PLANNING A RECONNAISSANCE IN FORCE

(Teasing the encirclement of Hanko, Adolf Molnár) 

August 1941 

- We started to make plans for the Russian held islands. In front of us were the Bockholmen and Rågholmen islands. A small trip to those islands, this idea just didn't let us go as plans were drawn and abandoned. During the daytime when we were in our positions in Basaböle rocks, we were looking those islands, which were occupied by the Russians. 

- The islands were looking at us, dark and threatening. How were those islands fortified, where were the dugouts and machine gun positions? How far away from the shoreline were the first barbed wire obstacles? Nights are now becoming much darker and the flares, which rise from the Russian side, illuminates the night into a day. Sometimes it is raining and the storm is raging. 

- I'm sure that we could get into Bockholmen or into Rågholmen during these times using a rowing boat. I wonder if those islands are mined? We'll see, when we get there! Reconnaissance in force, that was the one idea, which didn't let us go at all, it has been carved into our minds. We could get some change to our daily guard duty, a little adventure. 

- We sit in our dugout, the Dane is making coffee and Nordlund is telling about the Winter War. Huss and Edh are planning to swim into Rågholmen and together they swear, that they will swim into the island. Huss is a young boy who really means what he says and Edh is also serious about this, but he seems to have forgotten, that he cannot swim.

- The structure 248 is completely under water. The water actually makes it very easy to see the shape of the construction. The two entrances are easily visible on both sides of the construction.

- Entrance into the construction in the middle of the picture.

- The construction today resembles more of a swimming pool, than a dugout.

- In front of the eastern side entrance is piles of stones from the construction.

- Walking a bit north from the 248 will get you to the construction 248,a.

- Remains from the accommodation dugouts are still remaining very near of the main road in the area.

- Second dugout remains, which is just barely visible anymore.

- The same remains as in the previous picture.

- Third dugout remains, from which the shape of the construction has nearly vanished.

- The same remains, just from a different angle. Some old trap lies at the bottom of the remains. These three dugout remains together form the structure 248, a.