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@carkawalakhatulistiwa

26 күн бұрын

Sometimes I wonder if the younger generation of people in European countries have forgotten how terrible nuclear war was. When the United States invaded Cuba's bay of pigs just because Cuba declared joining the Warsaw fact. And it ended with the Soviets sending missiles to Cuba to defend Cuba. 2014 Ukrainian coup.Nazis in Ukraine. Laying a military base 300 km from Moscow. The West wanted this war and they got it.

You are doing very important historic info . Very few foreigners have any knowledge of our wars . Thank you!

@RichardMathews-gv7lb

29 күн бұрын

Some great Finnish films about the wars with the SU on Prime

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Thank you for watching, really interested to learn more so it's great reading all the comments.

@trespire

13 күн бұрын

I have worked with Finnish machinery and been to Kauhava for training. I found the Fins very intriguing. While you are quiet and almost intraverted, your expertese and dedication to doing things the right way is admirable. I learned it is the land of a thousand lakes, there are more trees than people, in rural areas you leave cabins unlocked and stocked with food and fire making provisions in case some traveler has an emergency. You have a great tradition of outdoor activities (picking mushrooms, hiking, hunting, fishing). In Kauhava there is a tradition of forging quality steel, especially the Kauhava knife. A nation of good people.

@asicdathens

12 күн бұрын

It is quite a known fact in Europe. Elsewhere perhaps no

And it was never used, soviets didn't make it that far.

@DT-wp4hk

Ай бұрын

😂

@herptek

29 күн бұрын

​@@DT-wp4hkThe Soviet offensive was defeated in decisive defensive battles at the VKT-line, on the Karelian Isthmus, roughly on the same spot as where the Mannerheim line had been during the earlier winter war, and in the U-position in the Olonets Isthmus. The Soviet offensive totally failed in its objectives.

@DT-wp4hk

29 күн бұрын

@@herptek I know. Well done.

@Pyhantaakka

29 күн бұрын

​@@DT-wp4hk😂

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Go Finland! 🇫🇮

Thanks for coming here again and making this👋 We finnish viewers are quite active in YT so you might get good views on this 😎

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thank you, fingers crossed! Always good to be back in Finland. 🇫🇮

This line was very last defensive line, meant for the last stand if all VKT's and Mannerheim line would fall. Fortunately soviet's never manage to break trough of all frontline obstacles.

@herptek

29 күн бұрын

Mannerheim-line was the most important defence line during the winter war, but after ceding the Karelian Isthmus for peace all Finnish fortifications there were demolished by the Soviet Union. Construction of Salpa-line was supposed to guard the rest of mainland Finland during the interim peace. After Finnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus in 1941 the main defensive lines were once again located in the Karelian Isthmus and additionally also on the Olonets Isthmus that fell under Finnish control during the offensive phase of the continuation war. The notable defensive lines on the Karelian Isthmus during the defensive phase of the continuation war in 1944 were the boringly named main defence line, the VT-line and the VKT-line, where the Soviet summer offensive was ultimately stopped. In case that the defenses on the Karelian Isthmus and/or Olonets Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia had broken, there would of course still had been the Salpa-line just in case. Thankfully the Soviet offensive was halted before reaching the interior of Finland, however.

@Juhani96

29 күн бұрын

@@herptek thanks for pointing those details down 👍

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

It was an impressive feat to build such a long defensive line along the border but very much needed just in case. Thanks for the info.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for the information posted here, very interesting to read. Always good to get some of the details such as you have provided with your comment. Much appreciated.

My grandma was a Lotta, serving in one of those Observation Towers. During the wartime, she was taught some meteorological basics too. And decades later, she taught us kids the cloud types in Latin: cirrus, cumulus, stratus and so on.

@MattWhitingsEurope

14 күн бұрын

That's incredible, love how she taught you the cloud types! A real heroine for sure!

The Finns are a great and hardy people. They are a well respected part of the nordic countries. Sweden can be very happy to have them as their neighbour to the east.

@MattWhitingsEurope

16 күн бұрын

Don't mess with the Finns 🇫🇮

@seazonchik

11 күн бұрын

​@@MattWhitingsEuropedont mess with Russians

@vincent5981

9 күн бұрын

@@seazonchik Why don't mess with the russians?

@seazonchik

9 күн бұрын

@@vincent5981 just learn the history. And make conclusions

@PutinPidarXuilo

7 күн бұрын

@@seazonchik 🤣

In the last two wars against Finland, Soviet Union suffered 1.3 million total casualties of which 0.5 million were KIA/MIA, more than US casualties in the WW2, 9 x US casualties in the Vietnam war.

@kukaliemikalie8157

23 күн бұрын

Good

@mjfan653

13 күн бұрын

The finns were fighting for their survival. They shot to kill. Something not done in most wars. That meeting soviet wave tactics was brutal.

@peterpanini96

11 күн бұрын

Yeah Vietnam War was won by usa because usa victoriously retreated after bombing the shit out of Vietnam and the french lost their colonies... thanks godness Vietnam is independent now... 😅

@ivanskirchak4935

7 күн бұрын

The Soviets aren’t known for much strategy other than throwing numbers at problems.

@johanpuotila7210

5 күн бұрын

@@peterpanini96 Vietnam is indeed another good example of not always getting what you want, no matter how big you are. In case of the U.S., domestic public opinion as a result of free media also played a major role, as we know. Stalin did not need to worry about that. Propaganda, censorship plus the jailing and elimination of dissidents - and millions more - took care of that. As to state propaganda, censorship and dealing with dissent or peace movements, we see the same in Russia today.

Fun fact about Finnish conscription. The NCO course lasts for 105 days which is not a coincidence.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

What are the chances of that, huh?

@curtisackenbrack2669

13 күн бұрын

Is there still conscription in the Finnish Army?

@MultiMeetube

13 күн бұрын

​@@curtisackenbrack2669 Most definitely is! I myself completed it some years ago

@Valokaari

12 күн бұрын

@@curtisackenbrack2669 Never ended. System has been over 100 years and still going strong!

@stefanobonaiuti8243

12 күн бұрын

I didn't know that, interesting.

It's nice you visit eastern Finland, many foreigners only visit Helsinki and Lapland

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

That's what I realised when researching the trip. Pretty much everyone goes to Helsinki or Lapland! I've been to Helsinki but wasn't all that fussed about Lapland, seemed very touristy and I wanted to see the real Finland. Maybe I'll visit Lapland one day but I prefer to get off the beaten track, so to speak.

