Kirkonmaa

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Kirkonmaa is part of Finland , 7.9 km² large island in the Gulf of Finland about 10 km south of the city of Kotka , to whose municipality it belongs. It is separated from the northern island of Kuutsalo by an approximately 120 m wide sound.

The breakwater in the northwest of Kirkonmaa

The island

The southern part of the mostly forested island is a restricted military area, in the northern part there are a considerable number of holiday homes, mostly only used in summer, and in the northeast the apartment buildings of the civilian employees of the garrison . The cemetery of the community Kuutsalo located in the vicinity, as well as a boat launch . From there a road leads to the barracks in the south. To the northwest is a longer pier where charter boats from Kotka dock; There is also a road from there to the barracks area.

The former shelters and bunkers of the Finnish coastal defense on the island have been open to the public since around 2010, some cannons and bunkers have been for sale for several years, but there have not yet been any interested parties, as the strict requirements of monument protection have to be observed for the objects .

history

In 1925 the Finnish Army began building a coastal artillery fortress on the island. In 1927 the actual gun positions were set up and equipped with four 25.4 cm L / 45 D cannons, which were finally ready for action in 1929. The guns were brought from one of the two batteries on Isosaari to Kirkonmaa and positioned there in hidden individual positions; they were set up in such a way that they could sweep a horizontal firing angle of 360 degrees. In the winter war of 1939/40 with the Soviet Union, they proved to be very effective. In March 1940, Red Army troops marched across the ice from Isosaari and Lavansaari towards Kotka, but were forced to retreat by more than 100 shots from Kirkonmaa and shelling from the artillery fortresses Rankki and Pukkio.

During the Second World War , on the afternoon of June 20, 1944, the coastal battery and ammunition depot on the island were bombed by 18 Soviet Pe-2 fighter planes. The day before, the German mine transporter Otter had arrived with a load of 200 mines , the unloading of which had just ended. One of the bombs hit the mines lined up in front of the ammunition bunker, which triggered a chain of explosions through them up into the mine depot, which was destroyed in a huge explosion. The lying at the pier Otter did not receive a direct hit, but was so badly damaged by the explosion that they with a strong list went and due to be abandoned had. A lighter loaded with 76 KMA mines was torn apart and a marine ferry station burned out.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Documentary - The island's military history on YLE's Finnish television program, broadcast on June 22, 2018.
  2. ↑ D = Durlacher mount.
  3. ^ Finnish Army 1918 - 1945: Coastal Artillery 3: Super-Heavy Coastal Guns
  4. ↑ Coastal Mine A (KMA), a ground mine with contact ignition used only in the foreshore, consisting of a concrete base with explosive charge and a linkage with the ignition device ( http://michaelhiske.de/Wehrmacht/Marine/DMRVNr_13/Kapitel_C/DEU/A11.htm ).
  5. ^ German Naval Staff, Operations Division, Part A, Volume 58, June 1944 (English translation, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division, Washington, DC, 1958)

Coordinates: 60 ° 23 '  N , 27 ° 3'  E