A super interesting day arriving at the old frontier between Finland and the USSR. And close it was, only an hour and a half drive west from Helsinki, the country’s capital. We were met at the border by a high ranking Finnish officer – Captain Marine – or Colonel – Eva’s cousin Jörgen Engroos. With us was also another cousin, Marina, and her husband Günter.
Of course this border emerged – and was forced to go away – already in the early 1940s. It came when the Soviets demanded to ‘rent’ the coastal town and area of Hanko (Hangö) as a naval base. It disappeared when the occupation forces were pushed out less than a half year later.
Now there is a great frontline museum and Jörgen Engroos who retired from active service early this year is its head. Here one can understand why the people of Finland are hugely supportive of having a strong popular defense force based on and defending our democratic values.
The background to the whole story is well described on the Finnish Government web pages:
”The war began when the Soviet Union invaded Finland without declaring war on 30 November 1939. The war ended on 13 March 1940, after 105 days of hostilities.”
Finland paid a high price for defending its independence. More than 25,000 Finns died in the war effort and about 44,000 were wounded. Civilian casualties numbered over 1,000. Soviet losses in the war were many times higher. Finland preserved its independence, but had to cede 11% of its territory to the Soviet Union. As a result, some 430,000 Finns, or 12% of the population, lost their homes and had to be resettled elsewhere in Finland.”
Today, there is a small but expanding private locally created museum, exactly where the border between Finland and the Soviets was drawn. It came about through a lot of volunteer work, supported by companies and foundations, most representing our Swedish-speaking minority.
And yes, the place in its forest settings is highly interesting for us Finns. It is also an important place for our neighbours in Sweden as many Swedish volunteers came to help defend our country against the offensive dreams of Stalin and his Red Army. Visiting the place one can concretely sense how devastating war can be both in general and especially for individuals. This is and should be its main message.
The museum – and the old border – is just outside the still important port and town of Hanko (Hangö).
When peace came after the Winter War in March – or rather truce it turned out – people were forced to leave their homes within ten days, at the demand of the Soviet Union who ’rented’ the area for a naval base. Strategically located, Hanko could close off the Gulf of Finland and thus hinder the entry to the large city and area of Leningrad (St Petersburg). So the Soviet war machine wanted it.
Healthy suspicion about Soviet intentions which proved to be well founded made Finland build a strong defense fortification across this Hanko peninsula a bit back from the new border. Skills and determination combined and it was there in a matters of months. Maps and other unearthed documents show that Stalin’s intention was to attack Helsinki from the ‘back’, using the huge Hanko naval base. The main front was of course in the east where there still is a 1300 kilometre long border with Russia.
It is obvious that the fortifications that now can be seen as part of the museum discouraged them from this. If the Soviet troops would eventually have succeeded to break through – which is questionable – the price would have been all too high.
In these pictures you can see some of the landscape as well as a part of the history from the 1940’s at this Hanko peninsula. In June 1940 the hostilities started again and the Hanko peninsula and the surrounding archipelago became a war zone. Finnish troops together with volunteers from Sweden had dug themselves down where the museum now is. During five months until the Soviets were forced to retreat there were also major losses.
Many died in this landscape. Altogether some 300 Finnish soldiers lost their lives, the Red Army losses we don’t know but probably up to 6,000, some 20 times as many. Together with the mainly Swedish-speaking youth from local fishermen, farmer and worker families almost 1,000 volunteers from Sweden defended Finland on the Hanko front. Of these Swedish volunteers, 26 died and just under 100 were wounded.
At the end, Finland survived and today the country still has one of the strongest armies in Europe. Conscription based, it is highly supported by the Finns.
And, good to remember, the defense forces on the Hanko peninsula helped make sure that Helsinki was one of the very few European war capitals during WWII that was never occupied – the others being London and Moscow.
So what a day it was as you can see from the pictures as well.
Big thanks to Eva’s cousin Jörgen Engroos who was a commanding officer at the Finnish defense forces, including this region, until his retirement in January. Could not have a more qualified and engaged guide. And what stories he told us, also from his incredible career as an operative soldier and officer – on the ground, at sea and under water.
