Pilot Veikko Härmälä of Finnish Air Force

Captain Veikko Härmälä of the 2nd Flight of the 6th Naval Aviation Squadron of the Finnish Air Force in the cockpit of a captured Soviet-made SB-2M-103 reconnaissance bomber in flight over the Gulf of Finland, June 1944. Photographer: Niilo Helander.

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1657759404409476/?__cft__[0]=AZW-WKN084Jvvwzs7qGLPAjaESj1H93QqhVQBwkTwdUB_y7JjOQfwQwGudkaO_QVotMkBvAlELxtcv0Ropqbu-qERMg8Wzuf6ZJjcUJSg4DXg5ej0huDhelD_79E2Dh78o0iWU9fGgqgQe24RwsZ20S81cNwEEaL6Ow0_uLeAfvmJ0CiRJEKerfu6a8Ksr1N0IU&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
http://sa-kuva.fi/neo?tem=webneofin

Finnish Bombers at Luonejärvi

Bombers of the 17th training squadron of the Finnish Air Force at the Luonejärvi airfield. Finland, March 28-30, 1944. Photographer: Niilo Helander.

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1657767927741957/?__cft__[0]=AZWfu-HJ9ckr94TdnGR7xPWM2mhbrmmz_h6DaSpdELcOpJ1wgzMNZ-VGjPgKLZRYrAHA1zfq_nfbcrV3ELaNs--JFJgpwMGF30sQ9uHXezgf7z7eMBOfPNzshlSqQaC-V0kVuJrOpnZiQ-J5PC6FSgLl0aZZl0CQU66e3n6lgG_LTo7ZRf9cRYeLwSiIMuXESYU&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
http://sa-kuva.fi/

Finnish Victory Ceremony in Vyborg

31 August 1941: Finnish forces held a victory ceremony in Viipuri/Vyborg Main Square before the statue of Torkel Knutsson, after the recapture of the city in Karelian Isthmus from the Soviet occupation. The Russian control of the Karelian Isthmus near lake Ladoga was crumbling after the defeat of the two Soviet divisions. On 29 August 1941, Vyborg was captured by Finnish troops.

Source :
http://www.kaleva.fi/uutiset/galleriat/viipurin-valtausparaati-varikuvissa/8522/
http://sa-kuva.fi/neo?tem=webneo_image_preview_max&lang=ENG&doc_id=7aa7d22766254111160c4bc40d5496df&archive=&zoom=YEShttp://vyborg-press.ru/forum/20/10/

A Curtiss Hawk Squad of Finnish Air Force

A Curtiss squad from the 1st Finnish Flight Regiment, over the Aunus Isthmus in an image taken on 18 October 1943. After the fall of France, Germany agreed to sell captured Curtiss Hawk fighters to Finland in October 1940. In total, 44 captured aircraft of five subtypes were sold to Finland with three deliveries from 23 June 1941 – 5 January 1944. Not all were from the French stocks, 13 were initially sold to Norway and captured when the Germans conquered that country. The aircraft were given serial codes CU-501 to CU-507 (A-4 submodel with Cyclone) and CU-551 to CU-587 (all other submodels with Twin Wasp). In Finnish service, the Hawk was well liked, affectionately called Sussu ("Sweetheart"). The Finnish Air Force enjoyed success with the type, credited with 190⅓ kills by 58 pilots, between 16 July 1941 and 27 July 1944, for the loss of 15 of their own. Finnish ace Kyösti Karhila scored 12¼ of his 32¼ victories in the Hawk, while the top Hawk ace K. Tervo scored 14¼ victories. The Finnish Hawks were initially armed with either four or six 7.5mm machine guns. While sufficient during the early phase of the Continuation War, the increasing speeds and armor of Soviet aircraft soon showed this armament was not powerful enough. From 1942, the State Aircraft Factory replaced the fuselage machine guns with either one or two .50 in (12.7 mm) Colt machine guns and installed two or four .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in each wing. The 12.7mm Berezin UB or LKk/42 heavy machine guns were also used. The installation of heavier armament did not change the very good flying characteristics of the fighter, but the armament was much more effective against Soviet aircraft. The Finnish Hawks were also equipped with Revi 3D or C/12D gunsight. Surviving Finnish aircraft remained in service with the FAF aviation units HLeLv 13, HLeLv 11 and LeSK until 30 August 1948, when the last operational Finnsh Hawks were put into storage. In 1953, the stored aircraft were scrapped.

