Continuation War, day by day.

[Dowly]

6 April 1944

Viipuri is bombed by Soviet planes.

Finnish daily losses: 13


Patrol relaxing in the Sun before heading out. (Kuosku)

***

7 April 1944

Germans finish planning of Operation Birke.

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

8 April 1944

II AK (Maaselkä): "In the direction of river Leppäjoki, 7 enemy bunkers were completely destroyed by our artillery strikes, and approximately 70 meter of trench was broken in process."

Finnish daily losses: 12


Father and his four sons, all of whom are pilots. (Jyväskylä)

***

9 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 17

***

10 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 14

***

11 April 1944

First shipment of Panzerfausts(1,700) and Panzerschrecks(300) arrive from Germany.

Finnish daily losses: 21

***

12 April 1944

Finnish parliament decides to not accept Soviet Union's peace terms.

Finnish daily losses: 9

[Dowly]

13 April 1944

Aunus Group: "There was increased enemy patrol activity throughout the night. Small attacks at our outposts in the area of Bardovskaja."

Finnish daily losses: 14


Finnish sentries in Kaljala area.

***

14 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 21


Lieutenant-Colonel Alpo Marttinen, commander of the Swedish speaking Infantry Regiment 61. (Shemensk sector, Svir)

***

15 April 1944

The Finnish Government responds to the Soviet Union and rejects the conditions of peace, because accepting them would undermine the conditions of Finland's existence and would 'encumber it with loads that would far exceed the limits of its endurance'.

Sweden agrees to take in the over 200 Estonian children currently in Finland.

Finnish daily losses: 27


Blenheim (BL-182) that went off the runway due to strong crosswind. (Valkeakoski)

***

16 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 13

***

17 April 1944

Twenty-six, mostly Estonian volunteers, are killed in an explosion accident in Jalkala.

Finnish daily losses: 43

***

18 April 1944

Hitler ceases weapon exports to Finland.

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

19 April 1944

Flight Regiment 4's Blenheims drop 36 tons of bombs on the Mergino airfield south of Svir.

Finnish daily losses: 19

[Dowly]

20 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 16


Finnish 'Blinding bottle M/44' tested. (Enso)

Idea of special incendiary bottle designed specifically to create as much as smoke as possible had existed already during developing of molotov cocktail, but at that time there had been no resources available for this development work. Hence this special version of molotov cocktails was not introduced until years later during Continuation War. Unlike bottle used in molotov cocktail blinding bottle had its own special bottle shaped specifically to give better grip for throwing. This special bottle also had bottom design similar to ones used in Champaigne bottles and inside bottle in middle of bottom was place for glass ampoule filled with self-igniting (acid-like) material. Factory Riihimäen Lasi Oy (Riihimäki Glass Factory Ltd) manufactured the bottles for this purpose. Method used with this weapon was simply to throw the bottle against front hull of enemy tank, after this the black smoke produced by burning liquid would momentarily engulf front of the tank in thick smore make destroying the tank with other weapons much easier, since the tank crew was no longer able to observe what was happening outside. The blinding bottles were delivered in cardboard carrying boxes, which each contained 3 bottles. Larger transport boxes each contained 5 carrying boxes (in other words: 15 bottles per transport box). The self-igniting ampoules were transported in separate boxes, which each contained 20 ampoules.

From: https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/OTHER_AT_WEAPONS1.htm

***

21 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 21


Lieutenant Pauli Niemi reading his map during a break from patrolling. (Savukoski)

***

22 April 1944

Mannerheim calls on the Finnish commanders to be ready for a possible Soviet attack.

Finnish daily losses: 12

***

23 April 1944

The Finnish Government makes public a report on the peace negotiations.

Finnish daily losses: 15


Enemy bunker as seen from Finnish positions at Valkeasaari.

***

24 April 1944

9,500 men are moved from the Finnish army for agricultural work until 16 June.

Finnish daily losses: 15


Hunting seals on Lake Ladoga.

***

25 April 1944

First parachute courses begin at Utti for HQ's LRRP detachments.

Finnish daily losses: 12

***

26 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 16

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

20 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 16


Finnish 'Blinding bottle M/44' tested. (Enso)

Interesting concept.

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Dowly

[...]

15 April 1944

The Finnish Government responds to the Soviet Union and rejects the conditions of peace, because accepting them would undermine the conditions of Finland's existence and would 'encumber it with loads that would far exceed the limits of its endurance'.

I remember i read something about a certain treaty, that gave the Soviet Union some finnish territory every year during the cold war.
It was a novel (Desmond Bagley? Leon Uris?) but it seemed like it really happened

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Interesting concept.

Quite. Though, if you're that close, a Molotov might work better.

Originally Posted by Catfish

I remember i read something about a certain treaty, that gave the Soviet Union some finnish territory every year during the cold war.
It was a novel (Desmond Bagley? Leon Uris?) but it seemed like it really happened

Can't say I'm too knowledgeable about our Cold War period, but I've never heard of such treaty. Finland did lease the Porkkala area for 50 years, so maybe you're thinking about that?

[Dowly]

27 April 1944

General Henrichs visits Berchtesgaden.