@FINMrCurly

16 күн бұрын

Joo ja ne on vaan kissankusi suomesta

To clarify and to be accurate, in the Continuation War the Finns made it indeed very close to St. Petersburg - or Leningrad in those days - in search of defensively optimal positions, but the Finnish army stopped its attack after this and took defensive positions. The Germans encouraged the Finnish army to go on towards Leningrad itself, but the Finnish leadership refused. The goal was not to attack a Russian city. It was not ”Germans and Finns” that advanced this far on the Finnish front but the Finnish army alone as the limited German troops in Finland were stationed in Lapland. So the Finns did not attack or shell Leningrad. The Finnish army was pushed back only in summer of 1944 when Soviet Union started its second major strategic attack with the objective of occupying Finland. For such a situation the Salpa line had been built, as the last lock (”salpa” means latch or bolt). Also the Russians knew of its existence, meaning that after the Russian attack was stopped in the summer of 1944 in the Tali-Ihantala area, the attacking Russians having suffered huge casualties, they knew that if regrouping and keep trying their casualties would only accumulate further - and the Salpa-line was still waiting ahead, untouched. So for the Russians it was suddenly better to focus on Berlin, a strategically more important goal, pulling troops from the Finnish front instead of shipping even more to replace the heavy losses and instead engage in peace negotiations with the Finns. Thereby Salpa-line was never needed, luckily, it never saw any action. But it did its job as a precaution.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

That's really interesting and informative, thank you for explaining some of the detail. Really fascinating to read.

@ConradAinger

29 күн бұрын

When you say the Soviet Union engaged in negotiations with Finns, that is to express it euphemistically. In September 1944 Finland accepted the Soviet Union's terms terms.t..

@ConradAinger

29 күн бұрын

When you say the Soviet Union engaged in negotiations with Finns, that is to express it euphemistically. In September 1944 Finland accepted the Soviet Union's terms terms.t..

@ConradAinger

29 күн бұрын

Apologies for repetition, a typing error.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

No probs, thanks for the info!

handful of volunteers still dig up bodies from the swamps near the border.they are surprisingly well preserved,some are even identifiable

@MattWhitingsEurope

14 күн бұрын

Incredible, especially after all these years.

14:45. Finland never went towards Leningrad during Continuation war. Finland only took back the land lost in Winter War and never pursued further in Karelian isthmus. All finnish troops stayed at the pre-war border. Finns did advance beyond old border, but that was only north of Lake Ladoga. That part of Soviet Union had dozens of small towns and cities which were ethnically finnish, and were a target for Stalins ethnic purges. Finland tried to liberate those towns and it's people from being sent to gulaks or killed.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for the information, very interesting.

@meomarte

7 күн бұрын

And here the mandatory Unknown Soldier quote: Ja tähän loppui sitten meitin oikeutemme. Meinaan tästä lähtien ollaan rosvoretkellä.

@Pippie5555

4 күн бұрын

Nobody here in Scandinavia Iikes Russia.

One thing worth of mentioning is the no man is left behind -attitude. Search operations have been going on all these years, latest result is when 2 weeks ago families buried 3 soldiers in their home soil after 80 years MIA. History is alive in many ways...

@MattWhitingsEurope

14 күн бұрын

Really interesting and thought provoking, I didn't realise bodies were still being found and laid to rest. Thanks for the update!

Glad to know that u visited my home town Miehikkälä! Feel free to explore more of Miehikkälä and visit more often if u can!

@MattWhitingsEurope

12 күн бұрын

Thank you very much, cool place!

The Soviets did never declare their losses. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev told The Finnish president Kekkonen that they lost over one million men against Finland.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Incredible, those numbers are staggering and horrific in equal measure. They don't seem to care about their people.

@j.dunlop8295

28 күн бұрын

Definitely, Russian poor showing led to Germany attacking Russia, weakness calls for invasion?

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

So it seems yes.

@teuvodogg

27 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope They have always done it without caring about casualties. It is their style to this day, just look at what they are doing in Ukraine.

@RiasSenpaiTheWallet

26 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope According to my uncles, they met Kekkonen and Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev in lapland on a reindeer hut, he gave them few Kopecks. Can't say how reliable this info is since my uncles were around 5-10 years old back then.

Hi! New finnish viewer! I have to say, I've never seen a foreigner look this Finnish.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Haha you're not the first to say that 😆 Welcome aboard!

@Bob94390

14 күн бұрын

Blondes have more fun :-)

@dananorth895

11 күн бұрын

I assumed Finnish at first bit the accent didn't match up. Lol

Hello. Nice to see somebody, interested in our history. I am originally from Karelia, and also a great fan of history. One or two points though: The "real" meaning of "salpa" is a construction to prevent opening of a door ( like a latch) or making it impossible/more difficult, to get in/out, of "somewhere". Same, per definition, as this barrier line. Both my grandfather fought along the Karelian line, during both wars. If You have time, visit the Suomussalmi and Raatteentie. The Ruzzians got whipped there, big time. Worth a visit. from a Finn in Diaspora

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thank you for your comment, I found this subject really interesting - there's certainly plenty to learn. Thanks for the further information, very useful and good to read. Thanks also for the suggestions, they sound like the type of places that would really interest me, however I won't get chance to visit them on this trip - I've made a note on my map though and may visit them if I find myself in that area in the future. Thanks again.

Great documentation again, Matt! You may know these things but maybe some of your watchers want to know a little extra information: Salpa can be translated as hasp or latch, and in my opinion it was a great word chosen for that fortification line. The building project was the biggest in Finnish history that time. There were 35000 men building it. Lotta Svärd was a voluntary military support association for women and the members were called as Lottas. Lotta is a girl's name which is shorter version of Charlotta and used in Finland and Sweden. Svärd is Swedish for a sword, and it is also a surname used in Finland and Sweden (I even know some people who have that surname). Although the name of that association sounds like a real woman's name, it really doesn't refer to any real person. Lottas were working eg. in military hospitals, catering, military communications, aerial surveillance etc. at the wartime and they are very respected about their work.

@PSPaaskynen

Ай бұрын

Lotta Svärd was a character from Runeberg's "The Tales of Ensign Stål" and the organisation was named after that (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotta_Svärd_(poem)

@oh2mp

Ай бұрын

@@PSPaaskynen yep. Not a real person.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Thank you very much for the additional information, very interesting to read!

