Finland Finland Finland....

[Rich H]

Ive made double apron fences before... to say they are tedious to make is an understatement!

[Rich H]

Or maybe its just the top sticking up through the snow...

[Dolmot]

Suddenly there's a lot of Finland on this forum. As I lived half of my life in the Eastern part, maybe I can provide some native-level expertise.

I'd say that the defining feature of that area are endless hills, almost always covered by forests. Historically, population density has been low even by Finnish standards. Still in the 19th century, slash-and-burn farming was common. Wood was the building material of choice for both houses and shelters. Consequently, small farms and fields might appear and then disappear in a few decades, the land quickly claimed by dense forests again. Due to the terrain and this semi-moving lifestyle, it's still unlikely to find any straight line or other built feature of significant size in the rural areas. Everything bends around the nearest hill or lake shore.

As mentioned a few pages ago, boulders (more accurately, glacial erratics?) are very common. They come in all sizes, and you'll almost certainly find one anywhere. Some are sharply broken from cliff sides, but those rounded by glaciers are more typical. A few random examples from my private reference album:





They're easy to make too, especially the winter type.

It's also common to find rock piles and occasionally low stone walls around fields, but the latter are rarely built to any considerable height. Usually they're just another shape for a dump or maybe used for marking borders, but roundpole fences are vastly more common for actually keeping animals on the right side. Proper stone walls are most likely found around cemeteries, maybe some really notable houses, but rarely anywhere else.

Shacks and barns of all sizes are always a good addition. Some are standing, but the weather will eventually tilt and flatten them in a few decades. Artillery fire will undoubtedly speed up the process. Therefore a snow-covered roof with a bit of wall standing on some side should be a safe bet, again easy to make as well.

Beside the tree trio of birch, pine and spruce, especially in lower areas you'll almost certainly find smaller bushes and growth including willow, aspen and juniper, all among the fast-growing species which claim abandoned fields, shores and ditch sides. In winter time, all that can be simulated quite accurately with a snarl of twigs, buried to a level of your choice.

For the final rule of thumb:

• If it's flat and clear, it must be a lake.
• If it's flat with trees, it's a swamp.
• If it's clear but sloped, it's a field.

...but your average spot is neither. Therefore to maximise realism, it's a good idea to keep your basing small and come up with something clever for slopes, always covered by at least a small tree or a boulder, probably both.

[Rich H]

Wow thanks!

OK so I'll see what rocks I can find as erratics and I'll include the hills I was going to leave out to make things simpler but I'll make the effort!

So if I put some boulders (assuming I can find suitable ones in time) in the blank areas and put the 'village' in a small valley how would you change this layout?  I was thinking Summa village region, but only because I've read about it.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=103490.msg1288870#msg1288870

Obviously it's got to be playable for Bolt Action

[Verderer]

I am not sure how much fighting there was around Summa during the Continuation War? But then I haven't really studied that later period. In any case, the Soviets would have destroyed with demolition charges all the fixed positions by the end of Winter War (or during the fighting already), I think. But I know a little about the area from my reading of the subject.

Finns used the nearby Perkjärvi as an artillery practice range before the wars, and there was even 'koelinnake' (test fort) at Summa lake which was a bunker-like structure used for testing both fortification strength and artillery shots (I guess). In fact, the Soviets apparently thought this testing structure was an actual bunker and wasted a lot of ammo trying to waste it. That's what I read anyways.

The area around Summarjärvi is littered with swamps, less so towards the Summa village in the south. There's only really couple of ways through that area using tanks, either through Summa village or by the narrow plot of higher ground between Bunkers 'Poppius' and 'Miljoona' in the Summajärvi sector (or Lähde sector as it is also known) which is where the breaktrough was made after really heavy fighting in 1940.

Also worth noting is that as the Soviets used a huge amount of artillery to completely demolish large parts of the forests around both Summa Lake and Summa village, so there would be very little actual forest standing at the hottest spots even years later. It looked like moonscape really, based on period photos and aerial recon photos. All the forests were just wiped out in certain parts.

[Rich H]

Yes I know, but I just read a lot about the Lahde sector. 
I've got both the Millions and Poppius bunkers....   I'll get pics later.
I built them for the Mannerheim Line games we played.

I was going for generic Finnish village.

What would you add?

[Verderer]

Well, I think you're set up pretty nicely already as it is? Of course, you can never have too much terrain, right?

I'd be interested in seeing your Millions, I am kinda stumped what to do about it, don't really fancy scratch-bulding them, maybe 3d-printing but that would require a hefty investment.

[Rich H]

Old pics.  They are pretty simple but based on the drawings as best I could make out. 

[Verderer]

Craning my neck here...

But that looks good, very practical for gaming purposes, my plan B is to make Millions in sections (maybe three) just like that, so I can use whichever bits are required. Plan A would be modelling the entire bunker in one piece, but it would be a huge piece. Might be able to combine both plans?

[Rich H]

No idea why it's turned over!

That is why I just made the East casemate.  The roof should be thicker but I ran out of time.  The whole thing is far too large and boring for wargaming.  The central bunker is just accomodation and an artillery post. 
 
