The Salpa-line overview, briefly

In the Winter War Finland lost part of its eastern territory. To secure the unsafe frontier the commander in chief of The Finnish army, Field Marshal C.G. Mannerheim ordered to build a fortified position of defence. The fortification, later called Salpa-line, was built in 1940-41 and 1944. It is still the largest building site in Finland. The number of workers was, at its highest, 35000 men. About 2000 women worked at supply duties.

To build the Salpa-line it took only year and half. When we remember the resources of Finland and the working speed, the Salpa-line could be compared even to The Great Wall of China. The Salpa-line is also the longest one-piece fortification line in the World, from the Gulf of Finland to Lapland, about 1000 kilometres.

The totally consistent part of the fortification is situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Kivijärvi at Luumäki. About 90 per cent of the permanently fortified constructions are there. From Lake Saimaa to Lake Pielinen in North Karelia the Salpa-line lean to waterways, especially lakes. From Pielinen up to the level of Salla in Lapland, only the most important directions of roads were fortified and blocked with field fortified positions.

In the Salpa-line there are about 720 reinforced concrete bunkers and some tunnel caves quarried into rocks. The field fortification equipment are made of wood and soil, altogether about 3000 pieces.
Trenches dug with shovels or quarried into rock, were made for about 350 kilometres. Stone antitank obstacles were made for over 200 kilometres. They include more than 350000 single stones, that weigh at least three tons each. There were also 130 kilometres dug ditch antitank obstacles. Barbed wire obstacles were made for about 315 kilometres.

The typical permanet equipment in the position is a machine gun and accomodation bunker, of which 170 were made. To build one, for instance, 45 tons steel and 5000 sacks of cement (50 kg) were needed. Altogether to build a massive bunker had to be transferred about 10000 tons different kinds of material, if put on trucks in those days, it meant 3000 truckloads.

The expenses of the fortification was about 2500 million Finnish old marks. It is very difficult to compare and say in current money. For example 1941 Salpa-line costs were 5 per cent of state budget. Sweden helped the work with 900 voluntary men during the first summer and gave a good sum of money, 235 million marks, allmost 10 per cent of the whole expences. It is quite easy to understand, why Sweden wanted to help its eastern neighboring country to build the barrier, which prevents Soviet Union to proseed to the west.

There was no battle on the Salpa-line. But for all that, it had a great importance to the result of the war. The fortification has done its work best, when it has not been needed.

After the war all equipment, which were removable, were pulled down and transfered to the stores or other uses. Now one can see still concrete bunkers, stone antitank obstacles and trenches, camouflaged for more than 70 years.
Some parts of Salpa-line are now restored as museums and destinations of hikes. 

Written by Terho Ahonen

-- You are welcome to visit the Salpa-line. --

The Salpa-line, Bolt of Finlands Eastern Frontier

I wrote this little story more than two years ago. It was published in the newspaper Salpa-Jukola 2011, which was also the name of the biggest orienteering event in Finland. Last weekend there was a small public Salpa-line presentation at Lappeenranta. One of the guides told at Facebook, that they had to guide also in English and that´s the skill which they had to improve. He is guite right. That´s problem for me too. I have too few chances to guide in English. It means that you have to start almost at the very beginning every time with your bad English. The only way to get it better, is to use it. That’s why this story is republished in my blog. This is not pure English, but for me it´s better than nothing!

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In the Winter War (30.11.1939 – 13.3.1940) started by offensive of former Soviet Union Finland lost part of its eastern territories including important Karelian Isthmus. The new border had no permanent fortifications. The world political situation was still critical. On the other hand The Finnish army had got good fighting experiencies in fortified defence positions in the Winter War.

The commander in chief of The Finnish army, Marshal C. G. Mannerheim ordered just after the Winter War truce to build a fortification line along the new eastern border.  The fortification was consistent from Gulf of Finland to Lake Saimaa. Along forward north the defence line leant against waterways and east-west roads up to Polar Sea.

The construction work started on 17.4.1940 at Virolahti Harju area, in the very place where Salpa-Jukola 2011 is organized. The first workers were voluntaries from Sweden, over 900 men. Their help was important. They brought suitable machinery, money and created the effective organisation for the growing building site.

Help from Sweden was worth of 10 per cent of all fortification costs.

In the fortification, called later Salpa-line there were at its highest almost 35 000 men working. 2 000 women worked at supply duties. All the paid labour were civilians. At the same time Finnish army built field fortifications made from timber, soil and stones. The building site was the biggest in Scandinavia.

The work at Salpa-line was interrupted while the Contuniation War (26.6.1941-5.9.1944) started. The construction restarted at summer 1944, when the Red Army launched their gigantic attack to occupy the whole Finland. The effective time of the building was 18 months. At 1941 the costs of Salpa-line took five per cent of the state budjet.

There were made in the Salpa-line 700 reinforced concrete bunkers and about 3 000 different kind of field fortification equipment. Stone antitank obstacles were done over 200 km, in it about 400 000 single stones, weight at least three tons of each. Excavation barriers for tanks were dug 130 km, trenches 350 km and barbed wire obstacles over 300 kilometres.

In the Salpa-line there were no battles. The fortification has done its duty best, when it is not needed.

