Salpalinja
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Salpalinja (literally Bolt-line) or Salpa Line or its official name Suomen Salpa (Finland's Bolt) is a bunker line on the eastern border of Finland. It was built during the Interim Peace between the Winter War and the Continuation War. Salpalinja is 1200 km long from the Gulf of Finland to Petsamo in Northern Finland. The line was never used since the Soviet offensive in 1944 was stopped at the VKT-line on the Karelian Isthmus. Fortifications of Salpalinja were much stronger than Mannerheim Line.
The construction of the Salpa Line began in the end of the Winter War in 1940. First, volunteers worked there - then people ineligible for the war service were mobilized. The maximum number of workers, near 35 000, worked there in the spring of 1941. After the beginning of the Continuation War on June 25, 1941 - initiated by an all out 500 plane Soviet air attack against Finnish targets, within the boundaries of the Republic of Finland - the fortification work was stopped, pillboxes and bunkers were disarmed and all armaments were sent to the front. In the beginning of 1944 the work on the Salpa Line resumed and proceeded until the end of the Continuation War on September 4, 1944.
728 various concrete installations, 315 km of wire obstacles, 225 km of anti-tank obstacles, 130 km of anti-tank ditches, more than 3000 entrenchments, 254 concrete infantry shelters, endless trench, rifleman's cells and dugouts - etc. - composed the power and strength of this famous defence line. The line even had old 11 and 9 inch coastal mortars from the late 19th century. Numerous lakes, marshes and small rocks were also incorporated in the defence line. For example, the Lake Saimaa area is a labyrinth of lakes of varying sizes, islands, straits and rivers, making the area very easy to defend. 90% of all the concrete installations of the Salpa-Line were on the line between the Gulf of Finland and the Lake Saimaa waterway system. This part, as the original post-Winter War defence line, was also referred with the name "Luumäki-Suomenlahti-linja" (Luumäki-Gulf of Finland line) or simply as "Luumäen linja" (Lake Saimaa is situated north of Luumäki).
The fortifications were never used in combat, since the Red Army was stopped at the end of the War of Continuation well before the reached Salpalinja (see Battle of Tali-Ihantala). The line was partially manned with old reservists in the summer of 1944. However, the existence of the fortified line was an advantage for the Finns in the subsequent peace talks.
 Machine-gun |
 Tank obstacles in Miehikkälä |
 Start of the Salpa-line between Lake Saimaa and the Gulf of Finland. The line continues up to the Northern Finland. |
 Salpalinja anti-tank obstacles in village Aholanvaara, Salla |
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