VMV class patrol boat
Encyclopedia
VMV class patrol boat was a series of Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 patrol boat
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...

s, which served with the Finnish Coast Guard and the Finnish Navy
Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS" simply short for "Finnish Navy Ship"...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Development

The VMV-boats were designed by dipl.eng. Jaakko Rahola of the Finnish Navy. The design was good, giving the boats excellent sea-going qualities, fast speed and a light construction, and thanks to their wooden hull, resistance to magnetic mines. The boats only weighed about 30 tons, their length were between 20 and 25 meters. The standard armament consisted of one 20 mm automatic cannon, although they could be armed with wide variety of weapons depending of the requirements. The first boat was ordered in December 1929 from U. Suortin Veneveistämö in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

. However, construction of this boat was delayed, and two boats that had been ordered from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 were ready before the first Finnish one. The following two boats were ordered in January 1931 from Uudenkaupungin Veneveistämö and they were ready by December, the same year. Another order was then placed for one boat from Turun Veneveistämö and it was ready by 1932. A further ten boats were ordered in 1934 from Turun Veneveistämö. These were ready by 1935.

VMV 1–7 were equipped with gasoline engines, and VMV 8–17 had diesel engines. VMV 3 and VMV 7 were destroyed before the war, the former due to an engine fire in 1931, and the latter due to an explosion in 1933.

The only remaining VMV-boat, number 11, is today preserved at the Kotka Maritime Museum in its original, and elegant outfit of the 1930s.

Operational service

At the outbreak of the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...

, the VMV boat armament was improved by fitting machine guns, depth charges and smoke dischargers. During the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...

, the extra armament varied depending on the mission; for example, they could be fitted with four or fives naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

s or two 450 mm torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es. Some boats were also used as gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

s, and were fitted with 40 mm Bofors gun and multiple 20 mm guns. Some were used as submarine hunters, and were equipped with a 20 mm gun and depth charges. Limited to patrol coastal waters, the VMV boats did not participate in any major action during the Winter War. During the Continuation war, their primary tasks were anti-submarine warfare and escort duty, although several boats participated in battles for
control of islands on the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

.

Five VMV boats were lost during the war, all in 1944. Two were sunk during air raids in Helsinki
Bombing of Helsinki in World War II
The capital of Finland, Helsinki was bombed several times during World War II. Between 1939–1945 Finland fought three wars, two against the Soviet Union and one against Germany...

, one was lost to Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 aircraft near Koivisto
Koivisto
Koivisto has many meanings.Persons named Koivisto:* Anu Koivisto, Finnish backstroke swimmer* Mauno Koivisto, Finnish president, Ph.D.* Jussi V. Koivisto, Finnish economist, Ph.D.* Tom Koivisto, Finnish ice hockey player...

 and two were lost when the Germans attacked Hogland
Hogland
Gogland or Hogland is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, located some 180 km west of Saint Petersburg and 35 km away from the coast of Finland . The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The area of Hogland Island is approximately...

 during the Lapland War
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...

.

Vessels of the class

ShipLaunchedLocationSpeedFate
VMV-1 Germany 25 knots Decommissioned
VMV-2 Germany 25 knots Decommissioned
VMV-3 Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (burned)
VMV-4
Former: Sterling
Norway 16 knots Retired
VMV-5 Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is inland water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-6 Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is inland water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-7 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (burned and sunk)
VMV-8 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (sunk)
VMV-9 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-10 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (sunk)
VMV-11 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Preserved
VMV-12 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (sunk)
VMV-13 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-14 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (sunk)
VMV-15 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-16 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Decommissioned
VMV-17 Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

23 knots Lost (sunk)
VMV-18
Former: SP-1
Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

11 knots Decommissioned
VMV-19
Former: SP-41
Tolkkinen, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

10 knots Decommissioned
VMV-20
Former: SP-42
Tolkkinen, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

10 knots Decommissioned


VMV 1, VMV 2: The Finnish Navy ordered two boats from Abeking & Rasmussen in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in January 1930, since the construction of the first boat, the future VMV 3, was delayed. These boats were ready by June 1930 and were taken into service in 1931. They had a length of 25.00 m, beam 4.10 m and draft 1.00 m. They were equipped with two Maybach V-12 gasoline-powered engines, producing 1,220 hp. The ships could reach speeds of up to 25 kn (30 mph; 49 km/h).
Both VMV 1 and VMV 2 distinguished themselves in the battle against alcohol smugglers in the 1930s. VMV 1 made the largest ever confiscation of smuggled alcohol in Finland at the Åland islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...