@dananorth895

11 күн бұрын

Interesting. Women in critical positions deserve respect and usually earn it. During the great Spanish flu epidemic, doctors had no knowlede of viruses yet. They believed it was bacterial or its byproducts/poison. They were helpless to assist thecsick and dying. The women who were nurses provides the most good to the sick, dying and recouvering. The were highly regarded and within 3-4 yrs were finally given the right to vote in america. Amazing how much is overlooked by so many.

@MattWhitingsEurope

11 күн бұрын

@dananorth895 Yes indeed. Excellent point!

The Winter war fascinates me. Great content. I have added this tour to my bucket list.

@MattWhitingsEurope

12 күн бұрын

Very interesting indeed. Glad you found the video helpful.

What a fascinating video. Great job Matt!!

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Finland has had a really complex relationship with Russia for a millenia. During the 18th century, when Finland was still part of Sweden, the Russians invaded Finland and raped, enslaved, burglarised, and razed practically speaking the entire area known as Finland proper. This period is dissected into two periods: the Great Wrath and the Lesser Wrath. I would say that then, if not even earlier, Finns grew to have suspicions about our neighbor to the east. So, when we talk about the WWII and Finland fighting against Russians, people might think that it was the first instance where Finns went against them, which is not true. We have fought against them for centuries. Edit: Finland did have radar equipment, but not a lot. Good set of binoculars would do almost as well. The radars were used in the high value areas, namely Tampere and Helsinki.

@MattWhitingsEurope

24 күн бұрын

Thanks for the additional info, very useful! The history is crazy, it goes back when further than I realised!!

very impressive fortifications . One hopes , that they will not be needed again with the Russian aggression . The country side is stunning and I look forward to your Lakes episodes . I have just subscribed so I don't miss them . I Love people who do this type of stuff . You make it very enjoyable , yet there is the serious side to these stories and I thank you for sharing Finland's History with us . Many thanks from Australia .

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

Thank you very much, Bob. Glad you're enjoying the videos, just in case you've missed them here's a playlist with all my Finnish Lakeland videos --> bit.ly/mwt_finnishlakeland . It certainly is a shame that the threat and aggression remains, especially the way things are in eastern Europe. Thanks again for tuning in and happy to have you on board!

Several movies about these wars: Tuntematon sotilas (2017) Tuntematon sotilas (1955) Talvisota (1989)

@mopojopo2

29 күн бұрын

tali-ihantala, rukajärventie, etulinjan edessä...

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

That's good to know, I didn't realise so many movies had been made about the wars. Thanks for adding that and I hope all is well with you!

@tiistai9696

23 күн бұрын

Tuntematon sotilas (1985)

@dananorth895

11 күн бұрын

Thanks, screen copied your list. Someone said there on prime. I think I've seen all of them but I downloaded them on torrents. I'd forgotten their names.🤔

I clicked on this video because I couldn't help but comment about the fact that you look very, very Finnish yourself!! Haha

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Haha a few people have said the same thing. Too many for it just to be a coincidence 😂 I will have to get a Finnish version of my name sorted out!

@cinnamontea326

27 күн бұрын

Your Finnish name would be Matti😊​@@MattWhitingsEurope

@MattWhitingsEurope

24 күн бұрын

Matti? I like it!! 😆

@larrywave

17 күн бұрын

​@@MattWhitingsEuropeWhiting is maybe a valkoturska in Finnish

@MattWhitingsEurope

17 күн бұрын

Cool, thanks!

At 15:00 No, The USSR did not get even close to the 1940 border that was agreed after the Winter War. The Red Army took the city of Viipuri, but soon after the USSR lost the battles of Tali-Ihantala near Viipuri and could never advance further. Understanding they were stuck paved the way to the armistice in September 1944. The USSR realized it had failed to conquer Finland for the second time in WW2.

@georgevladimirovich7190

Ай бұрын

Actually my friend, the armistice was the initiative of General Mannerheim and for a very sound reason. The Finns had limited resources in terms of equipment and manpower vs the Soviets who had unlimited resources in terms of equipment and manpower. That being said it was his decision to sue for peaceful compromise.

@sampohonkala4195

Ай бұрын

@@georgevladimirovich7190 Of course it was. But If the Red Army had been smoothly advancing towards Helsinki they would have had zero reason to accept any other terms than unconditional surrender, which they had demanded earlier during the summer offensive. The reason Finland's future was not in the Warsaw pact but the free world on the Western side of the iron curtain was that the Soviet army was defeated in Karelia and it could not reach its military goals.

@georgevladimirovich7190

Ай бұрын

@@sampohonkala4195 I respect the fact that you love your country but facts are facts even if we like them or not. The Soviet leadership had no interest in going to Helsinki but rather in using Finland as a buffer zone. They also would have had preferred a neutral Finland, as it was the case until recently. The demise of the tsarist empire implied automatically a re-drawing of the existing borders. So at the end of the winter war of 1940, a large part of Karelia was ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union bringing the border more or less similar to the one tsarist empire had in 1721.

@magnusgeirkjartansson5972

Ай бұрын

⁠@@georgevladimirovich7190Sweden became the de facto buffer state. When Finland signed the armistice their situation was hopeless in the long term, but they had proven to Moscow that conquering Finland would not just be a operation; but a whole campaign of it self. While that was going on the soviets were closing in on the german border after the major victories of operation bagration in the previous summer. At that time the Germans were still very much capable of waging war which they were trying to do on multiple fronts. Stalin was very concerned about the possibility of Germany making separate peace of some sort with the allies. His paranoia must undoubtedly have driven him to the conclusion that the finnish front was simply not worth it compared to the gains he could win or loose in central and south Europe. The soviets would obviously never be the one to ask for armistice with Finland since they had the upper hand by any point of view in the end of 1944; that’s just negotiation tactics 101. They could’ve just waited and let the finns watch how the red army rolled through Germany, and they could also have invaded Finland successfully in the summer of 1945. Stalin was very calculated in his ways to maximise soviet influence and gains, his paranoia was one of the main factors behind the original invasion if Finland; and it was certainly driving him towards closing the Finnish front asap at the time.

