Hogland
Encyclopedia
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, located some 180 km west of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and 35 km away from the coast of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(near Kotka
Kotka
Kotka is a town and municipality of Finland. Its former name is Rochensalm.Kotka is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of Kymi River and it is part of the Kymenlaakso region in southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water....
). The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The area of Hogland Island is approximately 21 km² (8.1 sq mi). The highest point of the island is 173 m (567.6 ft).
Hogland's tourist industry is growing in importance, with most tourists coming from St. Petersburg, and a few from Finland. However, in 2006, Russian authorities declared Hogland a 'border area' which means that foreign nationals are not allowed to travel to the island without special permit. This limits the tourism from abroad to small groups, one at a time, and adds extensive bureaucracy to the preparations.
Name
There exists a confusion in regards to transliteration of the name from the Russian languageRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. The name has never actually changed, however while being located in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
it gained alternative pronunciation as there is no clear corresponding sound for for the Latin letter "H". In the Russian language usually H and G are transliterated simply as G and often H is perceived something of Kh or Ch digraph
Digraph (orthography)
A digraph or digram is a pair of characters used to write one phoneme or a sequence of phonemes that does not correspond to the normal values of the two characters combined...
s.
Great Northern War and Gustav III's war
Hogland has been inhabited by Finns since at least the 16th century. During the Great Northern WarGreat Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, the Action of 22 July 1713
Action of 22 July 1713
The Action of 22 July 1713 was a naval battle between Sweden and the Tsardom of Russia which took place on 22 July 1713 near the island of Hogland. It was an indecisive engagement, part of the Great Northern War.-Russia:Poltava 54Pernov 50...
took place near the island. The Battle of Hogland
Battle of Hogland
The naval Battle of Hogland took place on 17 July 1788 during the Russo-Swedish War .-Origins:On the outbreak of war with Russia in 1788, Sweden planned to attack the Russian capital St. Petersburg...
between the Russian and Swedish
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
fleets took place off shore in 1788.
Crimean War
During the Crimean War, four vessels of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
- Arrogant
HMS Arrogant (1848)
HMS Arrogant was a wood screw frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1848 and sold in 1867. During the period of 1848–1850 it was commanded by Robert FitzRoy. On 15 April 1854 the Arrogant was one of a number of Royal Navy ships that captured the Russian brig Patrioten. The Arrogant served...
, Cossack
HMS Cossack (1854)
HMS Cossack was a wooden 20-gun corvette, built at Northfleet and launched on 15 May 1854. She was originally laid down for the Imperial Russian Navy as the corvette Witjas, however was confiscated during the Crimean War in 1854....
, Magicienne, and Ruby - silenced the Russian batteries at a fort on the island, while the Anglo-French fleet went on to attack Sveaborg
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori , or Sveaborg , is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands , and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who...
before returning home.
Off shore there have been several notable shipwrecks. The crew of the three-mast clipper "Amerika", which sunk near the shore in October 1856, lie buried in an old Finnish cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
.
After the Finnish War
Finnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
, Gogland passed to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, although it was made part of the newly created Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
which gained independence from Russia in 1917. Most of the island's population lived in two fishing villages administrated from Viipuri
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
(Vyborg).
Hogland is also known as a place where one of the very first radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
contacts took place on February 6, 1900 under the supervision of Alexander Popov
Alexander Stepanovich Popov
Alexander Stepanovich Popov was a Russian physicist who was the first person to demonstrate the practical application of electromagnetic waves....
. (The time and details of this latter event, however, varies slightly in different sources).
Winter War
During the Winter WarWinter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, the inhabitants were evacuated and the island fell into Soviet hands. Since that time, the log village, Suurkylä (Russian: Суркюля, Surkyulya), has been leveled to the ground and replaced with a few modern dwellings, possibly for a Soviet fishing collective farm
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
, as well as some military facilities. Currently, about 50 people live permanently on the island, and the little fishing still done is mainly for recreational purpose.
