Continuation War, day by day.

[Dowly]

Not sure, if I am able to post tomorrow, so here's the err.. non-entry(?).

I put a bonus in, note: he uses the name "Äänislinna" in his translation, that is Petroskoi (Finns renamed it to 'Äänislinna' after it was captured).
---

17 December 1941

No entry.

Here's another story from the front, translated by AHF member 'Lotvonen':

 

B.Laurila
Heavy Artillery Battalion 5 in Olonets
Journal “Kansa Taisteli”, vol.10, 1958

The author, a Lieutenant in 1941, describes the action of an artillery outfit in 1941 as the Finnish Army advanced in Olonets. Heavy Artillery Battalion 5 (Rs.Psto 5) was nicknamed “Jermu” (“ dictionary definition “experienced and tough warrior” who dislikes formal discipline, Tr. Rem.)

As we were advancing in September 1941 from Prääsä to Petroskoi we noticed the enemy artillery characteristics: mobility, rapid and flexible deployment. Its strength must have been smaller than ours and it decreased continuously. Yet its fire stung us effectively. It was led by men who knew the terrain and were able to anticipate things. Roadsides, by-roads, road crossings, dales, sides of rivers and brooks were subjected to brief but intense firing and seldom without disturbing us.

Our measurement battery was equipped with outdated and slow equipment which hampered our counterbattery activities. Often the actual enemy firing positions were found to be different from the one defined by their previous firing. This proved how mobile and agile the enemy was, they must have had a good advance plan. It seemed that until 22 Sept 1941 the enemy artillery had the mental upper hand. The tables were reversed, however, after that date.

It was specially our 3. Battery that had the misfortune of being in the receiving end of the enemy artillery. On 22. Sept. they were surprised by heavy shelling, resulting in one KIA and three wounded, also part of their shells were damaged and the stored “gargousses” (bagged propellant charges) caught fire. Thanks to the battery officer the discipline was maintained and the threatening gargousse fire was put out. 3. Battery changed their position immediately due to this.

Immediately after Äänislinna (Petrozavodsk) had been taken the Battalion was ordered to proceed to Suoltusmäki in order to support the attack to Solomanni. As I got out of the car at the foot of Suollusmäki hill someone shouted from the top, enquiring about eventual artillerymen. Having admitted I was immediately asked to get to the top of the hill. There sat Col.Lt. Susitaival with his binoculars, pointing to me the bridges of Suoju, which were teeming with enemy troops retreating to North. He asked if anything could be done to prevent the enemy from retreating, because soon we would have to fight the same troops sooner or later. A quick glance at the map showed that the range was sufficient, but as I enquired about the position of our troops in the terrain he could not give me any definite answers. I ordered our fire batteries to take positions at the foot of the hill as soon as they had arrived, all batteries side by side, and get ready to fire at the coordinates of Suoju bridges given to them. Then I hurried in the car and returned to the HQ of our Battalion that had remained in its previous position to find out about our own troops in Suoju. By chance I met the Battalion Commander Maj. E: Hallakorpi on my way and reported to him. He was on his way to the commander of an Infantry regiment ordered to take Solomanni but the Major considered this matter so important that he joined me to discuss it in our HQ.

We were disappointed to learn that one of our Regiments was advancing in the terrain and its positions were unknown. Despite the repeated requests of our Major no better information was gained. Consequently it was preferred not to fire.

So I had to return to the Battalion. I climbed up the Suollusmäki hill and Col. Lt. Susitaival greeted me by saying “ Well?”. The Battalion was in firing readiness, with the pieces aimed at the target, they had been busy. I told him what had happened. There we sat side by side, watching the enemy mass still flowing on the bridges. My cheeks were hot with shame as I had to listen to the sarcastic comments of the old soldier-patriot.

Kumsjärvi was to be taken next. Our Batteries were positioned next to the road from Mäntyselkä to Kumsjärvi while the infantry was bypassing the enemy by its flanks. Our F.O.O. Team attached to the infantry was equipped with a radio transceiver and also a field telephone line was to be laid. Twenty men were assigned to carry the cable reels due to the nonexistence of roads. The line was laid out in the darkness of a drizzly night, the path to be taken was often icy and slippery duckboards across swamps. If a man slipped his leg sunk in the bottomless soft peat. It was risky to turn on any light because the bushes were infested with small enemy patrols that every now and then engaged the telephone line team.

