Wartime photographs

Finnish wartime photographs from the Mannerheim Line and elsewhere on the Winter War fronts. These illustrate well the makeshift nature of many of the defenses, for instance, anti tank defenses built of natural rocks and logs – these were often easily overdriven or broken by the Soviet tanks. Also the improvised snow camouflage and clothing – often civilian clothes suitable for the extreme winter weather conditions – that many of the warriors were dressed in is well visible.

Mannerheim Line was pictured both during the Winter War 1939-1940 – although relatively little, like on all the Winter War fronts – and in Continuation War 1941-1944 when the destruction of the line was documented in several places (SA-kuva Creative Commons CC BY 4.0, except one photo Russian archives, Public Domain).