Mine casualties after between 1945-2004

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Kormy
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Mine casualties after between 1945-2004

#1

Post by Kormy » 07 Sep 2004, 15:11

Do somebody know how many civilians where killed between 1945-2004 from

winter/jatkosodan (sorry, cant remember the English word) era anti-personel mines.

And how much did they put them on ground?

I know that they putted 3500 mines to Mannerheim monthly.

All info would be great!

Thanks!


[/u]

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JTV
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Re: Mine casualties after between 1945-2004

#2

Post by JTV » 08 Sep 2004, 08:51

Kormy wrote:Do somebody know how many civilians where killed between 1945-2004 from

winter/jatkosodan (sorry, cant remember the English word) era anti-personel mines.

And how much did they put them on ground?

I know that they putted 3500 mines to Mannerheim monthly.

All info would be great!

Thanks!


[/u]
I have read quite a bit about the subject, but I have not seen the information available in anywhere. I think that Soviets might have kept the information classified (they didn't exactly like telling about their losses to outside world or even to their own people).

The large majority of landmines Finnish Army used in Winter War were antitank-mines. Large scale production of antipersonnel mines didn't exist yet during that war. Because of this shortage some military units designed and built (in small scale) more-or-less improvised anti-personnel mines (such as first pipe mines and Luhas-trap) for their own use. There simply was no capacity or readily available designs suitable for their mass-production. Antitank mines were (the ones build with wood boxes) were manufactered in furniture factories as normal industry was not able to manufacture enogh metal frames needed m/36 and m/39.

Finnish large-scale production of antipersonnel mines didn't start until during Continuation War. These mass-produced mine were used in large numbers around 1942 - 1944. After the war Finnish Army gave the Soviets all the maps of Finnish build minefields located in areas, which the Soviets now have. Finnish Army units cleared some of the minefields in those areas after the war (around 1944-1945). The rest of mineclearing work was made by Soviet military units and special mine clearing units, which the Soviets had gathered among their civilian population. Rumour is that the Soviets didn't clear all minefields (at least some build by the Germans in Lapland are still there as they didn't have maps for those?)

BTW: Seperating civilians died for antipersonnel mines and civilians died for dud ammunition left behind from each other is pretty much impossible.

May I ask why you are asking this information?


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Jari
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#3

Post by Jari » 08 Sep 2004, 15:46

About continuation war I was told by a researcher a figure that counted in millions, but I don't remember if it was 2 or 5 or what. I could ask him about it.

I would guess that most of those were of the buried type..? Are there any war time production figures on AP mines by type ("tread mines" vs. "trip-wire mines")?

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Juha Hujanen
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#4

Post by Juha Hujanen » 08 Sep 2004, 16:28

Some figures from Saarinen-Pioneeriaselajin Historia 1918-1968:

910664 mines laid by pioneers between 41-44 plus 348963 ice mines.

751950 mines removed between 41-44

In Lapland pioneers removed between 45-52:

79284 mines
3301 aerials bombs
600500 artillery rounds

Also after armastice pioneers removed 78596 mines from soon to be hand over areas.

Hope this helps

Cheers/Juha

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Harri
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#5

Post by Harri » 08 Sep 2004, 17:34

I don't either have exact figures on post-war land mine casualties but in Finland they have not been very high, perhaps a few tens of people in Lapland. Lapland was cleared soon after the war and I think the last land mine casualties happened in the 1970's. Reindeers have probably cleared majority of mines and suffered majority of "casualties". There are still uncleared areas in Lapland, for example somewhere in Rovajärvi shooting range (now there are also lots of dud shots).

I have no idea what kind of losses Soviet civilians suffered after the war but I think they have been rather big because all major fights took place on the ceded areas. Finns did give all available mine maps to Soviets but there has been lots of individual mines, boobytraps and especially unexploded ammunition which are as dangerous as mines.

If you have red newspapers a couple of weeks ago an old war-time handgranade (or such) exploded in a guy's hands at Ilomantsi, so old mines and explosives may be highly dangerous and deadly even today. Police found lots of old weapons and ammunition from the apartment of the killed fellow.

Finnish vessels had to clear about 16.000 sea mines and clearing obstacles (majority of the about 60.000 layed sea mines and clearing obstacles had destroyed by themselves) from the Gulf of Finland and even parts from Soviet occupied waters after the war. For example this source (in Finnish)
http://www.veteraanienperinto.fi/suomi/ ... voimat.htm
says that 28 men died during that clearing operation between 1945 and 1950. Drifting sea mines are occasionally seen and destroyed even today.

