ORDINARY NIGHT IN THE HANKO FRONT

(Teasing the encirclement of Hanko, Adolf Molnár) 

July 1941 to August 1941 

- The enemy side starts to enliven. Throbbing, pounding and thumping can be heard from their side, it sounds like they are ramming poles to the ground. The Russians are chatting and talking together. Sometimes we can hear the vehicles driving on the causeway. We stand in the shore trying to hear their movements, the summer night covers us in its gray darkness. 

- The Russians are now working feverishly. Again and again the noise from pounding can be heard. Also the Finnish side starts to enliven. We can hear poisonous whistling and whizzing. A yellow blast can be seen on the northern tip of Bengtsår, the first grenade lands there. Again and again the noise from the grenades can be heard. The Russians remain silent, not a word can be heard from their side. The firing stops. The Russians resume again their work and again they receive grenades to interrupt their work. We eagerly watch this. We can see a flash like from a fire works when the grenade hits to the ground, but many grenades fall too short and end up into the water. 

- Now the enemy artillery joins in too and starts sending its "packages" to the Finnish side. Soon there's a fierce artillery duel going on. On the side of the Bromarv we can see how the Finnish artillery fires, as the gleam from the first shot is easily seen. It's like a lightning. The Finns are now firing with heavy "packages" from Bromarv, the shots let out a dull noise and the impact from the shells is much more heavy and the whirl of soil reach much more higher. A fire starts in the island. Now the Finnish positions in Bromarv move their fire to the mainland of Hanko Cape and the Russians return fire. 

- We are glad to notice that there's a active artillery action in the Hanko Front.

- The machine gun position is covered with water. Notice how close this one has been build to the shoreline.

- View towards the entrance into the position.

- The entrance from the "outside" is effectively camouflaged now. You can walk past this one without ever even noticing it.

- Just like with the machine gun position No. 1, here also right next to the actual position is a firing position for a single man, for three men actually.

- These positions are facing towards the island of Bengtsår Prästön, which is fully visible from here. The island was strongly fortified and garrisoned by the Russians.

- This has been a nasty place to be stationed at, because of the close proximity of the Russian positions.