defence positions south of Ivalo. On 1 November the Germans withdrew from the positions and at the end of November the Jaeger Brigade advanced to Karigasniemi.
The 3rd and 11th Divisions continued their advance towards Muonio, which was captured by encircling attacks on October 30. The Germans withdrew to the Lätäseno Sturmbock defence positions, where the Finnish advance halted on 29 November. The Finns moved to the peacetime organization, and only the 1st Division stayed in Lapland, composed of conscripts and personnel. The Frontier Guard took on the responsibility of guarding the eastern border on 1 December. The Germans withdrew from Lätäseneno to Kilpisjärvi on 27 April.