Rumour about mass graves in Lappeenranta

Discussions on the Winter War and Continuation War, the wars between Finland and the USSR.
Hosted by Juha Tompuri
Post Reply
Anne G,
Member
Posts: 710
Joined: 02 Jan 2007, 16:02
Location: Espoo, Finland

#151

Post by Anne G, » 16 Jun 2007, 23:01

Harri wrote:
Anne G, wrote:But archive sources has confirmed what Tapaninen has written about the executions 1918. That somebody else has made additions about the executions 1944 in his papers, doesn't make his orginal writing suspicious.
What "archive sources" you mean? If someone is mentioned to have been "died" in 1918 in the files of the church does not mean he/she was executed. That is just speculation. I think Tapanainen's files were used to "confirm" the executions.
The mentioned book is mostly based on the so called "Tapanainen files". [/quote]

No, that is only one source. Other sources are (Koston kevät p. 330)
a) protocols of the field court in Lappeenranta
b) church books
c) list of executeed persons made of Jaakko Paavolainen (first researcher of the subject and the author of Punainen terrori, Valkoinen terrori and Vankileirit Suomessa)
d) index cards in Lappeenranta POW camp and interregotation protocols
e) list made of Tilastollinen päätoimisto about the dead and missing persons in the war 1918
f) protocols of the high treason courts
g) census lists
h) antologies concerning deaths in the war
i) other sources, like collected memories and death notes in newspapers

Now, when one compares *critically* name by name in many sources, the result is as good as it can be. It can never be complete.
Harri wrote: At least I understood that Juhani Tasihin meant that all files are probably "falsified". In fact they all are copyprints which makes them more than suspicious. There are "original files" available nowhere and it is possible the originals files have been destroyed.
Well, as I said, I understood it otherwise. But wait and see.
Harri wrote: So also the information "from the year 1918" is also suspicious.
Not the general picture of terror. It is known in other researchs since Paavolainen. Some details may be erranous. Only 3/4 of Red offers in Lappeenranta could be identified (Koston kevät p. 331)
Harri wrote: The last burial in question has taken place in late July 1944 when the executing after trial had become legal. There is nothing which would even hint to something illegal actions.
I agree. More and that, the bodies are probably not executed.

Anne G,
Member
Posts: 710
Joined: 02 Jan 2007, 16:02
Location: Espoo, Finland

#152

Post by Anne G, » 07 Jul 2007, 16:56

Heikki Ylikangas, a famous historian who earler believed Huhtimäki story, says now that the stories of the "deep throat" are intentially false. It was upon the stories of this unknown person that Antti Arponen and Martti Meuronen based their book Teloitetut. Ylikangas will tell more in his new book Romahtaako rintama?

http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Prof ... 5228493664

Also the comments of Markku Jokisipilä are interesting: speculation is quite another thing than the results of the research:
http://www.jokisipila.blogspot.com/


User avatar
Juha Tompuri
Forum Staff
Posts: 11562
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:02
Location: Mylsä

#153

Post by Juha Tompuri » 16 Oct 2007, 14:51

A new book about this, most apparent, urban legend has been publised.
This time shooting down the Huhtiniemi lies and rumours.

Pasi Jaakkonen
Huhtiniemi – 400 kadonneen miehen mysteeri
Image
http://www.minervakustannus.fi/kirjat/k ... ?kirja=195


Regards, Juha

Anne G,
Member
Posts: 710
Joined: 02 Jan 2007, 16:02
Location: Espoo, Finland

#154

Post by Anne G, » 17 Oct 2007, 09:05

Heikki Ylikangas was yesterday 16.7. in Akateeminen kirjakauppa in order to speak about his new book Romahtaako rintama. He was asked also about Huhtiniemi and he said that he and his apprecentice has gone through all "Deep Throat" has told and they are all lies (names, dates, procedudes). Also, Deep Throat forged Tapaninen's "confession". All now seems clear - except the motives of "Deep Throat".

However, Ylikangas told that there had been rumours in Lappeenranta already in the 50ies but the numbers of the offers were smaller.

User avatar
mty
Member
Posts: 1108
Joined: 21 Oct 2003, 00:24
Location: Finland

#155

Post by mty » 17 Oct 2007, 10:19

The new "Huhtiniemi book" of Pasi Jaakkonen (who is a journalist of Ilta-Sanomat newspaper) is an entertaining read! Not only it shoots down almost everything that was published in Arponen-Meuronen book "Teloitetut" last year, it also attacks some very well known academic figures who had backed the Huhtiniemi rumour with their authority. In 1988 when Lappeenrantalainen newspaper published a series of three articles regarding the Huhtiniemi executions - these were written by Meuronen and sources were Keijo Koistinen and the "Deep throat" but this was not mentioned - it was awarded as the best city newspaper article of the year. The jury was lead by professor Pertti Hemanus of University of Tampere who claimed that he had the articles verified by an expert who was said to be an another professor. This was also repeated in "Teloitetut" book. Jaakkonen revelas that one of the members of the jury later recalled that the expert's name was Arponen... :D

The overall style of the book is a bit cynical and it truly shoots the rumour down, bit by bit. There are vivid descriptions of Keijo Koistinen, then a handyman in the calcium factory (but presented himself as a field researcher of the The National Board of Antiquities and was credited as such in "Teloitetut") being called to the place where the very first bones were accidentally found in 1971. He arrived, examined the bones for an hour and left, riding his bicycle carrying a skull of one of the skeletons in a brown suitcase :). Later, this same skull appeared in a television documentary "Tosi asiaa" in 1991 where Yleisradio reporter Tom Östling interviewed him. This was the skull which was sent to the University of Oulu for more thorough investigations but was then lost until it was suddenly found in 2006 and proven to be from the 18th or 19th century.

