Operation Rentier ('Reindeer') was a German operation during World War II intended to secure the nickel mines around Petsamo in Finland, against a Soviet attack in the event of a renewed war between Finland and the Soviet Union.
| Operation Reindeer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Silver Fox of the Eastern Front | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Germany |  Soviet Union | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 2nd Mountain Division 3rd Mountain Division | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 27,500 [1] | |||||||
The planning for the operation started on 13 August 1940, after the German occupation of Norway was complete and was finalized in October that year. The plan called for the two divisions of the Gebirgskorps Norwegen to occupy Petsamo and prevent Soviet capture of the mines.
The operation was carried out by the Wehrmacht as part of Operation Barbarossa, the German attack on the Soviet Union and began on 22 June 1941. The 2nd Mountain Division occupied the area around Liinakhamari and the 3rd Mountain Division occupied Luostari. The operation was followed up by Operation Platinum Fox, which was an attack by the two divisions against Murmansk as a part of the larger Operation Silver Fox.
References
Sources
- Mann, Chris M.; Jörgensen, Christer (2002). Hitler's Arctic War. Hersham: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2899-0.
Further reading
- Ueberschär, Gerd R. (1998). "Strategy and Policy in Northern Europe". In Boog, Horst; Förster, Jürgen; Hoffmann, Joachim; Klink, Ernst; Müller, Rolf-Dieter; Ueberschär, Gerd R. (eds.). Germany and the Second World War: The Attack on the Soviet Union. Vol. IV. Translated by McMurry, Dean S.; Osers, Ewald; Willmot, Louise (trans. Clarendon Press ed.). Oxford: Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt Military History Research Office (Germany). pp. 941–1020. ISBN 0-19-822886-4.