@sampohonkala4195

Ай бұрын

@@georgevladimirovich7190 And exactly what in my text you consider not a fact? The Soviet government demanded unconditional surrender as a requirement for peace during their summer offensive 1944. So they were aiming for the occupation of Finland just like the Baltic countries. This demand was lifted after the Red Army lost the battles in Tali-Ihantala and Ilomantsi. Finland was neutral before 1939 so that was not the goal of the Invasion of Finland in 1939 and Finland as a sovereign country could of course not be a 'buffer zone' for anything. Normal countries arrange military buffer zones within their own borders, just like Finland did with Salpa line.

Thank you Matt and huge respect; randomly saw this and addition to that you look like a finnish dude with perfect english 🙂.Great on point video and all us Finns must always remember that we still speak our language because what our nation did at that time and further. RUK 185

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Haha and thank you! Glad you randomly bumped into this video and thanks for watching! It's always important to remember the past and the sacrifice previous generations made for our freedom, in this case all those who fought against Soviet invasion.

And it still works + the trees and the lakes.

@MattWhitingsEurope

23 күн бұрын

Impressive for sure, designed to withstand the test of time!

Thank you for visiting and showcasing some of our history. We are Karelian, I grew up listening to my Ukki telling the war stories that he and his brothers experienced. I've been to the Salpa line ruins as a kid but only when I grew into adulthood did I understand that it was sort of our last defense line.

@MattWhitingsEurope

9 күн бұрын

You're welcome, I'm really enjoying my time in Finland. Interesting to hear about your Ukki and his brother telling stories of the war, those two are real heroes.

When Soviets finally offered Finland a peace treaty on February 23rd of 1940, Britain and France began to pressure Finland to stop negotiating. Lots of empty promises and threats. Apparently Finland would be on Germany's side if they made peace, wouldn't get any help in the future from them and that the whole Great War would be over if Finland made peace. The French mainly did the threatening and the British the empty promises. Göring had told Finland on February 22nd that Finland should accept the peace offer. Paasikivi said that the war had not gained Finland any respect in Soviet Union and Stalin alone agreed to offer the peace treaty. All the other military leaders wanted to continue. - Väinö Tanner - Olin Ulkoministerinä Talvisodassa(1951) (I Was the Foreign Minister in the Winter War)

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for the information, very interesting to read.

@juhopuhakka2351

28 күн бұрын

Aid that soviet got from America and Uk all most made us a soviet rebuplic.

@bogtrottername7001

12 күн бұрын

@@juhopuhakka2351 Finland may have been the most politically complicated region during WWII. Perhaps a point of interest - I remodeled the Finish ambassador's basement (in D.C.) in the 1990's ! Such a lovely family with 3 adult children.

Stumbled on your channel, can already say I love your content so far, very informative and dedicated to explanation. Subscribed!

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thank you very much, welcome aboard. Glad you're enjoying the content, makes my day when I hear people saying that! 😁

I only have a cursory knowledge of the Finnish wars but I do know for certain that I would rather have the Finns on my side than as opposition.

@MattWhitingsEurope

21 күн бұрын

Having heard about the Winter War I'm inclined to agree!

@dananorth895

11 күн бұрын

There's a Finnish Counterinsurgency book that was put out back then. Iused to have a copy but I think it's gone. It was a government print though. One of the best manuals on fighting guerrilla style war in winter as well.

Interesting Salpalinja bunkers south of Joensuu and in Joensuu itself.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Thanks for the info, I'm going to visit a few more during my trip!

Very nice video of some Interesting Historical sites. Many Thanks for sharing!

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching. 👍

Tack för filmen. Min far var under beredskasåren placerad i Vittangi som bilförare, (gengas) Gissar undertecknad blev till under någon permission. örde honom berätta om slitet.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Tack för att du tittade, intressant att höra om din far. Tack för kommentaren!

It is a museum but it still serves its function as far as I can tell.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Interested to learn more about this. I read that with modern warfare the Salpa Line had lost most of its military advantages, however I'm sure there would still be some uses for it. Make sense to defend from a line of fortifications that already exist, especially as most of them are in forests and by lakes.

The indefatigable European traveler, prodigious KZreadr and blue-jacketed wanderer has graced us with another gem! In fact I was so impressed that I took the opportunity to drive about an hour from where I live to revisit the site and see it with a fresh pair of eyes since it had been many years since the last time I was there. I can confirm that this is indeed a faithful interpretation of the museum. At 1:55 you are looking at a location which would have been a bunker but construction / concrete pouring had not yet been completed. Also, for the adventurous who wish to visit the Bunker Museum in Virolahti as well, I would recommend going here to the Salpa Line Museum first. The Bunker Museum shows the same introductory movie, and is similarly predominantly outside but there the bunkers are unpreserved, rough and in the wild.

@MattWhitingsEurope

6 күн бұрын

Wow, I'm honoured - thank you very much! Glad the video inspired you to head over there and revisit the line. Really appreciate your comment!!

Good work, mate !

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks a lot!

Hi Matt, thank you for the video. I would like to visit this line at some point. Just a tip to help on your travels: install "Google lens" on your phone if you don't have it already. You can translate text with it live through your phone's camera or snap a photo and even translate from photos on your phone. So you can translate the boards and such immediately or snap pictures of them and translate it later. You can also copy the translated text so it should help with editing the videos.

@MattWhitingsEurope

27 күн бұрын

Thanks very much, that will prove useful I'm sure. I've used Google Translate before but not heard of Lens so will give it a go. Thanks for watching!

Ah, I'm from these areas, really familiar sceneries! You can indeed feel the history there, we even have those stones (similar to the ones seen at 17:00) near of our backyard at my parents place bc my childhood home is pretty close to the baltic sea. Really underrated area, Eastern Finland is imo so beautiful but really underrated! Thank you for showing these dear sceneries to others here on yt! Truly appreciate your efforts to see and visit these historical places people might not know about! That museum too is really familiar to me (my dad and I are history junkies so I love museum visits haha), we even planted some tree saplings not that far away from the museum when I was in middle school lol, a nice activity during the last week of school before summer holidays :")

@MattWhitingsEurope

11 күн бұрын

Great story, you should go back and see what they have become! From small things big things one day come! Thanks for the comment, very interesting to read.

Nice walk through

@MattWhitingsEurope

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

"Säkkijärvi is no more, but at least we still have the polka"

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

I will take your word for it 😊

@FINMrCurly

16 күн бұрын

There is Säkkijärvi still. Not there but is

@FINMrCurly

16 күн бұрын

Kauhajoella on Säkkijärvi

Excellent presentation. Thank. You!

