Archaeologists investigate German wartime airfield in Inari

Archaeological excavations have begun at the former Kaamasen airfield in Inari, where German prisoners of war built Finland’s longest German runway in 1944, Yle reports.

Researchers from the University of Oulu and the University of Eastern Finland are studying the remains of buildings and other structures to determine their history and purpose.

One focus is a large pit with a concrete floor. Archaeologist Oula Seitsonen said the team wants to establish why the floor was built inside the pit. He believes it may have been used to store explosives.

The airfield also has a strong connection to local residents. Children played there and searched for explosives and other wartime debris, Kaamanen resident Sakari Lehtola told Yle.

“There were artillery and rifle cartridges and all kinds of war debris. We collected them and, to the horror of the boarding house supervisor, set them off,” Lehtola recalled.

Accidents sometimes occurred. Lehtola described one incident in which a homemade gun filled with gunpowder exploded. One child was taken to hospital with a large hole in his head but recovered. Lehtola said he was also hit by bomb fragments.

Local memories and knowledge are an important part of the research. Residents have told the archaeologists what they think should be investigated. According to local recollections, Russian bombing caused little damage because the airfield had strong air defences.

“Based on what has been mapped so far, there appear to have been a great many anti-aircraft positions, so that memory may well be accurate,” Seitsonen said.

The airfield was used for only a few months

German forces used the airfield for about six months, from summer until December. Seitsonen said its construction was part of Adolf Hitler’s plan to invade the Soviet Union and reach Murmansk easily from Kaamasen.

The plan failed. The soldiers were not prepared for the northern terrain and conditions, and the area around Kaamasen contained extensive wetlands. Road connections were also poor at the time.

After the plan was abandoned, German forces remained in Kaamasen to build infrastructure and support troops in northern Finland.

When the Lapland War began, German soldiers withdrew. They blew up everything as they left, leaving behind bomb remnants and large craters.

Aino Sistonen, who grew up in Kaamanen, remembers the craters at the airfield. Her late father, Eino Sistonen, often visited the bomb-damaged field and dreamed of building a new airfield there.

Eino Sistonen had worked as an aircraft mechanic during the war and later became head of the radar station at Palovaara in Kaamasen. He eventually bought the airfield.

“First, they checked that there were no unexploded bombs left, and then he began filling in the craters,” Aino Sistonen said.

Her father was delighted when the first small aircraft landed at the airfield. He built five log cabins, hoping that arriving passengers could stay nearby instead of travelling farther for accommodation.