Saturday 28 January 2012

Don't forget..



Finland as it is today.

Find some inspiration in the past..

This project was based on the military use of the Finnish song Säkkijärven Polkka. It is a folk tune usually played on accordion.

"During the Continuation War, the Finnish Army discovered that the retreating Soviets had scattered radio-controlled mines throughout the re-captured city of Viipuri. These mines were set off when a three-note chord was played on the frequency the radio was tuned to, causing three tuning forks (of which each mine had a unique combination) to vibrate at once. Once the Army and Yleisradio experts discovered how the mines worked, a Yleisradio mobile transmitter was brought to Viipuri, and Vesterinen's polka was played on the same frequencies the mines used. This operation continued for over three months, until the batteries of the mines were drained."




Karjala once belonged to Finland but she lost it during the Winter War to her neighbour, Russia. With failed attempts to win it back in the Continuation War, it is still part of Russia.



"The tune was first recorded in Säkkijärvi (now Kondratyevo in the Leningrad Oblast, Russia), and the words sometimes sung to the tune point out that Säkkijärvi itself might have been lost, but that Finns could at least keep the polka."

Extracts from Wikipedia.

1 comment:

  1. A lively representation of a real page from history !!

    ReplyDelete