German Forces

Three narrow gauge trains pushing north

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-107-1312-20, Nordeuropa, Feldbahn im Schnee.jpg

Three narrow gauge trains moving on Hyrynsalmi–Kuusamo field track in December 1943, Finland. The track was build by the German army between 1942-1944 from Hyrynsalmi and Kuusamo. Workers were from Organisation Todt or Russian and polish POW. The rail line was build to ease the supply of german army group Nord on its attack towards Murmansk railway. Altough 178 km of trak had been laid, it wasn't finished by the time hostilities begun between Finland and Germany. Much o the important part were destroyed or mined by the Germans, and much of the equipment and tracks had to be turned over to the soviet union. Today what is left is abandoned and not in regular use. The first diesel engine in picture is a german Heeresfeldbahnlokomotive HF 130 C. More pictures at and a map from http://kenttarata-feldbahn.weebly.com/kenttaumlrata.html P.S A polish POW named Josef Molka has written a book of his experience of building the track.