WWII History
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Bengtskär
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WWII History
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Bengtskär: Second Phase
At around 03:45, the Finnish gunboats Uusimaa and Hämeenmaa together with the patrol boat VMV13, under the overall command of Capt. Lt M. Auvinen, arrived and began to drive the Russian boats away. At about the same time, Russian batteries on the island of Rossarö opened fire on Bengtskär but were countered by fire from the 305mm battery on Örö. Hämeenmaa took some hits and her chief engineer, Iilamon, was killed by Russian strafing and the firing system on at least one of the antique 102mm guns was damaged. The gunners continued to fire using a marlinespike and hammer to ignite the primer!
Meanwhile, the two Madsen gunners continued their lonely battle, having almost certainly prevented the Russian demolition squad in PK311 from landing. With ammunition running low and with no hope of reaching the lighthouse (it was later to take Lt Kaikonen and his relieving force of sixty rannikkojääkäri over an hour to cross the same stretch of ground) Pvt Virtanen suggested taking to the sea and either swimming to their own boats or to the uninhabited islet of Dörmanskär, about 2km away. However, Cpl Nurmi had never before swum more than 20m and was afraid that the water would be too cold so he advised Virtanen, a strong swimmer, to go by himself. Virtanen jumped in, swam around the cape, and was rescued by one of the VMV boats. Shortly afterwards, Nurmi noticed three green helmets, behind a rock about 5-6m away something which greatly increased his confidence in himself as a swimmer. Stripping off his uniform, Nurmi jumped into the sea and, despite being fired upon as he crested each wave, made it to Dörmanskär.
Figure 1: The author scans the seas for marauding Russians from a Tobruk pit (probably a later addition). The Söderstrom inscription is on the rocks in the bottom left corner.
At about 04:00, three Finnish fighter-bombers overflew the island, machine-gunning the Russian troops and approaching vessels. Luther was wounded for the second time, taking a bullet through his left arm and shrapnel to the stomach. Though serious, the wounds were quickly stabilised and Cpl Bjelke took command of the fifteen or so survivors who retreated to the upper (i.e. third and fourth) floors of the accommodation block.
Figure 2: The Söderstrom inscription. (Digitally enhanced.) It reads: Fritz Söderstrom. Böle. 1941. Böle is now a northern suburb of Helsinki.
By 04:30, the sun was well up and the battle continued in daylight, despite some residual fog banks and wisps of mist. VMV13, under Lt Valtasaari, approached the island and a squad of twelve men (with one machine-gun as their only heavy weapon) under 2nd Lt P. Åsvig, attempted a landing by rowing boat. Åsvig and a matros were killed on the shoreline but the others, now commanded by 2nd Lt R. Pelkonen, successfully reached the island where they were pinned down, spending over an hour in the water. Though this group had little immediate practical effect on the battle, its effect on the morale of the men in the tower was enormous. Another matros, R. Söderblom, bravely came out from VMV13 by rowing boat to take off the wounded, being himself wounded in the process.
Between 04:00 and 05:00, two Finnish groups left Rosala and Örö to mount a counter-attack on Bengtskär. The first group, from 4th Coastal Company in Rosala, under 1st Lt M. Kaikkonen, comprised 35 (or maybe 60) men in four patrol boats, converted from fishing craft. En route, one boat's engine broke down and the craft had to be towed; they were also machine-gunned by Russian fighter-bombers but with no ill effects. The second group, under Lt Backlund, consisted of 41 (or maybe 23) volunteers from the Örö garrison, in three minesweepers. The force assembled in the shelter of Klovaskär island, close to Bengtskär, where Kaikkonen, who seems to have been in overall command, received orders to proceed with the operation.
Shortly before 06:00, three Russian MO boats tried to approach from the south, with the apparent intention of evacuating the survivors, but were driven back by the Finnish gunboats. One Russian boat, PK238, succeeded in coming close to the shore but Uusimaa scored a direct hit from 4,000m and the Russian vessel exploded. VMV13 rescued 16 survivors.
Figure 3: Where Kaikkonen's force seems to have landed.
