RTR 4

Discussions on the Winter War and Continuation War, the wars between Finland and the USSR.
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ML
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Joined: 08 Apr 2005, 09:34
Location: Finland

Re: RTR 4

#121

Post by ML » 11 Aug 2022, 10:27

Terve guys. Let's continue with Finnish coastal batteries on Ladoga and move to Konevitsa. I found almost no info about 2 batteries on the island. One Russian source mentioned that both 2 x 6'' Canet batteries on Konevitsa along with 2 x 120 mm Jarisevä battery were the first set up on Ladoga and were battle ready by 31.10.1921 (strange is that Vahtiniemi battery was not mentioned). It looks that Finnish wartime photographers were much more interested in picturing monastery rather than batteries on Konevitsa, so there are almost no pictures on SA-kuva. But the batteries are really interesting and unusual.
Text of Erkki Marttila's book Rannikkotykistörykmentti 3:n maisemissa (in Finnish) is available here: http://rt3maisemissa.blogspot.com/2006/ ... missa.html. Photos are missing, but captions are included. Chapter 6 is about Konevitsa, 6.4 about southern batteries and 6.5 about northern battery. Text is too long to be translated here, but maybe you get the relevant info with Google translate, or you can ask if something is unclear.

I think the photos were also once available, as I have seen them but I haven't read the actual book. There were interesting photos taken in the 1990's.

Eugenius
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Re: RTR 4

#122

Post by Eugenius » 12 Aug 2022, 17:30

ML, many thanks for the link, but it will take certain time to translate and to read. Pity that pictures are missing in the text - it would be really interesting to see how the batteries looked like right after construction. But having the text dedicated to the history of coastal artillery on Ladoga is great - thanks a lot once again!


kuuskajaskari
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Joined: 02 Nov 2010, 20:32
Location: kakonkulma

Re: RTR 4

#123

Post by kuuskajaskari » 13 Aug 2022, 14:16

Hi.
I have that book by Erkki Marttila. I took three photos, scanner disabled.
I hope it helps with the research. The war museum should also have photos from Konevitsa, I just don't know how to view them.
Erkki Marttila "retired" from this hobby a few years ago. Fortunately, thousands of photos have been archived.
If you get in touch with Johanna Pakola or Ove Enqvist, you may get information about those pictures of Marttila.

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Eugenius
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Re: RTR 4

#124

Post by Eugenius » 21 Aug 2022, 21:28

Terve, 123, and many thanks for the pictures you shared. Am I right that on the first picture you published (south battery) the gunpit walls were round from the very beginning, not made from 5 straight walls like on northern battery?

Also interesting, that gun positions were prepared first with munition cellars not ready yet - at least downstairs were not made.

Surely I already contacted Ove Enqvist whom I know for years - he personally knows Erkki Marttila, and they made trips to Russia together in early years, so probably I will get more pictures of Konevitsa batteries.

Sorry for delays with my comments - I'm actively using the possibility to travel to Europe again, which possibility won't be long for the Russians in any case... I already made 2 trips to Salpalinja objects, next week I will go to Estonia and then again to my favourite Finland (Hanko + Harparskoglinja).

Eugenius
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Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#125

Post by Eugenius » 21 Aug 2022, 21:30

Hey, guys, what is wrong with sa-kuva.fi? I can't open it for nearly a week... Is it my personal problem, or another Russian problem, or the site just left for vacation?

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Juha Tompuri
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Re: RTR 4

#126

Post by Juha Tompuri » 22 Aug 2022, 06:58

Eugenius wrote:
21 Aug 2022, 21:30
Hey, guys, what is wrong with sa-kuva.fi? I can't open it for nearly a week... Is it my personal problem, or another Russian problem, or the site just left for vacation?
Seems to work normally here...

Regards, Juha

Eugenius
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Posts: 442
Joined: 18 Dec 2017, 20:31
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#127

Post by Eugenius » 22 Aug 2022, 08:47

Thanks, Juha - it looks sa-kuva.fi decided to leave Russia as well...

UPD. Checked with some tools and now may confirm - sa-kuva.fi is blocked for users from Russia... Even VPN services working quite well with other sites blocked in Russia, do not help in this case. Well, living in a rogue state naturally has numerous disadvantages.

So, I have to seek for your help: are there any pictures at sa-kuva of Saunaniemi 2/152/35MK battery? I plan to search that area and it would be nice to get any example of how the gunpits looked like, to define approximate distances and directions to Ladoga etc.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who may help.

PS. Still reading the Erkki Marttila's book - really interesting. ML, many thanks for the link!

kuuskajaskari
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Joined: 02 Nov 2010, 20:32
Location: kakonkulma

Re: RTR 4

#128

Post by kuuskajaskari » 22 Aug 2022, 19:26

Hi.
I found one list of those Marttila`s pictures, there are two interesting...
Nf:4:10 - Tykki 152/35 Mk, Humaljoki ??
Nf:4:11 - Tykki 152/35 Mk, Humaljoki ??
Hopely Enqvist can help you.

