FRIDAY SURPRISE: A line in the sand.

Friday, May 29, 2009 Filed in: Friday Surprise!, Completely irrelevant, History

Or, more precisely, forest.

Many people have heard of the Maginot line, a series of fortifications designed to protect France from invasion by Germany. As you may have heard, it didn't work all that well - the Germans simply went around it, through Belgium and the Netherlands, and right into Paris for coffee and gloating.

You may not have heard of the Mannerheim line. It was Finland's fortification intended to protect it from Russian aggression. During the Winter War (where the Soviets sustained losses heavy enough to make them wish they'd never set their sights on Helsinki) the Mannerheim sustained heavy damage. Unlike the Maginot line, the Mannerheim was very lightly constructed and took the full force of the Russian advance. The majority of the installations were destroyed, leaving little behind but memories.

This is one of the better-preserved pieces:

Pasted Graphic 15

The Mannerheim Line website. (Has the most complete list of sites and current condition.)

Detailed history of the Line at winterwar.com

Quick overview of the line and its purpose.


-=[ Grant ]=-
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