Continuation War
In 1942 several defensive seamine barrages were laid to prevent the Soviet Baltic navy to operate mainly from Lavansaari to the other directions of the Baltic sea. The Finnish navy laid down a five line seamine barrage Rukajärvi A, B, C, D and E. On 23rd May, 1942, Rukajärvi A seamine barrage was laid down. It consisted of 109 pieces of S/I and 91 pieces of S/38 II seamines. The same day was laid down Rukajärvi B consisting 200 pieces of EMC seamines with contact antennas. 24th May, Rukajärvi C was laid. The Rukajärvi C consisted 39 pieces of EMC seamines with contact antennas similar to Rukajärvi B the day before and 161 EMC mines with electric antennas. Rukajärvi D had only 60 EMC seamines with cotantact antennas on 27th May and Rukajärvi E on 15th June 160 of them. Two days later, 17th June, for the Rukajärvi A and B were added 123 minesweeping obstacles type RE/I. The whole Suursaari - Haapasaaret line on the sections of Rukajärvi F, G, H, I, J and L was finished from 19th to 30th June by adding 300 antenna seamines and 180 separate contact mines.Soviet pressures in Estonia
Due to the worsening situation for the Germans on the Leningrad front as a result of an offensive started by the Soviet forces on 14th January, 1944, the German naval forces started to gather more vessels to the waters of Estonia to prevent the possible Soviet landing on the Narva bayNarva Bay
The Narva Bay is a bay in the southern part of the Gulf of Finland divided between Estonia and Russia. The Kurgalsky Peninsula separates it from the Luga Bay to the east. The bay is about long and wide at its mouth. The eastern shore is low and sandy, while the south coast is rather steep...
. On 3rd February some light vessels like S-boats and M class minesweepers and artillery barges were ordeded to detach from the German naval forces on the British Channel, Netherlands and Norway. As the Soviet forces pushed severiously still the Germans on the Narva direction additionally on 13th February two destroyers and torpedo boat were ordered to move from Liepaja of Latvia to Tallinn and from there to Narva bay. The freezing Baltic sea stopped the vessels on Paldiski of Estonia. The German naval forces appointed more vessels for the Baltic naval warfare. The operational group consisted of cruisers Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
and Admiral Scheer, 6th destoyer fleet and six torpedo boats to be placed in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
(then Gotenhafen).
German arms export embargo
The worsening situation was noticed also in Finland and the minister of foreign affairs, mr Henrik RamsayHenrik Ramsay
Carl Henrik Wolter Ramsay was a Finnish politician and an economist from the Swedish People's Party. He belonged to a Scottish noble family emigrated to Finland and was one of the few in Finland entitled to use the title Sir, however, Ramsay did not use the title.Henrik Ramsay completed his Ph.D...
, informed the German ambassador in Helsinki, mr. Wipert von Blücher, that the Finnish military-political situation has worsened because of the happenings in Estonia and the government of Finland will seach new contacts to clear the situation. The president and prime minister Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
reacted to this note by ordering preparing to the military operations to secure the Baltic sea for the German troops in Estonia. The operation Tanne Ost
Tanne Ost
Operation Tanne Ost was a German operation during World War II to capture the island Suursaari in the Gulf of Finland before it could fall into Soviet hands...
was meant for occupying Gogland (Suursaari) and Tanne West for occupying Aland islands. The headquarters of the Finnish navy dated a memorandum of acquiring minesweeping obstacles and bottom seamines 8th April. 19th April, 1944, the minelayer Louhi brought from Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
400 minesweeping obstacles for the Rukajärvi seamine barrage.
Even if the Finnish parliament had rejected the peace terms of the Soviet Union on 12th April, 1944, the German arms embargo to Finland was valid 24th April, 1944. The German naval forces had promised 20th April, 1944, the following armament:
- four S-class MTBs, personally promised from the navy commander
- 100 pieces of 20 mm anti-aircraft guns to the commercial vessels, 50 of them had been explained to have been delivered
- 45 pieces of distance meters and two Würzbug surveillance radarsWürzburg radarThe Würzburg radar was the primary ground-based gun laying radar for both the Luftwaffe and the German Army during World War II. Initial development took place before the war, entering service in 1940. Eventually over 4,000 Würzburgs of various models were produced...
- 100 pieces of Italian torpedoes facialiating the Finnish MTBs to operate
- barrage equipment (seamines, minesweeping obstacles) and minesweeping equipment
The German naval forces took the arms embargo as an obstacle for the military cooperation on the Baltic sea as well as it would had made an official visit of the Finnish navy commander to Germany useless. As for Tanne West the Germans considered arms embargo difficult, because they should have had to establish on the Finnish territory on Saaristomeri a navy base for Tanne West. On the contrary of the year 1941, Finland did not agree upon placing German naval forces to Aland itself, but only to the north of Utö
Utö
Utö may refer to:* Utö, Finland, an island in the Archipelago Sea, in southwest Finland* Utö, Sweden, an island in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden...
, to rock islands Aspö
Aspö
Aspö is a small village on the Aspö Island in Väståboland, Finland. Until 2009 it belonged to the municipality of Korpo. Its Finnish-language name is Haapasaari, although this name is seldom used. The village is known for its white limestone church that has a red brick roof. The current church was...
and Nötö
Noto
Noto is a city and comune in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily . Its located 32 km southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains and gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto...
