Last week, the Gogland search expedition sent by the Russian Ministry of Defense to the island Big Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland, loaded several dozen units of German military equipment and weapons from the Second World War onto landing boats of the Baltic Fleet (this is reported by the Internet portal of the Russian Ministry of Defense). At the end of the war, the Germans, hastily leaving Bolshoi Tyuters, were forced to leave a large amount of heavy weapons, military equipment, ammunition and other property on the island. Among the finds discovered by the expedition are the legendary German FlaK 18/36 anti-aircraft guns of 88 mm caliber, the Swedish Bofors L60 anti-aircraft gun and rare models of German artillery trailers.
The island is located to the west of the Baltic coast of Russia, so for an observer from St. Petersburg the sun sets behind Bolshoi Tyuters
hodar.ru
The expedition has been working on the island since July 15: it includes representatives of the All-Russian public organization “Russian Geographical Society”, the All-Russian social movement to perpetuate the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland and the “Russian Search Movement”. The total number of the expedition is more than 80 people.
There are many large and small islands in the Gulf of Finland. It has long been known that some of them contain ruins of fortifications and the remains of broken military equipment. A scientific expedition of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) in 2013 examined a group of the Outer Islands and confirmed these facts in its reports. Islands such as Gogland, Maly Tyuters, Bolshoy Tyuters, Sommers and Seskar, which have a strategically significant location, served as important strongholds for the Germans during the war.
Bolshoi Tyuters Island (marked in red)
navytech.ru
Bolshoi Tyuters Island is located 180 km west of St. Petersburg, is about 2.5 km across, and its area is approximately 8.3 square meters. km. Bolshoi Tyuters is located south of the island Gogland, forming with it a kind of gate through which the main sea route leading to the ports of St. Petersburg and Vyborg passes. It was this location of the island that determined its role as a location for coastal batteries. Currently, of the existing buildings on the island, there is only a lighthouse with a height of 21 m.
The lighthouse of Bolshoy Tyuters Island is maintained by a keeper who does not risk straying far from it, fearing the deadly “surprises” of wartime
smallbattle. ru
IN different years garrisons were placed on the islands, fortifications with minefields were built, and coastal batteries were installed to keep the sea routes at bay. Some islands changed their owners, alternately being Swedish, Finnish, Russian, and during the Great Patriotic War, some of them were occupied by German troops (Bolshoi Tyuters was held by the Germans almost until the end of 1944). Fierce battles in the Gulf of Finland cost the warring parties thousands of casualties, and the exact number of Soviet soldiers and officers who died here has not yet been established.
Channel One's story about the search expedition to Bolshoi Tyuters
Not all islands were completely cleared of mines and shells after the end of the war, especially those in border areas that were closed to the public. There is reason to believe that in addition to old military equipment, the remains of soldiers who died in the battles for their liberation may be found on the islands.
At the end of the war, the Germans, hastily leaving Bolshoi Tyuters, were forced to leave a large amount of heavy weapons, military equipment and ammunition on it. In addition, minefields and barriers remained here, and in such large numbers that Bolshoi Tyuters earned the reputation of an “island of death”, since military personnel continued to die there for many years after the war. In the post-war period, sapper units arrived on the island several times (seven such landings are known) and carried out work to clear the territory. In particular, in 2005, a joint expedition of Russian and Swedish sappers worked here, neutralizing more than 30 thousand explosive objects.
Despite all efforts to clear mines from the island, Bolshoi Tyuters still poses a great danger to people
postleduvremeni.ru
Preparations for the expedition of the Russian Ministry of Defense to the islands Gulf of Finland began in the spring of this year. The Gogland reconnaissance expedition, consisting of representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian Geographical Society and participants in the search movement, visited the Outer Islands at the end of May and carried out a large amount of work: studied the area, outlined search areas, laid out routes, carried out engineering markings, prepared berths and sites, compiled inventory of the remains of weapons and military equipment.
