WWII History
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Bengtskär
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WWII History
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Bengtskär: Aftermath
Clearing up began at around 06:00 on 27th July. By Holmlund's account the island looked grim, being dotted with bodies lying in pools of blood, amongst a litter of bloodstained clothing and broken or abandoned weapons. Since it was not possible to bury the dead in the solid rock of Bengtskär, the Russian bodies were taken back to the mainland and buried in cemeteries on Dragsfjärd and Örö, though Holmlund - and popular myth - maintain that the majority of the dead Russians were wrapped in barbed wire and disposed of into the sea. The freshly arrived troops began repairing the defences, including the vital anti-aircraft guns. But the fight was not yet over.
Figure 1: The burning oil store. © Finnish Army Photographic Dept.
One of the few contemporary photographs to have survived, this must have been taken on or after July 27th because the oil store was not hit until the bombing on that day. The sauna can be seen between the lighthouse and the oil store.
At mid-day, two Russian bombers appeared, with an escort of three fighters who proceeded to strafe the island. When the bombers came around and released their loads, one bomb hit the accommodation block, passing through the roof and four floors before exploding on the first floor where the wounded were being tended. Cpl Bjelke, who had fought so heroically, was badly wounded, losing his right hand and an eye. A second bomb hit the oil store (See Figure 6 in the First Phase where the damage remains to this day.) which caught fire, causing heavy smoke which, fortunately, the wind carried out to sea. Lacking anti-aircraft guns and with the Russians enjoying temporary air superiority, the Finns urgently requested fighter cover from the nearest available field at Turku, 70km to the north-west.
The Finns began rescue operations but were hampered when the wind changed, fanning the flames and blowing smoke into the accommodation block. They were also being subjected to inaccurate but harassing Russian artillery fire from Russarö island, 30km to the east. Eventually, the building was cleared and it was found that thirteen of the wounded had been killed. The battle had been a costly one and the defenders' temper was not improved when it took three hours for air cover to be organised from Turku. At around 20:00, the gunboat Karjala arrived, patrolling around the island and adding some protection from her own AA-batteries.
On the following day, July 28th, more reinforcements arrived from Örö at about 08:30, bringing with them a 40 mm Bofors gun. By now, although some had returned to Rosala, there were about 80 troops on the island and at least one VMV boat was on continuous patrol around the island. Around 14:00, two Russian flying boats approached Bengtskär. The first was shot down by Finnish anti-aircraft fire and the second was hit and disappeared, trailing smoke.
Although the fight now seemed to be over, the Finns expected the Russians to try again and further defensive measures were prepared. The two radio operators, Holmlund and Fagerström were detailed to stand watches in the tower with an Aldis lamp to challenge passing boats. They were also assigned firing positions within the tower in the event of an attack; as Holmlund remembers it, on the south side of the tower, in the third window up. But the attack never came and within six months the Russians, being pushed ever further back by the advancing Germans, abandoned Hanko as untenable.
The total casualties on Bengtskär have never been reliably established.
In 1945, a memorial service was held on the site.
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Figure 2: The memorial service. © Finnish Army Photographic Dept. The sauna appears to have been damaged though there is no trace of the damage today. |
Figure 3: 1997 and the author tries to recreate the scene. |
Since the War, Bengtskär has had a rather chequered history. The lighthouse was re-opened in 1950 and the lighthouse-keepers returned, but this time, without their families. In 1966, a memorial plaque to the Finnish fallen was unveiled; it stands today at the entrance to the tower. In 1968, the original petrol-powered lantern was replaced by a gas-lantern and converted to automatic operation, the facility being unmanned. In 1983, the light was converted to electricity, powered by a wind-driven generator. By 1985, the structure had become extensively vandalised. The island is within easy sailing distance of Hanko and picnickers thought nothing of ripping up the floors to provide fuel for barbecues. In 1985, the Finnish Shipping Authority leased the buildings to an organisation called Pro-Bengtskär, on condition that they make the necessary repairs and open the property to visitors. Unfortunately, this never happened and the property was re-leased to the Centre for Extension Studies at the University of Turku.