. In late March 1944 Finland had prepared for the German occupation by putting Alands defence and Detachement Väinämöinen under the command of Saaristomeri Coastal Brigade for the April 1944. In May 1944 Finnish navy was unable to get any seamines from Germany for various excuses like material deficit and the work load. As the German navy attaché rear admiral Reimar von Bonin seemed to have had contact with the navy headquarters in Kiel. Only 15th June, 1944, some coastal seamines only were dispatched to Finland form Tallinn. Some more were received 17th June.
The Germans reinforced their capabitities in case the front on the Karelian Isthmus would not have withstanded. As for Tanne West, the Germans ordered cruisers Prinz Eugen and Lützow to sail via Utö
Utö
Utö may refer to:* Utö, Finland, an island in the Archipelago Sea, in southwest Finland* Utö, Sweden, an island in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden...
to Rotbuche, ie. to Aspö to the unfinished navy base, which they did until 20th June escorted by many smaller vessels. As the president of Finland Risto Ryti
Risto Ryti
Risto Heikki Ryti was the fifth President of Finland, from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a political background figure during the interwar period. He made a wide range of international contacts in the world of banking and within the...
had finished his talks with the foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
on 27th June, 1944, cruiser Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
sailed away. Ryti had given his personal guarantees not to have peace treauty regardless of Germany. On 24th June, the German detachement had been instructed, if needed, to execute the plan Tanne Ost
Tanne Ost
Operation Tanne Ost was a German operation during World War II to capture the island Suursaari in the Gulf of Finland before it could fall into Soviet hands...
with the cruiser Prinz Eugen and the destroyers coming from the Northern Sea.
Battle of Suursaari 1944
The German naval forces became under Finnish surveillance since the late August, 1944.Due to Moscow Intermediate peace Finland was forced to remove the German troops from Finland in a insufficient time. Finland delivered a note to Germany 2nd September, 1944, about the forthcoming armistice between Finland and the Soviet union beginning 4th September, 1944. The president and prime minister Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
ordered the occupying of Suursaari and internating all the Finnish vessels under the influence of the German powers. The Finns reacted to the threat of the confiscation of all the Finnish vessels by ordering the ban of maritime piloting for all the German vessels. The internation order was lifted because of this. The German nay plan for occupying Suursaari was accepted and ordered 11th September, 1944.
The Finnish coastal brigade reported 11th Septermber its area of operations being free of the German forces. However, 14th September, 1944, in two groups nine German vessels sailed to the area of operations, and started minelaying together with four S-boats from Tallinn at 17.00 o'clock. This part of the operation was Schnellschluss. The order of the detachement was as follows:
- group I
- two mine barges and two R-minesweepers at the North-East side on Lupi, 10 influence seamines, 60 contact seamines
- group II
- one M-minesweeper, one R-minesweeper and three mine barges at the south side of Kirkonmaa, 10 influence mines, 60 contact mines, 37 minesweeping obstacles
- group III
- four S-boats at the west side of Ruotsinsalmi
The German minelaying was reported to the commander of the Finnish navy 18:32 o'clock. He was also informed by the German rear admiral in charge of minelaying, Kurt Böhmer, the note that the minelaying was not directed against the Finns, but the possible Soviet break through. The commander of the Finnish navy had ordered 1st motor torpedo boat fleet to Kotka in case of the possible hostilities related to the German withdraval. The fleet was ordered to patrol to find out, if there were Germans on that area of the Baltic sea.
The commander of Suursaari, lieutenant-colonel Martti Miettinen, ordered the battle alarm 19:00 o'clock. The commander of the Finnish navy ordered 23:30 o'clock to evacuate the Germans signal corps soldiers to Tytärsaari as the Germans did not have taken them in time with patrol boats VMV10 and VMV14. The same time the German minesweeper came to Suursaari. Lieutenant-colonel Emil Kieffer demanded the garrison of Suursaari to capitulate. The Finns refused and ordered the Germans leave Suursaare on the threat of opening fire. The Germans did not leave Suursaari, but started landing. The Finnish guard troops opened a fire 00:55 o'clock in the morning 15th September.
The Finnish navy commander ordered the motor torpedo boats to attack against the German vessels in Suursaari 1:25 o'clock at night. 1st motor torpedo boat fleet led by commander Jouko Pirhonen went from Kotka to Suursaari starting 2:00 o'clock. The motor torpedo boat T3 lead by lieutenant L. Karma sailed first followed by the motor torpedo boat T5 under sub-lieutenant T. Ovaskainen's command. T3 was followed by T5 led by lieutenant-captain A. Vuorensaari. Because of the problems starting the engines the motor torpebo boats V2 (lieutenant-captain J. Lehtonen) and V3 (lieutenant J. Norrmén) became later. Because of the seamines the boats came from Kaunissaari side.