Finnish daily losses: 19


NCOs of the 6th Separate Battalion ('Ingrian Battalion') ready for inspection. (East Karelia)

***

28 April 1944

Stavka confirms plans for a Summer offensive on the Finnish front.

Finnish daily losses: 9

***

29 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 19

***

30 April 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 29

Finnish losses in April: 530

Finnish losses in the war: 44,711

***

1 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 17

***

2 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 11

***

3 May 1944

Commander of the Leningrad Front, General Leonid Govorov, finishes his plans for the Karelian offensive. The plan calls for a concentrated push supported by heavy artillery fire and a breakthrough towards Viipuri.

Finnish daily losses: 18

[Dowly]

4 May 1944

Aunus Group: "During the night a total of eight prisoner capture attempts by the enemy were thrown back. Similarly, our own attempt to take a prisoner on the north side of Lake Orgjärvi was unsuccessful, the patrol lost one dead, 11 wounded and two missing."

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

5 May 1944

The Soviet 21st Army begins training for the Summer offensive.

Finnish daily losses: 10


Squadron leader and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross Major Jorma Karhunen showing off his catch; a 11kg pike. (Suulajärvi/Fighter Squadron 24)

***

6 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 7

***

7 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 16

***

8 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 15

***

9 May 1944

III AK (Karelian Isthmus): "Platoon strength attack by the enemy repelled in the Vaskela area. The attack was supported by an hour long artillery preparation."

Finnish daily losses: 22

***

10 May 1944

The commander-in-chief, worried about the sluggishness of the fortification work on the Isthmus, sends a rigorous letter to the commanders of his troops. Although Mannerheim does not believe there'll be a large attack by the enemy in the near future, he nevertheless attaches great importance to fortifying the Isthmus. Mannerheim criticizes commanders for failing to prepare and leaving their soldiers without the best possible protection.
"From all my commanders, I insist on the uncompromising strength and unconditional sense of responsibility that our positions will be strong enough to withstand large-scale attacks of the enemy."

Finnish daily losses: 31

[Dowly]

11 May 1944

Radio traffic of the Soviet 23.Army, which has been on the Isthmus since September 1941, ceases.

Finnish daily losses: 12

***

12 May 1944

Mannerheim writes Hitler to assure the weapons sent from Germany will stay in Finnish hands. Hitler, however, declines to resume weapons transports.

Finnish daily losses: 18


Damaged Me-109s of Staff Sergeant Ahokas and Lieutenant Salovaara after a collision on the airfield. (Suulajärvi)

***

13 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 21

***

14 May 1944

2,500 children have been moved from population centers to rural areas so far.

106 Jewish refugees that had come to Finland from various European nations are permitted to travel to Sweden.

Finnish daily losses: 26

***

15 May 1944

281,869 people have so far returned to the recaptured territories in Karelia.

Finnish daily losses: 20


Lieutenant Antti Kesti, man of five wars. (Rukajärvi)
WW1 on the side of Germany (27th Jäger Battalion), Finnish Civil War, Estonian War of Independence, Winter War and Continuation War.

***

16 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 23


Major Elovaara and his adjutant Lieutenant Jukamo in front of II/IR 6 command post. (Valkeasaari)

***

17 May 1944

Soviet planes attack Hamina at 11.00. Finnish AA and Fighter Squadron 34's Messerchmitts down 12 planes.

Finnish daily losses: 24


The narrow trenches of Rajajoki area.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Lieutenant Antti Kesti, man of five wars. (Rukajärvi)
WW1 on the side of Germany (27th Jäger Battalion), Finnish Civil War, Estonian War of Independence, Winter War and Continuation War.

Guess some people can't get enough.

[Catfish]

^ Siehe »Weltreise auf deutsche Art«

[Dowly]

18 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 19

***

19 May 1944

Finnish bombers struck the Mergino airfield in the Svir direction. Due to poor visibility caused by heavy AA fire, damages could not be assessed.

Finnish daily losses: 26

***

20 May 1944

Forty-two Finnish bombers hit storage areas around Alehovitsna which caused a number of secondary explosions and fires.

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

21 May 1944

Major-General Jussi Sihvo's 10th Division takes front responsibility in the Valkeasaari sector on the Western Karelian Isthmus.

Finnish daily losses: 13


View from a machine gun position. (Siiranmäki)

***

22 May 1944

Soviet 21.Army begins transporting artillery and tanks to the Isthmus.

Finnish fighters spot a 500 truck column on the Soviet side of the border.

Finnish daily losses: 13

***

23 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 14

***

24 May 1944

Finnish intelligence estimates that the enemy is ready for a large scale offensive within two weeks. Field commanders are notified of this, but soon after the memo is recalled and a new, more ambiguous one is sent to the commanders instead.

Lieutenant-General Airo, by whose orders the memo is changed, believes that even if there was to be a larger offensive, Finnish positions would hold.

Finnish daily losses: 29


Patrol in the Tsirkka-Kemijoki area where Spring has yet to arrive.