Source :

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-36_Hawk#Finland

Air-Observation Lotta Eillen Kiuru at Lahdenpohja Observation Tower

Air-observation Lotta Eillen Kiuru posed for a propaganda picture in front of Finnish and German war correspondents at Lahdenpohja observation tower on 11 July 1942. The women of Finland fulfilled numerous important roles, even near the front line. 'Lotta Svärd' was a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women. Formed originally in 1918, it had a large membership undertaking volunteer social work in the 1920s and 1930s. During the Winter War some 100,000 men whose jobs were taken over by "Lottas" were freed for military service. The Lottas worked in hospitals, at air-raid warning posts and other auxiliary tasks in conjunction with the armed forces. The Lottas, however, were officially unarmed. The only exception was a voluntary anti-aircraft battery in Helsinki in the summer of 1944, composed of Lotta Svärd members. The battery operated the AA search-lights. The unit was issued rifles for self-protection, thus being the only armed female military unit of the Finnish Defence Forces history! The dire need for labor led to fast recruitment and there was often no time to properly train the new Lottas according to the principles of the organization. In addition, most new recruits were young and inexperienced. This caused some friction between the veterans and the new recruits. Lotta Svärd suffered relatively light losses, considering the number of women posted to a war zone and the length of the war. During the wars, 291 Lottas died, most of which (140) from diseases caught on duty. 66 were killed near the front, 47 in air raids and 34 in accidents. The fallen Lottas were buried in war heroes' graves in their home parishes. Finnish author Aila Virtanen argues that, their "accountability to the nation took a masculine and military form in public, but had a private, feminine side to it including features like caring, helping and loving." The organisation was suppressed by the government after the war.

Source :

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

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

Finnish Light Mortar Team at Hanko

During the Summer War in 1941, the Finns were content to disturb the supply of and contain the Soviet garrison at Hanko. Here, light mortars are shown firing from their protective trenches on the Hanko front. At the start of the war, the Soviet naval base on the leased Hanko Peninsula had been surrounded by Group Hanko. This included the 17th Division and the 4th Coastal Brigade. The Finnish Navy tried to disrupt the Soviets from reinforcing their garrison and applied pressure from the cover of the nearby archipelago. At its height, the Soviet troops at Hanko numbered around 35,000 men, supported by heavy artillery and tanks. The main fear at the time was that this strong force would attack straight into western Finland. In general, the Finns were content to leave the Soviets alone and tried to soften the motti rather than risk losing men in capturing the base. With winter drawing near, the position of the Red Army and Navy at Hanko became more precarious. During the thaw and the season of open seas, the relatively weak Finnish Navy was unable to bring about a decisive victory. However, the ocean would soon freeze, allowing the army to bring in overwhelming numbers. Therefore, on 2 December 1941, the Soviets abandoned the area under the cover of darkness.

Source :

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

Finnish Soldiers Advancing Under Barbed-Wire Obstacles

Finnish soldiers advancing under barbed-wire obstacles on the Hanko front. Fearing an assault over the ice during the oncoming winter, the Soviet garrison fled during the night of 2 December 1941. The evacuation of Hanko itself was performed in several convoys, between October 16 and December 2, 1941, which managed to transport roughly 23,000 troops to Leningrad. The fleet suffered casualties from Finnish minefields and coastal artillery, losing 3 destroyers and 2 large transports (Andrei Zhdanov and Iosif Stalin) as well as several smaller vessels. Finnish troops entering the area found it heavily mined.

Source :

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hanko_%281941%29

A Bofors AA Gun on the Finnish Minelayer Ruotsinsalmi

A Bofors anti-aircraft gun on the Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi. Ruotsinsalmi was armed with one 75-millimetre (3.0 in) gun, one Bofors 40 mm guns and two Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons. The vessel had three mine dropping rails, and could carry about 100 mines. Due to Soviet dominance of the Gulf of Finland and their strong presence at the leased Hanko naval base, the Finnish Navy’s operations were severely limited at the start of Continuation War. When the German advance progressed and the Finns captured strategically important islands on the gulf, the situation was reversed and the Red Fleet became bottled up near Leningrad.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter, Toni Wirtanen and Chris Birks
http://maximietteita.blogspot.co.id/2015/07/minelayers-ruotsinsalmi-riilahti.html

Frontier City of Petroskoi / Äänislinna

Once the bustling frontier city of Petroskoi (Karelia/Soviet Union) was in Finnish hands in 1941, the name was quickly changed to Äänislinna (‘Castle by Lake Ääninen’). During the next few years Finns opened schools serving both the local population as well as the conquering soldiers. In addition to the institutions of higher education, the Finns also established concentration camps for civilians of Russian ethnicity which they operated until the Red Army liberated the area. Six camps were set up in Äänislinna, with 23,984 civilians of Russian ethnicity confined in them. Civilians of Finnish, Karelian or other Finnic descent were not interned into these camps. Some of the camps were old Soviet camps and some only fenced city areas. One source estimated almost 4,000 people perished there, primarily because of malnourishment, most dying during the spring and summer of 1942. The city was occupied by Finnish troops for nearly three years before it was retaken by Soviet forces on June 28, 1944. This image was taken from the ski-jump tower, looking towards Lake Ääninen, on 17 October 1941

