Kalle Piirainen’s Recollections from Rasti
Kalle Piirainen (born in 1912) recalled that he and the fortification troops were constructing defensive positions at Rasti in early November 1939, when negotiations between Finland and the Soviet Union broke down. Radios were still rare at the time, so news mainly reached the troops through the Kainuun Sanomat newspaper, which was published three times a week.
When the Winter War began, Kalle’s squad was deployed to Saunajärvi with the rest of the battalion. They withdrew from Saunajärvi late in the evening of 5 December and arrived at Rasti the following morning. Their defensive positions were located approximately 1,300 metres north of the present-day Rasti crossroads.
The men were quartered in the Rasti farmhouse, where they immediately fell asleep after the exhausting march. Kalle’s unit was the company’s second machine-gun squad and took up firing positions west of the road, a short distance from it. The first machine-gun squad, led by Viktor Merentie, was positioned on the same side of the road but closer to the roadway.
No contact with the enemy occurred on 6 December, allowing the men to enjoy a sauna at the Rasti school that evening. The first engagement took place the following morning, when the defenders also spotted Soviet tanks for the first time. Viktor Merentie’s squad, positioned closer to the road, came under fire more frequently.
Kalle Piirainen’s squad was forced to withdraw from Rasti on the evening of 11 December after the defensive line was breached. The troops retreated to the Jyrkänkoski area, where they successfully repelled further Soviet attacks. The enemy retained control of the Rasti crossroads for the remainder of the war, while Brigade Vuokko held the line south of the junction and prevented further advances.
The site is reasonably accessible. The Finnish defensive positions at Rasti are located on private property, but they can be viewed from the bus stop along Highway 75. A stone anti-tank obstacle built by Finnish forces after the Winter War can be seen approximately 200 metres south of the bus stop on the eastern side of the road. Address: Nurmestie 1596, FI-88900 Kuhmo, Finland
