DOT No. 6 of the Inkil fortified area

Photos

  • ДОТ №6 Укрепрайона Инкиля. Photo 1
  • ДОТ №6 Укрепрайона Инкиля. Photo 2
  • ДОТ №6 Укрепрайона Инкиля. Photo 3
  • ДОТ №6 Укрепрайона Инкиля. Photo 4

Description

DOT No. 6, part of the Mannerheim defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus, was a fortress with three casemates armed with Maxim machine guns. Inside there were rooms for soldiers with a well and a stove for heating. The complex had a forced ventilation system, water supply for cooling machine guns, sewerage and carbide lamps for lighting. Designed to accommodate up to 30 soldiers.

Today, many years later, bunker No. 6 looks badly damaged, but much can still be seen. These giant concrete structures, covered with twisted metal, blend more and more into the surrounding landscape every year, sinking into the ground and overgrown with moss. From a distance they are barely noticeable.

The pillboxes were neatly integrated into the landscape and camouflaged, and after more than eighty years of camouflage history, they became even less noticeable.

The fortified area of Inkil of the Mannerheim Line, built from 1931 to 1937, included 7 bunkers, two of which, No. 6 and No. 7, protected the Primorskoye Highway.

The Finnish defense was strengthened by the Humajoki fort and artillery support. In December 1939, the area was attacked by the 7th Separate Infantry Battalion, but the first assault ended in failure due to strong Finnish resistance.

Preparations for a new attack began in February 1940. The Finnish coastal escort detachment was able to damage bunkers No. 6 and No. 7. Then, with the support of a 152 mm coastal escort gun, they were able to penetrate the armor plates and damage the floor wall of bunker No. 7. Despite the heavy fire from the Finns, flamethrower Mikhail Mikhailovich Garmoza continued to attack. For his feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

However, the general assault, which began on February 11, 1940, ended in failure for the Soviet troops. After several days of fighting, the Finnish units withdrew, leaving both bunkers behind them.

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