COMMUNIQUÉ 20.07.41 - 21.07.41, PART I

(Communiqué and reports of the Hanko Group units, T-16432/1742, Military Archives of Finland)

20th of July 1941

- Something is being built on the south shore of Dödö as well as in the middle part of the island, where some unspecified is being build. Mine grenades were fired to the island from Bolax. A fire started in the island as a result. As an answer Bolax received six grenades, which ended to the sea. According to the observations made from Krökö, ammunition storage would have blown up in Russarö after which several explosions would have followed. Enemy has fired Storholm, with mortars from Horsön at 11:45 o'clock. At around 16:30 o'clock our own artillery hit cartridge storage in the island of Horsön.

- Enemy is fortifying Stackörn. At 17:00 Gunnarsholm was fired with direct firing guns most likely from Stackörn. Direct firing guns have been harassing our men trying to put out fires in the peninsula of Pörning. Our own guns silenced the enemy however.

- This is absolutely a massive dugout. Located in a dark and overgrown forest, this one was a very difficult place to photograph. November without any snow on the ground meant that nearly no light penetrated to the bottom of this dugout. Even original logs from the construction have remained although now badly decayed.

- Picture giving you some idea of the size and depth of this dugout.

- Constructing dugout in the Hanko Front. (Picture: The Finnish Defence Forces. Published 1942 in a book Hangö Belägras)

- The original logs from the construction still lies at the bottom of the huge pit.

- The roof of the dugout has collapsed to the bottom and created a small "cave" into it.

- This would seem to be the gun positions, as the shape of the construction has survived so well, that it is easy to recognize this one from the forest. We couldn't located the second one, but the area generally speaking is so heavily fortified, so it is hard to see from all of the trenches and dugouts, which belongs to which construction.