AJAN SUUNTA REPORTS, PART I

ISLAND IN A DAY, THREE AT ITS BEST 

4th of December 1941

- Island in a day, two to three at its best, could say our venturous section commander in Hanko, instead he just makes a note, that there has been a bit of a fight here. It is interesting to see what this "bit of a fight" is and what are the results from the "heavy artillery action in Hanko". The iron boat speeds in the icy waters, towards its destination islands. Now and then we hit pieces of ice, which our boat can handle with ease. Sometimes we cut the autumn ice like a icebreaker. Here and there the artillery is firing, sometimes the dull sound of the mortars can be heard. Few machine gun and submachine gun shots are heard also.

- Our four "gray brothers" patrol advanced carefully and slowly to the area, which just a short while ago, was enemy land. Barbed wire, obstacles and pieces from mortar grenades and artillery shells lie here and there. Right next to the road, the engineers have collected mines, which could have caused havoc. Mostly these mines are anti-personnel mines made from wood, which explode if one steps on top of them. A day before one had exploded and also the day after our visit, one exploded again so this is no play. The shores are booby-trapped so that if one touches those wires, the nearby trees will explode as well as the person who touched the trip-wire. From one of the explosives the wire continues to another tree. How have they raped our summer islands, there's nearly no trees remaining. The ghostly trees are sneering in all imaginable positions, some with roots pointing to the sky and some burned black, cut down by the war.

TK - Helmer Winter

- Structure 476 is the biggest and best constructed observation and fire control nest in the whole Harparskog-line. The structure has been planned originally to be bit sturdier structure, as it has been given a number and the strength class IV has been marked next to the structure in the map.

- Despite of the sturdiness, water has now taken over the position completely.

- The communication trench is full of water.

- It is the same situation in the actual nest.

- Emptying the structure probably would not be a too huge task. Houses are located next to the structure and it would seem like that the people living nearby, are keeping the structure at least partly in order, so that it is not buried under vegetation.

- View to the communication trench.