Continuation War, day by day.

[Dowly]

11 January 1942

Maaselkä Isthmus: Fighting at Suurniemi ends.

Finnish daily losses: 44


The Svir hydro plant from inside.

[Dowly]

12 January 1942

King Gustav V of Sweden emphasizes Sweden's neutrality in his speech in Stockholm.

Finnish daily losses: 20


The battalion commander, Major Ahonius (right), wishes 'Good luck' to Lieutenant Alakulppi, who is about to leave on a patrol. (Vilmajoki, Northern Finland)

[Dowly]

Here is a map of the ongoing Soviet offensive on Maaselkä Isthmus.
Quality is what it is, I shall promise to make absolutely no better effort in the future.


Some of the abbreviations:
Pr. = Brigade
JPr. = Jäger brigade
Merijv.Pr. = Naval/marine infantry brigade
HiihtoPr. = Ski brigade
Operatiivinen Ryhmä = Operative Group

[Dowly]

13 January 1942

Ministry of Health reports that disease epidemics in Finland have halved from last year.

Finnish daily losses: 25


Lottas scanning the sky for enemy planes.

[Dowly]

14 January 1942

North of Maaselkä Isthmus: Majewski's patrol heads out to Mai-Guba supply center.

"Gentlemen. We have given a great task by Mannerheim. We ski to Murmansk track, cut it and let Russkie surround us. Hold three day and come home. Clear, any question?"
-Major Arnold Majewski's - who spoke broken Finnish - briefing to his men.

Story, map and photo below.

 

The writer, Uuno Miettinen, took part on the patrol with Border Jäger Battalion 6 (RajaJP 6).
Published in "Kansa Taisteli" 1/71.
Translated by your's truly.

"Have you, Dear Reader, ever been part of a patrol that had the strength of
two battalions and their supply, one AA gun, three aircraft and over 200
horses... distance to target being some 200km from friendly lines, in winter
conditions when the temperature lingered at -40 to -50C...?

Those who are still alive, I think remember that patrol.

I try to tell here about this patrol as much as I still can remember.

[..]
Preparations began on January 12 in Rukajärvi. Everyone knew we were
leaving, but where? We were encouraged to drop all the extra stuff and
keep the backbags light. Weapons were checked, everyone got new snow
white camos, the supply column was prepared, and dry food and ammo was distributed.

On the morning of January 14, it began. Ski march to South, following the
Rukajärvi-Paatene road. Only our supply column used the road. Breaks were
very short, the weather was clear, but cold.

As we arrived to Särkijärvi, our true strength dawned to us as we saw I/IR 10
(I/JR 10) waiting for us there. From there we headed East, through the
lonely abandoned houses in Salkovaara and Pokonvaara towards the great, uninhabited wilderness.

We skied using five tracks, some 10m apart, the center one was for the
supply column, the combat troops had the flanks. Navigating became
a real choir, we had to find the easiest terrain possible for the horse
drawn supply column, and also terrain that would cover our movements
from the enemy. Fortunately, these parts were rarely patrolled by either side.

Moving was surprisingly easy, given the conditions, much of the terrain was
flat and had a strong snow cover. The enemy had not been patrolling the
area very much, about 5km East of Pokonvaara we came upon the first
enemy tracks, strong but rarely used, it went from North to South.

We continued. The lead man was changed frequently. We skied in nearly
complete quietness. The sound of our skis sliding on the snow, trees
cracking due to the cold and the horses whinning were all the sound we
made. We talked by whispering, and orders were given often by hand
signals. During night time, we didn't use fire outside. Our conduct was as
expected on a mission like that.

Our breaks remained brief, if we even took any. No one was too keen to
stop, it was so very cold... We slept in tents for a couple of hours, it
wasn't much, but it was warm.

We set up a base some 20km from the objective, on the frozen Lake
Voldjärvi. There we left our supplies, our AA gun and three planes that
landed on the ice in case we needed to evacuate wounded. We loaded
everything in small sledges; machine guns, explosives, saws, axes,
molotov's cocktails, everything we possibly would need to destroy a village.

Everyone knew we were far behind enemy lines, Maaselkä front to our right
and the Murmansk tracks somewhere to our front. We were still not told
about our mission nor did we ask or speculate about it. We're told when we
need to know, we thought.

We continued onwards as the day was turning to dusk. It was getting
colder, if that was even possible. We made even less noise than before,
only our skis and our clothing made any, apart for a muffled cough every now and then.

The lead man and those pulling the sledges were rotated frequently. We
made quick progress and were getting a bit nervous knowing how close we
were, but at the same time everyone was curious to see what was ahead.

Soon we began to see and hear signs of being close to the objective. Faint
sound of a running motor from front-right, the signs of human hand in the
nature, felled trees and such. We crossed a strong ski track left by the enemy.

Our columns were stopping more frequently now, messengers were running back
and forth, maps were studied, orders whispered around. Far from the
South, the sounds of war from Maaselkä could be heard. Somewhere
to our front a beam of light swept the sky. The cracking of trees in the cold
and "what's in front of us" made everyone nervous.

We began to move forward again... we climbed to the top of a small ridge.
Open terrain ahead. We skied there, to the shore of a lake or a bay,
who knows. Not too big, 300-500m wide. Beyond it, we saw buildings. Word to the rear.. BANG!

Accidental discharge. That's what we were told. Somewhere in our column,
a rifle had gone off in -50C temperature (carries sound well -D). Nerves, I guess.

