The official AHF Winter & Continuation War quiz thread

Esa K · Post by **Esa K** » 09 Nov 2005 11:02

John T. wrote:

firing slits

Close enough, firing slits it had, cause in the basement there was two machinegun emplacements/bunkers, and due to that, as the medival stone churches, the Pajari-church had the function to also be a kind of fortification...

Som congrats to John T. and over from Umeå to Stockholm

Regards

Esa K

John T · Post by **John T** » 09 Nov 2005 19:00

Esa K wrote:John T. wrote:
firing slits
Close enough, firing slits it had, cause in the basement there was two machinegun emplacements/bunkers, and due to that, as the medival stone churches, the Pajari-church had the function to also be a kind of fortification...

Som congrats to John T. and over from Umeå to Stockholm

Regards

Esa K

Thanks, this is probably too simple for Esa K:

Why did British guns pile up in Umeå during the winter war ?

Cheers
/John T.

Esa K · Post by **Esa K** » 11 Nov 2005 11:17

Shall I wait, let´s say another 24 h before I make my try on this...

regards

Esa K

JTV · Post by **JTV** » 11 Nov 2005 14:30

John T wrote:
Esa K wrote:John T. wrote:
firing slits
Close enough, firing slits it had, cause in the basement there was two machinegun emplacements/bunkers, and due to that, as the medival stone churches, the Pajari-church had the function to also be a kind of fortification...

Som congrats to John T. and over from Umeå to Stockholm

Regards

Esa K

Thanks, this is probably too simple for Esa K:

Why did British guns pile up in Umeå during the winter war ?

Cheers
/John T.

Just two guesses:
1. If they were intended to be transported by sea: No icebreakers available for opening the route to ships across Bay of Botnia?
2. Or if intended to be transported by rail: Due to difference in railway gauge everything had to be unloaded from one train and loaded to another in Torneå/Tornio (Swedish-Finnish border) and this caused delays?

JTV

Mek · Post by **Mek** » 11 Nov 2005 16:32

I know that there was an ice road opened over the gulf of botnia from Vaasa to Umeå in February. Did the guns pile before or after that?:)
So, since JTV's guess is very good one, I'll then guess that maybe there wasn't enough trucks or other vehicles to move the guns to Finland over the ice road.

Regards,
-Pete

Mikko H. · Post by **Mikko H.** » 11 Nov 2005 17:13

Or were they ostensibly intended for Finns, but really for the planned Franco-British expedition to help Finns (& to take control of the Swedish iron ore mines) which was never realized?

John T · Post by **John T** » 11 Nov 2005 18:11

Mek wrote:I know that there was an ice road opened over the gulf of botnia from Vaasa to Umeå in February. Did the guns pile before or after that?:)
So, since JTV's guess is very good one, I'll then guess that maybe there wasn't enough trucks or other vehicles to move the guns to Finland over the ice road.

Regards,
-Pete

JTV is right about the cause, to avoid congestion on the rail link over Haparanda/Tornio the ice road where used,
and in theory it was a faster route.

But Mek got it closest - The Ice road wasn't safe so equipment where stored in Obbola, avaiting better weather.
IIRC The problem was not that the Ice was too thin in general but that the wind moved the ice and created walls of piled up ice at some places and channels of free water at other, but the Walls was obviously more of a problem than open water.

So over to Mek

/John T.

Mek · Post by **Mek** » 11 Nov 2005 19:40

Thanks, I was about to edit and add that maybe the ice wasn't in good enough shape, so anyways close enough

Ok, here's my question:

A pacifist movement activist and Finlands Antimilitaristic Unions chairman dies as a hero on 5.11.1941 at the frontlines at least according to the "official" explanation given at that time.

Who was this man? what really happened to him? And why was he not buried in a hero grave (sankarihauta)?

Regards,
-Pete

Mikko H. · Post by **Mikko H.** » 11 Nov 2005 20:05

Arndt Pekurinen. He spent the Winter War in prison, but in November 1941 he was taken to front and ordered to carry a rifle. Pekurinen refused. He was ordered to take the rifle two more times and two times more he refused. In the end Pekurinen was executed on the spot.

Thanks to Arndt Pekurinen's efforts a non-military alternative to conscription became available in the 1930's, but the law applied only in peace-time. Does anybody have any idea where originated the idea of sending Pekurinen to front? Was it from the same brilliant minds who came up with the idea to send hard-core communists to the front where they immediately deserted?

I assume his execution was based on the commanding officer's right to order the death of a soldier if the soldier refused repeatedly to follow orders. BTW, according to a story I heard the officer in charge had to shoot Pekurinen himself after the soldiers accompaniying them refused to do it, effectively telling the officer 'if you're so keen killing him, do it yourself'. I have no idea if this story is true.

Juha Tompuri · Post by **Juha Tompuri** » 11 Nov 2005 20:35

Mek wrote:why was he not buried in a hero grave (sankarihauta)?

Didn't fill the criteria

Mikko H wrote:according to a story I heard the officer in charge had to shoot Pekurinen himself after the soldiers accompaniying them refused to do it, effectively telling the officer 'if you're so keen killing him, do it yourself'.

According to this the Captain didn't execute him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arndt_Pekurinen

Regards, Juha

Mek · Post by **Mek** » 13 Nov 2005 14:32

Sorry for late reply, but Mikko is right. Arndt Pekurinen was the man. Famous Finnish pacifist. That Wikipedia article summarises rather well his fate. Erno Paasilinnas book might shed light on who had send him to the front and on what grounds. I personally have not read this book, so I can't comment on this more.

About the burial according to what I've read, it was his wife who had requested him not to be buried in a hero grave.

I give the turn over to Mikko.

Best regards,
-Pete

Mikko H. · Post by **Mikko H.** » 13 Nov 2005 14:43

Thanks, Pete!

Now, music-wise, how was Risto Ryti unique among Finnish presidents?

Tapani K. · Post by **Tapani K.** » 14 Nov 2005 07:20

Porilaisten marssi was never played to honour him.

regards,
Tapani K.

Mikko H. · Post by **Mikko H.** » 14 Nov 2005 11:30

Right on!

Porilaisten marssi, the honour march of the Finnish Defense Forces, is played to the Commander-in-Chief. Constitutionally President of the Republic is Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Forces, but during the whole of Ryti's presidency this post was held by Mannerheim.

Over to you.

Tapani K. · Post by **Tapani K.** » 15 Nov 2005 07:13

The next question:

Four approximately company-sized units, numbered 27.-30. formed a battalion-sized unit. What was the final name of this battalion? Bonus points for giving some of the (three that I konow of) earlier names.

regards,
Tapani K.