Maritime interdiction to protect the land war

Soviet naval aviation was intended to keep maritime battles far enough away for the army to concentrate on an offensive through Germany. A Western landing near Archangel could force troops to turn back while northern formations were already committed towards Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Withdrawing those forces through mountains and Finnish lake country could be harder than bringing reinforcements back along central European railways. The same reconnaissance and strike forces could attack reinforcement convoys, which would generally have thinner air defences than a major carrier group. Troops concentrated aboard transports were vulnerable before they dispersed and fought ashore. Destroying their trucks or shipments of ammunition, fuel, and food would also reduce the strength of formations that reached land. Maritime interdiction therefore served the Soviet land campaign by limiting additional fronts and weakening incoming reinforcements.