WWI Land Fortifications
[Paloheinä]
Built from 1914 to 1918, in response to the German Army’s threat to capture Saint Petersburg by first capturing Finland, the Russian Imperial Army using Finnish labour, built thirty-six (36) Fortified Bases, hundreds of kilometres of trenches and gun emplacements to surround Helsinki, defending it from land invasion.
Fortified Base XXII:12 [Pirkkola] [completed in 1915], has a number of characteristics which differentiate it from other surviving fortifications.
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Five (5) machine gun [PM M1910: slang 'Maxim MG'] positions in a relatively small trench line:
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MG1 and MG2, point NW (arcs of 5200 to 6000 mils): effective range (1000 m) to Maununneva's counterscarp [XXIII:1]
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MG3, points N (arcs of 6000 to 400 mils): effective range to Pakila [XVII:13]; Patola [XXI:6] is at 2000m
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MG4 and MG5, point NE (arcs of 400 to 1200 mils): effective range to Oulunkylä [XXII:3]
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BI is quarried directly into a large granite outcrop
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With this many machine guns, and no spotter trench, suggests the machine guns were deployed indirectly
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XXII:12 appears to be the final fortification of the Palohienä [XVIII:1,2,3] approach
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Few traverses, less than five
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Evidence of incomplete glacis fill
Mission Statement
Fortified Base XXII:12
As Fortified Base XXII:12 [Pirkkola] has been used as a domestic dump for many years [estimated since the 1940s] up to the present, it's in deplorable condition. As well as natural detritus, the first metres of trench line excavation so far has uncovered twelve (12) oil drums, four (4) sauna stoves, four (4) small-sized car hoods, numerous bicycle frames, bed springs, batteries (which have contaminated the soil), and an endless piles of shattered glass from jars and bottles.
As there are another 350 metres of trench line to excavate, many more items are expected.
Purpose and Activities
In full cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency and Helsinki City Museum, the purpose of the association is to improve the condition of the World War I (1914–1918) land fortifications by carrying out maintenance procedures such as removing waste and excessive vegetation from the sites. For future generations, using archaeology, history and social anthropology, the association will also identify and analyse the remaining structures and those who built them.
To fulfil this purpose, the association will, in full cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency and Helsinki City Museum, identify where waste is located within the land fortifications and, so as not to damage, disturb or alter the original structures, agree on careful and meticulous removal and disposal processes. The maintenance of these sites is based on an agreement between the Helsinki City Museum and the association.
Once waste and vegetation have been removed and discarded, in full cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency and Helsinki City Museum, some parts of the fortifications will be made more accessible and fitted with information boards to help the public better understand their significance to Finnish society.
For future generations, the World War I land fortifications will be studied using the disciplines of archaeology, history and social anthropology through fieldwork and archival investigation. All results will be made available to the public via websites and printed publications. These sites are protected under the Antiquities Act, and all activities will comply with it.
WWI Land Fortifications ry (association):
Phillip Clifford
Military Anthropologist
Supervisor:
Heini Hämäläinen
Researcher
Helsinki City Museum / Central Uusimaa Regional Museum
Cultural Environment Team
Culture and Leisure
City of Helsinki
