RAF, RN, Fleet Air Arm Svalbard (1941–1945) Lapland War Associated articles Operation Nordlicht (German, 'Northern Light') was a German operation during the end of World War II.
After Finland had made peace with the USSR, the Germans planned to fall back to defense lines built and equipped in advance across Finnish Lapland (Operation Birke).
That meant that instead of evacuating everything and then fortifying the strong defensive positions, the German 20th Mountain Army was to retreat according to a set timetable to a new defense line in Lyngen Municipality in Troms county, Norway.
[1] The Germans retreated using scorched-earth tactics and destroyed almost all buildings and all boats in Finnmark, thus denying the enemy any facilities in the area.
[2] A detailed account of 'the Nazis' scorched earth campaign in Norway' by Vincent Hunt includes statements by eyewitnesses, photographs taken at the time and a map of locations and prisoner of war camps.