The Mannerheim Line was a defensive fortification line on the Karelian Isthmus built by Finland against the Soviet Union. It was named after Marshal C.G.E. Mannerheim. Some of the most fierce fighting of the Winter War took place on the line. The Karelian Isthmus is the narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... C.G.E. Mannerheim Mannerheims equestrian statue by Mannerheimintie, a central road in downtown Helsinki, the capital of Finland C.G.E. Mannerheims autograph This article is about the statesman and Commander-in-Chief, for the noble families, please see Mannerheim (family) Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (June... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 180,000 450,000 Casualties 22,830 dead 43,600 wounded 1,000 captured 127,000+ dead or missing 265,000 wounded 3,100 captured, 2000+ tanks The Winter War (also known as the Soviet...

The Mannerheim Line streches from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ladoga.

Image File history File links The Mannerheim Line. ... Image File history File links The Mannerheim Line. ...

History

The first plans for a defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus were made after the Finnish Civil War by Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, but they were ignored when Mannerheim resigned after the war. The Civil War in Finland was fought from January to May 1918, between the Reds (punaiset), i. ...

The line was constructed during the 1920s and 1930s. It ran from the coast of the Gulf of Finland through Summa to the Vuoksi river and ended at Taipale. It consisted of about two hundred machine gun positions made from concrete. The area around Summa was the most heavily fortified because it was thought to be the most vulnerable position. The first bunkers were built between 1921 and 1924. A second phase began in 1932, but was interrupted by the Winter War. Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America and in Australia as the Roaring Twenties . In Europe it is sometimes refered to as the Golden Twenties. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... The term summa is the Latin word for sum. ... The River Vuoksi (Finnish) or River Vuoksa (Russian standard transcription) runs in the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus, from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland flowing into Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... Taipale at the eastern end of the Mannerheim Line (pre-1940 border). ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect personnel or equipment. ...

Unlike the Maginot Line and other similar forts made with huge bunkers and lines of dragon's teeth, the Mannerheim Line was mostly built by utilizing the natural terrain. Many natural things such as fallen trees and huge bolders were used as defensive positions. The Finns also mastered camouflage techniques, which they put to use when building this defensive line. The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’ino], named after French minister of defense André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy in the wake of World War I. Generally the term... Dragons teeth (German: Höcker, humps) were square-pyramidal fortifications of concrete used during the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks. ... Anolis caroliensis showing blending camouflage and counter-shading. ...

The name Mannerheim Line was spread by foreign journalists and it was supposedly coined by Jorma Gallen-Kallela. Jorma Gallen-Kallela (1898 - 1 December 1939) was a Finnish artist. ...

In the Winter War the Line halted the Soviet advance for two months.

In the Continuation War the Line saw very little action during the Finnish advance in 1941 or the Soviet offensive in 1944. The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II, from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After the Winter War, the Soviets tended to exaggerate the extent of Finnish fortifications to explain their troops' slow progress against Finnish defences. However, the vast majority of the Mannerheim Line was comprised of trenches and other field fortifications. Bunkers along the line were mostly small and thinly spread out, and the Line had hardly any artillery. Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect personnel or equipment. ... For the thrash metal band, see Artillery (band) Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ...

See also: Salpalinja The Salpa-line between Lake Saimaa and the Gulf of Finland. ...

Trivia

The amount of concrete used in the Mannerheim Line (14 520 cubic meters) is only slight less than the amount used in Helsinki Opera House (15 500 cubic meters). The Finnish National Opera (Finnish: Kansallisooppera) in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. ...

Further reading

• The Winter War, the Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40, Willam R. Trotter, Aurum Press Ltd, London 2003, ISBN 1-85410-932-4

External links

• Mannerheim Line website
• History of the Mannerheim Line
• Mannerheim Line at the Northern Fortress