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The Mannerheim line

Soviet soldiers had to break the Mannerheim Line twice, during the Finnish war and the Second World war. Those who survived that hell of the war remember not only ⌠cuckoo■ snipers, but also hundreds of Soviet warriors dieing around unassailable pillboxes. Numerous legends and secrets of the fortification constructions are still alive.

Finnish volunteers building the Mannerheim Line. The mid-1930s [zoom (55k)]

The Winter War (name given by the Finns) between the USSR and Finland began after an evident provocation. On November 26, 1939 a special subunit of the People▓s Commissariat of Internal Affairs fired from a mine-thrower at Soviet territory near a borderline village Mainila, and made Finland responsible for it.

Later the so-called People▓s Government of the Finnish Democratic Republic was founded. It was headed by the famous member of the Communist International O. Kuusinen. The treaty of ⌠mutual aid and friendship■ was signed on December 2, 1939 and the same day soviet troops passed the border of Finland over the Sestra river. During 105 days of the determined resistance Soviet troops lost about 380,000 people killed, died of injuries, missed, contused, and frost-bitten. The large number of soldiers died at permanent constructions called by the Soviets the Mannerheim Line.

The Red Army did a lot to break the borders. Commanding officers and party men explained the fact by the strength of the Mannerheim Line. Fables about pillboxes consisting of three or four underground floors, armoured slabs of extremal thickness covered with special rubber to redirect the shells were invented; the quantity of the fortification constructions and their strength grew from publication to publication.

The series of defeats during the first period of the war in spite of the armament superiority and pad discovered serious problems of organisation structure, military training, fighting efficiency of the Red Army, the field training of infantry troops and Air Forces. By the beginning of March 1940 military actions on the Karelian Isthmus reached the culmination. Finally, the decided superiority of people, armament and techniques, heroism of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army did their part. The Finns exhausted by persistent battles, incurred big losses, lost the main lines of defence. The Finnish government had to ask for peace.

In the course of war of 1939√1940 the first attempts to run break the Mannerheim Line were unsuccessful. During the later heavy battles for breaking of multilevel defence system created by the Finns on the Karelian Isthmus, the Red Army lost in sum over 190,000 people killed, died of injuries, missed. There were a lot of the frost-bitten.

Many Leningrad students went to hospitals as volunteer nurses. Th situation of the frost-bitten was especially hard: in distinction from the injured, they didn▓t get any pension. They were considered to be guilty of the situation, without thinking of the lack of fur coats and felt boots.

What the Mannerheim Line really was?

⌠Dragon▓s teeth■ √ one of the elements of the Mannerheim Line. The mid╛1930s [zoom (44k)]

Being independent, Finland began to take care of the defence on the Karelian Isthmus. On May 7, 1918, C. G. Mannerheim ordered to make a foregoing strategy of defence fortifications. A few different strategies soon appeared and were actively discussed between the military men in Finland.

In 1920 the works on the border passing through Kluchevyoe ≈ Ermilovo ≈ Soldatskoye ≈ Glubokoye Lake ≈ Rakovoye Lake ≈ part of the system the Vuoksa River ≈ Soloviyovo were begun. The base of the ⌠Enkel positions■ (the name of the fortification system used in war historical literature) was formed by permanent pillboxes and field fortifications. It was called the Mannerheim Line because the former Russian officer C. G. Mannerheim was famous in the Soviet Union.

Permanent constructions of the fortification differed one from another by the time of creation.

According to ⌠Fortification History of Finland in 1918√1944■ published in Helsinki in 1987, 168 permanent constructions were built at the main defence line and the home front line in front of Vyborg in 1920√1924. There were small concrete constructions with simple interior equipment to outstay the hit of shells of 152 mm calibre. More than two thirds were machine gun front fires with embrasures and a garrisons a machine gun group.

Concrete permanent constructions built in the 1920√1924 on the Karelian Isthmus, could hold off only the gun fire used by the Red Army during the Civil War of 1917√1922. The Finnish command couldn▓t estimate the opportunities of fast development of the armament of the Red Army due to the industrialisation of the USSR. In the mid╛1930s the Red Army counted millions of men and possessed thousands of guns, tanks, and planes. By that time small concrete permanent constructions of the Finns had already become out of date and couldn▓t hold off the armament of the time.

To recreate the defence line border on the Karelian Isthmus, the Finns had to build new strong permanent fortifications; and modernise the old constructions as far as possible. In 1931 C. Mannerheim headed the Defence Council of Finland. He began to demand from the Parliament more expenses for the defence of the country, in particular for the defence building on the Karelian Isthmus.

After long efforts, Mannerheim managed to convince the government to provide money for build and reconstruction of old fortification pieces. Because of insufficiency of provided assignations, both building and reconstruction of the fortifications were realised only on the territory of the main defence line from the Gulf of Finland to the lake Vuoksa.

