Photos WW2 Finnish armed forces

For those who understand:D
product49716.jpg
 
Finnish Supreme HQ ordered the Army of Karelia to be ready for a major offensive, deadline being July 3, on June 30 1941. At the time the Army consisted of the VI and the VII Corps and the Task Force Oinonen being supported by the Panssaripataljoona (Tank Battalion) and having the 1st Division and the 1st Brigade as a reserve. Marshal Mannerheim was also able to strenghten the Army using the German 163rd "Engelbrecht" Division, if needed. The German unit was re-positioned from Norway to Finland via Sweden. A war time oddity was that the Division was allowed to be transferred fully armed through a neutral state.
Commander of the Karelian Army, Lt. Gen. Heinrichs, set the main target being the line Ännikänniemi-Vahvajärvi-Soanlahti-Muuanto-Tolvajärvi-Kuolismaa. Offensive was going to be supported by the Flying Squadrons 12 and 16 (and 15 starting on July 7). Flying Regiment 2, having most modern interceptors, was ordered to severely harm the Soviet air operations while the Flying Regiment 3 would raid the enemy supply routes especially in the Korpiselkä-Soanlahti-Suistamo-Värtsilä.Hämekoski-Matkaselkä-Sortavala area. Crossroads in the Laaja narrows were classified as most important bombing targets.
Offensive was decided to be launched when the German Heeresgruppe Nord had reached the Väinäjoki River (Daugava, Väina jõgi) in Latvia. That proved to be July 10 but the troops were allowed to counter fire and sent recon patrols starting on June 22. In the opening pic we see 23-year old Voldemar Topiaanpoika Peipponen from Ingria being tended in the Öllölä area, Tuupovaara municipality. He was captured when his patrol was engaged behind the Finnish lines. 2nd pic shows some Finnish heavy artillery piece being towed to a firing position in the same area, map showing some of the operation area.
Jatkosodan historia, osa 1, p. 241-245
SA-kuva photos # 22298 and 22341

213070485_10225029251668887_2451622124711385604_n.webp
213263244_10225029252428906_5578976586196351915_n.webp
212220668_10225029253148924_1093025421496625858_n.webp
 
In the mid-June 1944 the Finns launched a counterstrike in the Kuuterselkä area, Karelian Isthmus. It was supported by the 2nd Company from the Assault Gun Battalion. On June 14 five StuGs secured the left flank on the western side of the Liikola village and the rest of the Company, three Stugs securing the Hötsölä crossroads.
’Til the morning of next day the Task Force Puroma had suffered heavy casualties so the Company was ordered to support the unit’s retreat. Maj. Gen. Ruben Lagus gave the order to pull back at 10.15 AM. Sole 30 minutes later the command tank Ps.531-1 was hit by an AT gun. Driver, Sgt. Tauno Haikka, fell and the Company Leader Capt. Knut von Troil got severe head wound.
Commander of the Ps.531-10 ”Bubi”, Sgt. Börje Brotell, gave first aid - but then an other shell hit the Ps.531-1 ”Aune”. She had to be abandoned. von Troil and Haikka’s corpse were lifted on the ”Bubi”s deck. While being rushed from the dressing station to a Field Hospital von Troil deceased.
The Finnish losses there were e.g. two 75 mm AT guns and their T-20 ”Komsomolets” artillery tractors of the 3rd Platoon from the 7th Gun Company, and a total of five StuGs. Pic shows the StuG mentioned in a parade on June 4 1944.
Suomalaisten rynnäkkötykkien kohtalot by Erkki Käkelä and Andreas Lärka
SA-kuva pic # 151600
209771846_10225025523695690_1263600849740323022_n.webp
 
