THE BATTLES IN THE ISLAND GROUP OF HORSÖN, PART VII

(Hanko Cape in the Second World War, Niilo Lappalainen) 

10th of July to 3rd of September 1941

- The Russians had called for reinforcements and the situation for the Finnish troops deteriorated quickly, as the Russian reinforcements started an attack around 3:55 o'clock. The attack continued despite a heavy defensive artillery fire. The Russians managed to get through and into the northern shore, as the Finns were just trying to get into the boats. The result was confusion as the rifle and machine gun fire hit the boats and men. Finally the retreat turned into a panic. Some men tried to swim from the island, but as the day had already begun, the Russians had an easy job to shoot the swimming men. 

- The losses for the Finnish troops were 3 officers and 28 men. 4 officers and 43 men were wounded in action. Officially the Russian admitted loosing 1 man killed and 14 wounded. The truth might be closer to a 120 men, as the Finns claimed.

- After the battle, a boat arrived to the shore of Medö, which was full of bodies of the fallen Finnish soldiers, which the Russians had placed to the boat.

- The gun position 50 can be found on top of a tall rock.

- Piles of stones are nearby, which came from the mining job.

- Like in many parts of Harparskog-line, here also in a place where the observation and fire control nest is suppose to be is a small pile of stones. It will probably remain a question mark forever, whether or not these piles were used to mark a spot where the next structure would be build. In any case so many similar stone piles can be found  from the places where different structures are suppose to be, that it cannot be just an coincidence.

- The positions for two guns are completely destroyed. Only stones remain.

- Some supporting structures are still visible in between of the stones.

- General view to the position. The entrance has been located in the upper left part of the picture.

- The two different positions do not differ much from each other's.

- Nearby of the supporting structures quite a lot of wire can be still seen.

- It is impossible to say how these positions have looked in 1941. Those have lost their shape so completely. Most likely if one would remove the stones, the bases for the guns would be revealed.

- A rather long communication trenches have been also mined in between of the two positions.

- Communication trench, which would seem to be partly shaped by nature.

- The edges of the mined communication trenches are full of stones.

- Persistently the supporting structure still tries to prevent the stones from collapsing to the bottom of the structure.