Results of The Hard Work

Tässä kakkososa englanniksi, Part II in English. Tämän jälkeen jatketaan suomeksi.

The construction work of the Salpa-line began at the end of April 1940. At the coastal village of Virolahti, called Ravijoki, the work was started by a voluntary group of 900 men from Sweden. They brought all the machines they needed and quite lot of money, actually 10 per cent of the whole expences. Swedish workers returned back after few months. The machines and money was left in use of Finns.

The construction was at its highest level in March 1941. Then there were almost 35 000 men working. About 2 000 women worked at supply duties.

The work was interruptied in June 1941, when the Continuation War began. The Finns advanced far forward east and so the fortifying far in rear was not topical. The work restarted in the summer 1944, when the Soviets began their gigantic attack to beat finally the Finnish army and tried to occupy the whole country. But as we know now, they failed.

In the Salpa-line there are about 720 reinforced concrete bunkers and some tunnel caves quarried into rocks. The bunkers were built for positions of weapons and of course for men as shelters and accommodation.

For instance, for the building of one massive soil founded bunker altogether about 10 000 tons different kinds of material as timber, steel, concrete, stones and soil had to be transfered. In those days it should meant about three thousand truckloads, more than 3 000 kg material in each.

The roofs of the bunkers were built to bear the bull´s eye hit of a one ton airbomb.

The price of a bunker was 1941 about one million marks. It was something same as a very luxury famile house. For instance in 1941 Salpa-line costs took five per cent of the state budjet.

About 95 per cent of the concrete bunkers are situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Saimaa. As we remember it was the strongest part of the fortification and the part which Mannerheim regarded as the most dangerous.

In the defence line there are over 200 km stone antitank obstacles, about 400 000 single stones. The weight of each is three tons. When they transported the stones, the truck could carry only one peace at a time. So there are 400 000 truckloads of stones in the antitank barriers of Salpa-line.

There were also 130 km dug ditch antitank excavations. Trenches, dug with shovels or quarried into rock, were made for about 350 kilometres.

One very essential part of the Salpa-line is the work for the many field fortifications, which are difficult to see anymore. The number of accommodation dugouts made from timber, soil and stones was 700, machine gun strongpoints 1 250, gun positions 500 and artillery fire control positions 400 peaces. Barbed wire obstacles were made about 300 kilometres.

There were no battles at Salpa-line. For all that they say that it had a great meaning for the result of the war. The Salpa-line was built for as a lock of Finnish defence and that was a fact which the Soviets knew.

The fortification has succeeded in its work best, when it is not needed.

I think that for us, for Finns, the Salpa-line is the symbol of hard work, independence, freedom and most of all - peace.

The Salpa-line Fortification

Älkää pelästykö te kenties vain suomea ymmärtävät, teen pienen testin ja jatkan suomeksi seuraavalla kerralla.

I will make a little test and write one blog with my bad English. That is why that there are some English-readers and, I guess, they have to use some translation programs. I´m interested to see do I get any feedback. My Finnish readers, don´t be afraid. I`ll continue next time in Finnish. On the other hand, it is useful to read this subject also in English, although bad one, to improve yours.

Unfortunately we Finns prefere to dig more mistakes from others English than make better our own. Do as you like, I don´t care.

In the Second World War Finland had to fight twice against Soviet Union. The Winter War began in the end of 1939 and lasted three and a half months. The Continuation War began in the summer 1941 and the truce with Soviet Union was done in autumn 1944. After that Finland had to chase Germans out of Lapland. Finland kept its independence, although it cost lots of sacrifices.

During the Winter War truce and the end of the Continuation War a fortified position of defence was built to secure a new eastern frontier of Finland.

In the Winter War 1939-40 Finland lost part of its eastern territory. Therefore the new boundery had no permanent fortifications. The world situation was still critical. To secure the unsafe frontier the commander in chiech of the Finnish army, Field Marshal C.G. Mannerheim ordered to build a fortified position of defence. It was called later Salpa-line.

The Salpa-line project is still the biggest building site in our country and also in whole Scandinavia. However, almost until nowadays it has been unknown, even for most of the Finns. One reason for that is that there were no battles in Salpa-line and it was kept top secret up to collapse of Soviet Union.

Actually we Finns can say proud in our heart, that while the Iron Wall fell in middle Europe, the part of it, the Salpa-line, stands straight and untouched symbolizing the great will of Finns to defend their country.

Mannerheim decided to fortify the eastern frontier just one week after of the ending of the Winter War. The most important area to fortify was the neck of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Kivijärvi, from Virolahti to Luumäki. The distance of that most dangerous part was about 50 - 60 kilometres. It was fortified extremely consistent.

From Luumäki Salpa-line goes to Lake Saimaa. From Saimaa the fortification line goes on up to Lake Pielinen in North Karelia. In this part the fortification relies on waterways, especially lakes.

From Pielinen forward north only the most important directions of road were fortified. The Salpa-line extends to the level of Kemijärvi-Salla in Lapland. The plans and some field fortifications were made up to the Polar Sea.

If I get reasonable feedback, I´ll write in English another blog where I briefly tell some results of the buildingwork.