Map over the battle

Bengtskär burning July 26th 1941



PK 238 firing at the lighthouse. (Painting, Warmuseum, Hanko, Finland)

Firedirection unit at Granholm-island 

"The Bengtskär Battle July 26 - 27th 1941 - main observations"
Like this the on duty signalman Koskelin, on Örö communicationscenter, headlined his report over messages from and to Bengtskär's lighthouse during the battle.

26.7
01.06	Watch-tower at Örö reports shots at direction of Bengtskär's (later "B") lighthouse
01.07	Shortwave radiorecievers on listening
01.09	B (Bengtskär) calls the command post at Hiittinen and reports that the enemy has landed on the islet. Request that Örö will be informed and requests also firesupport
01.09	Informed the chief of the fortress (Örö) Lauri Lauramo and the fire control unit of the enemy landing at B
01.12	Establed connection with B. Radio-operator, corporal Ryyppö reported that the enemy has landed on the south end of the islet. Corporal Nurmi and gunner ? remained out by the Madsen-canon
01.21	B informs: Several enemy naval vessels south of the islet, firing at the lighthouse
01.26	Örö 6" coastal guns commence firing at the islet. B reposts hits on the islet, but not at the building
01.47	Enemy ships retreating
01.49	Enemy ships disappears in the fog and smoke, direction south
01.53	Enemy ships starts, again, to fire at the lighthouse
02.13	Enemy ships patrolling south and east of the islet
02.28	2 ships disappears in to the fog, 1 remains left nearby
02.36	Gunboat Hämeenmaa arrives to the fortress (Örö) from north (Högsåra)
02.47	Gunboat Uusimaa arrives to the fortress
02.48	Both of the gunboats and one patrol boat leaves with course on B
03.09	Last entry in journal of coastal gun fire from Örö and Granholm (The fire continued constantly all this time)
03.12	3 enemy ships try to land again on the islet. Distance about 100 - 500m, but interrupts, cruising (patrolling) west and south of the islet
03.43	B reports: Own gunboats sighted at direction 350o (NNW) (defenders at B shouts hurray)
03.55	Own ships stears at south, east of the islet against enemy ships
04.04	Three finnish planes flies over  B
04.16	Finnish ships starts to fire at the enemy on the islet. Enemy ships disappears in direction south (Shortly after this ltn. Luther where wounded for the second time, corporal Bjelke takes command)
04.40	Radiocontact with B lost. Not even the command post at Hiittinen hears B (The antenna was broken by some shell splinters, corp. Ryyppö works hard to fix it)
06.03	Radiocontact established. Own troops under command of ltn. Kaikkonen has landed on the islet. B reports further: 1 enemy ship sinked by gunboats
09.23	B. reports: Finnish troops controlling the situation (They have after 4 hours fighting reached the lighthouse, eliminated the enemy inside, and started to clean up the islet from rest of the enemy. Evacuation of wounded soldiers starts.)
11.30	Uusimaa reports: 5 enemy ships sighted in direction of Hanko
12.25	Russarö coastal guns fires at Finnish ships and Bengtskär
12.25	Some seriously wounded russiansoldiers surrender
12.59	3 enemy ships, type: destroyers, fires at the lighthouse and finnish gunboats. Enemy tries again to land (propably as an effort to evacuate own soldiers) on Bengtskär (This report is propably false. It wasn't enemy destroyers at all,  these ships were propably PK 236, PK 233 and some other. This report, however, made it's way right up to the headquarters in Mikkeli. They wondered if not the coastal defence ships Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen, wich were sent to Högsåra, could take care of the matter)
13.05	Örö commence the fire against enemy ships
14.00	Uusimaa, Hämeenmaa and three patrol boats returns to the north pier at the fortress
14.37	Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen sighted in north
15.15	Ilmarinen, Väinämöinen and 7 patrol boats stops at Vänö-bay
15.20	Patrol boat with wounded finnish soldiers leaving for Turku
16.28	3 enemy ships steams towards B from Hanko, firing
16.45	3 enemy soldiers surrender
16.59	Russian airplanes from Hanko over B., propably for firedirection purposes
17.02	More russians found, about a group (10 men)
17.17	Another 4 surrenders. They tell that they will get help in the evening
17.27	1 MBR-2 (reconnaissance plane ) circulates over B
17.50	Ilmarinen, Väinämöinen and one gunboat sails to north
20.30	VMV-1 (patrol boat) leaves from B to Örö (with prisoners)
21.50	Gunboat Karjala arrives from north to Örö
22.50	A group of  pioneers from Örö to B. onboard minesweeper SM-3.
23.15	Informed by Hiittinen that m.s. Henrik Boije arrives about 00.45 (from Taalintehdas) with ammunition
27.7
08.20	Uusimaa and Hämeenmaa arrives to the fortress from north
12.41	2 bombers and 3 fighters over B., fires with machineguns
16.34	B. bombed (Corporal Bjelke propably wounded during this attack, loses right arm and left eye)
16.42	Bullseye on the appartement part of the building. 3 floors collapses. All wounded from the battle in the building, and the ammunition. (On the ground floor lied fourteen wounded who'd died, Harald Liljeberg was one of the killed)
17.55	Ltn. Kaikkonen reports: 6 seriously and 8 lightly wounded, impossible to determine the amount of the dead. The fire inside the building increases.
19.15	Finnish planes over B. (It took 3 hours for them to reach the islet to give air support)
19.35	The fire from Russarö continues
20.15	Gunboat Karjala patrols between Kuggskär and Bengtskär.
23.35	Radiocontact with B. lost, Örö radio got broken
28.7
01.05	Radiocontact established with B. again
04.42	B. sounds very distant in the radio
04.45	Bofors AA-guns in position and ready for action
05.35	All gunboats to the fortress (Örö)
05.35	Telephoneline to B. is functioning again
1.50	Corporal Ryyppö overtakes the duty at the communicationscenter, first entry in the war journal

© Kaj Sukevainen 1999