[Dowly]

25 May 1944

Finnish LRRP units make first so called "matti's" on the Isthmus. These are supply caches prepared for LRRP units who, in case of an large offensive, will be moving or staying behind enemy lines.

Finnish HQ orders the Air Forces to conduct large scale photo reconnaissance on the Isthmus.

Finnish daily losses: 22


Anti-tank obstacles in Poventsa area.

***

26 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 22

***

27 May 1944

Flight Regiment 4 begins photographing the Isthmus.

Finnish daily losses: 14

***

28 May 1944

Soviet POW, Sergeant Burlov, informs Finns about the 21.Army's concentration of troops on the Isthmus front.

Finnish daily losses: 28

***

29 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 18

***

30 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 15

***

31 May 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 18

Finnish losses in May: 582

Finnish losses in the war so far: 45,293


Finnish and Soviet positions in the beginning of June.
(Source: Nenye, Munter, Wirtanen, Birks (2016) Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-1945)

[Dowly]

1 June 1944

III AK (Eastern Karelian Isthmus): "Two enemy platoons attacked against our positions north of lake Kapujärvi after a strong artillery preparation. Elements of the attacking infantry reached our positions from where they were quickly thrown out."

Finnish daily losses: 18

***

2 June 1944

Enemy situation report #338: "Information about 21. and 23. Army being moved to the Isthmus have proven to be incorrect. Enemy's fortification works continue."

Finnish daily losses: 20

***

3 June 1944

III AK (Eastern Isthmus): "Enemy group beaten back from our obstacles at Vaskela."

Finnish daily losses: 28

***

4 June 1944

Soviet 21st Army begins transporting troops to the Isthmus front.

Marshal Mannerheim turns 77.

Finnish daily losses: 16


Lieutenant-General Lagus' troops present their new StuG III G's to President Ryti and Marshal Mannerheim. (Enso)

***

5 June 1944

No entry.

Finnish daily losses: 23

***

6 June 1944

Enemy situation report #342: "Rise in enemy activity is to be expected due to Allied landings in France."

Finnish daily losses: 14


Estonian volunteer anti-tank company. (Huuhanmäki)

***

7 June 1944

Molotov sees no reason to continue peace talks with Finland.

Soviet 21st Army's move to the Isthmus front is completed.

Finnish daily losses: 26

***

8 June 1944

Finnish commanders believe the enemy is going to launch a larger attack in July at the earliest.

Finnish daily losses: 32

[Dowly]

9 June 1944

The Soviet preparatory attack begins on the western Karelian Isthmus.

The Leningrad Front and the armies subordinated to it (21.A, 23.A) had six Infantry Army Corps (109.AK, 97.AK, 115.AK, 98.AK, 110.AK, 108.AK) and one Guards Army Corps (30.Ka.AK) on the Karelian Isthmus. The Army Corps totalled around 20 Divisions, most of which were Infantry Divisions, three were Guards Rifle Divisions. The strength of the Infantry Divisions were 5,000 to 6,000 men each while the Guards Rifle Divisions had up to 10,000 men in them.
The attacking force at this first phase included the 109.AK, 30.Ka.AK and the 97.AK. Two Army Corps (109.AK, 30.Ka.AK) were to attack Finnish 10th Division's sector which had two Infantry Regiments (JR 1, JR 58) defending the mainline. Infantry Regiment 1 was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Tauno Viljanen, JR 58 by Lieutenant-Colonel Eero Juva. The strength of the 10th Division on 30th of May was 11,851 men.
The third Soviet Army Corps (97.AK) was to attack the neighbouring sector held by Finnish 2nd Division, which comprised of two Infantry Regiments (JR 7, JR 49) and Separate Battalion 12 (Er.P.12). Infantry Regiment 7 was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Adolf Ehrnrooth, JR 49 by Colonel Ragnar Wahlbeck. Strength of the 2nd Division was 12,878 men.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, over 200 bombers of the Soviet 13th Air Army started to bomb Finnish positions between Lempaala and the Gulf of Finland. After the bombers came over 150 ground-attack planes to strafe the Finnish positions. The Soviet artillery joined in at 8 o'clock, hammering the Finns for 10 hours straight with the aim of destroying over 200 predetermined targets. Over the course of the day, the Soviet artillery fired over 76,000 rounds, 17,000 of them in the first five minutes landed on the 15km wide 10th Division's sector. Infantry Regiment 1 gets the worst of it and as casualties rise the commander can barely keep his men from retreating in panic.
As the barrage thins out, enemy infantry supported by tanks attack Finnish positions along the Lempaala - Gulf of Finland line. Most of the attacks are unsuccesful, but by evening two forward bases ("Sormenkärki" and "Mottori") are lost in 10th Division's sector.
Lieutenant-General Taavetti Laatikainen, commander of the IV.AK, still doesn't believe in a larger Soviet offensive, but orders his reserve battalions to prepare to move to the main line. At the front, the situation is seen differently; the entire 10th Division is tied up in fighting and has already committed all its reserves.



*

Finns shoot down 24 Soviet planes with no own losses.

Finnish daily losses: 248


Photo of 10th Division's living area shows some of the damage done by the artillery bombardment. (Valkjärvi)