The shrapnel-scarred water tower at the village of Simola, near Lappeenranta, is a reminder of the vicious bombing that took place between the 19th and 20th June 1944. By the end of the third wave of bombers, at least 130 people would be killed, with half of those being innocent civilians.

The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive

As the siege of Leningrad was lifted in February 1944, forcing the German forces to retreat to the Narva-Lake Ilmen-Pskov line, the Soviets could now build up their forces against the Finns on their northern border. This wasn’t lost on the Finnish High Command, who started ordering redeployments to the Karelian Isthmus.

As February came to a close, the Soviets launched a massive bombing raid on Helsinki, intending to break the Finnish fighting spirit and force them to the negotiating table. Due to the efforts of the Anti-Aircraft and Civil Defence units, the majority of Helsinki was saved from destruction. However, the Finnish government knew it had little choice but to reach out, via Stockholm, to the Soviets and start negotiating peace.

In March, Carl Enckell and Juho Paasikivi went to Moscow in order to discuss terms. They met with Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov and Vladimir Dekanozov on two separate occasions. An agreement could not be reached, and so the war continued. Stalin ordered the Stavka (Main Command of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union) to plan for a major offensive against Finland, to knock them out of the war.

Throughout the spring, the Leningrad Front increased in strength and prepared for the upcoming assault on the Isthmus. On the morning of 9th June, the offensive began. Thousands of artillery guns, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships all blasted the Finnish positions, which were soon followed up by a mass of armour and infantry. Within days, the Finnish resistance crumbled, and the first two defensive lines fell despite bitter fighting. It was the beginning of the end for Finland’s involvement in the Second World War.

Why was Simola bombed?

As the drive across the Isthmus was taking place, the Red Air Force was tasked with slowing down reinforcements from reaching the Finnish defences. Across southern Finland, numerous rail junctions were targeted, and waves of Soviet bombers pounded these areas, mostly with little effect. Finnish anti-aircraft and fighter units did their best to intercept the incoming aircraft, but were often overwhelmed.

On the 19th June, as the first Soviet units approached the outskirts of Viipuri, 47 Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers of the 58th and 140th Bomber Aviation Regiments took off with orders to bomb the station at Simola. The rail yard contained 7 tracks and was thus an important logistical hub for traffic heading to and from the Isthmus. When the bombers arrived, the station was packed with evacuees, troops and prisoners. Due to a communication breakdown, the warning of the approaching aircraft didn’t reach Simola, and so panic took hold as the bombs fell.
Over two days, three waves of bombers struck at Simola. The devastation was immense. According to Heikki Kauranne, who has written a book on the bombing, 15 houses in the area were destroyed, and a further 23 buildings were damaged. As for the railway, 2 locomotives, 63 carriages and several meters of track were damaged or destroyed.

The biggest loss was the lives. The numbers for the dead and wounded are still disputed; official sources are given as 142 dead and 150 wounded. The largest single loss during the bombings was at a local store, where some 40 people had taken shelter in the basement when a 500kg bomb hit the store directly. This loss of life would make it one of the most catastrophic bombings of the Finnish war years.

To add more insult to injury, the railyard was repaired quickly as the damage had only been slight, and there was no real disruption to military operations, so the bombings had failed in their primary objective.

Remembrance

In the initial wake of the bombing, information about the bombing was censored for fear that it would cause severe loss of morale and defeatism. It wouldn’t be until post-war that information would become more readily available.

As a monument to Finland’s fateful days, the damaged red brick water tower has been preserved, with a plaque dedicated to those who lost their lives that day.

There are also several mass graves in local cemeteries for the victims, some as young as a year old. However, one of the most heartwrenching memorials is the one at Lappeenranta, where 61 unidentified persons now rest.

Another interesting part of the Simola bombings was that a train carrying some of Finland’s fallen heroes was also at the station. One of these was Knight of the Mannerheim Cross Lauri Vilhelm Nissinen, who was brought down when a Soviet fighter shot down a fellow Finnish pilot, Lieutenant Urho Sarjamo. As Sarjamo’s plane crashed through the clouds, it collided with Nissinen’s and both aircraft hit the ground near Kaukjärvi on the Karelian Isthmus on 17th June 1944. Both bodies were being returned to their parishes, but as the train sat in the sidings, it was struck by a bomb, and the bodies were never recovered.

Sources

Kaksi tuhoisaa pommitusta tappoi jopa 360 suomalaista ratapihoille kesällä 1944 – tapauksesta haluttiin vaieta Suomessa täysin
Lappeenranta / Simolan ilmapommitus*
Simolan pommitukset kesäkuussa 1944
Simolan vesitorni kertoo aseman pommituksista 1944
7808 Ilmatorjuntarykmentti 3, 9.6.1944 – 3.12.1944 1944-1944
Simolan suurpommituksesta 70 vuotta: “Kyllä se oli surkian näköstä kattoa”