Street Fighting at Poventsa

Not having learned from the failed attacks during the winter of 1941-42, the Soviets again attempted to strike at the Finnish lines during the summer of 1942. This image shows the street-to-street fighting and burning of houses in Poventsa on 2 July 1942. The Finnish soldier is armed with Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. After the initial zeal of the attack phase in summer-autumn of 1941, the Finns were content to guard their defensive positions and to bide their time until the end of the global conflict. On most fronts the war stagnated into a period of trench warfare, not to be broken before the Normandy landings and the concurrent major Soviet offensive. In the interim, both sides considerably downsized their forces on the front. The Soviets did carry out several small-scale attempts at breaching the lines, but these efforts lacked the focus of the whole army. During the winter of 1942, the Finns themselves executed an audacious plan to capture Suursaari Island. Other notable actions during this period were those made by the long-range reconnaissance patrols, which executed reconnaissance and sabotage missions deep inside the USSR. Mostly, the men just waited, and grew accustomed to the daily routines of the trenches.

Source :

Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter, Toni Wirtanen and Chris Birks