@MattWhitingsEurope

10 күн бұрын

Thank you, very kind of you!

Finland is such a beautiful country

@MattWhitingsEurope

6 күн бұрын

Very true.

Nice tour around the Salpa line, greetings from Kuopio.

@MattWhitingsEurope

23 күн бұрын

Thank you very much!

Excellent video, Matt! The production level on your videos just keeps going up and up 😁 i like the new intro, too! It looks absolutely beautiful there. I'd love to go back to Finland!

@MattWhitingsEurope

23 күн бұрын

Thanks very much, hope all is well with you! Glad you noticed the little intro I did for this series, thought it would make a bit of a change. Finnish Lakeland is incredible, you must visit at some point!

@sleepybubbi9638

23 күн бұрын

@MattWhitingsEurope all is good thanks, I hope all is good with you too! I definitely noticed the new intro and I thought it was lovely! I'd definitely love to return to Finland in the future. Currently planning to make a trip to Tartu in the future, I was inspired by your last video on that! Also, congrats on the success of this video, its got so many views! Really well deserved 👏🏻

@MattWhitingsEurope

23 күн бұрын

Thank you very much, pleased to hear you're off to Tartu - wonderful place and I'm sure you'll love it! I've been pleasantly surprised by the popularity of this video, I rarely get videos that perform like this so it's nice when it happens.

@sleepybubbi9638

23 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope It looks beautiful in Tartu! There is a 1.5 week long summer course at the University there (beginner level) for learning Estonian at the end of July/early Aug and I'm weighing up whether or not to go for it...🤔 And yes for sure, give yourself a big pat on the back, this video has done so well! 🙌🎉✨

@MattWhitingsEurope

21 күн бұрын

Sounds like a great opportunity, good luck if you decide to go!

Hi Matt. Wow, truly amazing sights and insights and highly relevant to this day…Looking at the remoteness of where you travelled, for me, an ideal location to escape the mass tourism that prevails in so many other places around the world…..I also wonder if many of those defences would still manage to repel another attempt by Russia to attack Finland. Curious…are you currently traveling and editing, or was this from last year? And Euro 8 is bloody good value indeed. Thanks again. Safe travels. Zoltán

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Hi Zoltán, glad you're enjoying the videos. It's certainly good to get away from the tourist zones of Europe and out to somewhere that's a little less familiar to international tourists (and perhaps some Finns too!). Personally I love the remoteness and isolation that comes along with the Lakeland's of Finland - what an incredible place! There's a few other comments on the fortifications and their use today, I think the general consensus is that they would still be employed for limited tasks but modern warfare has changed the significance of these trenches perhaps forever. Yes I filmed this last year and have edited the videos together recently, it's nice when I do that as I get to walk down memory lane myself and relive the whole trip. Thanks for watching, more videos coming from Finnish Lakeland!

@Bob94390

14 күн бұрын

Such trenches still play a role in modern warfare, as we see in Ukraine. Finland is now acquiring F-35 fighter planes with missiles that can reach Kremlin. This might influence the russian eagerness to invade, occupy and suppress smaller neighbour countries. Finland is now a part of NATO. Any russian dicktator who would try to invade Finland would find himself in big trouble. Respect for the Finns!

Darn ... I missed that when I visited the Ease of Finland !

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

A great reason for going back someday! 😉

Interesting video, thanks

@MattWhitingsEurope

24 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Interesting history between those two countries.

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

That's one word for it.

we have already 5 kilometer deep minefield all th way south to north on the east border

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

I think it's best to be prepared!

that bunker gun would have been deafening in that concrete room with no way for sound to escape. I'm third gen American, all my grandparents were Finnish. they're a very proud people with an extremely difficult language lol. but good video, its one of my favorite subjects. they really gave the ussr a run for their money. sisu!

@MattWhitingsEurope

3 күн бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video, fascinating place for sure. And yes, they certainly did 💪

I have visited the museum a few times and the bunkers like 15:30 this one were quite scary. They were very small and echoey. I rememeber thinking how it would sound to fire the gun inside, the noise must be really loud. I very much recommend to go visit, even from far away it's worth it.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

It's a fascinating experience for sure. Walking around it does make you imagine what it would have been like during war time, and like you said, the sound of the machine guns and explosions nearby.

If you head up a bit north, you can find a piece of defensive line called "viisikon linja", that actually saw fighting and stopped the soviet invasion in Winter War. Nearby you also have the salpa line Bunker museum in Joensuu, and you also have another surprise: several kilometers of WW1 trenches. So you have remnants of these three different wars to explore close to each other if you have a car.

@MattWhitingsEurope

26 күн бұрын

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't heard of viisikon linja so I've made a note of it on my map. If I'm ever back in the area I'll take a look. Thanks for the information too, always good to read a bit more on the places I visit.

Finland never went for Leningrad and never cut the life line of the city, the Murmansk railroad to the Arctic Sea, even though Germans were pushing them to do it. They stopped and the front line was more or less stationary from the late fall of -41 until June -44 when the Sovjets launched their massive attack.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Interesting, thanks for the information - always good to read about the history of these conflicts in a bit more detail.

Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, better known as the White Death, is one of my favorite badass heroes in history.

@MattWhitingsEurope

6 күн бұрын

A few others have mentioned him, apparently he was buried in Ruokolahti which I visited in the first Route 62 video --> kzread.info/dash/bejne/kYeYsdeeiqa9ppc.html - unfortunately I didn't realise it at the time!

@joshflugel

5 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Nice, wonderful channel!

@MattWhitingsEurope

5 күн бұрын

@@joshflugel Thank you 😁

Great bit of history! There are some very good Finnish movies on the Winter War, subtitled of course. Well worth searching for. Like most war it was brutal.

@MattWhitingsEurope

11 күн бұрын

Thanks!! Yes a few others have mentioned the movies, I hope to watch one at some point - I find it all very interesting. All the best.

@dananorth895

11 күн бұрын

Thanks, saw your channel. Draculas Castle and Beatles tour,👍

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

That's great, always interests me to know how people found my channel. Good to have you on board!

