Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-05-01

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Here again, the speed and range
of the modern war machine would
seem to have reduced the strategic
value to anybody of the Aland
islands, although Russian occu-
patton obviously would neutralize
the activities of the 10000 persons
living there and bring Russian
forces almost within sight of the
entrance to Stockholm Harbor
The Baltic area under Soviet
domination = including the Lat
Wan, Lithuanian, and Estonian
coasts with the two large islands
of Osel (Saaremaa) and Dago
(Hiiumaa)-is Theoretically sealed.
Not even western European Com
munists who are occasionally
taken for joy rides in the Soviet
Union have penetrated this power
full military area, where search
lights comb the coast every night
seeking out refugees.
The few who have succeeded in
running the gauntlet despite Soviet
precautions report that strong
garrisons are established in every
town and larger rural centers,
augmented by so-called destruc-
ton battalions whose duties in
clude suppressing the resistance
of the local population.
Defenses Rushed
In the central Dago fortifica-
tions at Tahkuma, underground
concrete installations for power
stations, ammunition, and other
essentials have been built at
forced tempo ever since the spring
of 1945 when an evacuation order
was issued to all inhabitants of
the coastal districts.
In addition, powerful batteries
on 0sel facing the Gulf of Lithu
ania have a range covering the
whole island, while the coast fac
ing the open sea is fortified by
concrete entertainments as well as
artillery.
All civilian populations in
five-kilometer-w area stretch
ing the length of the south Baltic
coast were evacuated when the
Russians took over, while wooded
areas behind this line have been
systematically cleared to avoid
any cover for possible enemy ac
ton.
Rumors persist that the Rus
slams, with the help of German
rocket experts, have laboratories
on Osel for perfecting the German
w. And from the accounts of
authorities on Gotland and the
Swedish mainland concerning the
direction, speed, and other details
of the projectiles similar to the
famous flying saucers" which
still are seen at infrequent inter
walls, these rumors would seem to
be borne out.
Already during the first Rus
sian occupation of Estonia from
1940-41, the Russians built nu-
merous airfields, and on reoccu-
patton in 1914 these were en-
larged.
Four Key Airfields
On Osel alone, there are today
military airfields at Sonora, Aste,
Kuressaare, and Karujarve - the
latter a hydroplane base. When
Helsinki was bombed during
World War II, Russian planes,
outdated now, made the short hop
across the Bay of Finland and
back in less than an hour.
In this connection the important
secret Russian naval base at Pork
kala on the Finnish side should be
mentioned guarding, as it does,
the entrance to Helsinki and the
Bay of Finland straight across to
Tallin.
Gotland, lying 80 kilometers off
the southeastern Swedish coast
diagonally across the Baltic, is
the largest of these islands -
1850 square kilometers and
while no historians agrees on how
old it is, from earliest times it
has given them plenty to write
about.
Visby, it's capital, was at one