Continuation War, day by day.

[Dowly]

Added couple photos more to the last post.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Added couple photos more to the last post.

Appreciated.

[Dowly]

14 April 1943

Karelian Isthmus: "Our patrol got into a firefight while trying to sneak into enemy positions west of the Tappari road. The patrol withdrew killing at least 10 enemies, own losses 3 WIA."

Finnish daily losses: 15

***

15 April 1943

Karelian Isthmus: "Between 0810hrs and 0930hrs the enemy shelled our positions with approx. 1300 shells near the Vaskisavotta road."

Finnish daily losses: 25

***

16 April 1943

Karelian Isthmus: "Our assault unit armed with flamethrowers and supported by mortars and artillery attacked an enemy base on the east side of Koskitsa. The base was completely destroyed including two manned living dug-outs and seven fortified positions. We counted 18 enemy KIA and one was taken prisoner. Counter-attack by a ½Platoon by the enemy was repelled, further enemy reserves were dispersed by our artillery causing them heavy losses. Own losses 1 WIA."

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

17 April 1943

Marshal Mannerheim travels to Switzerland to recuperate.

Finnish daily losses: 9


Lieutenant Vuorialho addresses newly arrived replacements. (Uhtua area, 9/IR 11)

***

18 April 1943

Flight Regiment 3 shoots down 38 enemy planes between the 18th and 21st.

Largest of the fights takes place over the eastern Gulf of Finland on the 21st where 17 Finnish Brewsters attack 35 enemy planes, shooting down 19 of them with two own losses.

Finnish daily losses: 19


Finnish sniper stalking the enemy. Photo taken from artillery spotter's position. (Rajajoki)

***

19 April 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 4

***

20 April 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 20


****

Added stuff to 10 April entry on the previous page.

[Dowly]

21 April 1943

Finland's Foreign Ministry asks Germany to send 10,000 Ingrians with their families to Finland from German held areas.

Finnish daily losses: 24


Living dug-outs dug on the side of a sand hill at Valkeasaari.

***

22 April 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 15

***

23 April 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

24 April 1943

Karelian Isthmus: "At 0245hrs, our positions in Aleksandrovka came under rocket and artillery fire, after this a 30-man enemy unit attacked our positions supported by mortar fire. This attack was repelled. Heavy patrol activity on both sides."

Finnish daily losses: 21


Mechanic having a rest. (Utti)

***

25 April 1943

Karelian Isthmus: "In the Koskitsa area a small enemy patrol managed to slip into our positions taking one of the sentries prisoner before withdrawing."

Finnish daily losses: 14

***

26 April 1943

Maaselkä Group: "At Salmijärvenjoki, enemy patrol got into our positions in the cover of darkness and fog. Before retreating they attacked one of the foremost living dug-outs, throwing in grenades. Our losses 2 KIA, 2 WIA, 1 POW."

Finnish daily losses: 17

***

27 April 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 22

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

21 April 1943
Finland's Foreign Ministry asks Germany to send 10,000 Ingrians with their families to Finland from German held areas.

I wonder to what purpose.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I wonder to what purpose.

Germany was evacuating civilians from the Leningrad area and since Ingrians are Finnic people, Finland rather would have them in Finland than where ever Germany was going to move them.

EDIT: More info

Initially during the Winter War, the Soviet policy was mixed. On the one hand, Stalin's government largely destroyed Ingrian Finnish culture, but on the other hand, the maintenance of a Finnish-speaking population was desired as a way to legitimize the planned occupation of Finland. The failure of the puppet Terijoki government led to the ultimate result that in 1941, Moscow officially decided that Ingrian Finns were unreliable, and in 1942 most of the Ingrian Finns remaining in Ingria were forcibly relocated to Siberia. During the Finnish and German occupation of the area, Ingrian Finns were evacuated to Finland. However, after the Continuation War, most of these Ingrian Finns, who were still Soviet citizens, were forcibly returned to the Soviet Union, where they were dispersed into Central Russia. However, some Ingrian Finns were able to flee to Sweden, and nearly 4,000 were able to remain in Finland. Ingrian Finns were largely forgotten during the presidencies of Juho Kusti Paasikivi and Urho Kekkonen.[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria...e_Soviet_Union

[Schroeder]

Thanks.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Thanks.

No problemo. Guess I should've just mentioned initially, but I'm just kinda breezing through the non-war stuff unless it is important.

PS. Happy Veterans' Day Finland!

Only 14,000 veterans remain of the ~700,000 men and women who served in the Winter and Continuation wars.

PPS. If someone, like me, have had problems uploading stuff to Imgur, make sure you have verified your email with them, can be found in the settings. Guess they've got some anti-bot thingy going on these days.

[Dowly]

28 April 1943

The Finnish Parliament passes law to reward Mannerheim Cross recipients with 50,000 finnish marks.