The first motor torpedo boats sailed by Suursaaari at 2:37 o'clock. The Finns saw from the 1 1/2 nautical miles away from the harbour German M-class minesweepers and artillery barges, which every now and then fired at the Finnish land forces on Suursaari. As there were so many targets on a wide area, the fleet commander ordered to attack separately. At 3:28 o'clock T5 fired a torpedo against M-minesweeper, which exploded and disappeared from the water surface. T3 fired two torpedos against another M-minesweeper. T3 was fired by this M-minesweeper and an R-minesweeper. T6 took the most Eastern route and fired one torpedo against an M-minesweeper as the torpedo launcher did not work. Because of the some cover launched by T3, the crew of the T6 could only guess the explosion water mark of M-minesweeper. T6 attacked also a landing barge, but the secon torpedo launced did not work then either. T3, T5 and T6 went back to Kotka.
V2 and V3 came half an hour later to Suursaari from Kotka. They could not reach T3, T5 or T6, but because of the speed they lost contact to each others. V2 attacked 4:15 o'clock against more than one target with torpedoes. The Germans succeeded to avoid the hits of the torpedoes by shifting.
T3, T5 and T6 used old T/12 torpedoes with 125 kg explosives. The Germans reported M-minesweepers to had damaged, but not destroyed. However, R-minesweeper and tug Pernaus sank because of the torpedoes.
Because of the dawn and the motor torpedo boat T3, T5, T6, V2 and V3 attacks the German vessels sailed to the West side of Suursaari leaving the German land forces without fire support. At 6:45 o'clock 36 Soviet aeroplanes attacked against the German vessels and destroyed one landing barge. The Soviet planes came back an hour later. The Germans gave up trying and did not order the support vessels, three destroyers and two torpedo boats to take part in the fight. Most of the vessels sailed back to Tallinn leaving landing barges and boats on Suursaari. As trophy the Finns got F-177, which server in the Finnish navy later as Seili and barge B-35, which became Lonna.
As the German vessels had sailed away the Finns started a counter attack. The German invaders were split into three groups. Commodore Karl-Conrad Mecke
Karl-Conrad Mecke
Karl-Conrad Mecke was a Kapitän zur See with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Awards:* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class...
ordered the German troops to capitulate to the Finns 15th September, 1944 at 17:30 o'clock. The Germans lost 153 fallen, 175 wounded and 1 056 prisoners of war. About 900 soldier never landed to Suursaari and some of them were drowned having fallen from their vessels.
The German landing barges sailed to the harbour basin and were tied to brakwaters or drove directly onto the beach sand. The Finnish patrol boats were sieged and wrecked partly burned. Also the Finnish cable vessel 2 was damaged. The Germans did not land only in Suurkylä harbour, but also on the norhern part of Suursaari and to the south of harbour in Kappelniemi (Chapel peninsula) and later on the night to the north of harbour, Hirsikallio. The German brighead, however, never was deeper than one kilometre. The landings on the west parts of Suursaari did not succeed as the Finns could stop them in Selkäapajanniemi on the late night and early morning.
The Germans demanded Suursaari to capitulate to the Germans, which the Finns refused.
On 15th September, 1944, in the battle of Suursaari the Finnish navy had some losses on the Gogland waters. The motor minesweeper Kuha 6 was destroyed by a German seamine. On the bay of Suurkylä of Gogland the Finnish patrol boats VMV10 and VMV14 were destroyed by the German artillery fire. On the German side an open-sea tug Pernau was sunk because of the torpedo launched from the Finnish motor torpedo boat Taisto 5. The MTB Taisto 5 also destroyed the German motor minesweeper R29. The Soviet airforce destroyed the same day the German motor barge F499 and the Finnish coastal artillery the barges F175, F822 and F868.
Later the Finnish motor minesweeper SM3 was sunk because of the German seamine on 30th September, 1944.
At the end of the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, after Finland had made peace with the Soviet Union, the Germans tried to invade the island in Operation Tanne Ost. Finnish troops prevented the German invasion and the Germans lost half of their force as prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Soon after, the island was again handed to the Soviets.
Landmarks
The island is renowned for its rugged scenery, including five lakes. Since 1826, the hill Mäkiinpäällys has two of the points in the Struve Geodetic ArcStruve Geodetic Arc
The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km, which yielded the first accurate measurement of a meridian....
.http://www.gao.spb.ru/personal/chubey/Struve_arc.pdf. The first lighthouse on the island was built in 1807, but the oldest still in operation dates back to 1904.