OCCUPYING LILLA LÅNGHOLMEN, PART I

(History of the Hanko Group, T-22005, Military Archives of Finland)

30th of November 1941

- A five man patrol under the command of 2nd Lieutenant Maislisch was sent from Section Vanne to capture the Lilla Långholmen. Our own artillery and mortars were ordered to give needed support to the patrol. The patrol landed to the south-east corner of the island at 7:35 and started to advance, maintaining a necessary caution. The peninsula to which they had landed was noticed to be a strongly fortified, which consisted of five machine gun dugouts, covered light machine gun nest and barbed wire obstacles. The nests and accommodation dugout was build from stone. These were inspected and after that the advance continued in lengthwise of the island. Nothing special was noticed. 

Corporal H. Hartella and Major L. Henriksson.

- Few mined positions can be found from the area, to where structure 227, a & b has been marked. No such massive structures however can be found, as the fortification card indicates here to be. It is most probable, that there is a mistake in the fortification card or in the structure numbers. Structure 228 has been misidentified to be the structure 227, a & b.

- Communication trench has been mined to the rock. Additionally there is a mined position at the end of this trench. These however have been filled nearly completely.

- A second mined position, which has been filled with stones.

- View from the behind of the position towards the firing direction. Hanko Cape can be seen in the background. The firing direction of this and the previous position is not completely the same as shown in the fortification map.

- Nearby is also an structure, which has been build from stones. It seems that the structure has been supported with wood. The structure however has collapsed. If the structure has been a similar with the structure shown in the picture below, the only thing one can expect to find today is a pile of stones and wood.

- Observation and fire control position, constructed from stones and wood. This kind of structure won't last over sixty years. (Picture: The Finnish Defence Forces. Published 1942 in a book Kampen om Hangö)

- View from the sea to the rock, where the structures shown in the previous three pictures are located.