Operation Arctic Fox

Operation Arctic Fox
Part of Operation Silver Fox
A column from Panzerabteilung 40 during the advance on the Murmansk railway, 1941.
Date 1 July 1941 – 17 November 1941 Location Salla, Kestenga, Alakurtti, Verman River Result Stalemate
Belligerents
Germany  Finland	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Hans Feige Hjalmar Siilasvuo	Markian Popov Valerian A. Frolov Roman Panin[1]
Strength
XXXVI Corps 169th Infantry Division SS-Division Nord (mot.) Finnish 6th Division Panzer-Abteilung 211 III Corps Finnish 3rd Division Panzer-Abteilung 40	14th Army 104th Rifle Division 122nd Rifle Division 1st Tank Division 88th Rifle Division (reinforcements) Grivnik brigade[1](reinforcements) 1st Polar Rifle Division[note] 7th Army 54th Rifle Division
Casualties and losses
XXXVI Corps: 9,463 men[2] III Corps: unknown[note]	Heavy casualties

Operation Arctic Fox (German: Unternehmen Polarfuchs; Finnish: operaatio Napakettu; Russian: Кандалакшская операция)^[a] was the codename given to a World War II campaign by German and Finnish forces against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The operation was part of the larger Operation Silver Fox (Silberfuchs; Hopeakettu) which aimed to capture the vital port of Murmansk. Arctic Fox was conducted in parallel to Operation Platinum Fox (Platinfuchs; Platinakettu) in the far north of Lappland. The principal goal of Operation Arctic Fox was to capture the town of Salla and then to advance in the direction of Kandalaksha (Finnish: Kantalahti) to block the railway route to Murmansk.

As a joint operation by German and Finnish forces, it combined experienced Finnish arctic troops with relatively unsuitable German forces from Norway. They managed to capture Salla after fierce fighting, but the German troops were unable to overcome the old, pre-war Soviet border fortifications further east. The Finnish units were able to make better progress, and came to within 30 km (19 mi) of the Murmansk railway. Strong Soviet reinforcements prevented any further advance. Because of the escalating situation further south in Central Russia, the Germans were unwilling to assign more units to this theatre, calling an end to their offensive. With the Finns unwilling to continue the attack on their own, Arctic Fox ended in November 1941, when both sides dug in at their current positions.