. VMV 2 intercepted a large smuggler vessel, the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 Omar in 1931. The large smuggler ship S/S Relly came to the other smuggler ship's rescue and tried to sink the VMV 2 by ramming it, and a wild duel with small arms opened up. A few smugglers were wounded, but the wild boat ride was solved through the good seamanship of the VMV crew, and when the VMV opened up fire with the 20 mm gun, the smugglers surrendered.

During the war VMV 1 served with the Varmistuslaivue, and VMV 2 was tasked with anti-submarinde warfare (1939-1941). In 1942, both vessels were part of the 1. Vartiomoottorivenelaivue. VMV 1 was took part in the operation that led to the sinking of the Finnish coastal defence ship Ilmarinen. Facing the danger of explosion, she saved 57 men from the upside-down turned hull of the Ilmarinen. She also participated in the battle of Bengtskär on 26 July 1941, together with VMV 2, 13, and VMV 14. She was also part in the operation where the minelayer Riilahti
Finnish minelayer Riilahti
Riilahti was a Ruotsinsalmi class minelayer of the Finnish Navy. Riilahti was commissioned in 1940 and sunk in 1943. The vessel was named after the battle of Riilahti, which was fought between Sweden and Russia in 1714.- New minelayers for the navy :...

 sank. She saved 11 men from the water, among them the commander of the Riilahti, Captain Lieutenant Osmo Kivilinna, who later died of his injuries. After the war both vessels participated in the mine sweeping operations. Both vessels were scrapped in 1951, having served for a far longer period than initially intended.


VMV 3: The first VMV order was partially placed at Ares motorverkstad (the engine) and partly from E. Suortin Veneveistämö in Helsinki (the hull) in December 1929 . The boat was ready by November 1930. The vessel was destroyed on the very first day of service, due to a fire in the engine compartments on 10 June 1931. The fire caused great damage to the ship and the boat had to be scrapped soon thereafter.

VMV 4: VMV 4 was originally a Norwegian-built smugglers boat, named Sterling. She was later confiscated by the Finnish authorities in 1931 and handed over to the Coast Guard. She was sold to a civilian buyer in 1939.

VMV 5, VMV 6: Two more boats were ordered from Uudenkaupungin Veneveistämö in Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki
Uusikaupunki , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is inland water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...

 in January 1931. These were practically identical to the VMV 3, with only some minor differences. VMV 5 and 6 were ready by December 1931. These boats had a higher superstructure Compared to the other VMV boats, and could be easily distinguished from the other VMV boats. VMV 5 belonged to the anti-submarine warfare flotilla during the Winter War, and both ships belonged to the 1st and 2nd escort flotillas during the Continuation War. The VMV 5 and 6 were scrapped in 1959-60.

VMV 7: The following boat was ordered from Turun Veneveistämö in April 1932. Externally it was identical to the VMV 3 and the interior was similar to the VMV 5. This boat was ready by 1932, however, an internal explosion destroyed the boat in 1933. This led to a redesign of the future VMV boats, and the subsequent vessels were given diesel engines.

