Lapland War battles

[Poromies]

I think I have found something. Thanks to the people from Axis History Forum (especially Vaeltaja) I have found something on Google Maps that remind me of trenches. I was mentioned that Schutzstellung Rovaniemi is located in the hills north of Rovaniemi. This picture is from there.

[Patgore]

Hi, Poromies:

That's good.

We look forward to further reports on your research.

Are there any veterans of the campaign around?

Keep up the good work.

Pat

[Poromies]

I believe there are many still living in Rovaniemi, but my hometown has only one alive at the moment, and he fought in the Winter War and the Continuation War. When I was younger he used to visit Pello's schools a week before the Finnish Independence day every year, but his health has dropped to a state in which he can no more share his stories with the children.

[Poromies]

But now as I know the propable location of Schutzstellung Rovaniemi I am sure to head there first thing when all the snow has melted!

[Poromies]

Well folks, summer is coming and the masses of snow covering most of Lapland have been melting. As my summer vacation begins, I will continue researching this subject and hopefully be able visit the site of Schutzstellung Rovaniemi. I have learned that one of the command bunkers (Or komentokorsu) have been restored to original condition with some of the surrounding trenches. I will make sure when I visit the area, that I take some photos to share with you all!

[Poromies]

Now my trip to the area has been postponed because I will visit my father in Stockholm from the 2nd to the 10th next month. But as a side note, the house I currently live in is built in the 60s in the place of a house that was burned down by the germans, but the fields and one barn are still the same (Well the fields are at the same place, not exactly the same anymore). I thought this house was just built because the one that stood here was torn down!

Also, across the lake is the house that my grandmother lived in when she was a child during the war. The house was also built on the same spot as the house she lived in before the germans burnt it down. I may have told this story before, but she often tells me, that two groups of germans came through the village. The first one were nice, gave her father some expensive alcohol (But he did not drink alcohol on any other occasion) and she and her sisters were given chocolate by the germans, and they also taught her father some german too! They then warned, that while they were nice, there would come another group who were going to burn the village down.

They were evacuated to Sweden, but she told me that the house was used as headquarters for a day by the germans. Maybe I should go check the barn across the house next time we visit the house with my grandmother.