In the mid-June 1944 the Finns launched a counterstrike in the Kuuterselkä area, Karelian Isthmus. It was supported by the 2nd Company from the Assault Gun Battalion. On June 14 five StuGs secured the left flank on the western side of the Liikola village and the rest of the Company, three Stugs securing the Hötsölä crossroads.
’Til the morning of next day the Task Force Puroma had suffered heavy casualties so the Company was ordered to support the unit’s retreat. Maj. Gen. Ruben Lagus gave the order to pull back at 10.15 AM. Sole 30 minutes later the command tank Ps.531-1 was hit by an AT gun. Driver, Sgt. Tauno Haikka, fell and the Company Leader Capt. Knut von Troil got severe head wound.
Commander of the Ps.531-10 ”Bubi”, Sgt. Börje Brotell, gave first aid - but then an other shell hit the Ps.531-1 ”Aune”. She had to be abandoned. von Troil and Haikka’s corpse were lifted on the ”Bubi”s deck. While being rushed from the dressing station to a Field Hospital von Troil deceased.
The Finnish losses there were e.g. two 75 mm AT guns and their T-20 ”Komsomolets” artillery tractors of the 3rd Platoon from the 7th Gun Company, and a total of five StuGs. Pic shows the StuG mentioned in a parade on June 4 1944.
Suomalaisten rynnäkkötykkien kohtalot by Erkki Käkelä and Andreas Lärka
SA-kuva pic # 151600View attachment 319872
Maybe most famous photo from battle at Kuuterselkä.Soviet officers inspecting one of the destroyed finnish StuGs
7978685.jpg
Finnish soldiers captured at Kuuterselkä
0_5f17d_985e1538_L.jpg
 
on July 9-10 1790, the Swedish coastal fleet, mostly manned by the Finns, defeated the Russian Navy during the 2nd Ruotsinsalmi Battle. As it was the largest naval battle of the Baltic Sea it's no wonder that the Finnish Navy later chose July 9 being the anniversary day.
After the Finnish Civil War in 1918 there were a some amount of abandoned Russian warships in the country, them forming the base for the future Navy. During the next decades the Navy got new ships like the coastal defense ships Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen - and even a 5-boat strong submarine flotilla. One of the very less known sortie of the Winter War went as described here:
Finnish consulate in Göteborg, Sweden, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec 4 that the largest Soviet icebreaker Jermak was heading to the Baltic Sea through the Öresund Strait. Vetehinen-class submarine Vetehinen was ordered to attack. She left the Lemland-Föglö anchor place, Sea of Aland, at midnight. Due the gyroscope problem she hit a rock near the Stegskär Island. Gunboat Uusimaa and tug Katajaluoto aided her off the rock on Dec 5 at 11.58 AM.
Two days later, on Dec 7 at 12.45 PM, Jermak was spotted near the Liepāja (Libau). Firing angle being 60-90 degrees and the distance some 5000 meters commander Capt. lt K. Pakkala tried to to get better firing position but thickening rain covered the target. Enemy was re-spotted 24 minutes later from such distance and angle that it was considered impossible to reach her.
Vetehinen then headed back to Finland. A war time oddity was that she lacked sonars. So when the Soviet Sch-324 attacked on the eastern side of the Lågskär Island the Finns never spotted that. Another attempt was made starting on Dec 12 when Jermak was on her route from Liepāja to Tallinn, Estonia. Vetehinen patrolled near the Hiiumaa Island a few days, never engaging the icebreaker.
In the pic we see the tower of the sub. All Vetehinen-class submarines were numbered, but only for the sailing season of 1940.
Suomen sukellusveneet by Markku Melkko
SA-kuva photo # 10955

214601035_10225049044523696_2999079110320247047_n.webp
 
In the beginning of the sailing season 1942 the Finnish Navy and the German Kriegsmarine estimated that the Baltic Sea was secured enough to prevent the Red Navy operations. Little did they know that the War Commission of the Leningrad front had ordered the Baltflot to prepare 30 submarines for the future maneuvers a few months earlier.
As the spring came later than usually and the lack of resources caused by the Siege of Leningrad the first 10-boat strong flotilla wasn't ready for the sorties until the beginning of June. Sch-317, commanded by Capt. Lt. Nikolai Mohov managed to sunk the the Finnish s/s Argo on the south-west side of the Bengtskär Island on June 16. Finns reacted on the next day, starting to form convoys from Turku to Stockholm, Sweden.
Next catches of the Sch-317 were Swedish s/s Ada Gorthon and German s/s Otto Kords, but the leaking fuel tank forced Mohov to head back to base. Oil trail was spotted and the Finnish Flying Squadron 6 sent SB-2 bombers loaded with depth charges. Eventually, Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi and guard motor boat VMV 16 sunk the enemy. Sch-317 managed to sunk 5877 GRT.
Meanwhile, some other boats had headed to the Swedish coast and the southern end of the Baltic Sea. Only the S-7, commanded by Lt. Commander Sergei Lisin managed to sunk Finnish s/s Pohjanlahti (682 GRT) using her deck gun on Aug 5. Next flotilla, consisting of three M-class, three Sch-class, L-3, S-13 and Lembit submarines left the Lavansaari base starting in the mid-August. Lembit was an Estonian boat, captured in the summer of 1940 when Estonia "joined" the USSR.
Sch-309 commanded by Lt. Commander Isaak Kabo claimed the Finnish s/s Bonden (695 GRT) on September 12 and managed to avoid the depth charges launched by Finnish escort vessels Uisko and Tursas. Capt. Lt. Pjotr Malatshenko gained more success with his S-13: Finnish s/s Hera (1379 GRT) and s/s Jussi Hacklin (2325 GRT) were torpedoed on Sep 11 and the Dutch m/s Anna (290 GRT) was gun fired on Sep 18.
3rd flotilla was the largest, having a total of 16 boats, some of them had also participated the former operations. In the end of September and in the beginning of October ten Sch-class, three S-class and L-, D- and M-class (one of each class) boats left their bases. Most of the Sch-class subs headed to the Sea of Aland, S-class to the Gulf of Bothnia and the rest to the southern part of the Baltic Sea. However, only the Sch-307 of Lt. Commander Nikolai Momot claimed the Finnish s/s Betty H (2478 GRT) on Oct 26 and Lt. Commander Jevgeni Osipov's Sch-406 sunk the Finnish s/s Agnes (2983 GRT) on Oct 1.
In the undated pic we see Swedish coastal defense ship Äran escorting some convoy from Sweden to Finland.
Suomen sukellusveneet by Markku Melkko, p.104-107
SA-kuva photo # 26675

