In April 1938, the Soviets contacted the Finns, stating that they didn't trust Nazi Germany and wanted guarantees that Finland would not be used for the German attack on the USSR.

In return, the Soviet Union offered a large slice of empty and unofficially disputed Karelian borderland in exchange.

As Operation Barbarossa commenced, the Soviets placed a garrison on the island; however, as invading German forces on the mainland moved closer to Leningrad, the Soviet command ordered the evacuation of most of the islands in the Gulf of Finland, as well as their besieged base at Hanko on the Finnish coast.

Finnish coastal forces noticed that the islands had been abandoned, and manned both Gogland and Sommers with small garrisons by December 12.

Assault troops rode in trucks as far as they could, then, in the pre-dawn hours of March 27, traveled the last five kilometers over the packed ice on skis.

The Finnish plan called for the regular infantry battalions to spearhead the assault, with coastal troops held in reserve.

II/JR 6 reached the island without meeting opposition; I/JR 27, however, met determined resistance as it neared its planned entry point, and quickly switched to the same route used by the other battalion.

Finnish forces successfully overcame most of the Soviet defenders and captured key locations on the island.