27 July 1941

Combined effort by German and Finnish troops to cross Ristisalmi by boats in Tolvajärvi direction fails.

http://i.imgur.com/bEfHBz1t.jpg

Finnish daily losses: 211

http://i.imgur.com/nYwMlFXl.jpg
Russians have scored a direct hit to a Finnish ammo dump. (Ristisalmi area)

28 July 1941

Foreign minister Rolf Witting informs British ambassador Sir Gordon Vereker that Finland will break off diplomatic relations with Great Britain.

Finnish daily losses: 168

http://i.imgur.com/hYlx2Kwl.jpg
Lieutenant-General Hjalmar Siilasvuo and an unnamed SS-Standartenführer

Finland and the UK had the best war..Not a shot fired. :ping:

29 July 1941

Two Russian divisions attack against VII AK on the northwest side of Sortavala.*

http://i.imgur.com/ubmGDcPt.jpg

Finnish daily losses: 157

http://i.imgur.com/DXKfLP9l.jpg
Patrol boat 5

*: I am not sure which "two divisions" 'Jatkosota Kronikka' means. Neither it nor 'Sotatoimet - Suomen sotien 1939-1944 kulku kartoin' mentions or shows on map any other division in the are than the 168th.

30 July 1941

Karelian Isthmus: II AK receives its attack orders.

The British Fleet Air Arm unsuccessfully raids Petsamo.

LRRP Detachment Kuismanen's patrol to Lotinapelto returns by driving through 60km of checkpoints in a captured truck wearing partial Russian uniforms.

Upon crossing the frontline, they recapture a lost strongpoint from the enemy.

Finnish daily losses: 228

http://i.imgur.com/TeOYDC1l.jpg
Piggies!

So much for that....:88)

Well I never..:huh:

From Jatkosota - Kronikka:

"Five people area killed in the raid, a ship carrying rum is sunk and the pier is damaged."

You monsters... :nope:

On behalf of my Government, we are so sorry about that and compensation is on the way. We will send you Snowdonia's mountain and rail line.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/...55_634x360.jpg

Excuse me Dowly..

On behalf of my Government, we are so sorry to Wales for pinching one of your mountains and giving it to Finland.

31 July 1941

Karelian Isthmus: Major-General Laatikainen's II AK begins its general offensive. Its objective is to first capture the Elisenvaara - Ilmee - Hiitola terrain and after that continue southwards to river Suvanto.

The Finns are facing the well fortified positions of the Russian 142. and 115. divisions.

http://i.imgur.com/IArzFq7t.jpg

German Army Group North reaches Lake Ilmen to the south of Leningrad.

Finnish daily losses: 457

http://i.imgur.com/lEX81Ayl.jpg
Wounded soldier being dragged away from the front during a battle in Änkilä (II AK sector).

457 losses....:88)
In case no one has noticed yet: War sucks!

6825 KIA/MIA so far.

1 August 1941

Squadron 15 is used for the first time to fly LRRP men behind enemy lines.

The plane type used is Junkers W 34.

Finnish daily losses: 424

http://i.imgur.com/q1Mof3Nl.jpg
Assault team storms forwards.

2 August 1941

German liaison officer to Mannerheim's HQ, Waldemar Erfurth, asks Finns to support the German offensive in Soviet Union by advancing to Lotinapelto(Lodeinoje Pole) in Svir river.

Soviet Union starts receiving material aid from the USA.

Finnish daily losses: 324

http://i.imgur.com/422QrXgl.jpg
Machine gun position on Hanko front

3 August 1941

Karelian Isthmus: II AK's units break through Russian lines in Änkilänsalo, Tyrjä and Karjalainen.

http://i.imgur.com/6PBjtcNt.jpg

Major-General Paavo Talvela, Colonel Erkki Raappana and Private Vilho Rättö receive the Mannerheim Cross.

Finnish daily losses: 308

http://i.imgur.com/brrLEYyl.jpg
Private Vilho Rättö

A little aside, if I may, that I discovered while researching a song from an anime, a bit early in this narrative but I'd probably forget next month.
Whilst Soviet forces were withdrawing from Vilpuri they left scattered hundreds of radio-controlled mines which were controlled by a specific three chord audio being played over the radio which made three tuning forks vibrate at the same time. They were a major pain for Finnish forces, until someone discovered that playing the Säkkijärven Polkka over the radio would make the nearby mines detonate. After this a mobile radio transmitter was brought in and the famous accordionist and composer Viljo Vesterinens recording of the Polkka was played some 1,500 times during September 1941 until alternative jamming equipment was brought in to continue the work up to Feburary 1942.

Hah, yep. I remember reading about it for the first time couple of years ago. :)

I take this was a typo? The point was to not make them detonate.

***

4 August 1941

10.D is subordinated under II AK to cut the road from Ilmee to Hiitola.

http://i.imgur.com/FmYrQdSt.jpg

Colonel Pajari's 18.D enters the town of Ilmee.

http://i.imgur.com/VYjS5Vqt.jpg

Stalin writes to President Roosevelt:
Finnish daily losses: 282

[Graphic image]

Oh? Could be, I must admit I wasn't aware of that part, I thought the idea was to detonate them when infantry were not near them, like how mine-flail tanks set them off deliberately to clear a path. :hmmm: I thought that since the mines were detonated by making the three tuning forks vibrate and that the Polkka had notes in it which included those three notes. So the Finns could essentially take control over when the mines detonated away from the Soviets.
I could be wrong though, I was just going from wikipedia. :yep:

The song was chosen because it had a fast tempo which would likely not let a clear enemy signal through.

-War diary of Headquarters' Signals Detachment 1

:salute:

EDIT: Also, Viipuri was important city to the Finns, so destroying parts of it intentionally was out of the question. Oh and Finns didn't know where most of the mines were, so not a good idea to start blowing them up in random. :)

5 August 1941

Karelian Isthmus: 15.D reaches the outskirts of Hiitola by nightfall.

2.D cuts the Hiitola-Sortavala railway.

http://i.imgur.com/g0N9XJJt.jpg

Soviet troops begin a general withdrawal from the northwest area of Sortavala.

Colonel Bondarev's 168.D remains behind to cover the withdrawal.

1st Battle of Smolensk ends in German victory.

Finnish daily losses: 345

http://i.imgur.com/zE25aril.jpg
Scars of the previous war. (Kollaa)

***

I'm taking this weekend off. Not sure, if I have time to write anything for anyone else to post. I shall return on monday/tuesday. :salute:

EDIT: ^Scratch that. Change of plans.