VMV 8 - VMV 17: In 1934, the Finnish Navy announced a competition for ten VMV boats. Turun Veneveistämö won and was given the order in March 1934. These boats were 1 m longer and had a greater displacement than the previous boats. The boats were ready by 1935 and were given the names VMV 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.
VMV 8 belonged to the escort Flotilla during the Winter War and to the 2nd Patrol Flotilla during the Continuation War. She was sunk at her moorings during a Soviet bombing raid on Helsinki on February 26, 1944.
VMV 9 belonged to the Escort Flotilla during the Winter War, to the Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla in 1941 and to the 2nd Patrol Flotilla between 1942 and 1944.
VMV 10 belonged to the Escort Flotilla during the Winter War, to the Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla in 1941 and to the 2nd Patrol Flotilla between 1942 and 1944. She was sunk by German gun fire on 15 September 1944, when the Germans tried to conquer the island of Hogland
Hogland
Gogland or Hogland is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, located some 180 km west of Saint Petersburg and 35 km away from the coast of Finland . The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The area of Hogland Island is approximately...

 from the Finns during Operation Tanne Ost.
VMV 11 served between 1939 to 1941 in the Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla and afterwards in the 2nd Patrol Flotilla. She is today preserved and restored to original appearance and at display at the Maritime Museum in Kotka.
VMV 12 belonged to the escort flotilla during the Winter War and to the 2nd Patrol Flotilla during the Continuation War. She was sunk at her moorings in Helsinki by Soviet bomber aircraft during a raid on 6 February 1944.
VMV 13 belonged to the escort flotilla during the Winter War and to the 1st and 2nd Patrol Flotillas during the Continuation War. She participated in the battle of Bengtskär, where she saved 13 men. Later on she sank the Soviet Shchuka class submarine
Shchuka class submarine
The Shchuka class submarines , also referred to as Shch or SC class submarines were a medium-sized class of Soviet submarines, built in large numbers and used during World War II...

 Щ-311, together with VMV 15, on 12 October 1942. In 1972 she was used as a water bus in Kalajoki, Keminjärvi and Kajaana. She was scrapped in the beginning of the 2000s.
VMV 14 served between 1939-1940 as a submarine hunter, and during the Continuation War in the Escort Flotilla, and the 1st and 2nd Patrol Flotillas. She was sunk by German gun fire in the Suurkylä harbour on the island of Hogland on 15 September 1944, when the Germans tried to conquer the island.
VMV 15 belonged to the Anti Submarine-warfare Flotilla during the Winter War and to the escort flotilla, and the 1st and 2nd Patrol Flotillas during the Continuation War. Together with VMV 13 she participated in the sinking of the Soviet submarine Щ-311, on 12 October 1942. She was damaged in an air raid west of the island of Koivisto on 18 June 1942.
VMV 16 belonged to the Anti Submarine-warfare Flotilla during the Winter War and to the escort flotilla, and the 1st and 2nd Patrol Flotillas during the Continuation War.
VMV 17 belonged to the Escort Flotilla during the Winter War and to the Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla, and the 1st and 2nd Patrol Flotillas during the Continuation War. She was damaged by gun fire on 22 May 1943, while on patrol. Two men were killed and one wounded, however she managed to sink two Soviet vessels during the same engagement. The VMV 17 was sunk by Soviet aircraft on 6 February 1944 near the island of Koivisto. The ones that survived the war were successively scrapped during the following years, the last one in 1970.


VMV 18 - VMV 20: The VMV 18, 19 and 20 were originally used for maritime training by the Finnish Civil Guards. The boats were handed over to the Coast Guard in 1944 when the Civil Guards had to be disbanded. The boats had a displacement of 21-22 tons and could reach speeds up to 10-11 knots. VMV 18 (ex-SP-1) had been constructed in Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...

 in 1935. VMV 19 (ex-SP-41) and VMV 20 (ex-SP-42) had been built in Tolkkinen in 1943. VMV 18 was scrapped in 1958.

Wartime losses

ShipDateLocationCause
VMV-8 While moored to pier at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

Soviet bombing
VMV-10 While moored to pier at Gogland German naval gunfire
VMV-12 While moored to pier at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

Soviet bombing
VMV-14 While moored to pier at Gogland German naval gunfire
VMV-17 Near Beryozovye Islands
Beryozovye Islands
Beryozovye Islands , alternatively spelled Berezovye Islands, is an island group in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. The islands are situated at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, just outside the town of Primorsk on the Karelian Isthmus....

Soviet aircraft
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