Now it seems that there was a local rumour which received more and more media coverage, an excellent example of a snowball effect taking place. And the media was not only transmitting further the "information", it also every now and then added new pieces to the story, bringing further new eyewitnesses and archival founds. "Deep throat" first revealed the names of the court members and those sentenced in 1991. Both Lappeenrantalainen and Helsingin Sanomat could have been able to prove them either completely fabricated or contorted but they failed to do so. Instead they brought more credibility to the rumour by publishing a series of three articles, the source for all of them being the infamous Deep throat of Lappeenranta.

It is interesting to note that the classic version of Huhtiniemi rumour was not seriously thrown a doubt on until 2007 when Ilta-Sanomat began to shoot down the "evidence". Already before that, two of the most remarkable scholars of wartime desertion and executions, Jukka Kulomaa and Jukka Lindstedt had kept denying the claims of the rumour backing themselves with their own studies. Finally in October 2007 the excavations were finished and no other graves were found. The classic rumour had come to an end and lost all its credibility.

Heikki Ylikangas in his new book, "Romahtaako rintama" made an interesting move by changing the focus from Huhtiniemi to the wider perspective. In a nutshell, his thesis is that although the Huhtiniemi rumour was proven to be a fabrication and an urban legend, it is still not said that there wouldn't have been more executions than the official records tell.

Mikko H.
Member
Posts: 1665
Joined: 07 May 2003, 11:19
Location: Turku, Finland

#156

Post by Mikko H. » 17 Oct 2007, 10:39

Anne and mty, thanks for the review.

Now, according to what I've caught of the media coverage of Ylikangas's book, he mentions a 'secret organ' handing out death penalties in Lappeenranta in June-July 1944. Is this just the old 'secret court martial' in a new guise? How does Ylikangas's claims regarding this 'secret organ' differ from the old 'secret court martial' rumour?

User avatar
mty
Member
Posts: 1108
Joined: 21 Oct 2003, 00:24
Location: Finland

#157

Post by mty » 17 Oct 2007, 12:42

Mikko H. wrote:Anne and mty, thanks for the review.

Now, according to what I've caught of the media coverage of Ylikangas's book, he mentions a 'secret organ' handing out death penalties in Lappeenranta in June-July 1944. Is this just the old 'secret court martial' in a new guise? How does Ylikangas's claims regarding this 'secret organ' differ from the old 'secret court martial' rumour?
I have opened another topic couple of weeks ago and posted some observations of Ylikangas there. Please see: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=128406

Although it has certain characteristics in common with the old rumour, it is a slightly different theory. Actually these two "theories" only have two common nominators: the order of Heinrichs on June 20th and Lappeenranta as a central place. Ylikangas has approached the topic from the perspective of an academic researcher and he has worked on official first-hand sources from the war archives so that his conclusions are thus more valid from the beginning. He does not claim that there were any sort of secret court-martials nor mass burials. But his main question is indeed an interesting one: almost 6000 deserters went through the reception organ of HTK 1 between June and July. If we take the order of Heinrichs literally, it presented two alternatives for a deserter: either returning to his parent unit or being shot. Ylikangas claims that this was what the HQ wanted the HTK 1 officials to do.

We can assume of course that since there were no documented executions in Lappeenranta and only those well known 57-58 cases that all of those 6000 chose to return to their units. But how plausible this is when seen in a statistical light or compared to the earlier experiences - actually many of those who were officially executed were indeed deserters who chose not to return to their units and fled multiple times. But then again, Ylikangas has not been able to present any sort of actual evidence for his mainly statistical observations and conclusions drawn from them. The only piece of substantial evidence presented is a mention in the war diary of 10th MP company that has a line: "...were returned to their parent units except those who received different kind of treatment". So its more a question how one interpretes these sentences and their meaning than any solid evidence.

I think the activities of HTK 1 are worth a careful investigation. In every case there would not have been neither court martials nor mass graves since the Heinrichs order clearly specified that it was the duty of an officer to use firearms to suppress mutiny or denial to return to the line. Ylikangas claims that instead of a single officer in the frontline, HTK 1 would have made use of the order on daily basis by many officers, very systematically.

The regular court process would have been too slow to deal with that amount of deserters. Still there are notes of court sessions in Lappeenranta during that time but those cases had usually more to do with other crimes than just desertion.

