Operation Rentier

This article is about the German military operation. For other uses of the term, see Operation Reindeer (disambiguation).

Operation Reindeer

Part of Operation Silver Fox of the Arctic Theater

Date	June 22, 1941
Location	Petsamo, Finland
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Germany

Soviet Union

Strength

2nd and 3rd Mountain Division
27,500 men^[1]

unknown

Continuation War

1941 Ladoga Karelia Karelian Isthmus East Karelia Silver Fox Reindeer Platinum Fox Arctic Fox Petsamo Hanko Battle of Bengtskär 1942 Suursaari Someri 1944 1944 Soviet offensive Tienhaara Tali and Ihantala Narvi Island Vyborg Bay Vuosalmi Nietjärvi Ilomantsi Operation Hokki Naval warfare

Arctic 1941–44

Silver Fox Reindeer Platinum Fox Arctic Fox Raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo Gauntlet Fritham Lapland War Birke Nordlicht Petsamo–Kirkenes Liberation of Finnmark

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.

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 Alpine Corps Norwegen to occupy Petsamo and prevent Soviet capture of strategically important mines.

The operation was carried out by the Wehrmacht as part of Operation Barbarossa, the German attack on the Soviet Union. The operation commenced 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.

Notes

↑ Mann & Jörgensen (2002), p. 81

References

Mann, Chris M. & Jörgensen, Christer (2002), Hitlers Arctic War , Hersham, UK: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., ISBN 0-7110-2899-0
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. The Attack on the Soviet Union. Germany and the Second World War. IV. Translated by McMurry, Dean S.; Osers, Ewald; Willmot, Louise. Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Military History Research Office (Germany) ). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 941–1020. ISBN 0-19-822886-4.

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