Suomalainen konekivääriryhmä. SA-kuva.

Rasti defence positions

Finnish troops were forced to retreat from the Saunajärvi defence positions on the evening of 5 December 1939. The next defence positions were north of the Rasti junction, where the troops of Detached Battalion 14, formed in Kuhmo, repelled enemy attacks until 11 December.

Kalle Piirainen’s story from Rasti

Kalle Piirainen (born 1912) recalled that they were fortifying the Rasti area with fortification troops at the beginning of November when Finland and the Soviet Union broke off negotiations. There were very few radios at the time, but information was provided by the Kainuun Sanomat newspaper three times a week.

After the war broke out, Kalle’s platoon grouped with the rest of the battalion at Saunajärvi. Retreat from Saunajärvi took place late on the evening of 5 December and Rasti was reached the following morning. The defence positions were about 1,300 metres (1,422 yards) north of the present-day Rasti junction.

Accommodation was arranged in the Rasti farmhouse, where the men fell asleep immediately. Kalle’s section was the second machine gun section in the platoon, and it was placed in a firing position on the west side of the road, a short distance from the road. The first machine gun section in the platoon was led by Viktor Merentie, and it was placed on the same side of the road, but closer to the road.

No contact was made yet with the enemy on 6 December, and the men were able to visit the sauna of the Rasti school in the evening. The enemy was encountered the following morning when enemy tanks were also observed. Viktor Merentie’s section exchanged fire more often with the enemy as it was positioned closer to the road.

Kalle Piirainen’s section was forced to withdraw from the Rasti area after the defence positions broke on the evening of 11 December. The troops retreated to the Jyrkänkoski area, where the enemy’s attacks were repulsed. The attackers held control of the Rasti junction until the end of the war. Brigade Vuokko repelled the enemy attacks on the south side of the junction.

Suomalaisia sotilaita. SA-kuva.
The site is fairly easily accessible. The Finnish defence positions at Rasti are on private land, but the area can be seen from the bus stop on Road 75. An anti-tank obstacle made of stones by the Finns after the Winter War can be seen about 200 metres (219 yards) south of the bus stop, on the east side of the road.
Address: Nurmestie 1596, 88900 Kuhmo, Finland.