Raudun taistelu

In the opening weeks of the Finnish war of independence, the Karelian front was a chaotic patchwork of volunteers and local guard units, barely equipped and unsure whether to hold the Vuos line or fall back north. Supplies were scarce, and the first clashes with Russian forces caught the fledgling troops off guard. Yet a small group of determined men began cobbling together what little they could find, turning desperation into a gritty resolve.

The heart of the book follows the fierce fighting around the village of Raud, where a bold night raid on the Russian depot at Antrea netted hundreds of rifles, machine guns and three massive field guns. Captain Karimo’s hand‑drawn maps guide the reader through the bewildering terrain and the makeshift artillery that roared like a “meat grinder” across the battlefield. Through vivid recollections of the Karelian youth, the narrative captures both the brutal reality of the fight and the pride they felt defending their homeland.