Wake Up! Russains are here - Winter War

25 DECEMBER 1939, PATONIEMI, SUVANTO RIVER, KARELIAN ISTHMUS The 19th century fort at the Patoniemi cape was one of the three beachheads Soviets aimed in the Suvanto offensive for outflanking the Finnish positions in the Taipale sector. The fort was one of the remnants of the Russian domination before the Finnish independence. It hosted an obsolete coastal defense cannons emplacement in bunkers and defended by machine gun positions. A Finnish infantry company from the 30th Regiment was guarding the wooded cape. It was 0700 hrs, when leading Soviet troops reached the shores of Patoniemi. Similar to the Kelja sector, heavy snowfall and arctic temperature had hindered the Finnish recon activity. Most of the crews of the bunker positions were in the shelters when first enemy soldiers put foot on the ground. Alarm spread among the Finns and a struggle started for reaching the bunkers before Soviets can establish themselves on the shore.