Finnish daily losses: 19

***

29 April 1943

Aunus Group: "On the west side of Pertlampi in the Shemenski sector our reconnaissance unit, supported by artillery and mortars, destroyed one machine gun bunker and one anti-tank bunker killing approx. 15 enemy soldiers."

Finnish daily losses: 22

***

30 April 1943

Despite German demands to sign a treaty that would prohibit either side from signing a separate peace, Finnish Foreign Minister Ramsay is only willing to state publicly that Finland will continue to fight.

Finnish daily losses: 9


106.Heavy AA Battery. (Kotka)

***

1 May 1943

Swedish Socialdemokraten releases news it got from London that Marshal Mannerheim has resigned and the new Commander-in-Chief is General Heinrichs. The news report is based on Mannerheim being in Switzerland.

Finnish daily losses: 13


Gunboat Turunmaa day before the attack.

***

2 May 1943

Gunboats Turunmaa and Karjala are attacked by enemy planes near Haapasaari. Turunmaa is damaged in the attack and is towed to Haapasaari. One sailor is killed and ten wounded.

Finnish daily losses: 14


Damaged gunboat Turunmaa.

***

3 May 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 30

***

4 May 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 24

[Dowly]

5 May 1943

Two waves of enemy bombers hit Kotka in the evening. One person is killed and one wounded.

Finnish daily losses: 17


Jaeger patrol led by 2nd Lieutenant Yrjö Kiiski attacking towards enemy forward post. (Rukajärvi)

***

6 May 1943

Over 30 enemy planes hit Kotka again, causing only minor damage.

Finnish daily losses: 9

***

7 May 1943

Return of school age children from Denmark begins.

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

8 May 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 10

***

9 May 1943

Maaselkä: "Enemy opened rocket and artillery fire on our positions near Liistelampi at 0430hrs. After 20 minutes of firing, a 50 man enemy unit attacked against our lines under cover of a smoke screen. Company size enemy seen grouping in the rear was dispersed by our artillery. The attacking enemy was repelled, causing the enemy at least 30 KIA. Own losses 1 KIA, 2 WIA."

Finnish daily losses: 19

***

10 May 1943

Osasto Malinen which is responsible for flying LRRP units behind enemy lines begins operations at Hirviranta.

Finnish daily losses: 10

***

11 May 1943

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 23

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

7 May 1943

Return of school age children from Denmark begins.

I don't get it. A couple of weeks earlier they came to the conclusion that Germany will lose the war which makes massive Soviet retaliation and perhaps even occupation of Finland very likely. I don't think there would have been a way for Finland to stem the tide of a full Russian onslaught alone once Germany was out of the game and peace negotiations didn't go anywhere so far. Then there are the frequent Soviet bombings of Finnish cities...
Yeah, great time to get the children back who were safely evacuated before.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I don't get it. A couple of weeks earlier they came to the conclusion that Germany will lose the war which makes massive Soviet retaliation and perhaps even occupation of Finland very likely. I don't think there would have been a way for Finland to stem the tide of a full Russian onslaught alone once Germany was out of the game and peace negotiations didn't go anywhere so far. Then there are the frequent Soviet bombings of Finnish cities...
Yeah, great time to get the children back who were safely evacuated before.

The situation has remained, despite German losses, the same for some time, and bombings can only reach the larger coastal cities (like Kotka), so it is all relatively safe in the inner and wester parts of the country.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

The situation has remained, despite German losses, the same for some time, and bombings can only reach the larger coastal cities (like Kotka), so it is all relatively safe in the inner and wester parts of the country.

I know but by their own prediction it was just a matter of time before things would go really south which most likely would require the evacuation of those children again. And with a massive Soviet attack there is no telling whether there had been enough resources to fight and evacuate people at the same time. So bringing the children back from Denmark would just add to the burden if Russia had decided to conquer Finland.
Oh well, I guess these guys knew their stuff better than I do.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I know but by their own prediction it was just a matter of time before things would go really south which most likely would require the evacuation of those children again. And with a massive Soviet attack there is no telling whether there had been enough resources to fight and evacuate people at the same time. So bringing the children back from Denmark would just add to the burden if Russia had decided to conquer Finland.
Oh well, I guess these guys knew their stuff better than I do.

The Finns had the Salpa line behind them among with other lines to resist the Russian attacks. The Finns also had the (re-)captured regions as a bufferzone.

All in all, at this time, Finns were doing pretty well (civilians).

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Dowly

The Finns had the Salpa line behind them among with other lines to resist the Russian attacks. The Finns also had the (re-)captured regions as a bufferzone.

All in all, at this time, Finns were doing pretty well (civilians).

As you've meticulously shown in this thread war took a heavy toll on the population. Having all displaced persons especially the children return to Finland. Authorities were probably already thinking about population regrowth for the long term security of the country.


Thats my guess