The island, closed to visitors, has become a kind of nature reserve, preserving weapons and equipment from World War II in its forests.
poludurkoff.net
After a reconnaissance expedition in early July, a landing party of sappers from the Baltic Fleet naval engineering regiment was landed on the islands. Naval sappers, working on maps prepared by the reconnaissance expedition, conducted a study of a number of areas, freeing them from explosive objects. During a week of work, sappers discovered more than seven hundred mines, shells and other ammunition, which were destroyed by explosion. Anti-personnel mines posed a particular danger, the fuses of which had been activated for several decades and could detonate at any moment.
Among the military equipment found there are many valuable samples. In the photo - presumably a Bofors L60 automatic anti-aircraft gun of 40 mm caliber
postleduvremeni.ru
Specialists of the Russian Ministry of Defense working on the islands report that about two hundred samples of German weapons and military equipment have already been assembled and shipped. After delivery to the mainland, those found samples that are subject to restoration will be restored and will become exhibits of Russian military history museums and memorial parks. As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a recent interview, the restored samples of weapons and equipment will become exhibits of the Patriot military-patriotic park, where it is planned to transport the exhibitions of some military museums.
Loading finds onto ships of the Baltic Fleet
military.rf
The expedition also reportedly discovered the remains of a Red Army soldier, who has yet to be identified. Work on the island will last until August 14.
Bolshoi Tyuters Island in post-war times, especially in the seventies, was called nothing more than “the island of death.” He received such a terrible nickname thanks to the active work of the Germans - they completely mined his territory. A lot of time has passed since the end of the war, but peaceful sappers and researchers are dying due to the diligent work of the Nazis. The island has such conditions and nature that it’s time to build sanatoriums and recreation centers, but the war still throws up its terrible “gifts.”
Role
Islands around the world are numerous. Everyone has their own purpose. Some of them are paradises for relaxation, others are trading harbors or pirate havens. Likewise, the island of Bolshoy Tyuters has its own destiny. His destiny was defense against enemies from the sea. The war sprinkled the island with blood - fierce battles were fought here. Over the course of several centuries, it passed from one hand to another every now and then. Most often they were Russians. Everything passes by it - ships, people, it seems that time stopped here 60 years ago. Very few people visited it during this period - mostly these were expeditions.
Characteristics of the island
Bolshoi Tyuters Island in the Gulf of Finland is a granite rock with an area of just over 8 square meters. km. There are two capes on it - Tuomarinem and Teiloniemi, an indicator highest point- 56 meters. The soil on it is diverse, this is due to many geological and morphological conditions. In addition to bare granite rocks, here you can find places with Unique glacial wells were also discovered on the island - they are also called boilers.
The east coast is characterized by dunes and sparse groups of plants. Also here you can find a place where about 300 species of flora exist on just one square meter. The central part is occupied by forests; 10% are swamps. Among them, small hanging swamps are considered a very interesting phenomenon; they are most often located in rock cracks. On the island you can see forests, rocks, swamps, coastal shallows, meadows, beaches, and dune fauna. In places of villages that were once inhabited, individual vegetation is also present.
Island inhabitants. Lighthouse
The island of Bolshoi Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland has, in addition to interesting landscapes and vegetation, an equally fascinating fauna. A rare species of mollusk - the predatory black slug - has found its habitat here. Particularly many of them can be found at the foot of the cliffs. Among the inhabitants of the island there are raccoon dogs, at least their traces have been discovered many times. In addition, a wild ram runs around the island; it escaped from the previous lighthouse several years ago.
By the way, about the lighthouse. It is the only habitat on the island. Its height is 21 meters, the focal plane is located at 75 meters. Two people live on the island - the caretaker and his wife.
Bolshoy Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland has never had a significant population. For some time there was a village of Finnish fishermen on it. However, the war swept her away from the face of the island.
Island today
Bolshoi Tyuters Island in the Gulf of Finland is one of those places where time has stood still. The buildings and structures are overgrown, even the lighthouse keeper does not risk straying far from his workplace, since the island can present an unpleasant surprise, which the Germans generously bestowed upon him. Since the latter left it in a hurry, they left behind not only but also a lot of equipment, ammunition, and heavy weapons. But at the same time, the nature here is simply indescribably beautiful, which, unfortunately, only a few can see. To neutralize the dangerous island, sapper landings are regularly sent to it. In addition, they are often joint; for example, the work of Russian and Swedish sappers in 2005 made it possible to detect and neutralize more than 30 thousand objects that could explode at any moment. There were seven similar landings in the post-war years. However, even half of the island cannot be called safe.
