Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
Trip report: a ~500 km day trip around South Eastern Finland
Starting from Helsinki we first drove all the way to the Finnish/Russian border at Vaalimaa. There isn’t much to see there except a hideous outlet mall and the border itself.
From there we continued to the Salpalinja museum in Miehikkälä which is near by. For those who don’t know, Salpa line (Salpalinja) was a fortification/bunker line that stretched from the gulf of Finland all the way up to the Arctic Ocean - 1200 km. I’ve got a stats picture for you
From the Salpa line museum we continued to the bunker museum in Virolahti - the museum is part of the same fortification system. New tickets needed, though.
In Hamina we visited the old town and the fortress as well as grounds around the FDF reserve officers’ school.
In Kouvola we visited a delightful miniature railway museum. They only accepted cash which came as a surprise.
The D3 performed marvelously as usual.
I’ll add “some” pictures next.
Last edited by kajtzu on 26th Jul 2019 6:23 pm. Edited 1 time in total
26th Jul 2019 5:44 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
T-34 pointing towards the fortifications
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Yours truly sitting on the turret leading the imaginary socialist comrades towards a sure victory
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French gun from 1877, these didn’t turn up until the winter war was over... they were outdated in the 1940s but Finland couldn’t be choosy at the time.
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Spot the T-34 behind the foliage
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Entrance to a bunker within the complex, might have been a anti-tank one
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The stats I promised you
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Rifles
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A maxim machine gun
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81 mm mortar
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Example of officer’s quarters in a bunker
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Anti-tank position
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The enemy, signified by yellow color in exercises, ALWAYS comes from the east....
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Protected gun positions
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Obligatory picture of the disco in front of the reserve officers’ school
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Miniature railway. These were really well done and computer controlled. The guy showing us said 14 people had spent 4 months on the project...
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26th Jul 2019 6:06 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72786
Tanks a lot for the pics. More pins in the map for the next Via Karelia RT.
27th Jul 2019 8:22 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Great pics
Always amazes me the attention to detail these model makers take , like the figures walking up the stairs Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
27th Jul 2019 4:18 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
DSL wrote:
Tanks a lot for the pics. More pins in the map for the next Via Karelia RT.
Tanks?! it’s worth visiting the armored vehicle museum in Parola then! It’s a short distance north of Hämeenlinna and adjacent to the armored brigade training school. They’ve got tanks, APCs, IFVs and other related kit from pre-WWII to post-cold war eras. Cheap entrance fees as is usual with Finnish museums.
27th Jul 2019 5:18 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
ianm27 wrote:
Great pics
Always amazes me the attention to detail these model makers take , like the figures walking up the stairs
It isn’t very visible in the pictures but there’s a nudist beach next to the fir cone in the lake attention to detail, indeed.
27th Jul 2019 5:21 pm
nigethecat
Member Since: 11 Sep 2016
Location: Marnoch
Posts: 4144
There’s a similar but smaller museum just outside Hanko if I remember. Very much the last line of defence! The fort at Hamina is quite impressive too!
Del should be sent to the punatentiary for his last comment! I want to see the sweets before I get into your windowless van... I'm not stupid!
Corris Grey D4 Commercial SE 2016
Zermatt Sliver 2007 D3 SE manual (gone)
Indus Silver D4 HSE 2015 (gone)
Bonatti Grey D3 HSE 2006 (gone)
White D3 S (LHD) 2007 (gone)
Firenze Red D4 HSE 2014 (gone)
Black RRS 3.6TDV8 2008 (gone)
Rusty Green Defender 110 1997 (gone)
Black FL2 HSE 2013 (gone)
27th Jul 2019 11:57 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
Yup, there’s a Hanko front museum in Hanko - https://rintamamuseo.fi/eng/engstart/ which is quite good if you happen to be in that part of the country. And of course you should since Hanko in the summer is an awesome place.
As a side note, Hanko was leased to USSR 1940-1941 (so after the winter war......) and then the Porkkala peninsula got leased to USSR from 1944 (after continuation war armistice) to 1956. Porkkala is only 35 km from Helsinki.
28th Jul 2019 8:15 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
200 km day trip from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna
I’ll just continue with the same thread since the subject is rather close the original post, too.
Hämeenlinna is a nice smaller city to stop and visit either on the way north (or south if one is coming down) or just there and back as a day trip. There is a real castle (museum) and next to it there are at least two other museums; a penitentiary transformed into a museum as well as the artillery, engineer and signals museum. All places worth a visit
We’ve been in the town several times so there aren’t many pictures except one of the castle from a distance and hidden behind the trees and one of the river/lake police.
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Our trip was mostly to the armor museum in Parola, a short distance north of the town, where we spent several hours. There are plenty of kit to gawk at but also kit to enter and climb on. Approved by all three minions and even SWMBO. 8)
Obligatory disco proof.
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A Comet (I think) that’s been used for target practice mostly by light anti-tank weapons
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A bridge builder
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A BMP-1, we used these for scouting duties
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Armored train
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T-72 with cut throughs (originally used for training, etc.) to demonstrate armor thickness, pipe routes, cabling, etc.
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A French tank, looks like quite the death trap
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More T-72 with various types of ammunition next to it
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Yank troop carrier from WWII
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A Humber Pig, we’ve had some other U.K. kit too - at least Comets and Charioteers
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A German big cat - a leopard 2A4
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Field artillery, USSR made 2S1
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A T-65
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Patria XA-360 configured as a troop carrier
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A ZSU anti-air platform
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Engines, mostly V-12s.... I’m sure there’s a crank or two for a disco too
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A Comet not having been used for target practice
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A charioteer
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Finnish (Valmet/SISU) troop carriers
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A Patria XA AMVwith AMOS (heavy mortar)
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Anti-tank gun used between 1941 and 1944
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T-34
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What happens to a T-72 turret. The biggest holes were from 120 mm sabot rounds
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