A super interesting day arriving at the old frontier between Finland and the USSR. And close it was, only an hour and a half drive west from Helsinki, the country’s capital. We were met at the border by a high ranking Finnish officer – Captain Marine – or Colonel – Eva’s cousin Jörgen Engroos. With us was also another cousin, Marina, and her husband Günter.
Now there is a great frontline museum and Jörgen Engroos who retired from active service early this year is its head. Here one can understand why the people of Finland are hugely supportive of having a strong popular defense force based on and defending our democratic values.
The background to the whole story is well described on the Finnish Government web pages:
”The war began when the Soviet Union invaded Finland without declaring war on 30 November 1939. The war ended on 13 March 1940, after 105 days of hostilities.”
Finland paid a high price for defending its independence. More than 25,000 Finns died in the war effort and about 44,000 were wounded. Civilian casualties numbered over 1,000. Soviet losses in the war were many times higher. Finland preserved its independence, but had to cede 11% of its territory to the Soviet Union. As a result, some 430,000 Finns, or 12% of the population, lost their homes and had to be resettled elsewhere in Finland.”
Today, there is a small but expanding private locally created museum, exactly where the border between Finland and the Soviets was drawn. It came about through a lot of volunteer work, supported by companies and foundations, most representing our Swedish-speaking minority.
And yes, the place in its forest settings is highly interesting for us Finns. It is also an important place for our neighbours in Sweden as many Swedish volunteers came to help defend our country against the offensive dreams of Stalin and his Red Army. Visiting the place one can concretely sense how devastating war can be both in general and especially for individuals. This is and should be its main message.
The museum – and the old border – is just outside the still important port and town of Hanko (Hangö).
When peace came after the Winter War in March – or rather truce it turned out – people were forced to leave their homes within ten days, at the demand of the Soviet Union who ’rented’ the area for a naval base. Strategically located, Hanko could close off the Gulf of Finland and thus hinder the entry to the large city and area of Leningrad (St Petersburg). So the Soviet war machine wanted it.
Healthy suspicion about Soviet intentions which proved to be well founded made Finland build a strong defense fortification across this Hanko peninsula a bit back from the new border. Skills and determination combined and it was there in a matters of months. Maps and other unearthed documents show that Stalin’s intention was to attack Helsinki from the ‘back’, using the huge Hanko naval base. The main front was of course in the east where there still is a 1300 kilometre long border with Russia.
It is obvious that the fortifications that now can be seen as part of the museum discouraged them from this. If the Soviet troops would eventually have succeeded to break through – which is questionable – the price would have been all too high.
In these pictures you can see some of the landscape as well as a part of the history from the 1940’s at this Hanko peninsula. In June 1940 the hostilities started again and the Hanko peninsula and the surrounding archipelago became a war zone. Finnish troops together with volunteers from Sweden had dug themselves down where the museum now is. During five months until the Soviets were forced to retreat there were also major losses.
Many died in this landscape. Altogether some 300 Finnish soldiers lost their lives, the Red Army losses we don’t know but probably up to 6,000, some 20 times as many. Together with the mainly Swedish-speaking youth from local fishermen, farmer and worker families almost 1,000 volunteers from Sweden defended Finland on the Hanko front. Of these Swedish volunteers, 26 died and just under 100 were wounded.
At the end, Finland survived and today the country still has one of the strongest armies in Europe. Conscription based, it is highly supported by the Finns.
And, good to remember, the defense forces on the Hanko peninsula helped make sure that Helsinki was one of the very few European war capitals during WWII that was never occupied – the others being London and Moscow.
So what a day it was as you can see from the pictures as well.
Big thanks to Eva’s cousin Jörgen Engroos who was a commanding officer at the Finnish defense forces, including this region, until his retirement in January. Could not have a more qualified and engaged guide. And what stories he told us, also from his incredible career as an operative soldier and officer – on the ground, at sea and under water.