Source :

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrozavodsk

Finnish Infantry Advancing Through a Smoke Screen

Finnish Infantry advancing to a new position through a smoke screen - possibly in a training. The grand majority of Finnish infantry served in infantry regiments, which belonged to some certain division. Finnish Winter War era division and infantry regiment were much lighter and more weakly equipped armament-wise than their Soviet equivalents, hence the major improvement made by starting of Continuation War was giving them additional units, which gave them reasonable antitank- and antiaircraft-capacity, that they had been earlier lacking. Since the Soviets at the same time downsized their own divisions, in 1941 Finnish division actually ended up being larger than their Soviet equivalent. Around 1942 - 1943 Finnish Army downsized its divisions, but this was to release more manpower to home front, which was struggling to keep the military provided with weapons, food, ammunition and other equipment. While necessary, from purely military point of view this downsizing proved very poor idea, since it basically ruined the system in which way infantry regiments of division were used. After this downsizing divisions had only two infantry regiments, which made impossible the previous system of division typically using two of its regiments in frontline while keeping the third regiment as reserve. For all practical purposes this meant leaving divisions without their own reserves of useful size. At the same time Soviet infantry divisions developed to what could be described being close to brigade concept and relied more to firepower than manpower. During World War II Finnish Army also noted, that division was so large, that it was often difficult to command effectively. One solution for this problem was creating new (infantry) brigades around 1943 - 1944. These were units about size of infantry regiment, but with support units usually provided to Division. But the transition was not completed to many of the designed brigades and this new formation type didn't replace divisions in Finnish Army until after the war ended. Compared to their Soviet equivalent, Finnish divisions and infantry regiments were motorised in much lesser extent, even if the number of trucks in their use was considerably increased after Winter War (1939 - 1940).

Source :

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

http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/FORMATIONS3.htm

Finnish Soldiers Displaying a Map of the Soviet Union Captured at the Porlampi Motti

Finnish Soldiers displaying a map of the Soviet Union captured at the Porlampi motti, autumn of 1941. In the background is a T-37A amphibious tank. Here some 7,000 Soviet soldiers died and 9,000 was captured, including Major General Vladimir Kirpitsnikov. Almost 12,000 soldiers managed to escape before the encirclement was complete, but all the heavy equipment was behind. Finns captured 360 cannons, 246 mortars, 272 machineguns, 55 tanks, 673 cars and trucks, 300 tractors and some 4500 horses.

Source :

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

http://www.ww2incolor.com/finnish_forces/Porlammi-Sommee_encirclement_1941.html

Finnish NCO Inspects the Russian Vehicles Captured at the Porlampi Motti

A Finnish junior sergeant inspects the Russian vehicles captured at the Porlampi motti on 5 September 1941. Here some 9,000 Soviet soldiers were captured by Finns, along with their leader Major General Vladimir Kirpitsnikov, while 7,000 of their comrades died in the encirclement and some 12,000 managed to escape, having to leave behind all heavy equipment.

Source :

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

http://www.ww2incolor.com/finnish_forces/BillionMotti_Porlammi-Sommee_encirclement_1941.html

Finnish Victory Parade at Viipuri

Finnish victory parade in front of the Round Tower of Viipuri (Vyborg) after the recapture of the town from the Red Army, 31 August 1941. Shortly after this, all the Finnish radio stations began playing a hectic 'Säkkijärven'- polka non-stop for nearly two weeks. The people at the rear learned afterwards that the withdrawing Soviet troops had placed explosive charges all over the town, which could be detonated by radio signal. The fast-paced music playing on all frequencies was enough to disrupt these signals as the Finnish pioneers raced to defuse each bomb! Previously, Viipuri (including all of the Karelian Isthmus) had been ceded to the Soviet Union on March 13, 1940, in the Moscow Peace Treaty, which marked the end of the Winter War. Later, in the summer of 1944, the Soviet Union reconquered the southern part of the isthmus from the Finns in the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45 by Vesa Nenye
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_reconquest_of_the_Karelian_Isthmus_%281941%29

Finnish Infantry Crossing a River

Finnish infantry crossing a river at Olonets Karelia using an "Iivar’s Bridge", named after its inventor Captain Iivari Akseli Kauranen, during the retreat in Continuation War in 1944. The pioneers could quickly make these pontoon bridges by lashing together branches and planks of wood. Kauranen himself was a Jäger officer who retired as a Colonel from duty of Inspector of Engineer Corps. He also co-designed another quick-build floating bridge: Pikasilta M/32, nicknamed after the designer: Iivarin Pikasilta.

