Funeral ceremony took place on Sunday at the memorial site in the Valley of Glory. Photo: Murmansk Regional Government

Bodies of 62 Soviet heroes finally buried at Litsa front

72 years after the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, remains of soldiers are still recovered from the battle areas.
October 16, 2016

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The remains of 62 Soviet soldiers were buried at the memorial cemetery in what today is named the Valley of Glory. During Second World War, from June 1941 to October 1944, the Litsa front became one of the bloodiest warzones in Europe. Tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides where killed at the front.

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defence

Every year since, volunteers have recovered bodies of dead Red Army soldiers in the area. 11 of the 62 found this year was possible to name, Russia’s Ministry of Defence informs.

Representatives of both the Regional authorities in Murmansk, war veteran organizations and the Russian Northern fleet attended Sunday’s ceremony.

The cementry at the memorial site in Litsa is located 74 kilometres west of Murmansk on the road towards Norway.

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defence

In September / October 1944, the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive became one of the major military offensives during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht in northern Finland and Norway.

The offensive defeated the Wehrmacht’s forces in the Litsa front on the Kola Peninsula, driving them back into Norway, and was called the “Tenth Shock” by Stalin. It later expelled German forces from the northern part of Norway and seized the nickel mines of Pechenga/Petsamo.

On October 25th 1944, Kirkenes became the first liberated town in Norway.

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