Large portion of Salpa line went through nearly unbroken chain of lakes. Most of the isthmuses between would have been easy chokepoints to defend. It was this Southern section which didn't have many lakes and thus needed much heavier fortifications. The very Northern part was barely just a line on the map, because the fighting over there was different.

@MattWhitingsEurope

27 күн бұрын

I see. Makes sense to focus on fortifying the areas that most need it, I guess the lakes up north made great natural barriers, would have been a lot harder to attack through them. And even if they did, when they made it across the lake there would be miles and miles of wild forests waiting for them with not a road in sight?

I believe you might have mentioned the Virolahti bunker museum located near Salpamuseo. Great place with same kind of things as Salpamuseo. It's about 20km from Salpamuseo in Virolahti and they have the best butter eye bunns as well :D

@MattWhitingsEurope

26 күн бұрын

Yes indeed, I really wanted to visit it but just couldn't fit it into my schedule. My aim for that day was to make it up to the Lakes and see as much stuff as possible doing so. Who knew there would be soooo much to see on the way! Those buns you mentioned make me feel hungry, I will definitely have to check them out next time. Thanks for the tip.

At ~ 14:32, most likely a sauna not "some kind of storage room". Essential for morale & condition of "rintama sotilaat".

@MattWhitingsEurope

14 күн бұрын

Interesting, I would never have guessed. Thanks!

I am planning a trip in Finland. By camper. From Italy. These informations are interestings.

@MattWhitingsEurope

9 күн бұрын

Good luck with the trip, I'm sure you'll have a great time! Hope my videos are proving useful.

Finland had radars Irja and Raija (German) defending Helsinki. But yeah not there what i know...

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

I guess it makes sense to secure the capital.

@Munakas-wq3gp

16 күн бұрын

The radars came for the continuation war when we started to get german weapons. In the winter war the soldiers didn't always even have uniforms, all they got was a cap and the insignia. The lotta's had to do their aerial observation work at up to -40 degree temperatures...

Cool 😎👍

@MattWhitingsEurope

10 күн бұрын

Thank you 😀

20K already? Let's dive in!

The Salpa line was the greatest single construction project in Finnish history. Considering the total population of Finland at the time of its building was no more than some 3.8 million people, it was indeed quite an investment of resources. - Like mentioned in the video, the defensive structures include plenty of various tank traps and obstacles. On top of that, anti-tank mines could be placed to cripple the approaching vehicles of the enemy, and hollow-charge recoilless guns (German Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck weapons) used to destroy them.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

The more I think about it the more impressed I am with the Salpa Line, you're right it was an incredible piece of organisation and construction. It's easy to overlook how massive Finland is compared to the size of the population. It was a huge ask but the Finns pulled it off.

Thank you.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

You should see also Bunker museum. And bunkers that are just waiting to be seen in the woods

@MattWhitingsEurope

27 күн бұрын

Bunker hunting sounds like a lot of fun, especially as there are so many to find. Will be visiting a few more as I head north.

Interesting.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thank you!

about the obeservation tower: the sign says there (in finnish) something like "this tower was built in the late 1980s" but of course there were plenty of towers alike 50ish years earlier, just not that one.

@MattWhitingsEurope

16 күн бұрын

I see. Thanks for the information, so I guess it was more of an example of the towers that were actually used?

@jerekorva

16 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope more like that tower was used during 80s (and after?) and there were towers alike before.

@MattWhitingsEurope

16 күн бұрын

Ah yes I understand. Thanks 👍

@jerekorva

16 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope as with everything else about the internets, don't consider my trueness to be the truth. i do think that i replied with an accurate information but one might never know.

@MattWhitingsEurope

16 күн бұрын

Yeah no worries, interesting to get your take and I'll try to look into it. Thanks for the heads up. 👍

I heard that the only times two democracies were at war was when the brits declared war on Finland.

@MattWhitingsEurope

23 күн бұрын

We would never do such a thing!

@torpmorp1324

12 күн бұрын

Well, there was no contact even…

@okukallio1529

11 күн бұрын

​@@torpmorp1324they bombarded petsamo

Some years ago, my wife, grandson and I were visiting Family in Hattula / Parola, about 110 km north of Helsinki. Situated near there is the PANSAAR MUSEO (think I have that right!!!!) Very interesting, and well worth a visit!!!!!

@MattWhitingsEurope

11 күн бұрын

Thanks for the info, sounds intriguing. However I can't seem to find it on my map, the only thing that's coming up is the Panser & Artillerimuseum in Denmark!

@topi531

11 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Parolan Panssarimuseo

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

Got it! Thank you.

"When a jaeger stops, he starts digging."

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

What's a jaeger?

@heikkipaasi1279

29 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Now it is used sort of like "private" in Finland. The word comes from Germany where it means "hunter" and it was used for light infantry riflemen. German military from around the first world war is also where some of Finnish military tradition comes from.

@Fleshgear1

28 күн бұрын

​@@MattWhitingsEuropeInfantry rifleman. Word jäger comes from germany and it means a hunter.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Ah I see. Thanks for the detailed explanation, much appreciated.

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Thanks for the explanation, that's good to know.

very nice video. You should go grill some sausage at matsun laavu. I suggest HK sininen lenkki. Its the best sausage in finn :D. At matsun laavu there is bunker you can explore freely and if you continue the main road at matsun laavu there is secon and third bunker also you can see. They are not maintained so its very cool to explore them when nobody has gone there. I lived there about ten years. Its very nice place. And actually there is military pracises still going on. There is also Valkjärvi what is very good place to swimming. Its located in harju.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind if I fancy a bit of sausage when in Finland again. However, I can't see matsun laavu on a map, where is it near?

Nice video

@MattWhitingsEurope

21 күн бұрын

Thanks! 😁

Salpa in english means "a latch." "A metal bar with a catch and lever used for fastening a door or gate."

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

That makes sense, thanks for mentioning it.

On your phone if you have Google Translate app, you can use a feature called Google lens, it uses your camera by pointing at a text you want to translate into English. On your screen the text will be overwritten with English text over the top. Very handy to have.

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

Thank you, yes I have that now so am all set to go!

@philipacino

8 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope No problem mate. look forward to future videos.

My grandfather fought in the Winter War on the Soviet side and then in the WWII. We were planning to go to Kareliya to visit some sites of the Mannerheim Line but then the whole Russia-Ukraine thing happened.