My idea was to approximate the breakthrough gap with the finger on the left with millions (SJ5) and hill with Poppius (Sj4) on the right.



I've found all of the 1930s migh res maps for the whole sector if you want them. 
Took some finding but they are free on the internet with some sleuthing. 
PM your email address and I'll send them over when I get home.

[Hammers]

Better.

"Gärdesgård" is the nomenclature for that kind of fence in swedish (pronounced "yersch-gord"). It looks great and as always (being the moderator of Workbench" I applaud your tool making tips. Clever.

[Hammers]

Suddenly there's a lot of Finland on this forum. As I lived half of my life in the Eastern part, maybe I can provide some native-level expertise.

I'd say that the defining feature of that area are endless hills, almost always covered by forests. Historically, population density has been low even by Finnish standards. Still in the 19th century, slash-and-burn farming was common. Wood was the building material of choice for both houses and shelters. Consequently, small farms and fields might appear and then disappear in a few decades, the land quickly claimed by dense forests again. Due to the terrain and this semi-moving lifestyle, it's still unlikely to find any straight line or other built feature of significant size in the rural areas. Everything bends around the nearest hill or lake shore.

As mentioned a few pages ago, boulders (more accurately, glacial erratics?) are very common. They come in all sizes, and you'll almost certainly find one anywhere. Some are sharply broken from cliff sides, but those rounded by glaciers are more typical. A few random examples from my private reference album:





They're easy to make too, especially the winter type.

It's also common to find rock piles and occasionally low stone walls around fields, but the latter are rarely built to any considerable height. Usually they're just another shape for a dump or maybe used for marking borders, but roundpole fences are vastly more common for actually keeping animals on the right side. Proper stone walls are most likely found around cemeteries, maybe some really notable houses, but rarely anywhere else.

Shacks and barns of all sizes are always a good addition. Some are standing, but the weather will eventually tilt and flatten them in a few decades. Artillery fire will undoubtedly speed up the process. Therefore a snow-covered roof with a bit of wall standing on some side should be a safe bet, again easy to make as well.

Beside the tree trio of birch, pine and spruce, especially in lower areas you'll almost certainly find smaller bushes and growth including willow, aspen and juniper, all among the fast-growing species which claim abandoned fields, shores and ditch sides. In winter time, all that can be simulated quite accurately with a snarl of twigs, buried to a level of your choice.

For the final rule of thumb:

• If it's flat and clear, it must be a lake.
• If it's flat with trees, it's a swamp.
• If it's clear but sloped, it's a field.

...but your average spot is neither. Therefore to maximise realism, it's a good idea to keep your basing small and come up with something clever for slopes, always covered by at least a small tree or a boulder, probably both.

Lovely pics, Dolmot. sa Sweden and Finland share many geographical features I recognize your description immediate. "Kastblock" or "jättekast" (giant hurls), i.e. huge rounded blocks of granite deposited by glaciers, are very particular to the landscape. They are excellent to include on a game board to get a typical and tactically useful feature on the gameboard.

[Rich H]

"Gärdesgård" is the nomenclature for that kind of fence in swedish (pronounced "yersch-gord"). It looks great and as always (being the moderator of Workbench" I applaud your tool making tips. Clever.

Thanks!

I've not had chance to look for rocks yes but I've my eye on a few in the garden...  just need to wait for SWMBO (She who must be obeyed) to go out...

[Hammers]

Roundpole fences and my patented* bamboo skewer splitter


*not patented

I have lain a few of these...



...and as I am a the hopelessly didactic type I can't help myself but to tell you the basic construction:

* the vertical poles are juniper, blackened in the sharpened end, and hammered into the ground in pairs with a distance of about 1-1,5 m. The choice of material and the blackening of the ends is that it is resistant to rot. The poles in a new fence are ratehr tall tall, two meter or so, as they are supposed to be resharpened and driven deeper as the bottom ends rot.

* the vertical poles are, traditionally, bound together with branches of spruce heated over a fire to make them supple. In new fences it is common practice to leave the top needles in place. Don't know if it is for decoration, probably not... In modern fences the poles are bound with metal wire.

*Not always, but often, the pared poles have a supporting strut made out of flexible juniper, esp. when there are large animals involved. They are placed alternating on either side of the fence.

*the slanting bars, "gärdslen", are the boles of young spruce or tops of the same older sort. They are split along their lengths, and often barked, to make the wood dry and not rot.

A newly laid "gärdesgård" turns grey in just a couple of years. They are quite often become overgrown with lichen.

[Rich H]

Thanks for the explanation! 
Mine are clearly not very accurate (being made fomr split bamboo!) and the scale is more what the bamboo gave me thatn accurate. 
I tried splitting the bamboo into quarters but the result was too flimsy and fiddly.

To make the fences I cheated a little:
The split bamboo uprights were guillotined to about 20-25mm
I laser cut the bases with pairs of undersized 'D' shaped holes for the split bamboo then glue/hammered one side into place.
I then glue the gärdslen in place
Finally added the other verticals to hold it all in place.
The PVA glue allowed me plenty of time to adjust the position of each to get an even gap.

I need to get a pic of the finished article, it's painted grey and drybrushed beige then snow added.