Suojoki river

The decisive engagements during the initial phase of the Continuation War battles of late July and early August 1944 took place in an area 40 kilometres wide and 30 kilometres deep around and behind the Suojoki river. This formed the central sector of the Ilomantsi Front when measured along the present-day border. 

On the last day of July 1944, the 1st Jaeger Battalion began to advance from the vicinity of the bridge toward Ruukinpohja, flanked by the 6th Jaeger Battalion a short distance away to the south. 

The Finnish air force supported the combat in several ways. The nearest fighter airfield was in Värtsilä, which was later ceded to the Soviet Union in the autumn of 1944. The main wartime bomber base was at Onttola near Joensuu. 

The distance from Suojoki to Värtsilä and Onttola is 75 and 90 kilometres respectively. This meant that transit times to the Front line were short, enabling a quick and effective response during the crucial moments of the battle. 

An air battle took place on 9 August 1944 east of Lake Ilajanjärvi. Five Messerschmitt fighter planes from Värtsilä engaged Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft that were firing on Finnish troops. The Ilyushins were escorted by Kittyhawk fighters. 

The Messerschmitt fighter planes shot down two of the Ilyushins. These victories are historically significant because they were the last kills claimed by Finnish fighter pilots in the Continuation War. 

Today, visitors exploring the Ilomantsi Battlegrounds Trail will find the car park next to the Suojoki bridge an excellent spot for a short break. Driving toward Ruukinpohja is not recommended. No signs of battlefields or traces of the war are visible from the road, which ends on the Russian border zone. Entry into the border zone is strictly forbidden.