The men were getting tired and the assistant F.O.O. leading the telephone team began to waver in his faith. There even was a suggestion to interrupt the telephone line construction and just communicate with the radio. Some words of encouragement telling that no task is and cannot be impossible for us worked miracles and the line was set up as intended.

At the same time the Battalion had to set up a new fire control central next to the road, and the old switchboard was left behind, manned by Battalion men, to act as troubleshooting patrol central. All this and the task of building the above mentioned phone line had in practice tied up all the manpower of the communications “organs” of the Battalion, yet we were ordered to set up another two 3 to 4 km long lines. The very last men could not be engaged in this due to eventual troubleshooting tasks. The solution was that the Communications Officer and one man carrying the reels built one line and the Sergeant-Major plus one man set up the other one. A lorry followed each “team” and the driver spliced the cable and tested the connection.

7 November P.M. The Battalion was stationed in Keltovaara, then it received orders to change their position so close to the front line that they should be able to shell Karhumäki town (Medvezhegorsk) the same day. The fire positions were decided basing on map but actually the area was under threat of direct enemy fire due to presence of hills. The guns had to be placed a little more to the rear, between Matkajärvi and a road, about two kilometers from the firing line.

The same day we had an inkling what was to happen. An enemy patrol cut our telephone connection to the rear and the troubleshooting patrol goit into a firefight with it about 100m from the field switchboard. A lorry on its way to the rear was ambushed. We increased close range defence and Karhumäki was shelled before it was 2400 hrs as ordered

November 11 was a day of bad luck. The advance of our infantry was not successful and the enemy began to show signs of considerable activity. Our infantry needed more and more artillery support. It was just past noon as the 3rd Battery Battery Officer reported that a light horse drawn artillery battalion is marching on the road ahead of our fire positions.

Soon after the report there were sounds of rifle shots from various directions. When I wondered aloud what this implied one Measurement Battery NCO calmly informed that stray explosive bullets are hitting the trees. At the same moment the 3rd Battery reported that the light artillery battalion marching on the road a few hundred meters off was ambushed. Immediately I ordered our entire Battalion to take close defence positions and enquired if we could help the light Battalion with direct fire – the 3rd Battery did not consider it feasible. At the same moment we spotted enemies behind and on both flanks of my command post. We found ourselves on a narrow ridge surrounded by swamps, consequently the batteries were placed densely in one front. This may have been now to our advantage because we could organise quick concentrated countermeasures with a larger number of men.

Soon the 3rd Battery reported that there was a firefight in their positons, soon the enemy engaged the other batteries. Then my phone rang and a F.O.O. requested quick barrage as the enemy was attacking in the front line. Now our gunners showed what they were capable of: while some men fought the attacking enemy the others manned the guns. Sounds of infantry weapons were mixed with the hollow sounds of field guns and the infantry got thei requested support. (The official war history states that the artillery fire considerably helped in beating back the enemy attack on 8 Nov. 1941)

The Battalion was in Poventsa (Povenets) in early December 1941. We had consumed a total of 17677 shells since the start of the war. 2nd Battery was the first to be there, supporting the advacing infantry, the rest of us a little later. The offensive was over, but we had to show the enemy once more that we were still serious.

In early January 1942 the enemy tried their utmost to make us abandon our gains.

The situation was critical: the enemy had for the second time gained all of Tapponiemi. The current front line was about 800m from the 3rd battery on our left wing. The enemy pressure called for more infantry so our Battalion sent a Platoon worth of men to support the infantry in Tapponiemi. 2nd Lt. Takala who was the acting Platoon commander was mortally wounded in the battle. Smaller units of the Battalion were stationed along the Canal (White Sea–Baltic Canal ) . For example one small stronghold was manned by the Battalion surveying squad. Their commander was the Battalion Gas Protection NCO.

One evening I was ordered to make a harassment fire plan for Tapponiemi for the entire night. After that next morning we would shoot an half hour barrage and prepare for a creeping barrage.

That meant that each battery had to fire 52 shells per hour. Our shell reserve would be spent in 2hrs 30 mins and as to resupply we just knew that a rail transport was to arrive at Karhumäki station. We were orderd to start the harassment fire at once. I pointed out that the train could be late which would mean that after 150 minutes of harassment fire we would be out of ammunition. I was ordered to take the risk and send a sufficient quantity of lorries and men to the railway station.

