Möhkö Village

The main building of the old Möhkö ironworks is now a museum.

Enemy-occupied village and encampment site in Winter War in 1939.

The village of Möhkö grew around one of Finland's largest ironworks, founded in 1838 to refine iron from limonite. After this business became unprofitable by 1907, logging was the primary source of income to the residents in the area.

Wars took a heavy toll on Möhkö. On the fateful day of December 7, 1939, a Soviet division entered the village. The occupation lasted until the hostilities ended on March 13, 1940.

Most civilians had been evacuated from Möhkö and other easternmost villages and settlements of Ilomantsi a few days before the outbreak of the Winter War on November 30, 1939. The decision was made by local military commanders without a green light from a higher headquarters and proved to be right.

The Red Army's 155th Division of 18,000 men crossed the old border into Finland along three axes in Ilomantsi sector

The Red Army's 155th Division of 18,000 men crossed the old border into Finland along three axes in Ilomantsi sector. The division consisted of three regiments of 6,000 men each. On the northern flank, one regiment pushed toward Kallioniemi on the road that led to Hattuvaara, while the other two advanced in the direction of Möhkö with Ilomantsi parish village as their objective.

The defense rested initially on the shoulders of Major Vilho Nikoskelainen’s 11th Independent Battalion and its 800 warfighters, augmented by a detachment composed predominantly of young volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Julkunen. Although these youngsters had not yet completed the compulsory military service, they had received military and weapons training in the Civil Guard and its youth organization.

The defending force consisted of 900 combat-ready men all told, which meant that the attacker had a twenty-fold superiority in numbers.

The battalion's first engagement took place in Megri 60 kilometers from Möhkö. The defenders were surprised by two things: first, the numerical strength of the attacking force was far higher than expected, and second, the attack was spearheaded by tanks followed by armored cars and other motorized equipment.

This had not been anticipated because the narrow stretch of road linking Megri with Porajärvi on the Soviet side of the border had been deemed unsuitable for motor vehicles due to its weak construction and poor condition. However, explosions, sounds of logging and rumble of tracked vehicles had been heard from across the border since the summer of 1939, and it was now confirmed that the Russians had been constructing a road in preparation for the attack. Observations made by frontier guardsmen had been relayed to the IV Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of North Karelia, but they were dismissed.

After one week of fighting delaying actions the retreating Finns reached Möhkö, followed by the leading enemy elements on Finland’s Independence Day, December 6. Next day, the defenders blew up the Koitajoki River bridge. The Russians responded with massive outbursts of gunfire on the defenders’ positions.

Two Red Army regiments comprising a total of 12,000 men and 1,470 horses immediately set about building shelters for encampment. Some of these were proper timber-shored structures, others mere shacks roofed with laths and tree branches. In addition to 390 sleeping dugouts, the Russians constructed over 170 horse shelters and other structures in Möhkö.

There was no other way to provide billeting facilities because the Finns had burned down nearly all buildings on the northeastern side of the river before the Russians’ arrival. The front stabilized at Möhkö till the end of the Winter War. Dugouts and other fortifications remain visible even today.

The loss of Möhkö confirmed the belief that Ilomantsi would fall unless significant reinforcements were received.

It was soon reported that the forces in Ilomantsi sector would be subordinated to Group Talvela, which was fighting in Tolvajärvi sector in the south under the command of Colonel Paavo Talvela.

Operational-level responsibility in Ilomantsi was assigned to a new formation, Colonel Per Ole Ekholm’s Task Force A. On December 9, heavy fighting erupted between Möhkö and Oinassalmi and subsequently spread to the west and northwest toward Lake Nuorajärvi.

In the evening on the same day, the 11th Independent Battalion was authorized to withdraw from Möhkö to Oinassalmi line and take up defensive positions. But the Finns wanted to hold Möhkö. Therefore, on December 12, Talvela ordered that the village be recaptured, but the mission was a dismal failure. A second attempt was made after regrouping the troops, again without success.

To replace the bridge blown up by the retreating defenders, Red Army sappers began work on a wooden structure, which turned out to be a textbook example of military engineering and timber craftsmanship and was completed one week before the end of the hostilities.

For 28 years, the bridge carried traffic and goods, including timber from the Soviet Union, until replaced by the present concrete structure. Pits for demolition charges are visible in the piles. These cavities could be filled with explosives in order to blow the bridge to smithereens should this ever have become necessary.

Dozens of alien plant species are a recurring reminder of the Red Army’s stay in Möhkö. Fodder brought in for 1,500 horses contained seeds of plants that are only found around Möhkö and on the more northern Winter War battlegrounds in Lieksa, Kuhmo and Suomussalmi.

The old houses still standing in the village also recall the days of the Winter War.

The old houses still standing in the village also recall the days of the Winter War. They are located on the south side of the Koitajoki with the exception of the ironworks mansion “Pytinki” on the northern bank. This building served as the home and working premises of the ironworks manager, and currently it houses a museum. It accommodated a Red Army headquarters during the Winter War.

At the beginning of the Continuation War in the summer of 1941, Major General Woldemar Oinonen's men marched through Möhkö on their way to the front. Supply vehicles and other traffic passed through the village throughout the war. The military significance of Möhkö increased again in July 1944, when fortification work began at Öykkösenvaara six kilometers away.

The population of Möhkö suffered heavily during the war years. The villagers had to leave their homes for the first time in November 1939 a few days before the outbreak of the Winter War. In the Continuation War, the village was evacuated twice, first during the early days of the conflict in 1941, and then in 1944 as the Russians were pushing toward Ilomantsi.

A red granite memorial of the 21st Brigade stands next to the Koitajoki bridge. The brigade saw action at Öykkösenvaara, but it was decided to locate the memorial in the village for easy access.

An information board near the memorial describes the battles fought in the area. Information in English is on the backside of the board. Möhkö Ironworks Museum has three rooms dedicated to military history. The exhibition contains photographs, literature, stories and fascinating artifacts. The museum is open from June to August.