"Raudun taistelu" by Simo Eronen is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It chronicles the Battle of Rautu on the Karelian front of the Finnish Civil War from the White side, combining lecture-based narrative with battlefield maps to trace operations, logistics, and leadership under severe constraints. The opening of the book explains that the work grew from public lectures and introduces two detailed maps, then sketches the dire strategic situation in Karelia: ill-equipped White forces, scant ammunition, improvised artillery repaired in Sortavala, and the need to hold the Vuoksi line despite weak reserves. After an alert from the border at Raasuli and a brave but outnumbered stand, the defenders fall back to Rautu station, lose it to a much larger, well-armed enemy, and watch as the station is rapidly fortified with brick-lined trenches, machine-gun nests, and strongpoints. The respite lets the Whites form a semicircular screen around the station through Mäkrä, Leinikkälä, the parish village, and Orjansaari, enabling repeated flanking thrusts—often led by Veikko Läheniemi—that blunt major assaults toward the church and Leinikkälä despite constant artillery fire and few machine guns. Reinforcements arrive only in dribs and drabs, including a single refurbished gun that boosts morale and helps stall an attack, while nearby the Valkjärvi sector briefly buckles before being shored up. Command passes from Kehvola to Ekman as the text emphasizes the enemy’s adva…
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