212572858_10225041904465199_3096824630275972195_n.webp
 
Finnish 99-ton submarine Saukko was ordered for a mission on July 2 1941, main task being to observe the Soviet Navy's maneuvers and, if possible, sink merchant vessels.
So she headed to the Finnish Gulf but spotting no suitable targets the commander Capt. Lt. Antti Leino decided to approach the Someri Island, assuming that some vessels could be engaged nearby or at the harbor.
In the dawn of the next day, at 4.10 AM, he used the periscope spotting two guard motor boats attached to the pier. one torpedo was launched and the pier was hit. Motor boat crews were alert, starting hunting. Saukko emergency dived, hardly managing to avoid the first depth charges but hit the sea bottom roughly.
For some reason the air purifier equipment hadn't been on so the CO2 content had already increased. Crew started to loose consciousness so the commander ordered the boat on the move. Being too close of the sea bottom she hit some rocks damaging the frontal depth elevators.
Despite the continuing assault the boat struggled forwards as silently as possible. Eventually, Leino decided to surface - but after opening the tower hatch he spotted the boats approaching at full throttle. Due the previous damages the emergency dive failed and the boat hit the sea bottom again. Fortunately, the 2nd attack was significantly shorter - but only some sailors and the commander were still capable to operate the boat.
The boat surfaced successfully and the hatches were opened. Soviet boats had returned the base... After a thorough ventilation the crew was recovered to enough and Saukko reached the Vahterpää base in the evening.
In the pics we see the crew of the boat pictured on July 27 1941 and the bridge two days later while the 3rd shows Vesihiisi and Saukko on the Suomenlinna dock on April 24 1942.
Suomen sukellusveneet by Markku Melkko
SA-kuva photos # 29501, 30396 and 82568
205599893_10225014820148108_8949812246601582324_n.webp
208703321_10225014819228085_4838773754238574794_n.webp
209398177_10225014821468141_1639728012689468890_n.webp
 
in the evening of July 2 1941, Finnish 250-ton submarine Vesikko left the Kotka Archipelago and headed for a sortie. She was commanded by Lt. Commanded Olavi Aittola, main tasks being to observe the maneuvers of the Soviet Navy and sink merchant vessels.
Boat reached the Lavansaari Island in the dawn of July 3 spotting no enemy vessels, so Aittola decided to head northwards at 7.30 AM. One motor guard boat was spotted some hours later and some convoy in the south-west. Estimating being not able to reach them the boat continued the current course.
One merchant vessel was spotted at 12.50 PM and the order "to the battle stations" was heard. Torpedo tube 3 was loaded using Italian-origin T/40 torpedo as the boat started to approach the target. The 'eel' was fired at 1.25 and tube 1 was loaded. Vessel got hit in the stern. Wanting to be sure about the victory also the 2nd torpedo was fired but no hit was spotted.
Soviet escort vessels, at least three MO-class guard boats and possibly a destroyer, attacked. Vesikko emergency dived to 45 meters slowing the speed to minimum. Several depth charges were launched during that some 3-hour long hunt. Only damage was a minor problem with the gyroscope and at 4.30 the boat was able to increase the speed, still heading to the base.
4100-ton Vyborg had sunk at 2.45 PM. In the mean time, the Finnish 99-ton submarine Saukko had attacked the Someri Island. Spotting no vessels the commander decided to fire the pier...but more about that later. In the pics we see Vesikko somewhere on the Gulf of Finland and camoflaged near some fisherman's farm.
Taisteluhälytys by Eino "Saunateufel" Pukkila
Suomen sukellusveneed by Markku Melkko
SA-kuva photos # 29490, 32524, 32528 and 40347

