DIRECTING FIRE FROM KARENSHOLM, PART III

(Teasing the encirclement of Hanko, Adolf Molnár & History of the Hanko Group, T-22005, Military Archives of Finland)

24th of September 1941

- The Russian officer is looking right into Karensholm, under his cap two dark spots can be seen: The field glasses. Even the Red Star on his cap is visible to the three men who are bringing death to the Russians. Suddenly the officer disappears into a dark smoke and fire cloud and after the cloud disappears, there is just a dark spot in the trench line. 

- Was it the God directing fire to that place or just accident, who knows but now the only person who possibly knew from where the Finnish artillery fire was directed, has ceased to exist.

- There is now only smoking ruins from the Russian dugout village. Tuominen is now concentrating the artillery fire to single dugouts, which so far have somewhat survived from the bombardment. With the field telephone he is giving exact orders to destroy the remaining dugouts: "Two meters too short!" and the next shot rips apart the dugout. 

- The Russian dugout village has finally moved to the past, it doesn't exist anymore. Finally Tuominen contacts the mortars from the strike force, which have been waiting the command to open fire from the morning. Near of a high hill is a villa, which most likely is a command post for the sub-section staff. Trench line connects the villa to a command dugout and after that to an observation position near the shoreline. Russians are moving in and out from these constructions.

- Structure 216 is one of the most interesting structures in the whole Harparskog-line. The structure in question is a partly constructed machine gun bunker. What makes it so interesting is the fact, that parts of the interior walls have been build. Structure 216 is the only one in the Harparskog-line, which allows seeing partly completed bunker. In other places the mining job might have been completed, but the interior walls has not been build.

- One of the interior walls.

- View towards the sector for the machine gun.

- View from the sector towards the interior of the bunker.

- Supporting structures, which have been used during the construction still stand at the bottom of the structure.

- Hungarian and Austrian volunteer in construction work in Hanko Front. (Picture: K. E. Wahlström. Published 1942 in a book Hangö Belägras)

- Interior walls and a doorway on the right side of the picture leading into the room where the embrasure would have been located.

- Flue has been constructed into the concrete for the stove.

- Rust.

- Entrance into the bunker.

- Doorway into the accommodation area.

- The whole structure in the picture. The entrance is located on the left side of the structure.

- Some communication trenches can be found near of the structure. These have been connected the trench line.

- Additionally there is few positions either for a machine gun or for a light machine gun near of the structure 216. The above position is pointing towards the frontline.

- Huge amount of stones are piled next to the structure.