AIR FORCES IN THE AREA OF HANKO, PART I

(Hanko Cape in the Second World War, Niilo Lappalainen & History of the Hanko Group, T-22005, Military Archives of Finland)

June 1941 to December 1941 

- After the first days of war, the air activity in Hanko Cape was rather quiet. Most of the actions at that time consisted only reconnaissance missions, even when the Soviet planes now and then flew in groups of two to three planes to bomb different targets. Their morale however was quite low and usually the planes dropped their bombs immediately when Finnish AA-positions opened fire towards the planes. 

- The Finnish equipment in the area was obsolete, consisting mostly SB-2 bombers, which were captured from the Soviets during the Winter War. Additionally Brewster fighter planes flew in the area of Hanko Cape and a Curtiss squadron was moved in October 1941 to the airfield of Nummela, which was the main airfield for the operations in the area of Hanko Cape. The SB-2 bombers were moved in September to the Malmi airfield.

- Structure 421 cannot be identified with a full certainty, as the area contains so many different remains. The same problem is with the structure 403. This page shows three different dugout remains, which might be the remains from the structure 421, which was planned to be an accommodation dugout which could have protected from shrapnel.

- Second structure, which has nearly vanished from the landscape.

- The third one has been covered quite badly.