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Kormy
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#6

Post by Kormy » 10 Sep 2004, 10:00

Thanks for the info!
Last edited by Kormy on 19 Sep 2005, 15:51, edited 1 time in total.

Mikko H.
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#7

Post by Mikko H. » 10 Sep 2004, 10:53


Mangrove
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Re: Mine casualties after between 1945-2004

#8

Post by Mangrove » 20 Mar 2014, 14:28

The National Archives Service of Finland has released a new database containing the known civilian deaths caused by mines and explosives in Northern Finland between 1944 and 1949. An Excel file containing 202 names can be downloaded from the National Archive's web page. However, the database does not containg any of the pioneers hired to remove the mines after the Lapland War.

155 of the deaths (77 %) were caused by mines and 47 by other kind of explosives (23 %). 40 of the people (20 %) died during the Lapland War and the rest after 27 April 1945.

Vuosina 1944-1949 miinaan ja räjähteisiin kuolleet siviilihenkilöt ["Civilian deaths due to mines and explosives between 1944 and 1949"]

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igor_verh
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Re: Mine casualties after between 1945-2004

#9

Post by igor_verh » 20 Mar 2014, 19:52

Soviet side - about volunteers demining teams.
At March 21, 1944 in Karelia began the forming teams of sappers-volunteers, each numbering from 25 to 50 people from the age of 15 years and older. To July 1944 on the courses of Osoaviahim (Осавиахим - Society for Assistance to Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction) were prepared 44 junior instructor for demining and more than 1200 sappers. Total for 1944 were prepared 2290 sappers and 123 instructors, from them took part in the works of demining 1237 sappers and 97 instructors. In the season of 1944 in 18 districts of Karelia worked 19 teams. At August 31, 1944 from 838 men who completed the courses worked in teams - 120, while from trained 1406 women took part in demining 865. Most part of volunteers was from 17 to 21 years old.
In 1945 have been trained 596 sappers and 97 instructors, were involved in work 760 sappers and 86 instructors. In 1945, in 14 districts of Karelia worked 14 teams of volunteers.
For 1944 by Osoaviahim was cleared land area of ​​19,097 square kilometers, byarmy commands - 1159 square kilometers. Osaviahim teams cleared 170 settlements, 4451 km of roads.
Totally at the 1944 by sappers were neutralized 9525 anti-tank and 39265 anti-personnel mines, and 2525 soviet mines.
In 1945 from mines was cleared 12 districts of Karelia. Teams of Osoaviahim cleared land area of 21529 square kilometers, army commands - 9504 square kilometers. Were neutralized 25730 anti-tank and 64635 anti-tank enemy's mines by Osaviahim teams and 35776 anti-tank and 294972 anti-tank mines by army commands.
Total for 1944 and 1945 by teams of Osoaviahim were neutralaized 4608 soviet mines, by Red Army units - 77759 soviet mines.
The main types of enemy mines on the territory of Karelia were a T-35, PMD, POMZ, tube and bottle.
According to official data of Osoaviahim 101 sappers exploded in Karelia in a season of 1944, from them: killed 34 and injured 67 people. Civilian losses amounted to 82 people, 33 of them were killed and 49 people wounded. Analysis by sappers lists of Osoviahim for 1944 shows that the most affected categories were women, among the dead sappers were more than 60 percent.
In season 1945 losses of sappers and trainers: were 9 killed and 19 wounded, among civilians affected 114 people (44 dead and 70 wounded).
Demining of territories in Karelia has been continued to 1950.
http://maxpark.com/community/2039/content/2225852 (article from http://militera.lib.ru/periodic/0/v/voe ... 007-03.pdf - Military History magazine)
http://louhi.onego.ru/mus_sch/mus_sch_vov_sapper.htm
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Разминирование площади перед зданием Совнаркома КФССР на пр. Ленина в г. Петрозаводске. г. Петрозаводск. 1944 г. Автор съемки Анкудинов Г.А..jpg
Demining in Petrozavodsk. 1944
Разминирование площади перед зданием Совнаркома КФССР на пр. Ленина в г. Петрозаводске. г. Петрозаводск. 1944 г. Автор съемки Анкудинов Г.А..jpg (79.06 KiB) Viewed 608 times

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