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Dowly · 07-05-19, 02:24 AM

5 July 1944

Äyräpää-Vuosalmi

Assessing the losses his troops had suffered the day before, Major General Martola (2.D) is ready to withdraw his forces to the north side of the River, but newly acquired information from a captured Soviet officer indicated the enemy had also suffered greatly. Lieutenant Colonel Ehrnrooth (IR7) was also confident that he could hold the Äyräpää ridge, if he was given a fresh battalion to replace his First and Third Battalions. Maj. Gen. Martola agreed, and subordinated Major Kuusinen's Separate Battalion 25 (Er.P 25) to Ehrnrooth. The battalion was quickly ferried across the river under mortar fire.
At 18.00, the enemy started a powerful artillery preparation, aimed at Mansikkamäki, Lauttalahdenmäki and Kaskimäki. As the preparation proceeded, and even before the enemy infantry had began to advance, the men of Er.P 25 dropped their weapons and fled in large numbers on boats or by swimming to the northern shores of Vuoksi, many of them drowning in the powerful current. Patrols were sent immediately to capture the men who reached the northern side. Captain Raassina arranged the local reserves of Harju sector, the II/IR7, on the far ridge for defense.
At 19:30, the enemy broke into Lauttalahdenmäki (around the seam of the two Finnish detachments). Two understrength companies led by Cpt. Raassina tried to recover the lost positions, and at 20:30, one of the I/IR49's companies attacked from the north to the enemy's flank, and 6./IR7 from the south to the same enemy's wedge. Fierce enemy resistance, however, prevented the two flankers from completing the encirclement. In the direction of Kirkonmäki, the enemy lay a long and dense smoke curtain for distraction purposes. 10./IR7, half of 11./IR7, one company from Er.P 12, and the regiment's Jägers and pioneers were commanded to rush to the bridgehead, but the enemy sustained an unbroken volley of fire on the river and almost all available boats were destroyed. Only the regiment's pioneer team managed to get to the bridgehead, where it lay mines to prevent the enemy's tanks from reaching the battalion's command post.
At 23:00, enemy's artillery fire grew significantly and fresh Soviet troops were brought in to secure the breach left by Er.P 25. All IR49's counter-attacks to plug the breach were stopped by enemy's heavy tanks. The breach was slowly getting larger as the enemy kept pushing back the weak troops guarding the cap. After midnight, communications were lost with Raassina's Second Battalion and shortly after uncertain information circulated that the enemy had reached the shore of the river on both sides of Capt. Raassina's command post. The enemy had nearly reached the shore, but Raassina had gathered every man he had nearby and first defended against numerous attacks and then counter-attacked and cleared the so-called "Command ridge". By 02:00, the situation had got critical; the breach was now almost 2km wide and couldn't be closed, and II/IR7 had now been encircled in two 'mottis'. Capt. Raassina led his men out from the eastern encirclement to outpost "Harju" on Kirkonmäki hill (Church hill). Cpt. Savolainen's 40-men group, in the western 'motti', continued fighting for some time, until the situation forced them to save themselves by swimming over the ~200m wide river. Half of the men made it to the northern shore, the rest were either killed or captured.

*

Teikarinsaari and Melansaari islands are lost on Gulf of Viipuri

Finnish daily losses: 614

07-05-19, 02:24 AM	#636
Dowly Lucky Jack Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 25,005 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	5 July 1944 Äyräpää-Vuosalmi Assessing the losses his troops had suffered the day before, Major General Martola (2.D) is ready to withdraw his forces to the north side of the River, but newly acquired information from a captured Soviet officer indicated the enemy had also suffered greatly. Lieutenant Colonel Ehrnrooth (IR7) was also confident that he could hold the Äyräpää ridge, if he was given a fresh battalion to replace his First and Third Battalions. Maj. Gen. Martola agreed, and subordinated Major Kuusinen's Separate Battalion 25 (Er.P 25) to Ehrnrooth. The battalion was quickly ferried across the river under mortar fire. At 18.00, the enemy started a powerful artillery preparation, aimed at Mansikkamäki, Lauttalahdenmäki and Kaskimäki. As the preparation proceeded, and even before the enemy infantry had began to advance, the men of Er.P 25 dropped their weapons and fled in large numbers on boats or by swimming to the northern shores of Vuoksi, many of them drowning in the powerful current. Patrols were sent immediately to capture the men who reached the northern side. Captain Raassina arranged the local reserves of Harju sector, the II/IR7, on the far ridge for defense. At 19:30, the enemy broke into Lauttalahdenmäki (around the seam of the two Finnish detachments). Two understrength companies led by Cpt. Raassina tried to recover the lost positions, and at 20:30, one of the I/IR49's companies attacked from the north to the enemy's flank, and 6./IR7 from the south to the same enemy's wedge. Fierce enemy resistance, however, prevented the two flankers from completing the encirclement. In the direction of Kirkonmäki, the enemy lay a long and dense smoke curtain for distraction purposes. 10./IR7, half of 11./IR7, one company from Er.P 12, and the regiment's Jägers and pioneers were commanded to rush to the bridgehead, but the enemy sustained an unbroken volley of fire on the river and almost all available boats were destroyed. Only the regiment's pioneer team managed to get to the bridgehead, where it lay mines to prevent the enemy's tanks from reaching the battalion's command post. At 23:00, enemy's artillery fire grew significantly and fresh Soviet troops were brought in to secure the breach left by Er.P 25. All IR49's counter-attacks to plug the breach were stopped by enemy's heavy tanks. The breach was slowly getting larger as the enemy kept pushing back the weak troops guarding the cap. After midnight, communications were lost with Raassina's Second Battalion and shortly after uncertain information circulated that the enemy had reached the shore of the river on both sides of Capt. Raassina's command post. The enemy had nearly reached the shore, but Raassina had gathered every man he had nearby and first defended against numerous attacks and then counter-attacked and cleared the so-called "Command ridge". By 02:00, the situation had got critical; the breach was now almost 2km wide and couldn't be closed, and II/IR7 had now been encircled in two 'mottis'. Capt. Raassina led his men out from the eastern encirclement to outpost "Harju" on Kirkonmäki hill (Church hill). Cpt. Savolainen's 40-men group, in the western 'motti', continued fighting for some time, until the situation forced them to save themselves by swimming over the ~200m wide river. Half of the men made it to the northern shore, the rest were either killed or captured. * Teikarinsaari and Melansaari islands are lost on Gulf of Viipuri Finnish daily losses: 614