I found two pictures at SA-kuva. They are named to Kaarnajoki but place is definetly not Kaarnajoki. Could it be Saunaniemi, never been there.
Lots of war-history plans and trips over border has been deleted, shame.

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Tommy R
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Re: RTR 4

#129

Post by Tommy R » 22 Aug 2022, 23:02

There is a SA-kuva.fi mirror att https://www.sotasampo.fi/fi/photographs/ which may work?

Eugenius
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Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#130

Post by Eugenius » 22 Aug 2022, 23:06

kuuskajaskari, many thanks for your info. Concerning Humaljoki - yes, there was 4/152/35MK battery placed in the gunpits of old Russian battery. Here is the beautiful picture made in 1920ies (?) once provided to me by Ove Enqvist:

Батарея Хумалйоки.jpg

I still wait to hear from Ove concerning possibility to obtain pictures from Erkki Marttila's book.

Concerning 2 pictures you posted - that was so-called Kaarnajoki II battery with the guns moved there exactly from Saunaniemi in May 1943. They stayed there till May 1944 before being re-located to Ääninen. I posted modern pictures of that battery here: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=154684&start=375#p2341150

No idea why that battery was named Kaarnajoki II - from my point, Järisevä II or just Taipale would be much more logic.

Eugenius
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Posts: 442
Joined: 18 Dec 2017, 20:31
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#131

Post by Eugenius » 22 Aug 2022, 23:21

Tommy R wrote:
22 Aug 2022, 23:02
There is a SA-kuva.fi mirror att https://www.sotasampo.fi/fi/photographs/ which may work?
- great! It works! Thanks a lot! Just do not tell anyone at sa-kuva.fi, otherwise they will block this mirror too.)))

It will take time to search this archive using "Saunaniemi" keyword, but at a brief look there are pictures of various guns there except on 152/35MK...

Anyway, Tommy R, you definitely deserved the Kansojen ystävyyden kunniamerkki, https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansojen_ ... nniamerkki

kuuskajaskari
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Posts: 150
Joined: 02 Nov 2010, 20:32
Location: kakonkulma

Re: RTR 4

#132

Post by kuuskajaskari » 23 Aug 2022, 09:09

Eugenius wrote:
22 Aug 2022, 23:06
Concerning Humaljoki - yes, there was 4/152/35MK battery placed in the gunpits of old Russian battery. Here is the beautiful picture made in 1920ies (?) once provided to me by Ove Enqvist:
Hey.
Thanks for correcting my answer, I made a rookie mistake. I should have checked the date of the pictures. Also should have checked Jaegerplatoon-site...
Great pictures and stories, it was a long night to go through everything, including the Russian site. The Kaarnajoki II coordinates are good information, in 2019 we drove close to it. Last year to do expeditions.
That Humaljoki, is there anything left. according to the map, it would be outside the oil port area. I got a link a few years ago, made by Enqvist, it has the 152/35 MK marked on it.

Eugenius
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Posts: 442
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Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#133

Post by Eugenius » 23 Aug 2022, 12:20

kuuskajaskari wrote:
23 Aug 2022, 09:09
That Humaljoki, is there anything left. according to the map, it would be outside the oil port area. I got a link a few years ago, made by Enqvist, it has the 152/35 MK marked on it.
- it is completely destroyed. First it was blown up and then ca. 4 years ago it was damaged during cleaning up the territory for construction of additional port facilities. Just giant pieces of concrete overgrown with shrubs.

Eugenius
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Posts: 442
Joined: 18 Dec 2017, 20:31
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#134

Post by Eugenius » 04 Sep 2022, 12:46

Still reading the book and already discovered many interesting things:

Jatkosodan aikana Ylläppäähän sijoitettiin kolmitykkinen 6 tuuman Canet-patteri. Kaksi tykkiä sijoitettiin talvisodan aikaisiin asemiin, kolmas uuteen asemaan.
- we did not know this, so we tried to find 6 inch Canet positions several times, but without success. What we found we believed to be positions of 120 mm guns moved there in December 1939 from Mustaniemi and Järisevä:

DSCF6171 Основание 120 мм орудия, 60.72966, 30.53735.JPG
DSCF6174.JPG
DSCF6176.JPG
DSCF6178 Основание 120 мм орудия, 60.7323, 30.53703.JPG
DSCF6180.JPG

It looks the guns were placed on temporary wooden basements, so only metal studs remained as the wood rotted. The third position was not found.

Eugenius
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Posts: 442
Joined: 18 Dec 2017, 20:31
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Re: RTR 4

#135

Post by Eugenius » 04 Sep 2022, 12:57

Actually that area is used by a kind of scientific institute, so it is fenced and has no free access. But once we carefully got inside and searched. What was found was probably a searchlight position:

DSCF1945 Возможно, позиция прожектора, 60.72652, 30.5444.JPG
DSCF1947.JPG
DSCF1949.JPG

There was a pit with stone-clad walls ca. 30 m behind the position - probably for electric cabinet or so.

Additionally we found a concrete platform of unknown purpose, but among various scrap lying there we found something quite resembling studs or rods for gun mount:

DSCF1955 Круглая бетонная площадка, 60.72377, 30.53897.JPG
DSCF1956.JPG

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