Forgotten technology
The island of Bolshoy Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland, a photo of which can be seen in the review, is real. Considering that its specimens are present in abundance on the island, among them there are unique ones. Such as, say, the 40-caliber Boforos automatic anti-aircraft gun. The amount of equipment that the Germans left behind could fill a large museum. Expeditions that explore its territory discover many specimens, some of which can be restored. To date, there are about two hundred units of equipment that have been moved to the mainland. There are also 6 in-depth fortifications on the island.
Expeditions
The expedition is sent to Bolshoi Tyuters Island to study the “white spots” on the map of Europe. Due to dense mining, even decades after the end of the war, military personnel died there. It is to neutralize the territory that such studies are carried out. One of the latest was the Gogland expedition, which, in addition to Bolshoi Tyuters, covered some of the outer islands of the Gulf of Finland. Before the landing of the main landing force, piers and platforms for helicopters were arranged. Among its achievements, one can note the discovery of about 200 units of military equipment and weapons. Most of of them is unique. After examining it for the presence of equipment, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society followed the searchers. On this moment a search is underway for the remains of soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War.
Travel to the island
Going to the island on your own is very dangerous. Of course it is historical place, where unique examples of equipment and weapons are located, but there are significantly more mines on it. Its nature is amazing; it is very quiet and peaceful here. The only thing that gives the island is that it works to avoid shipwrecks. Ships have been passing by for over 60 years. This is the peculiarity that Bolshoi Tyuters Island has. How to get to it is immediately visible on the map. The main routes are by water or by helicopter. If you still have a great desire to touch this part of history, you can go to the neighboring one, and from there you can also explore Bolshoi Tyuters from afar by water.
Ghosts of the Island
This is what they call the equipment that “rests” on the territory. Big Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland, if it had not been mined, could be called an open-air museum of military equipment. It seems that anti-aircraft guns have become part of nature; sometimes it is difficult to distinguish them from tree trunks or a fallen branch. It can bury itself in the dunes and reveal only a third of itself from under the sands. On the coastal slopes in the trees you can see defensive weapons of 37 caliber. There are pieces of equipment scattered everywhere, including engines. In the forests you can even find a gas generator station and a cable laying machine. Fuel barrels are scattered here and there. You can also find personal flasks of the Germans. All the equipment simply merged with nature, trees sprouted in the car bodies, some tools were covered with moss and grass. If it were not for the danger that lurks around every corner, fascinating excursions could be held here.
conclusions
The island has long been considered a restricted area. There have been successful attempts to clear it, but it is not yet possible to completely ensure safety. Far-reaching plans include making an open-air museum on the territory of Bolshoi Tyuters. But it all comes down to the financial part of the issue. It takes a lot of money to create minimal infrastructure. In addition, the path to the island is very difficult and expensive. That is why it remains completely unexplored and almost deserted.
Big Tyuters (Finnish: Tytärsaari; Swedish: Tyterskär; Est: Tütarsaar - daughter island) - Russian island in the central part of the Gulf of Finland, located 75 km from the coast of Finland and southeast of Gogland. It is part of the Kingisepp district of the Leningrad region. The area of the island is 8.3 sq. km.
The island of Bolshoi Tyuters in the Gulf of Finland was also called the “island of death” after the war. People continued to die there into the 1950s and 1960s.
The Finns and Germans captured the archipelago, located in the very center of the Gulf of Finland, at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The islands of Gogland and Bolshoi Tyuters were of exceptional importance. After all, they are located right on the fairway, along which both military and civilian ships sailed in those years, and even now. The Finns then occupied the island of Gogland, and a German headquarters group and a large garrison were located on Bolshoi Tyuters. A powerful battery appeared there to fight the Soviet fleet. It is quite clear that the Nazis, preparing for a serious battle in the Baltic, brought a huge amount of ammunition to the island. In addition, for some time shells were produced right there. In their haste to leave the island, the Germans were unable to remove the accumulated arsenal. They acted insidiously - they mined the territory of the island, essentially turning it into one big mine. The Soviet paratroopers who landed on Tyuters in the summer of 1944 fell into this terrible trap.