From beyond the lake we heard - and saw - three rifle shots, a locomotive
came to life, chug...chug..chug, it left to the North. We could hear it for a
long time afterwards. We had been spotted.

"*Bleeping* idiot!" Everyone sprung to life. We attacked in a wide formation
across the lake to our front-left. Ahead of us was a hill with no trees. To
our front-right we saw houses, it was a village. Mai-Guba. We were at our
objective. Well, not yet. A lot of movement in the village, we could hear
them clearly. We weren't whispering anymore either. It was strange to hear
your own normal voice again after so many days.

I/JR 10 moved to the South side of the village, we took the North side.
With fingers on the triggers, we rushed to the shore on the other side. We
climbed up an old rail enbankment. Along it, dozens of telephone wires. We
set up our machine gun on the enbankment to cover our left (North) flank.
But where are the tracks? The train was here just moments ago.

We advanced on skies through a light forest. Again, another bundle of
telephone wires. And there's the tracks. Rear guard was set up. From the
village, we could hear shots and bursts. Contact had been made.

The source for the noise of a running motor became clear to us as we
spotted an enemy plane circle over us. It made a few circles, bothering no
one and left, followed soon by another plane. I guess the planes were from
a nearby airfield, keeping their engines warm.

Sounds of explosions from the South, from the village. Same sort of
sounds could be heard from our sector moments later. Train tracks,
telephone lines, storages and machinery were destroyed, with fires doing the
rest on the 10km long area we operated on.

Sounds of battle grew stronger in the village and from the North we heard
the sound of an approaching train. Reinforcements. Our rear guard was
busy. The sound of gunfire spoke clearly of that. There was fighting
everywhere. The combat started at 2200hrs and ended at dawn, when we
began to move back towards Lake Voldjärvi. Once there, we set up fires, 1
per squad. Our area must've appeared as a sea of fire to the enemy. We
had been spotted, and our task was complete, nothing to lose. We ate and
drank, surprisingly the enemy planes did not bother us during this. Not yet.
At first light, we began our ski march home."

(The story continues, but I will end it here. He goes on to tell about the return trek and how couple of planes attacked them, but nothing overly interesting. -Dowly)


Enemy material losses:
- 92 houses
- 12 storage buildings
- 10km of telephone lines cut
- 60 telephone/electricity poles
- 11 railway carriages
- 8 rail switches destroyed
- 1 saw mill
- 1 horse stable for 100 horses
- 1 wooden railway bridge destroyed

Enemy casualties:
- 2 civilians KIA
- 4 soldiers KIA

Finnish losses:
- 3 KIA
- 10 WIA
- 79 with frostbites
- 25 ill
- 5 illness due to gas (no details given)




Mai-Guba burns, taken on 20th of January at 0215hrs.

Finnish daily losses: 25

[Dowly]

15 January 1942

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 26


Jäger patrol in Suurniemi.

[Dowly]

16 January 1942

The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagsbladet has collected over 250 000 Swedish crowns to aid Finnish children.

Finnish daily losses: 32


Machine gun position on IR 15/15.D sector. (Karelian Ishtmus)

[Dowly]

17 January 1942

Train collision near Kausala station leaves 19 dead and over 30 wounded.

Finnish daily losses: 19


Sentry at a forward post on the shore of Lake Ladoga. (Metsäpirtti)

[Dowly]

18 January 1942

In Petroskoi, the first Lutheran cemetery is opened. Heikki Voronov, 17, is the first person to be buried there.

Finnish daily losses: 38


Petroskoi Lutheran cemetery.

[Dowly]

19 January 1942

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 31


AT-gun position. (Eastern Svir)

[Dowly]

20 January 1942

Citizens are encouraged to buy the brother-in-arms postage stamps, priced at 25 pence. The campaign collects over 500 000 Finnish marks.

Finnish daily losses: 17


The frontline at night. (Lempaala/Karelian Isthmus)

[Dowly]

21 January 1942

Maaselkä Isthmus: Battle of Hiisjärvi ends in Finnish defensive victory after nearly 3 weeks of fighting.

During the opening stage of the attack, the Finnish IR 25 is forced to retreat, and despite counter-attacks, the Soviet units manage a 4-5km deep breakthrough.

The tide turns as the Finns, now reinforced by two Jäger battalions (2.Jgr.BDE), cut the route back East and encircle the enemy on January 9.

The encircled enemy continues to fight fiercely for over a week.

After the battle, Finns count 1860 Soviet dead in the area. Only six Soviet soldiers have surrendered.



Finnish daily losses: 36


Fresh replacements marching to the front. (Maaselkä Isthmus)

[Dowly]

22 January 1942

Sanatorium for children in Stockholm, Sweden begins to take in Finnish children suffering from tuberculosis.

Finnish daily losses: 16


Howitzer firing at enemy positions near Rukajärvi.

***

To those interested, Forgotten Weapons released an overview of the Finnish Mosin Nagants today:

[Dowly]

23 January 1942

Detachment Majewski returns. (See post #290)

Finnish daily losses: 18


Fokker in its shelter at Suulajärvi.

[Dowly]

24 January 1942

Lieutenant Aatu Järvenpää's body explodes as it is being defrosted (so it can be put in a coffin properly).

The body had been mined by the enemy before it could be recovered from enemy side.

His brother, Private Heikki Järvenpää, is killed in the explosion.

Finnish daily losses: 11


AA gun in Lauttasaari, Helsinki.