At 06:03, Kaikkonen's force, protected on the flanks by the minesweepers Lahna and Muikku and four other motor boats which kept the enemy back with 20mm fire, landed on the eastern side of Bengtskär (See Figure 3.). A heavy machine gun was brought ashore and a firing position established but the machine-gunner was killed almost immediately and the weapon disabled. Within a few minutes, another was killed and three were wounded. Kaikkonen did not launch an immediate attack but crawled bravely forward to assess the situation before waving his men forward. Nevertheless, the attack proved much slower than expected because the Russians were determined to hold on, however desperately, and had to be subdued one-by-one as they crouched amongst the rocks. But after about one hour the relievers reached the lighthouse 30m from their landing point. From the tower, Cpl Bjelke, who could see both Kaikkonen and the Russians, directed the operation.
On reaching the tower, Kaikkonen and his men had to subdue the Russians on the first (ground) floor. This they did mercilessly, with grenades and the ever effective kasapanoksia. When Kaikkonen and his men entered the first floor, it was a bloody charnel house, littered with fragments of flesh and abandoned materiel. Tragically, the bodies of two Finns were found in the wreckage.
By 09:15, the rescuers reached the third floor, the whole of the tower was back in Finnish hands and the wounded were brought down to the first floor for treatment. Those Finns who could speak some Russian now began to call on the attackers to surrender. A (Finnish) Sgt Isakoff crawled forward, together with a Russian prisoner, but these attempts met with no more success than those of Lt Kagalov, hours earlier. Those Russians who failed to surrender were grenaded where they lay amongst the rocks. Often, a grenade was swiftly returned to its throwers but many Russians chose to die by their own hands. At around mid-day, the first major group of Russians all badly wounded and including the most senior of the prisoners, Lt Kagalov surrendered.
At 13:00, two Russian boats -- PK236, Lt Feofanov, and PK237, Lt Kozlov -- approached the island, firing at the lighthouse as if preparing for a fresh landing but again the Finnish vessels drove them away. As Lt Luther and the other Finnish wounded were being evacuated one of the Russian railway batteries in Hanko fired ten rounds at the island, of which only one hit the lighthouse, doing superficial damage. A Russian reconnaissance aircraft flew over the island. Under questioning, the Russians admitted that they were expecting reinforcements from Hanko. The last pocket of resistance succumbed at 14:05
At 13:25, 18 Russian 'SB' bombers attacked the Finnish ships Ilmarinen and Vainamoinen, causing slight damage to the former. Throughout the day, Russian fighter-bombers (their only heavy bombers were at bases in Estonia) attacked the Finnish vessels on 32 occasions, with little effect. In late afternoon, further VMV craft arrived, leaving the larger vessels free to return to Örö to refuel and rearm.
At around 20:30, the Russian prisoners were landed on Örö and a detachment of pioneers left Örö for Bengtskär to recover the mercury from the lighthouse lantern which had been damaged. Around midnight, the auxiliary tender Henrik Boige arrived from Talsbruk, bringing ammunition and other supplies.
Around 03:30, Finnish naval staff ordered Ilmarinen and Vainamoinen to withdraw towards Högsåra, where they would be better placed to intercept any major Russian vessels which were thought to be approaching a threat which never materialised.
1. At this time of the year the sea is not as cold as one might expect because the Baltic, being almost tideless, heats rapidly and the water temperature was probably in the range 12-16ēC.
2. Usually translated as 'Able Seaman' but can also mean 'Petty Officer', depending on the circumstances.
3. Their subsequent part in the battle and the relationship of their landing site to that of Kaikkonen and Backlund has never been satisfactorily explained.
4. Backlund's force included two radio operators Fagerström and Holmlund, the latter of whom has written a detailed though not entirely accurate account of the battle for private publication. It is offered for sale on some of the boats taking visitors to the island.
5. Lighthouse lanterns float in a pool of mercury to prevent vibration which would cause the beam to waver. Such a large quantity of mercury would have been valuable and worth the effort of recovery.
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Bengtskär
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