There were repeated attempts to clear the fortifications and the territory of the mined island, both immediately after the war and then in the 1950s. In this case, many sappers died. In order not to kill people in vain, they decided to simply not touch the island. At the same time, a lighthouse appeared on Tyuters, which is still working. The population of the mined island still consists of one person - the hermit Leonid Kudinov, who maintains this very lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper lives on a small plot of land and gets everything he needs from Mainland and does not risk going far from home. After all, any careless step could be the last...
It is quite clear that ammunition was found on the ill-fated island. You don't even need to look for them too much. In dugouts, in warehouses, in open areas and underground, there are thousands of shells, mines, and bombs. Next to them you can see German guns that stood for 60 years. All this is mined and can fly into the air even with a slight impact.
In 2005, sappers from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, together with specialists from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SHASS), completed the demining of Bolshoi Tyuters Island in the Gulf of Finland.
Sappers discovered and destroyed 30 thousand 339 explosive objects from the Great Patriotic War on the island.
The expedition, which began on August 10, together with sappers from Sweden, included employees of the 294th Center for Special Risk Rescue Operations "Leader", the 179th Rescue Center and the North-Western Regional Center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
In addition to numerous mines, shells and aircraft bombs, sappers from the two countries discovered six buried fortifications on the island.
A complex expedition of the Russian Geographical Society, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense, continues to survey the outer islands of the Gulf of Finland. The group went to Big Tyuters And Gogland to study their geography, geology, biology and historical and cultural heritage.
“Island of Death” is parting with the legacy of the war - hundreds of tons of rusty military iron are being prepared by volunteers from all over the country for removal from Bolshoi Tyuters. Shell casings and ammunition fragments will soon be disposed of. But this land is still fraught with danger.
Despite the fact that seven mine clearance operations have already been carried out here, volunteers find another cache of ammunition. Sappers who recently worked in Palmyra, Syria, discovered hundreds of German anti-personnel mines on the island - so-called “frogs” without detonators.
“When the Germans left here, they didn’t have time to take everything with them - they buried and hid something. Look, they are in excellent condition, even the paint has not peeled off,” Ilya Shcherbakov, commander of the mine clearance group of the 30th engineer regiment, shows the mine.
Bolshoi Tyuters, Gogland and neighboring islands literally blocking the exit to the Baltic from the Gulf of Finland. From 1941 to 1944, it was from here that the Germans fired at Soviet ships and aircraft.
The area of Bolshoi Tyuters is only eight square kilometers. But during the war, the Germans made it absolutely impregnable: rows of barbed wire surrounded the entire island, and machine gun nests were located every 50-100 meters. Everything was done to ensure that the Soviet landing force could not take it.
Tyuters was defended by a garrison of three thousand, while combat losses during almost three years of war amounted to only 30 people.
There is a German military cemetery on the island. Now servicemen of a separate search battalion of the Western Military District, at the request of the People's Union of Germany, are carrying out work to exhume the remains of German soldiers.
“Since this place is forested and wild, even last year there were attempts by looters to enter the island, despite the remoteness. Therefore, if you imagine the idea of leaving it and not touching anything, unfortunately, it won’t work,” explains Dmitry Volkov, an employee of the People’s Union of Germany.
Participants in a joint expedition of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society hope to find the remains of Soviet soldiers who took part in several landings. Hundreds of soldiers and sailors went missing in these places.
“It seemed that after the last expedition, well, everyone had already moved this island far and wide, everything interesting was evacuated from here. And we seem to know everything, but it turned out that a lot of interesting things remained,” notes the head of the International Complex Expedition “Gogland” Valery Kudinsky.
On Bolshoi Tyuters, several more bunkers were discovered, built by the Germans in granite rocks. Their goals are still unknown. Geophysicists are now trying to solve this mystery of the island.
Here, presumably, there may be grottoes, the entrances to which were blocked by the Germans during the retreat. They could hide anything - from stocks of weapons and food to valuables and art objects looted by the Nazis near Leningrad.
For 70 years, Tyuters, mined far and wide, remained a reserve of war on its last legs, and only now it has finally begun to reveal its secrets.