Source :
 Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45 by Vesa Nenye
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=206843&start=30

A Finnish NCO Inspecting Ammo

A Finnish junior sergeant (Alikersantti) inspecting ammunition. The shells seem to be for 152 H/37 heavy howitzer (Soviet 152 mm Gaubitsa-Pushka obr. 1937 g. aka ML-20). The artillery shell under this NCO's hand is captured Soviet OF-540, better known by Finnish Army as "152 p tkr 36/40-RG" (152-mm long TNT-filled high explosive shell with 36/40 fuse slot type -RG). At least one of the shells in the pile seems to have Finnish markings painted into it, so the shells are not recently captured. During the Interim Peace the artillery had been significantly improved. When the war restarted in 1941, it now numbered 1,829 pieces with nearly 1,500 shells in place for each gun. Additionally, antitank weapons were finally plentiful. This was a completely different situation to that of the Winter War (1939-40), where most weapons were obsolete and lacked enough ammunition to complete even a week’s fire missions!

Source :

Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45 by Vesa Nenye

http://www.ww2incolor.com/finnish_forces/254.html

Finnish Soldiers Operating a Bofors Gun

A group of Finnish soldiers ready to fire the ubiquitous 40mm Bofors AA gun at their anti-aircraft artillery fire station (ilmatorjuntatykki tuliasemassa) in Suulajärvi during the Continuation War, 26 August 1943. The Bofors 40 mm gun, often referred to simply as the Bofors gun, is an anti-aircraft/multi-purpose autocannon designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as by the Axis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as the Gulf War!

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bofors
http://wikivisually.com/wiki/Pansarbil_m/39/wiki_ph_id_19

Finnish Hämeen Cavalry Regiment in Velikaja Niva

Finnish Hämeen Ratsurykmentti (Hämeen Cavalry Regiment) in a winter patrol through the snow-covered trail in Velikaja Niva, Kareliya (Soviet Union), 15 March 1942. Horses played a vital role in the Finnish Army, supplying front-line troops and enabling the rapid transport of troops and equipment. Virtually all army units employed horses, and during the Winter War some 90,627 animals served the nation. Despite the greatly increased degree of mechanisation, 45,426 horses continued to serve between 1941 and 1944. The horses suffered high casualty rates compared to the men handling them. The horse-driven supply columns were also favourite targets for enemy airplanes and artillery. During the Winter War, the casualty rate for horses was 16.6 per cent and during the Continuation War 12.8 per cent.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter & Toni Wirtanen

A Morane-Saulnier MS.406 Fighter of Finnish Air Force

An Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighter of 1.Lentue/Lentolaivue 28 (1st Flight, No. 28 Squadron) at Viitana base, near Äänislinna in 1942. A more modern type of Finnish fighter that saw service during the Winter War (1939-1940) was the heavy Morane Saulnier MS.406, which was slow and lightly armed. France donated 30 of these aircraft. They reached combat readiness in February 1940 and achieved 14 aerial victories. During the Interim Peace and Continuation War, a further 57 were purchased from Germany. The MS.406 suffered heavy losses due to its poor performance, and was recommended for shelving as early as 1942. This was unfeasible because of the overall lack of aircraft, so modification and modernisation efforts were undertaken instead. The results were underwhelming, to say the least.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter & Toni Wirtanen

Finnish Bristol Blenheim Coming in for a Landing

British made Bristol Blenheim light bomber aircraft of Finnish Air Force coming in for a landing on Luonetjärvi airfield (now Jyväskylä Airport), between 28 March 1944 and 31 March 1944. The yellow stripe at the tail of this Finnish plane was the designation for the German Eastern Front. The British-made Bristol Blenheim light bomber represented the 1930s mindset that newer bombers would be protected from fighter attack by their increased speed. Finland’s interest in this model grew during the early 1930s and they received their first Blenheims in 1937. By that time it had become apparent that the Blenheim’s speed advantage, compared to modern fighters, had already vanished. Additionally, the plane’s defensive armament, consisting of one or two wingmounted, forward facing machine guns, and one machine gun operated by a rear gunner, was insufficient for the demands of the time.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter & Toni Wirtanen
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:SA-kuva