I am a simple fin i see Finland mentioned i click

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks, hope you enjoyed watching! 😊

I recommend watching "The Unknown Soldier" from some years ago. There's 3 of those but the newest one is good for international audiences. It's about Continuation War. There is a line when one guy boasts about Finnish bravery: "One Finn matches 10 Russkies!" and then one of the main guys says "Yeah, but what will you do when the eleventh comes..?" Nowadays on independence day we watch mostly the first or the last one, i've heard the middle one has it's benefits also, but haven't watched that properly. It has pretty gnarly take on the war, and was a groundbreaking book and movie after the war and the has shaped the view about the war somewhat to this day in our eyes.

@MattWhitingsEurope

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for those suggestions, interesting to hear. I will have to try and catch it at some point, sounds like an entertaining film.

@Munakas-wq3gp

16 күн бұрын

The book is also largely based on the authors own experiences in the war and the key characters have a real life counterpart. Some scenes like 'Rokka' mowing down a team of russians was even downplayed: In reality he killed around 200 enemies in one standing.

@MattWhitingsEurope

16 күн бұрын

@@Munakas-wq3gp Incredible stuff, thanks for the explanation.

Finland needs to re-activate these defenses, with modern upgrades of course. Same threat, different era.

A slight inaccuracy I have noted at around 15:00. Finland did indeed go deeper into the USSR, but not around Leningrad (they went a bit), rather it was in Karelia, where Finland advanced basically up to Petrozavodsk. Once the advancing was finished, Mannerheim ordered the army to dig in, where it formed 3 defensive lines along the Karelian Isthmus (The main line, VT line, and VKT line). The Soviet offensive of 1944 was stopped at the VKT line, and peace was made. Actually, it is due to Finland stopping their advancing that Hitler visited Finland in June 1942 in an attempt to have Finland contribute more offensively to the war.

@MattWhitingsEurope

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for the update and further information, very interesting to read. 👍

@leo.soininen

13 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope Glad to contribute a little to this amazing video!

So, in Barbarossa Finnish troops progressed to the edge of Leningrad but also all the way to lake Onega and river Svir between it and lake Ladoga. There was also some moderate progress north of that. German troops attacked from Lapland towards Murmansk managed to do little progress - the main objective is to defend Nikkeli - for obvious reasons. The situation stayed stationary in these positions, way further than the original border, until summer of 1944 when Soviet Union started to push back against Germany. As Soviet troops were overpowering Finland negotiated a deal and switched to beating Germans in the north.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for the information, very interesting. Always good to learn a bit more about the places I visit and things I talk about. 👍

@hannumononen6345

28 күн бұрын

" As Soviet troops were overpowering Finland negotiated a deal and switched to beating Germans in the north." - You are unfortunately cutting corners and oversimplifying history. Finland had been feeling for peace with the USSR since 1943 (to the outrage of Germans!), but every time Stalin insisted in unconditional surrender that would have destroyed Finland as we now know it, most likely leading to genocide of Finns in the style carried out under Soviet rule in each of the Baltic States since 1940. The Soviet long-range air force ADD attacked Helsinki trying to bomb it into ruins in 1944, but failed in their effort. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Helsinki_in_World_War_II When the tide had turned on the eastern front and Germany was retreating, Stalin made yet another attempt at taking all of Finland in his en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyborg%E2%80%93Petrozavodsk_offensive , which turned out the largest battle in the history of Northern Europe. At the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tali%E2%80%93Ihantala Finns gained a defensive victory with German support that terminated that offensive. Only thereafter did Stalin drop his demand of unconditional surrender, which made negotiated peace possible for Finland. The terms were still harsh but Finland's independence and sovereignty were saved. Fighting Germans in Lapland 1944-45 were built-in into Soviet peace terms, despite of neither Finns nor Germans had reasons of their own to start fighting each other, but Finland then had no choice, in order to get its exit from the war.

@MattWhitingsEurope

27 күн бұрын

Very interesting, thank you for your detailed explanation.

The Winter War one of the craziest, Russia was German ally after the Pact and had climbed into Poland to claim its share of the spoils. Finland though nominally neutral supported Germany. So much for "my enemy's enemy is my friend."

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

Indeed. A very complicated situation!

hey i live there!

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Nice!

@Munakas-wq3gp

16 күн бұрын

And I have climbed that same tank :)

Fins are used to snow and winter and so are the Russians. One aspect however should be mentioned. The commander of the Finish forces, General Mannerheim, was originally a tsarist trained military officer, perfectly familiar with the Russian war strategy. When the tsarist empire collapsed he found his new allegiance to Finland, given the fact he was part finish. In fact he could hardly speak the Finish language however this aspect improved enough with time. While he managed to keep the Soviet army at the bay for about four months, he realized that lack of resources and manpower will not allow the war to continue and, as such, he decided to call for an armistice and a peaceful compromise about the province of Karelia. Those were very interesting times in which the fins were rebuilding their national identity, also a time of creativity and dedication; during those times, the famous Finish composer Jean Sibelius composed his master piece Finlandia, which is also one of my favorite peace of classical music. On the military aspect, the Soviets for the first time in history, created the first airborne troops designed to land behind the Salpa lines, without much success, mind you.

@ilesalmo7724

Ай бұрын

While Russians were used to Winter, their soldiers were conscripted from warmer parts of the Empire, to make them less likely to have warm (pun intended) feelings towards the Finns, so they didn't have training in winter-survival. And Soviets had just purged their officers of less loyal (but experienced) personnel.

@imas84

Ай бұрын

@@ilesalmo7724I have heard that a lot of soldiers was from Ukraine 🇺🇦

@georgevladimirovich7190

Ай бұрын

@@ilesalmo7724 There are not too many warm parts in the Russian Empire, maybe with the exception of Black Sea. In any case this may or may not be truth.

@XGD5layer

29 күн бұрын

​@@georgevladimirovich7190 I'd assume that they are referring to the regions such as Chechnya and Kazakh

@willydawiller

29 күн бұрын

@@georgevladimirovich7190 Southern Russia along with Ukraine has average winter temperatures between +2 and -6 while entirety of Finland has -4 to -13 While 39-40 were exceptionally cold and wintery years across Europe, in Finland the average winter temperature was closer to -25. If the coldest you've experienced is -10 then -45 would be quite an unfortunate experience, even for Finns

time will come when Finns get Karelia back as well. their ancestral lands. means a lot to them. Free Karelia.