Today, the visitor may reach the island by boat from either Hanko or Käsnäs, a journey of about two hours and costing FIM180 per person (about £20 at 1999 prices) and including a bowl of soup. These trips leave about two hours to explore the island and include a guided tour in Finnish, Swedish or English. It is also possible to stay overnight at a cost of about £50 per person, though be warned that, though the accommodation is clean and comfortable and the food is good, washing and sanitary arrangements are primitive. With luck, you may get to sleep (as the author did) in the Laine room, which comes complete with original bullet-holes!
Figure 4: The bullet-spattered stove in the fourth-floor store room.
To anyone interested in military history, there is much to see on Bengtskär. When walking around, it is as well to keep an eye on the ground which is very uneven and, especially around the bunker, there are unexpected holes; however, anyone of reasonable agility can follow the Soviet troops' path up to the foot of the terrace where Anjalin's dynamite wreaked such havoc. From the terrace, spang marks can easily be seen over the facade of the building, mostly clustered around the windows on the second and third floors. The round feature under the gable was an oriole window in 1941 and was probably destroyed during the bombing of July 27th. The balcony appears to be a recent addition. The closed-circuit television camera on the roof allows the Finnish coast guard to monitor the activities of Russian smugglers when the island is unoccupied. The following description takes a clockwise path around the site.
Moving round to the west end of the building, at the opposite end of the tower, the window on the fourth floor shows very little evidence of attack; however, seeing the room from the inside tells a different story. This room, originally a store room, has been preserved as it was in 1941. As can be seen in the pictures, several bullets have pierced the magnificent porcelain stove and many more have pock-marked the ceiling. Fired from below, these bullets must have posed little direct threat to the defenders.
From this end of the building, walk back towards the northern tip of the island. On the right, the small 'Dom bunker' was an oil store for lighting and fuel and was set alight during the 1941 attack. The original damage, unrepaired, can easily be seen from the rocks on the far side. The flat-roofed bunker was used for water storage. Leaving these two features, and the modern structures housing the generator, on the right, one comes to what looks like a pile of rocks but is, in fact, a well camouflaged bunker, the entrance to which is conveniently situated between the gentlemen's pissuuari and a malodorous, unisex 'two-holer'. This complex was actually built after 1941 but on the site of the 1941 fieldworks. It appears to have consisted of an open emplacement for the Danish Madsen 20mm AA gun; an observation cupola which is also on the site of its 1941 counterpart; and a dual machine-gun emplacement which was not there at the time of the battle. A lower level of the bunker appears to have provided accommodation and ammunition storage. As can be seen, the view of the landing site from the observation cupola is not good and it seems possible that an attack from this direction – south – was not considered. Nearby is a ring of bolts, one of the 1941 mountings for Bälte twin AA machine guns. Several such mounts can be found around the island. Surprisingly, these seem to have played little part in the 1941 battle though there is a possibility that some were used against the Finns by the Russian troops.
Returning to the main building and continuing the clockwise tour, the stone building on the left is now a sauna and was one in 1941. Contemporary photographs show that this was damaged during the fighting though there is little evidence of repair; a comparison shot is shown in Figure 3. Moving on to the corner of the main building, by the tower, there is a small, open mg emplacement on the left, looking down onto where the Soviet troops landed. In 1941, this was apparently a sand-bagged emplacement, the current structure dating from ca. 1942, and it is from here that the first alarm was undoubtedly raised. In the picture, the author scans the horizon for marauding Bolsheviks. (A party of Russian tourists was actually visiting Bengtskär at the time that these photographs were taken but the author was unable to induce them to re-enact the assault.)
Thanks are due to my wife Eija for logistical support, translations and for assistance in obtaining photographs and other material. The Wilson family, for their hospitality on Bengtskär and for providing access to archive material. Jarto Niemi, and Jyrki Otila for invaluable comments, explanations and references.
Apart from two pages in the short guidebook to Bengtskär, no other descriptions of the battle exist in English. Much of what is written here is based on the following sources:
Anon., 1994. Jatkosodan historia, Osa 6. (The history of the Continuation War, Volume 6.) In Finnish.
Lappalainen, N., 1987. Hankoniemi toisessa maailmansodassa. (The Hanko Peninsula in WWII.) In Finnish.
Anon., 1989. Kun Suomi taisteli. (When Finland was fighting.) In Finnish.
Ekman, Per-Olof, 1981. Sjø Front. (Sea Front.) In Swedish.
Unless otherwise attributed, all text and images on these pages are copyright © of Rose & Laurel as a subsidiary of ility Engineering.
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Bengtskär
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