We started the harassment fire as planned. Just as we were about out of shells four lorries drove in each battery position, one lorry for each piece. In order not to interrupt the fire the first shells had to be loaded in the guns right from the lorry. Shell weight classes and propellant lots were mixed up but what mattered was that the enemy was under constant shelling.

Next day the enemy had to abandon the road across Tapponiemi and finally the entire Tapponiemi area.

The gun crews had had scarcely time to light up or have a meal. 52 shells per battery in one hour means 13 shells per gun – one shell in about five minutes. Loading a 6” field gun every five minutes for nine hours, plus the task of unloading the ammunition and sorting it took its toll on the strongest of men.

Finnish daily losses: 24


Karhumäki.

[Dowly]

18 December 1941

Commander of the 6.Division, Colonel Viikla, shoots himself at his command post.

Reason for his suicide remains unclear, but most sources point to 6.Divisions failures to achieve its objectives and his personal problems.

What Colonel Viikla didn't know, was that he was to be promoted to Major General. He received the Mannerheim Cross after his death.

Finnish daily losses: 20


Finnish and German troops pay their respects to Colonel Viikla. (Karmalampi)

[Dowly]

19 December 1941

Olonets Isthmus: The village of Gora is lost to Soviet 114.D.

Finnish counter-attack is unsuccessful.

Finnish daily losses: 29


Forward post near Maaselkä.

[Dowly]

20 December 1941

Olonets Isthmus: Two soldiers who refuse to return to their units are court-martialled and sentenced to death. They are executed in the village of Barany (north of Gora).

Finnish daily losses: 28


Viipuri prepares for Christmas.

[Dowly]

21 December 1941

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 39


5 suspected spies before a court-martial in Karhumäki.

***

Christmas break.

[sublynx]

Great to see the thread updated again

[Dowly]

22 December 1941

Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt meet in Washington. (Arcadia conference)

Finnish daily losses: 38


POWs clearing up Hanko.

***

23 December 1941

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 21


Two unknown persons about to be executed. Possible two of the five spies pictured in post #260.
(Poventsa)

***

24 December 1941

Maaselkä Isthmus: Soviets counter-attack at Stalin's canal near Poventsa.

Finnish daily losses: 11


Soldier with a Suomi KP/31 covering the retreat of Finns from Stalin's canal.

***

25 December 1941

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 28


Christmas mass somewhere on the Karelian Isthmus.

***

26 December 1941

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 22

No interesting photos. (only three for the date)

***

27 December 1941

Olonets Isthmus: Finnish troops launch a counter-attack to recapture the village of Gora.

Finnish daily losses: 34

No interesting photos. (only three for the date)

[Dowly]

28 December 1941

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 31

[Dowly]

29 December 1941

Metals valuable to the war effort such as lead, nickel, aluminium etc. produced, imported or already in the country is to be given to the State.

Finnish daily losses: 41

There really are no interesting photos, sorry about that.

[Dowly]

30 December 1941

Governance of recaptured areas is given to civilian administration (from military).

Since 1939, Swedes have collected over 508 million swedish crowns to help Finland. (No idea how much that is in real money)

Finnish daily losses: 31


Field surgeons having coffee/tea. (Those are some cool chairs!)

[Schroeder]

Nice furniture.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Nice furniture.

That rocking chair is amazing! Add a pillow or two.. or three.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Dowly

That rocking chair is amazing! Add a pillow or two.. or three.

Here's what the photo SHOULD look like with proper greyscale values:

[sublynx]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Since 1939, Swedes have collected over 508 million swedish crowns to help Finland. [I](No idea how much that is in real money)

According to some crazy calculations I made based on this :

http://www.historia.se/Jamforelsepris.htm

The sum is something like 1 240 536 000 modern dollars. The money was equivalent to the manufacture of 2500 Pz III tanks without radios and weapons

War is expensive but I kind of wonder if my calculations are all wrong...

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by sublynx

According to some crazy calculations I made based on this :

http://www.historia.se/Jamforelsepris.htm

The sum is something like 1 240 536 000 modern dollars. The money was equivalent to the manufacture of 2500 Pz III tanks without radios and weapons

War is expensive but I kind of wonder if my calculations are all wrong...

Did you take in count the 1941 rate etc.?