User avatar
Topspeed
Member
Posts: 4785
Joined: 15 Jun 2004, 16:19
Location: Finland

#158

Post by Topspeed » 17 Oct 2007, 13:48

Now the dude who claimed these rumours originally says he invented them all by himself ! See new Ilta-Sanomat tabloid.

What a joke. ; ) I am terrified...what next ?

User avatar
mty
Member
Posts: 1108
Joined: 21 Oct 2003, 00:24
Location: Finland

#159

Post by mty » 17 Oct 2007, 14:54

Topspeed wrote:Now the dude who claimed these rumours originally says he invented them all by himself ! See new Ilta-Sanomat tabloid.

What a joke. ; ) I am terrified...what next ?
There's not mention of that in Ilta-Sanomat website. I also browsed through the today's paper and there was only an interview of Antti Arponen who admitted that he too had been swindled. He also said that he had discussed about this with the "Deep throat" who still maintained that he had heard all his stories directly from judge Tapanainen :).

Do you mean that the "Deep throat" (who is not a former intelligence service employee but a retired plumber and an amateur genealogist) has now confessed everything??

G:son
Member
Posts: 124
Joined: 26 May 2007, 17:17
Location: Finland

#160

Post by G:son » 18 Oct 2007, 21:29

mty wrote:
Heikki Ylikangas in his new book, "Romahtaako rintama" made an interesting move by changing the focus from Huhtiniemi to the wider perspective. In a nutshell, his thesis is that although the Huhtiniemi rumour was proven to be a fabrication and an urban legend, it is still not said that there wouldn't have been more executions than the official records tell.
On the lighter side, we can conclude that Ylikangas has done a classical strategic move. Facing defeat, he has retreated and regrouped. :)

On topic:

It is truly relieving to see this rumour proven false, at last. Of course, we always knew it wasn't true, but the debate has not been a pleasant one.

/G:son

User avatar
Harri
Member
Posts: 4230
Joined: 24 Jun 2002, 12:46
Location: Suomi - Finland

#161

Post by Harri » 19 Oct 2007, 00:46

You just forget the mass graves under the airstrip of Lappeenranta airfield and the 40 bodies buried near Taipalsaari airfield...

The case is not yet over.

:P

----

It was also said that we have recently only heard the "Red view" on the happenings of 1918. Like said earlier "Deep Throat's" files from that year look more and more suspicious. The numbers of the then executed persons are probably also highly exaggerated by adding "missing persons" to the lists although they have been killed in battles or escaped to Soviet-Russia. This means Marko Tikka's and Antti Arponen's book "Koston kevät 1918" may contain lots of these fictious cases based on a falsed source.

User avatar
mty
Member
Posts: 1108
Joined: 21 Oct 2003, 00:24
Location: Finland

#162

Post by mty » 19 Oct 2007, 09:28

Harri wrote: It was also said that we have recently only heard the "Red view" on the happenings of 1918. Like said earlier "Deep Throat's" files from that year look more and more suspicious. The numbers of the then executed persons are probably also highly exaggerated by adding "missing persons" to the lists although they have been killed in battles or escaped to Soviet-Russia. This means Marko Tikka's and Antti Arponen's book "Koston kevät 1918" may contain lots of these fictious cases based on a falsed source.
In Jaakkonen's book, there's a mention that the source material (the alleged papers of Tapanainen, provided by "Deep Throat") of "Koston kevät 1918" has become highly questionable. Especially when most of the names on the executions list are same - even with all the misprints - which had apparead in a local leftist newspaper.

"Deep throat" is also believed to be behind the letter that was published in Seura magazine in July - the supposed letter of a veteran who had allegedly been in col. Veistaro's staff and heard how he and Tapanainen had discussed about cleaning their traces. Unfortunately he happened to use words like "jälkihoitoprojekti" (after-care project) which were certainly not used in the 1940's and not known to the vocabularies until the 1960's! :).

User avatar
Harri
Member
Posts: 4230
Joined: 24 Jun 2002, 12:46
Location: Suomi - Finland

Re: Rumour about mass graves in Lappeenranta

#163

Post by Harri » 22 Mar 2008, 14:30

I decided to continue this old thread because the newspaper Etelä-Saimaa published an article about the new forthcoming research on the city of Lappeenranta in war today. This research by Lt.Col. Jarmo Nieminen should be published within two years and will handle all units and major happenings at Lappeenranta region during the war and especially in the summer 1944. It was mentioned in the article that there are new information on the ill-fated judge Tapanainen too: it seems his task was to handle money-issues of the refugees and soldiers. And because Tapanainen was a bank manager in Lappeenranta he was well-suited for that job.

It is interesting to see if some new information on the origin of the "secret field court" will be found. Was it a rumour developed perhaps by the Finnish Supreme HQ - or something else? It was said in the article that the rumour was based most likely on the happenings of the 1918. These stories and rumours were exaggerated and expanded and started living their own life after the war. I think this research is the first true attempt to find out what really happened and what didn't. This has been waited for a long time, not just publishing unsourced stories and rumours.

Post Reply

Return to “Winter War & Continuation War”