[27][28][29] After the initial Finnish advance of 1941, the Continuation War was stabilized to trench warfare with very little activity on either side.

When the Siege of Leningrad was lifted in January 1944, the Stavka received orders to plan an offensive against Finland to push it out of the war.

The Soviet attack on the Finnish front commenced on the Karelian Isthmus on June 9, 1944, (coordinated with the Allied Invasion of Normandy).

Despite the Red Army's great success in smashing two Finnish defense lines and capturing a substantial piece of territory in just ten days, it had failed to destroy the Finnish army which was able to concentrate its depleted forces on the VKT-line, and had time to get reinforcements from the other main front north of Lake Ladoga.

[5] Baron Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland, Finnish commander in chief, had asked for German help on June 12, and on June 16 the Flight Detachment Kuhlmey (a composite ad hoc wing of about 70 dive bombers and ground attack fighters, with a fighter and an air transport component) arrived in Finland.

A few days later the battalion-sized 303 Assault Gun Brigade and the 122nd Division Greif also arrived; but after that the Germans offered only supplies, the most important of which were Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons.

[30] On June 21 the Stavka ordered the Leningrad Front to breach the defensive line and advance to Lake Saimaa.

The Soviet response arrived on June 23; it demanded a signed statement to the effect that Finland was ready to surrender and was asking for peace, but the Finnish government rejected this.

13th Air Army 9 June 1944 (exact information, according to documents in TsAMO = Russian Defence Ministry Archice in Podolsk): 817 aircraft (including e.g. 235 Il-2s and 205 fighters ).

Altogether approx 1600 combat aircraft, of which periodically up to 80% were used against the Finnish forces in June 1944 (the rest securing the southern shore of Gulf of Finland against German Luftflotte 1).

The Soviet forces were concentrated on the area east of the city of Vyborg, from where the attack started, through the southern village of Tali, northwards to Ihantala (Petrovka).

This was the only suitable exit terrain for armoured forces out of the Karelian Isthmus, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) wide, broken by small lakes and limited by Saimaa Canal on the west and the River Vuoksi on the east.

The defenders were hit especially hard by artillery and air attacks, but managed to put up a strong defense that stalled the Soviet advance long enough for Finnish reinforcements to join the battle.

On the west side, the Soviet infantry of the 45th Guards Division and the 109th Corps got stuck in defensive positions around the hills of Konkkalanvuoret defended by the Finnish regiment JR48.

Later that afternoon, the Finnish armored division joined the battle and managed to push the Soviet attackers on the west side of the Lake Leitimojärvi back to their starting point.

The Finnish units had been spread out and mixed in the battle, which made the organization of a concentrated defence difficult.

The two battle groups, Björkman and Puroma, did manage to advance to within one kilometer of each other but failed to surround the Soviet divisions who had set themselves up into a hedgehog defense around Talinmylly.

In sector of 18th Division, in Ihantala one powerful barrage by 14 Finnish artillery battalions (~170 guns and howitzers) destroyed or damaged at least 15 Soviet tanks.

[5] At the critical Ihantala sector of the battle, the Finnish defenders managed to concentrate their fire to the extent of smashing the advancing Soviet spearhead.

The enemy succeeded in significantly tightening its ranks in this area and repuls[ing] all attacks of our troops ... During the offensive operations lasting over three weeks, from June 21 to mid-July, the forces of the right flank of the Leningrad front failed to carry out the tasks assigned to them on the orders of the Supreme Command issued on June 21.

[5] On July 6 the Soviet forces had some success, despite the Finnish 6th Division having 18 artillery battalions and one heavy battery for their defence.

In Tali–Ihantala, just like in Vuosalmi and U-line Finns concentrated one minute barrages where average weight of shells were 20–24 kilos.

"[36] Finnish sources estimate that the Soviet army lost about 600[11] tanks in the Battle of Tali–Ihantala, mainly to air attacks, artillery, and close defence weapons.

For instance 13th Air Army and VVS KBF have lost according Soviet sources just 23 bomber aircraft from 9 June to 19 July in Karelian Isthmus.

[14] The cease-fire between the Soviet Union and Finland began at 07:00, September 4, 1944, although for the following 24 hours the Red Army failed to comply with it.

[15] Also, the existence of the Finnish Salpa Defence Line was an important factor in the peace negotiations in autumn 1944.

[47] In addition to Tali–Ihantala, the Finnish front line held fast at Kivisilta and Tienhaara to the north of Vyborg Bay.

[49][50] There was further heavy fighting on the northeast side of Lake Ladoga, and in the Battle of Ilomantsi the Finns were able to encircle two Soviet divisions, though most of the troops were able to escape.

[15] The Finnish government declined further negotiations in late June and did not ask for peace until the Soviet offensive had been stopped.