New permanent fortifications were made of reinforced concrete and could hold off the hit of 203 mm artillery shells. Their number featured machine-gun half-caponiers, caponiers, air-raid shelters (one for a platoon). In 1932√1934 and 1936√1939 62 new reinforced concrete fortifications were built from the Gulf of Finland to Vuoksa. A few old concrete pillboxes of front fire were reconstructed for small shelters or were included as shelters into the new reinforced concrete weapon emplacements. By the beginning of the Winter War 128 such constructions were placed at the main defence line ≈ the line of Mannerheim.

The largest pillboxes were called ⌠millionth■ because of huge cost to measure of the Finnish budget. They were placed in the most dangerous sectors from the point of view of probable break╛through of the Soviet troops.

One of the dangerous sectors was situated near the lake Zhelannoe. The base of the Finnish defence was a ⌠millionth■ pillbox ╧ 0011 and defending it pillbox ╧ 006.

On December 15, 1939 the 123th infantry division supported by tanks tried to overcome the fortification with a rush. Having lost on the field of battle about 20 tanks put out of action, over 1,800 soldiers killed and injured, the division had to stop the attack and begin the defence. Soviet soldiers called the territory ⌠Death Valley■. Having used the heavy artillery, the Red Army managed to overcome the defence fortifications of the Finns.

After 1945 the Karelian Isthmus was developed by the settlers. Soon the first gardeners appeared. Despite the sappers had neutralised the territory near the roads and settlement , the inhabitants were afraid of shells and mines. An eyewitness told of a gardener who threw an iron attached to a rope and furrowed the ground.

The excavators appeared there too. There wasn▓t the term of ⌠black pathfinder■ at that time. Many of those who distanced from the ⌠black pathfinders■ really had nothing in common with them. They sent free pieces of their collections to the small museums of the Karelian Isthmus. Those people are moved by the interest to the unknown Soviet-Finnish war.

On the Kareilan Isthmus they dug less than in Sinyavino but there were specific features: rather strong fortifications. Even blew up by the sappers they interested the excavators though it was very risky. There were different finds: from plane and guns to personal items of the Finnish soldiers and officers. A Finnish reward founded in the pillbox was one of the most interesting finds.

Let▓s turn to a diary fragment of the excavator V. Sokolov written 1972: ⌠Once I was covered there. At that moment, I lied in the narrow crack stretched forward hands with a spade and a light. The first of the fallen stones hit my light. After that, I stayed at darkness. Behind me there was a massive steel rail that prevented me to crawl away from the pieces of concrete and stones. One of them strongly hit my head, another one hit the watch. After that, it filled up my hands. Unfortunately, at that moment I was alone. So the stones stopped to fall and I could free my hands. I turned to the back, crawled over the rail and finally got out. Outside, there was brightly and warm. I wait while nervous tremor stopped and I turned back■.

Four years later one of V. Sokolov▓s friends found in that pillbox rusty enameled mug with two rewards inside. One of them of 30 mm diameter had a ski stick ring and a medallion with letter ⌠S■, in reverse there were letters ⌠S.K.O.Y.■. In averse of the other there was a big letter ⌠S■, over it ≈ bended hand in the shell with the sword ≈ an element of the Karelian coat of arms. In reverse there were five little stamps like in all Finnish silverware, and a number 11003.

The ⌠excavators■ soon found the pillbox ╧0011. For a long time, the territory was used for missile and tank range called ⌠zone■ like in a Strugatsky brothers▓ novel. According to it, the ones who penetrate the zone called themselves ⌠stalkers■. The Soviet sappers demolished the pillbox twice: on February 11, 1940, and in summer 1948, during the training movie shooting.

Nevertheless, ⌠stalkers■ who appeared there 15 years later found about ten well-saved famous Finnish axes ⌠Fiskar■, the tripod of Maxim machine gun and a riffle ⌠Laika■ of 1891/1927. At the first moment, when it was taken out from the compacted concrete bit, all the members of the operation ⌠were dumbfounded when they saw lacquer on the riffle butt and a blued barrel■. 15 minutes later the wood crumbled and the barrel fast became neighing.

The pillbox ╧0011 is interesting for its empty well detonated in 1940 and explored in 1960. Later, it was used to store the exhausted rock. However, every five-seven years novice explorers dug out the well to touch its bottom. The ⌠Mannerheim Line■ is still terra incognita. There are few reasons. First of all, up to now there is no its description completed with maps and drawings. Secondly, the excavators inflicted an irretrievable damage of the ruins. The third reason is the indifference of the powers and their inability to understand the importance of what they can preserve.

The creation of the museum of the Winter War on the Karelian Isthmus should take into account and preserve all the memorial pieces. Everybody should know about an ⌠unfamous■ war. To our mind, the museum won▓t lack of exhibit items. The ⌠excavators■ promised to share.