The official AHF Winter & Continuation War quiz thread

[John Hilly]

Hint #2:
Companies of Os. Kanerva weren't normal infantry ones.

With best, J-P

[John Hilly]

Hint #3:
The two Companies of Os. Kanerva formed 1st and 2nd Coys of a Battalion that was formed on 1.11.1941.

With best, J-P

[John Hilly]

Hint #4:
If the Companies of Os. Kanerva weren't normal infantry ones and Jäger Battalions were situated under Karelian Army, what companies they could be?

With best, J-P

[John Hilly]

Hint #5
Full war time strength (typical since July 1941) of these type of Companies was: 8 Officers + 41 NCOs + 272 men = 321 men,
but these two Coys had only three rifle platoons, so they had initially the strength of
7 + 38 + 239 = 284 men each.

With best, J-P

[John Hilly]

One of those was Os. Kanerva.This detachment had two aspects that weren't common in the Finnish Army.
Which were they?

With best, J-P

Hint for the second part of my question:

Winter War's PPP 6 (Bicycle Battalion 6) had this same advantage when it was mobilized.

With best, J-P

[John Hilly]

Final hint:

Soldier.jpg (39.53 KiB) Viewed 1288 times

With best; J-P

[John Hilly]

Hint #2:
Companies of Os. Kanerva weren't normal infantry ones.

But they fought like infantry, just like Jääkärikomppaniat (Jäger Companies) or Kevyt Osastot (Light Detachments).
So what the hack were they?

If you don't know, guess!!!

[JTV]

If you don't know, guess!!!

Border Jaegers (Rajajääkärit) equipped with bicycles?

Jarkko

[John Hilly]

Yes they were Border Jaegers, but Os. Kanerva was also motorized to obtain speed for rapid advance.

SA-kuva #68069 Majuri Kanerva, Os. Kanerva ja I Rj.P.

Rajajääkäri ja Luton kolttanaisia. Kuvattu 13.-21.7.1942.
Petsamo, Luttojoki 1942.07.00 SA-kuva #JSdia026

Your turn next Jarkko!

With best, J-P

[JTV]

Your turn next Jarkko!

Thanks. Hopefully this one does not turn to be too difficult as my previous question.

Question: What were these three items: m/32 16/20, Karhula m/39 and Matti Saurio m/40?

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

Hand grenade fuzes?

Regards, Juha

[JTV]

Hand grenade fuzes?

Excellent Juha - that is a correct answer!! I decided to made a question about this subject because as a subject of historical weapons hand grenades seem to be somewhat forgotten - hence very little have been written about them. The problem behind that might be that they are weapons that are usually catagorised as ammunition, or that they are disposable weapons designed to be thrown away.

The three items were/are indeed hand grenade fuses for Finnish-manufactured fragmentation (sirpale)/mine/defensive egg hand grenades. During World War 2 Finnish industry manufactured three hand grenade models of this type - m/32 (drop-shaped and elliptic versions), m/41 and m/43. All three hand grenades had cast steel body, which broke into irregular steel fragments when the grenade exploded. From these three grenade designs m/32 was designed to be used also as a 47-mm mortar shell for and rifle grenade, but Tampella mortars intended to use them did not get beyond field test series of six mortars and rifle grenade equipment project got cancelled already earlier when only at prototype stage. One of the main factors which halted production of Tampella 47-mm was explosion caused by faulty mortar shell fuse in test-firing of 47-mm mortars in Island of Harakka (in Helsinki) in January of 1938 - the explosion killed Inspector of Infantry Major General Heikinheimo and wounded several people - among them engineer Leo Jyväkorpi, who was the driving force behind development of 47-mm mortar in Tampella. Later m/41 hand grenade also has special version designed to be used with fifty 47 Krh/41 (47-mm mortar model 1941) manufactured by Santasalo-Sohlberg in 1941 - 1942. Since Finnish Army captured over 1,000 Soviet 50-mm mortars during year 1941, there was no longer need for manufacturing of light mortars in this caliber range. Hence the last egg hand grenade model - m/43, was a simplified version of m/41 and only designed to be used as hand grenade.

While fuse 16/20 model 1932 remained as the most common fuse used with these egg hand grenades through World War 2, this fuse model was somewhat complicated to manufacture and most its components were brass, acquiring which proved difficult during the war. Hence Finnish companies Karhula and Matti Saurio introduced in 1939 - 1940 friction-fuses mainly made from bakelite (plastic) for these hand grenades.

As with most weapons the inventory of hand grenades used by Finnish military during World War 2 was long and versatile. In addition of Finnish-manufactured hand grenades, Finnish Army used also Russian/Soviet, German, French, British, Hungarian and Swedish hand grenades.

Over to you Juha.

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

Thanks Jarkko,

At least for me a very interesting and mind challenging question.
A bit difficult as the subject has not been of my interest before.
BTW, wasn't the m/41 body of steel plate?

Have to think a while for a new question.

Regards, Juha

[JTV]

Thanks Jarkko,
BTW, wasn't the m/41 body of steel plate?

No - you might be mixing it up with stick hand grenade m/41 (varsikäsikranaatti m/41)?

Wartime ammunition manual page for egg hand grenade m/41 attached says that body material was cast iron (valurauta), but personally I think it seems to be cast steel. I also have photos of some wartime documents about payments made to the steel foundry for bodies of the particular hand grenades...

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

Thanks Jarkko,
BTW, wasn't the m/41 body of steel plate?

No - you might be mixing it up with stick hand grenade m/41 (varsikäsikranaatti m/41)?

The three items were/are indeed hand grenade fuses for Finnish-manufactured fragmentation (sirpale)/mine/defensive egg hand grenades. During World War 2 Finnish industry manufactured three hand grenade models of this type - m/32 (drop-shaped and elliptic versions), m/41 and m/43.

Actually I got mixed up with what appears to be the #4 Finnish egg hand grenade: the another mod 41 one:
http://www.lexpev.nl/grenades/europe/fi ... tim41.html

Regards, Juh