206146677_10225007754211464_5247418222748253005_n.webp
208074345_10225007756851530_6042716462465269889_n.webp
208357135_10225007756491521_1782904541983430555_n.webp
208633563_10225007754771478_77844247306385713_n.webp
209290117_4535731736466325_324595063887210347_n.webp
 
On June 30 1941 this AT gun platoon was staying alert at the stronghold of the Salpa Line in the Hytti area, Virolahti municipality.
What makes the pic interesting is their weapons. In October 1939 the Finns found themselves being threatened by a state having at least some 2500 tanks - but their Field Army had only 113 units of 37 mm Bofors AT guns. So no wonder that they were eager to to buy any guns available.
These Austrian-origin 47 mm guns were manufactured by Böhler and bought from Switzerland during the Winter War. A total of 10 m/35 with 5000 shells from Switzerland and 12 modernized, Italian made m/39 guns from Italy arrived too late to see any action in 1939-1940.
Despite its caliber the gun proved to be so obsolete against the Soviet armor that all of them were withdrawn from the infantry use and issued to the coastal defense units. Only the II Corps used some of them briefly in the late 1941.
Based on the location and rare guns it's quite safe to assume that the platoon belonged to the 2nd Coastal Brigade which, at the time, was preparing to capture the archipelago in the area. The unit differed from the others, not only by its tasks but also the weaponry, as seen in the 2nd pic.
An assault squad, some officers and war dog Taru were pictured on the Martinsaari Island on Aug 7 1941. The Brigade mentioned was specialized in archipelago warfare. Taru was raised in the Viipuri city by kennel owner Rantanen.
SA-kuva photos # 40504 and 32810

166234611_10225000456429024_292560018735909457_n.webp
206743657_10225000457429049_1792379279934506134_n.webp
 
Finnish Capt. Kalaja commanded the Detachment Kalaja in the beginning of the Continuation War.
1st pic is taken at the Hollola airfield on June 29 1941. His unit was equipped with British-origin Hawker Hurricane Mk.I fighters. The 2nd, undated one shows the personnel of the Detachment at the Lappeenranta airfield.
SA-kuva photos # 21521 and 44401

206451702_10224990227533308_1220490442380376119_n.webp
208772157_10224990227293302_7331860939223338297_n.webp
 
V.O. Feigin, a soviet agent, was airdropped into Finland in July 1941 wearing a Finnish naval uniform with no insignia. He was injured in his landing, promptly arrested, interrogated and executed as a spy a week later.
Feigin is just one example of operatives known as "desantti" (derived from desantnik- Russian for paratrooper).

210343148_1921924124638247_6953910533878773979_n.webp
207166924_1921924144638245_8880230762038109569_n.webp
 
Dead and alive finns in a 1942 during fighting at finnish occupied area at Svyr river
tumblr_n0ufg6rSqy1r3fd4to1_r1_1280-5.jpg
 
Video of the establishment of the last border pillar on the new Soviet-Finnish border in April 1940,after the peace treaty
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
At the village of Seitajärvi soviet partisans committed one of the worst atrocities on civil population. The whole village was burned and every woman and child was murdered, youngest victim was baby Ritva, she was few weeks old . A miracle happened as well , 8 year old girl Mirja was still alive after been bayoneted, but missed her heart. She played dead until own troops came . Finns went into a pursuit and cought the criminals , a firefight ensued killing some of the partisans but majority got away. Modern Russia has never commented their atrocities and war crimes on Finnish border villages.

222708396_1126389547770710_1867984586256576014_n.jpg
224280427_1126389587770706_8230386889465388871_n.jpg


2 images of dead civilians deleted as per site guidelines
 

Attachments

  • 223197329_1126389487770716_2355461892044632248_n.webp
    223197329_1126389487770716_2355461892044632248_n.webp
    65.7 KB · Views: 149
  • 225031416_1126389444437387_769472292307505364_n.webp
    225031416_1126389444437387_769472292307505364_n.webp
    127 KB · Views: 130
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

Back
Top