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This Day in History: April 27, 1945 by Simonov

This Day in History: April 27, 1945

Simonov

On April 27, 1945, the Lapland War ends as the last German troops in Finland withdraw into Norway. The war saw combat between Germany and Finland as part of the conditions of the Moscow Armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union. According to the terms of the treaty, signed on September 19, 1944, Finland was to expel or disarm any and all German forces withing Finland's borders. Pressure by the Soviets pushed the conflict into full-blown warfare by September 28; however, the Finnish military's ability to pursue and engage the Germans was hindered by another term of the treaty which forced Finland's military to demobilize. Casualties among both the German and Finnish sides were rather low, amounting to approximately 4,000 (including killed, wounded, captured, and missing) for each side out of a force of approximately 214,000 Germans and 75,000 Finns. The delaying actions employed by the retreating Germans, including the deployment of mines and the destruction of infrastructure, devastated Lapland for years to come. Reconstruction lasted well into the 1950s and demining efforts continued for decades more.

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