Mannerheim Line
Quick Summary
The Mannerheim Line was a defensive fortification system built by Finland across the Karelian Isthmus. It was intended to protect Finland from potential Soviet aggression, particularly from Leningrad. Constructed under the leadership of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, who later became Finland's president, the line featured reinforced concrete fortifications and machine gun pillboxes.12
During the Russo-Finnish War of 1939-1940, the Mannerheim Line successfully halted the initial Soviet advance, despite the Soviet Union deploying significantly larger forces. However, after suffering heavy losses, the Soviets launched a major assault in February 1940, eventually breaching the line. This led to Finland ceding territory to the Soviet Union in the subsequent peace treaty.12
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…facing the Soviet Union, the Mannerheim Line (named after a Finnish marshal and statesman); the Soviets built the Stalin Line facing Poland; the Czechoslovaks constructed what became known as the Little Maginot Line to oppose Germany; the Greeks built the Metaxas Line facing Bulgaria; and the Belgians erected a series…
Read More…facing the Soviet Union, the Mannerheim Line (named after a Finnish marshal and statesman); the Soviets built the Stalin Line facing Poland; the Czechoslovaks constructed what became known as the Little Maginot Line to oppose Germany; the Greeks built the Metaxas Line facing Bulgaria; and the Belgians erected a series…
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Karelian Isthmus…the fortifications of the so-called Mannerheim Line across the isthmus. The purpose of this demarcation was to guard against the threat posed by the Soviet Union, which sought a section of the isthmus in order to protect Leningrad (St. Petersburg). After refusing to negotiate, the Finnish government was forced by…
Read More…the fortifications of the so-called Mannerheim Line across the isthmus. The purpose of this demarcation was to guard against the threat posed by the Soviet Union, which sought a section of the isthmus in order to protect Leningrad (St. Petersburg). After refusing to negotiate, the Finnish government was forced by…
Read More- Russo-Finnish War
…artillery bombardments to breach the Mannerheim Line (the Finns’ southern defensive barrier stretching across the Karelian Isthmus), after which they streamed northward across the isthmus to the Finnish city of Viipuri (Vyborg). Unable to secure help from Britain and France, the exhausted Finns made peace (the Treaty of Moscow) on…
Read More…artillery bombardments to breach the Mannerheim Line (the Finns’ southern defensive barrier stretching across the Karelian Isthmus), after which they streamed northward across the isthmus to the Finnish city of Viipuri (Vyborg). Unable to secure help from Britain and France, the exhausted Finns made peace (the Treaty of Moscow) on…
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World War IIThe Baltic states and the Russo-Finnish War, 1939–40…massive reinforced-concrete fortifications of Finland’s Mannerheim Line blocked the Soviet forces’ direct land route from Leningrad into Finland. The Soviet planners had grossly underestimated the Finns’ national will to resist and the natural obstacles constituted by the terrain’s numerous lakes and forests.
Read More…massive reinforced-concrete fortifications of Finland’s Mannerheim Line blocked the Soviet forces’ direct land route from Leningrad into Finland. The Soviet planners had grossly underestimated the Finns’ national will to resist and the natural obstacles constituted by the terrain’s numerous lakes and forests.
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