Salpa Line Monument of Independence

SALPA LINE Salpa Line Stone obstacle at Harju of Virolahti Monument of independence Vantage canopy of a accommodation tunnel Accomodation bunker for 20 persons Pictures and map out of Inventory report Entrance tunnel of Lusikkovuori about Salpa Line by the Museum Authority The concrete fortifications of the Salpa Line On the Salpa Line No confidence From the Gulf of Finland in permanent peace to Petsamo After the end of the Winter War Commander-in-Chief, The Salpa Line was planned with the following Mannerheim decided to fortify the new border. Few principals: days later MGen Hanell was assigned to lead the fortifi- 1. Defense position line was unbroken between cation. He got down to prepare fortification plans which the Gulf of Finland and Lake Kivijärvi were completed 8th of May and approved by Com- 2. From Lake Kivijärvi up to Lake Pielinen isth- mander-in-Chief 11th of May 1940. A cost estimate by muses between watercourses were fortified MGen Hanell for the year 1940 was about 1200 million 3. Between Lake Pielinen and Petsamo defense marks, approximately 5 % of state budget. positions were built in road localities In addition a defense position line was constructed across Hankoniemi peninsula as a separate ob- Construction started ject. Gunposition at Lemi immediately Defense on the Salpa Line was based on cross fire of Maxim machine guns. There were 170 of this The heavily fortified defense line, about 1200 kind of machine gun bunkers along the line, they kilometres long, constructed during 1940 -1941 The Fortification Office of the Army was established for were also lodging sites for 20 men. Anti –tank and 1944 for the defense of Finland’s eastern planning and management of the construction work at guns were other main weapons. border is called Salpa Line( Bolt of Finland line). Myllykoski, just promoted LtGen Hanell being in charge To build a such bunker 45 tons of concrete steel The fortification work started immediately after of the office. There were in June 1940 already 149 men in the office and by the end of that year more and 5000 pieces of 50 kg cement bags were the end of the Winter War because there were a needed. Costs of one concrete dugout were equal than 400 men, thus quite a considerable office. lot of doubts of peace to last. During the Spring of a present single family house, about 250 000 1941 there were the greatest amount of labour, There worked on the fortification sites both some euros. 35000 men and 2000 members of women's troops of the defense forces and construction forces auxiliary defence services (Lotta Svärd). A second under the Fortification Office which consisted of civil- peak, 34000 men, was reached in July 1944. ians with personal labour contracts through the Em- The Salpa Line was an enormous working site. ployment Office and construction enterprises. More than 18000 men were accommodated Troops were responsible mainly for the field fortifica- close to the line in huts and nearly one fourth of tions. The construction enterprises, close to thirty in all lorries in the country were in use of the fortifi- number, were leading ones on their special lines and cation. Among structures there were 760 con- many of them still acting nowadays. They took care of crete dugouts and 225 kms of stone obstacles, the most demanding tasks. consisting of in all 350 000 stones, each of those weighing about 3 tons. The significance Machine gun bunker at Virolahti Assistance from Sweden of the Salpa Line There awaked thoughts during the Winter War in The firmness of the Salpa line was never tested A Soviet general stated during his visit on the Salpa Sweden to assist Finland by sending fortifiers in real action. Line at 1950’s: there. They arrived in great numbers, at the end The line acted as a mental back bone of the re- “Luckily we were not obliged to attack of the Spring 1940 there were several hundreds pelling fights in the summer of 1944. of volunteers on site. All together 940 Swedish against this line!” volunteers took part in fortification from the start Its existence had for sure the remarkable influ- More information of the Salpa Line via internet: of the work and returned back to Sweden in the ence on the enemy’s view of the profitability to www.salpaperinne.fi Autumn of 1940 when the military situation continue with its attack operations. The Salpa www.salpakeskus.fi changed in Europe. Line protected the preservation of Finland’s independence with its own part. SALPALINJAN PERINNEYHDISTYS These volunteers experienced to participate in Salpa Line Tradition Association repelling a threat from east. .

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