@MattWhitingsEurope

24 күн бұрын

👀

I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you look very Finnish!

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

I don't mind at all. A few people have said the same thing!! 😂

@iam5085

6 күн бұрын

I was absolutely sure this was some Finnish blogger, lol. Based on my DNA tests, I am 73% Finnish, 20% Swedish, 7% Irish/Brittish etc, Viking heritage? 😅

Just an idea, haha, but you might mention when the Salpa Line was built, and if it had any part in the Continuation War, and when it was decomissioned. I know it's in the written description, but you know, its a video thingy, and kind of important info.

@MattWhitingsEurope

7 күн бұрын

Thanks for the feedback. I'll certainly keep that in mind. 👍

My grandpa was fighting in karelia and my granny was a lotta in Lapland

@MattWhitingsEurope

26 күн бұрын

That's amazing! Real people fighting for their country, and most probably their survival.

Can i recommend you our Czech defense line around borders?.. google Czech bunkers.. we have a lot ! i live in location where every forest or field almost have it.. Its around Náchod close to Poland borders... these are massive bunkers, wehrmacht trained on them France attack.. they didnt know how to break them.. its like 1m concrete wall at least :D

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Yes you definitely can! Sounds really interesting, I've made a note of Náchod in case I'm ever in the area (which I hope to be, Czechia is a country I want to revisit having only seen Prague), if you have any other specific recommendations in that area I'd love to hear them. Thanks for watching!

T-34 supported the shooting results of the movie Stalingrad for the museums. Taking the tank out of the country would have been too expensive, so they preferred to sell it.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for the update, interesting to read.

story tells that finland decided not to go siege leningrad since it was going to be blood bath and probably revenged dearly. it is also thought that it was kinda crucial decision so russian demands against finland stayed as reasonable as they did. in hindsight, would have been probably a better idea to stop at the old border and start fortifying it like there's no tomorrow. dunno how germany would have reacted though and I guess it seemed like they were kinda winning the war still then.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

Great point, hindsight is a wonderful thing and I suspect there were lots of politics and arguments involved in the decision making process.

Wow, I had no idea the Finns had those fortifications. Those wide open areas are perfect for engaging troops since there’s no trees for them to use for cover and then there’s the thousands of mines in the open area and zeroed in Finnish artillery that will hammer the Russians once they get close. And crossing those tank traps isn’t easy but it can be done but it’ll cost the Russians VERY dearly. Most think the Russians are on the same quality level as the rest of Europe which is far from the truth. We saw a perfect example of this during the winter war which was unbelievable and I almost feel sorry for the Russians. In a way, it is sad that all those poor Russian soldiers were marched to their slaughter by idiotic leaders. As a US Army sniper, I know the story of the short man with the rifle that nobody expected could be so deadly, I’m glad the Finnish people bought him a house to retire in, very nice. Now that I’m retired from the Army, I’m concerned with the current Saber rattling going on in Europe at the moment and I hope those trenches and blockhouses won’t have to be used in the near future. My advise is to buy lots of canned food and anticipate internet and cell phone outage.

@MattWhitingsEurope

8 күн бұрын

Thanks for the info, very interesting to read. It's an incredible story but the threat remains - with neighbours like that it's always best to be on your guard.

You should consider having a look at the Mannerheim Line: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerheim_Line

@MattWhitingsEurope

10 күн бұрын

Thank you, yes I did a bit of reading on these fortifications too. Aren't they now in Russia?

@sgkonfetti

10 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope I tried a research on Google and Chat GPT, but none of them answer my question where Mannerheim Line is now. Sorry.

@MattWhitingsEurope

9 күн бұрын

No worries. Thanks for looking.

Theyre still ready

@MattWhitingsEurope

10 күн бұрын

I'm sure they are!

nice video! i was there a week before you, and also filmed video from this place with english subtitles! i hiked 50km long trail along salpa line. go check that if you want!

@MattWhitingsEurope

28 күн бұрын

Thanks, sounds like a fascinating hike and it must have been pretty wild out there! I'll bookmark the video and take a look over the next few days!

Finland should get their territory back.

making a mistake everytime you say "was". I can clearly say, just from the fact that the clear-cut area is still well kept, If there was an invasion, those trenches and bunkers would be back in use in no time.

@MattWhitingsEurope

29 күн бұрын

I'm sure there would be a use for them but thought that the Salpa Line had lost most of its military significance with the equipment and tactics of modern warfare? Happy to learn more about this.

@BFVsnypEz

23 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope you are partly correct, but I think Ukraine has shown that trench warfare has not gone away, the modern Finnish military still uses trenches and dugout bunker systems extensively. Finland is highly prepared for war, and there are many secretive things they have, as well as simple things most people overlook. Take for instance the thousands of well maintained "forest service" and "recreational ATV" roads and trails that run all along the Russian border on the Finnish side, many with dead ends, and escape routes. These can be seen even on Google maps. Many large buildings in Finnish cities are also engineered to have an area under the foundation where explosives can be placed, and whole buildings, or even whole blocks can be levelled to create shooting lanes for artillery during urban combat. Also if you drive the roads near the Russian or Norwegian border, you will notice many small, sometimes overgrown pull off roads/paths that lead nowhere. These are used my mechanised units to quickly pull off of the road and hide under the trees when there is an air to ground threat, whole columns of vehicles can be cleared from the road within minutes. Lapland also has sections of the highways that are widened to be used as landing strips for the Finnish F-18 hornet and Swedish SAAB Gripen to quickly refuel, rearm, and takeoff again. Just a few examples that you wouldn't notice unless you knew to look for them, my guess with the trench system is the same, sure they may be empty now, but they can be re-dug and rebuilt within days if needed, especially with modern military engineers' heavy equipment(excavators, bulldozers).

@MattWhitingsEurope

17 күн бұрын

Interesting account, thanks for the details. I think you are right, there's only so much a government should be willing to make public, there will no doubt be plenty that's classified until the time comes.

@Bob94390

14 күн бұрын

@@MattWhitingsEurope As we see in Ukraine, trenches can still play a major role in modern warfare. Fighter jets and missiles come as a supplement, not a replacement, for fortified lines. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications_of_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine

10:20 you forgot to turn the arrow XD

@MattWhitingsEurope

24 күн бұрын

Ooops! 😬

👍 👍 👍

@MattWhitingsEurope

6 күн бұрын

☺️