A couple of questions about Kaarnajoki battery

[Eugenius]

Terve guys. Hope you are doing well ans stay healthy. I think Kaarnajoki battery is well-known, but 2 questions arose before our next trip there:

There are steel tubes of ca. 70 - 80 cm high installed right in the centre of each gun basement - what those tubes are for? First idea: electric and communication lines for the gun. Another idea - compressed air for barrel blowdown after shot, but was this technique used by the Finns at that time?

Another question arose concerning quite unusual red-brown colour used for painting the gunpits. Was it traditional Finnish Keittomaali to prevent mold formation on the walls due to high humidity or to remind Finnish artillerymen their homes? Another idea is this colour somehow reduced battery's visibility from the air, but why some inner rooms like corridors are also painted (but some others are not)?

I would be thankful if your share your ideas.

[Juha Tompuri]

Terve guys. Hope you are doing well ans stay healthy. I think Kaarnajoki battery is well-known, but 2 questions arose before our next trip there:

There are steel tubes of ca. 70 - 80 cm high installed right in the centre of each gun basement - what those tubes are for? First idea: electric and communication lines for the gun. Another idea - compressed air for barrel blowdown after shot, but was this technique used by the Finns at that time?

Hi!
Heathly, at least by so far.
Thanks for sharing the photos.
I think your first idea might the correct one.

Another question arose concerning quite unusual red-brown colour used for painting the gunpits. Was it traditional Finnish Keittomaali to prevent mold formation on the walls due to high humidity or to remind Finnish artillerymen their homes? Another idea is this colour somehow reduced battery's visibility from the air, but why some inner rooms like corridors are also painted (but some others are not)?

I must say, that I haven't seen such painting at the gunpits I've visited.

Regards, Juha

[ML]

There are steel tubes of ca. 70 - 80 cm high installed right in the centre of each gun basement - what those tubes are for? First idea: electric and communication lines for the gun. Another idea - compressed air for barrel blowdown after shot, but was this technique used by the Finns at that time?

I checked my photos of some empty Canet positions. There are remains of such pipes/tubes inside bolt circles also at Ulko-Tammio and Sarsuinmäki. So, at least positions built during interim peace and Continuation war have them. I don't know the purpose of pipes.

Canet position at Ulko-Tammio

Canet position at Sarsuinmäki, Sulkava

Image at http://slnres.net/media/tykkiprojekti009.jpg shows Canet position at Tanhuvaara, Savonlinna, which also has a tube.

SA-kuva 106255 shows empty position at Kaarnajoki in August 1942, but not the gun base.

Kaarnajoki Canet position in August 1942

Old Russian drawing of flat Canet base doesn't have such a tube: http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=18737419

[Eugenius]

Many thanks to everyone for the comments. It's strange, but I did not get notifications on new posts in this topic.

I checked my files and found the same pipes in the gun basement of Finnish 6 in gun on Gogland (Suursaari):

As far as I may say, Russian and Soviet Canet had no such pipes in basements. So it looks to be a kind of Finnish modernization.

Concerning red paint - just yesterday I saw definitely Finnish object of unknown purpose with remnants of the same paint:

By the way, any idea of what it might be?

[Seppo Koivisto]

Maybe the color is due to red algae (Trentepohlia iolithus), sometimes incorrectly called in Finnish punajäkälä.
https://themaintenancecorner.com/2019/0 ... om-render/
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-6587324
https://www.delete.fi/blogi/punajakalak ... kisivusta/

[Eugenius]

Well, probably for unknown construction this is the correct explanation of red stains, but Kaarnajoki battery casemates were obviously painted (though not quite accurately) in this red-brown colour.

[ML]

I checked my files and found the same pipes in the gun basement of Finnish 6 in gun on Gogland (Suursaari):

I forgot to check Suursaari photos... Yes, there are pipes at Lounatkorkia gun bases, too.

Canet position at Lounatkorkia, Suursaari

[ML]

There are steel tubes of ca. 70 - 80 cm high installed right in the centre of each gun basement - what those tubes are for? First idea: electric and communication lines for the gun. Another idea - compressed air for barrel blowdown after shot, but was this technique used by the Finns at that time?

According to Erkki Marttila's book (http://rt3maisemissa.blogspot.com/2006/ ... missa.html your first idea is correct:
"Kaikki Kaarnajoen patterin tykkiasemat ovat säilyneet erittäin hyvin. Asemien pohjalla kasvaa matalaa puustoa. Tykkien pulttikehät ovat jäljellä. Pulttikehän keskeltä nousevasta metalliputkesta on aikanaan tullut puhelinkaapeli."

"All gun positions of Kaarnajoki are very well preserved. Low trees grow on the bottom of pits. Bolt circles are preserved. In the middle of bolt circle there's a metal tube for telephone cable."

[Eugenius]

"All gun positions of Kaarnajoki are very well preserved. Low trees grow on the bottom of pits. Bolt circles are preserved. In the middle of bolt circle there's a metal tube for telephone cable." - yes, I already read this part of the book, so one question less.)))