The 88th edition in Osprey's Fortress series concentrates on the fortifications of the Mannerheim line across the Karelian Isthmus between Finland and the Soviet Union. Finland had won its independence in 1917 from Russia in a particularly hard fought civil war. With the advent of the Soviet Union, the Finns realized that were there to be hostilities again, this isthmus would be the natural avenue for an invading army so set out to establish a defensive line. The Soviets were never comfortable about having a border so close to their second major city, Petrograd (St.Petersburg/Leningrad), so were always wary of what the Finns would be doing in the way of fortifications.

Typical of fixed installations, there were several periods of construction with the earlier bunkers and installations good for the time they were built, but insufficient for modern warfare. In the late 1930s, as war seemed to be imminent, another set of upgraded installations was designed and built. As it turns out, few of these installations were able to withstand the intense bombardment provided by the Soviets when they invaded in November 1939 (the Winter War). Though the defenders were able to slow the onslaught, it was such a one-sided war that the end was really never in doubt and the Finns lost the isthmus and the forts within. With the end of fighting, the Soviets then blew up the remains so that they would not be able to be used against them again.

In this book, author Bair Irincheev has a look at the background of the design and construction of the various emplacements and bunkers as well as the weapons that were available to be used in these fortifications. There is also a good look at the various field fortifications and obstacles that were used to slow down the invading army. We also get a good idea of what it must have been like to have lived in these places during that time.

The author then takes us into a look at how some of these specific fortifications actually functioned during war. Like many, they were unable to fulfill the task desired by their builders for various reasons, though some held up particularly well. Though the remains of these are now in Russia and most are little more than piles of rubble, some still have bits that are extant and the author shows us what they are like today. As they are in Russia, none have been preserved in any fashion and in fact, there is very little in the way of artifacts from this time in either Finland or Russia.

This is all superbly illustrated by Brian Delf, giving us a look at how these forts developed and were sustained. Add in a fine collection of  photographs of the extant sites as well as period photographs, and you have an excellent book on a subject that is both historically significant and fascinating to read. It is one I can highly recommend.

October 2009

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